Vršac
Encyclopedia
Vršac is a town and municipality located in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. In 2002 the town's total population was 36,623, while Vršac municipality had 54,369 inhabitants. Vršac is located in the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
region, in the Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
province of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. It is part of the South Banat District
South Banat District
South Banat District is a northeastern district of Serbia with the seat of the district in Pančevo. It borders Romania to the east. The district lies in the region of Banat, in the autonomous province of Vojvodina...
.
Name
The name Vršac is of SerbianSerbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
origin. It derived from the Slavic word vrh, meaning "summit". http://www.vrsac.org.rs/en_VrsacIstorijat.asp
In Serbian, the town is known as Вршац or Vršac, in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
as Vârşeţ, in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
as Versec, in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as Werschetz, and in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
as Virşac.
History
There are traces of human settlement in this area from paleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
and neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
times. Remains from two types of neolithic cultures have been discovered in the area: an older one, known as the Starčevo culture, and a newer one, known as the Vinča culture
Vinca culture
The Vinča culture is a Neolithic archaeological culture in Southeastern Europe, dated to the period 5500–4500 BCE. Named for its type site, Vinča-Belo Brdo, a large tell settlement discovered by Serbian archaeologist Miloje Vasić in 1908, it represents the material remains of a prehistoric society...
. From the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, there are traces of the Vatin culture
Vatin culture
The Vatin culture is a name of an prehistoric Bronze Age culture, which was named after village Vatin in Serbia. The culture had Indo-European roots and was culturally connected with Mycenaean Greece...
and Vršac culture, while from the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, there are traces of the Hallstatt culture
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
and La Tène culture
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, where a rich cache of artifacts was discovered by Hansli Kopp in 1857....
(which is largely associated with the Celts).
The Agathyrsi
Agathyrsi
Agathyrsi were a people of Scythian, Thracian, or mixed Thraco-Scythic origin, who in the time of Herodotus occupied the plain of the Maris , in the mountainous part of ancient Dacia now known as Transylvania, Romania...
(people of mixed Scythian-Thracian
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
origin) are the first people known to have lived in this region. Later, the region was inhabited by Getae
Getae
The Getae was the name given by the Greeks to several Thracian tribes that occupied the regions south of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria, and north of the Lower Danube, in Romania...
and Dacians
Dacians
The Dacians were an Indo-European people, very close or part of the Thracians. Dacians were the ancient inhabitants of Dacia...
. It belonged to the Dacian kingdoms of Burebista
Burebista
Burebista was a king of the Getae and Dacians, who unified for the first time their tribes and ruled them between 82 BC and 44 BC. He led plunder and conquest raids across Central and Southeastern Europe, subjugating most of the neighbouring tribes...
and Decebalus
Decebalus
Decebalus or "The Brave" was a king of Dacia and is famous for fighting three wars and negotiating two interregnums of peace without being eliminated against the Roman Empire under two emperors...
, and then to the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
from 102 to 271. In Vršac, archaeologists have found traces of ancient Dacian and Roman settlements. Later, the region belonged to the Empire of the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
, the Gepid and Avar
Eurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
kingdoms, and the Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian Empire is a term used to describe two periods in the medieval history of Bulgaria, during which it acted as a key regional power in Europe in general and in Southeastern Europe in particular, rivalling Byzantium...
.
The Slavs settled in this region in the 6th century, and the Slavic tribe known as the Abodrites (Bodriči) was recorded as living in the area. The Slavs from the region were Christianized
Christianization
The historical phenomenon of Christianization is the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once...
during the rule of the duke Ahtum
Ahtum
Ahtum, also Achtum or Ajtony , was a local ruler in the region of Banat in the first decades of the 11th century. King Saint Stephen I of Hungary sent Csanád - one of Ahtum’s former retainers - to fight against him...
in the 11th century. When duke Ahtum was defeated by the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, the region was included in the latter state.
Information about the early history of the town is scant. According to Serbian historians, medieval Vršac was founded and inhabited by Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
in 1425, although it was under administration of the Kingdom of Hungary. The original name of the town is unknown. There are several theories that its first name was Vers, Verbeč, Veršet or Vegenje, but these theories are not confirmed. The name of the town appears for the first time in 1427 in the form Podvršan. http://www.vrsac.org.rs/en_VrsacIstorijat.asp The Hungarian 12th century chronicle known as Gesta Hungarorum
Gesta Hungarorum
Gesta Hungarorum is a record of early Hungarian history by an unknown author who describes himself as Anonymi Bele Regis Notarii , but is generally cited as Anonymus...
mention the castle of Vrscia in Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
, which belonged to Bulgarian
Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian Empire is a term used to describe two periods in the medieval history of Bulgaria, during which it acted as a key regional power in Europe in general and in Southeastern Europe in particular, rivalling Byzantium...
duke Glad
Glad (duke)
Glad was a duke of Bulgarian origin who, according to the 13th-century chronicle Gesta Ungarorum "", ruled in the territory of modern Banat at the time of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin around 896...
in the 9th century. According to some interpretations, Vrscia is identified with modern Vršac, while according to other opinions, it is identified with Orşova
Orsova
Orșova is a port city on the Danube river in southwestern Romania's Mehedinți County. It is one of four localities in the county located in the Banat historical region. It is situated just above the Iron Gates, on the spot where the Cerna River meets the Danube.- History :The first documented...
. According to some claims, the town was at first in the possession of the Hungarian kings, and later became property of a Hungarian aristocrat, Miklós Perényi
Miklós Perényi
Miklós Perényi is a Hungarian cellist. He was born in Budapest into a musical family and studied at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Musec in Budapest with Ede Banda and Enrico Mainardi. He continued his studies at the Accademia Santa Cecilia, graduating in 1962...
, ban of Severin. In the 15th century, the town was in the possession of the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n despot Đurađ Branković. http://www.vrsac.org.rs/en_VrsacIstorijat.asp According to some claims, it was donated to the despot by Hungarian king Sigismund
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
in 1411. According to other sources, Vršac fortress was built by Đurađ Branković after the fall of Smederevo.
The Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
destroyed the town in the 16th century, but it was soon rebuilt under Ottoman administration. In 1590/91, the Ottoman garrison in Vršac fortress was composed of one aga, two Ottoman officers and 20 Serb mercenaries. The town was seat of the local Ottoman authorities and of the Serbian bishop. In this time, its population was composed of Muslims and Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
.
In 1594, the Serbs in the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
started large uprising
Banat uprising 1594
The Serb uprising in Banat in 1594 was one of the three largest uprisings in Serbian history against the Ottoman Empire, and the largest before the establishment of the autonomous Serbian state in the so-called First Serbian Uprising , led by Karađorđe Petrović.In the Banat region, which then...
against Ottoman rule, and Vršac region was centre of this uprising. The leader of the uprising was Teodor Nestorović, the bishop of Vršac
Eparchy of Banat
The Eparchy of Banat is an ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Banat region, Serbia. It is mostly situated in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, while the eparchy also include a small south-western part of Banat that belongs to the City of Belgrade as well...
. The size of this uprising is illustrated by the verse from one Serbian national song: "Sva se butum zemlja pobunila, Šest stotina podiglo se sela, Svak na cara pušku podigao!" ("The whole land has rebelled, a six hundred villages arose, everybody pointed his gun against the emperor").
The Serb rebels bore flags with the image of Saint Sava
Saint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
, thus the rebellion had a character of a holy war
Religious war
A religious war; Latin: bellum sacrum; is a war caused by, or justified by, religious differences. It can involve one state with an established religion against another state with a different religion or a different sect within the same religion, or a religiously motivated group attempting to...
. The Sinan-paša that lead the Ottoman army ordered that green flag of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
should be brought from Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
to confront this flag with image of Saint Sava. Furthermore, the Sinan-paša also burned the mortal remains of Saint Sava in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, as a revenge to the Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
. Eventually, the uprising was crushed and most of the Serbs from the region escaped to Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
fearing the Ottoman retaliation. However, since the Banat region became deserted after this, which alarmed the Ottoman authorities who needed people in this fertile land, the authorities promised to spare everyone who came back. The Serb population came back, but the amnesty did not apply to the leader of the rebellion, Bishop Teodor Nestorović, who was flayed as a punishment. The Banat uprising was one of the three largest uprisings in Serbian history and the largest before the First Serbian Uprising
First Serbian Uprising
The First Serbian Uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution , the successful wars of independence that lasted for 9 years and approximately 9 months , during which Serbia perceived itself as an independent state for the first time after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and...
led by Karađorđe.
In 1716, Vršac passed from Ottoman to Habsburg
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
control, and the Muslim population fled the town. In this time, Vršac was mostly populated by Serbs, and in the beginning of the Habsburg rule, its population numbered 75 houses. Soon, German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
colonists started to settle here. They founded new settlement known as Werschetz, which was located near old (Serbian) Vršac. Serbian Vršac was governed by knez, and German Werschetz was governed by schultheis (mayor). Name of the first Serbian knez in Vršac in 1717 was Jovan Crni. In 1795, two towns, Serbian Vršac and German Werschetz, were officially joined into one single settlement, in which the authority was shared between Serbs and Germans. It was occupied by Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
between 1787-1788 during Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792).
The 1848/1849 revolution disrupted the good relations between Serbs and Germans, since Serbs fought on the side of the Austrian
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
authorities and Germans fought on the side of the Hungarian revolutionaries. In 1848-1849, the town was part of autonomous Serbian Vojvodina
Serbian Vojvodina
The Serbian Vojvodina was a Serbian autonomous region within the Austrian Empire...
, and from 1849 to 1860, it was part of the Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat
Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat
The Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar or Serbian Voivodeship and Banat of Temeschwar was a province of the Austrian Empire that existed between 1849 and 1860....
, a separate Austrian
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
province. After the abolition of the voivodship, Vršac was included in Temes
Temes
Temes was the name of an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary. Its territory is currently in southwestern Romania and northern Serbia...
county of the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, which became one of two autonomous parts of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
in 1867. The town was also a district seat. In 1910, the population of the town numbered 27,370 inhabitants, of whom 13,556 spoke German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, 8,602 spoke Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, 3,890 spoke Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
and 879 spoke Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
.
From 1918, the town was part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
). According to 1921 census, speakers of German language were most numerous in the town, while 1931 census recorded 13,425 speakers of Yugoslav languages and 11,926 speakers of German language. During the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
occupation (1941–1944), Vršac was part of autonomous Banat
Banat, 1941-1944
The Banat was a political entity established in 1941 after the occupation and partition of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis Powers in the historical Banat region. It was formally a part of the Axis puppet state of Serbia, but all power within the region was in the hands of the local minority...
region within German-occupied Nedić's Serbia
Nedic's Serbia
Serbia under German occupation refers to an administrative area in occupied Yugoslavia established by Nazi Germany following the invasion and dismantling of Yugoslavia in April of 1941...
. Many Danube Swabians
Danube Swabians
The Danube Swabians is a collective term for the German-speaking population who lived in the former Kingdom of Hungary, especially alongside the Danube River valley. Because of different developments within the territory settled, the Danube Swabians cannot be seen as a unified people...
collaborated with the Nazi authorities and many men were conscripted into the Waffen SS. In 1944, one part of Vršac citizens of German ethnicity left from the city, together with defeated German army. Those who remained in Vršac were sent to local communist prison camps, where some of them died from disease and malnutrition. According to some claims, some were tortured or killed by the partisans. Since 1944 when it was liberated by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's 46th Army, the town was part of the new Socialist Yugoslavia. After prison camps were dissolved (in 1948) and Yugoslav citizenship was returned to the Germans, the remaining German population left Yugoslavia because of economic reasons.
Historical population
- 1838: 18,481
- 1857: 19,087
- 1869: 21,095
- 1880: 22,329
- 1890: 21,859
- 1900: 24,770
- 1910: 26,941
- 1921: 27,011
- 1931: 29,411
- 1948: 23,038
- 1953: 26,110
- 1961: 31,620
- 1971: 34,256
- 1981: 37,513
- 1991: 36,885
- 2002: 36,623
Inhabited places
- VatinVatinVatin is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 239 people .-Name:...
- Veliko SredišteVeliko SredišteVeliko Središte is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,269 people...
- VlajkovacVlajkovacVlajkovac is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province...
- VojvodinciVojvodinciVojvodinci , , ) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 328 people .-See also:...
(Romanian: Voivodinţ) - Vršački RitoviVršacki RitoviVršački Ritovi is a village located in Serbia at 45° 9' 38" North, 21° 10' 19" East. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in Banat region , Vojvodina province...
- GuduricaGuduricaGudurica is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority, with a Macedonian minority, and its population numbering 1,092 people ....
- ZagajicaZagajicaZagajica is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 492 people .-Name:...
- IzbišteIzbišteIzbište is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province...
- JablankaJablankaJablanka is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 247 people ....
(Romanian: Iabuca) - KuštiljKuštiljKuštilj is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 664 people ....
(Romanian: Coştei) - Mali ŽamMali ŽamMali Žam is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 279 people .-Name:...
(Romanian: Jamu Mic) - Malo SredišteMalo SredišteMalo Središte is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 78 people .-See also:*List of places in Serbia*List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina...
(Romanian: Srediştea Mică) - MarkovacMarkovacMarkovac or Marcovăţ is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province...
(Romanian: Mărcovăţ) - Mesić (Romanian: Mesici)
- OrešacOrešacOrešac or Oreşaţ is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village is ethnically mixed and its population numbering 356 people .-Ethnic groups :...
(Romanian: Oreşaţ) - PavlišPavlišPavliš is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 2,205 people .-Historical population:*1961: 2,246...
- PartaPartaParta is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbers 348 people ....
- PotporanjPotporanjPotporanj is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 273 people ....
- RitiševoRitiševoRitiševo is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 496 people ....
(Romanian: Râtişor) - SočicaSocicaSočica is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 124 people .-See also:...
(Romanian: Sălciţa) - StražaStražaStraža may refer to:* Straža, Bosnia and Herzegovina* Straža, a village in Lipkovo municipality, Republic of Macedonia* Straža, a village near Vršac, Vojvodina, Serbia* Straža, a hamlet in Kosovo, Serbia...
(Romanian: Straja) - UljmaUljmaUljma is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 3,089 people .-Historical population:*1961: 4,237...
- ŠušaraŠušaraŠušara is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province...
(Hungarian: Fejértelep)
Note: for the places with Romanian and Hungarian ethnic majorities, the names are also given in the language of the concerned ethnic group.
Ethnic groups in the city
The population of the Vršac city (36,623 people) is composed of the following ethnic groups (2002 census):- SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
= 28,372 (77.47%) - Hungarians = 1,800 (4.92%)
- RomaniansRomaniansThe Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
= 1,734 (4.74%) - YugoslavsYugoslavsYugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
= 848 (2.32%) - Roma people = 644 (1.76%)
Ethnic groups in the municipality
The population of the Vršac municipality (54,369 people) is composed of the following ethnic groups (2002 census):- SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
= 39,418 (72.50%) - RomaniansRomaniansThe Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
= 5,913 (10.87%) - Hungarians = 2,619 (4.82%)
- Roma = 1,186 (2.18%)
- YugoslavsYugoslavsYugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
= 1,019 (1.87%) - Others = 4,214 (7.76%)
Settlements by ethnic majority
Within the municipality, the settlements with a SerbSerbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
ethnic majority are: Vršac (the city itself), Vatin
Vatin
Vatin is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 239 people .-Name:...
, Veliko Središte
Veliko Središte
Veliko Središte is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,269 people...
, Vlajkovac
Vlajkovac
Vlajkovac is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province...
, Vršački Ritovi
Vršacki Ritovi
Vršački Ritovi is a village located in Serbia at 45° 9' 38" North, 21° 10' 19" East. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in Banat region , Vojvodina province...
, Gudurica
Gudurica
Gudurica is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority, with a Macedonian minority, and its population numbering 1,092 people ....
, Zagajica
Zagajica
Zagajica is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 492 people .-Name:...
, Izbište
Izbište
Izbište is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province...
, Pavliš
Pavliš
Pavliš is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 2,205 people .-Historical population:*1961: 2,246...
, Parta
Parta
Parta is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbers 348 people ....
, Potporanj
Potporanj
Potporanj is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 273 people ....
, and Uljma
Uljma
Uljma is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 3,089 people .-Historical population:*1961: 4,237...
. The settlements with a Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
ethnic majority are: Vojvodinci
Vojvodinci
Vojvodinci , , ) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 328 people .-See also:...
, Jablanka
Jablanka
Jablanka is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 247 people ....
, Kuštilj
Kuštilj
Kuštilj is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 664 people ....
, Mali Žam
Mali Žam
Mali Žam is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 279 people .-Name:...
, Malo Središte
Malo Središte
Malo Središte is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 78 people .-See also:*List of places in Serbia*List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina...
, Markovac
Markovac
Markovac or Marcovăţ is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province...
, Mesić
Mesic
Mesic may refer to:* Mesic, North Carolina, a town in the United States* Mesic habitat, a type of habitat...
, Ritiševo
Ritiševo
Ritiševo is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 496 people ....
, Sočica
Socica
Sočica is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Romanian ethnic majority and its population numbering 124 people .-See also:...
, and Straža
Straža
Straža may refer to:* Straža, Bosnia and Herzegovina* Straža, a village in Lipkovo municipality, Republic of Macedonia* Straža, a village near Vršac, Vojvodina, Serbia* Straža, a hamlet in Kosovo, Serbia...
. Šušara
Šušara
Šušara is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province...
has a Hungarian ethnic majority, while Orešac
Orešac
Orešac or Oreşaţ is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village is ethnically mixed and its population numbering 356 people .-Ethnic groups :...
is an ethnically mixed settlement with a Romanian plurality.
Serb community
Vršac is the seat of the Serb Orthodox Eparchy of BanatEparchy of Banat
The Eparchy of Banat is an ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Banat region, Serbia. It is mostly situated in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, while the eparchy also include a small south-western part of Banat that belongs to the City of Belgrade as well...
. Some of the Serb cultural-artistic societies in Vršac are named "Žarko Zrenjanin", "Penzioner" and "Grozd".
Romanian community
The city's Romanian minority have a Romanian-language theater, schools and a museum. Romanian-language instruction takes place at a kindergarten, an elementary school, a high school and a teachers' university. The cultural organization and folklore group "Petru Albu" hold many cultural events in Vršac and nearby Romanian-populated villages. In 2005, Romania opened a consulate in Vršac.Industry
Vršac is a town famous for well-developed industry, especially pharmaceuticals, wine and beer, confectioneries and textiles. The leading pharmaceutical company in Vršac (and nationwide) is the Hemofarm GroupHemofarm Group
Hemofarm Group is amongst the largest pharmaceutical companies in Serbia accounting for 45% percent of total sales in 2004.According to its most recent annual financial report submitted to Serbian Economic Register Agency, Hemofarm Koncern, the main holding of Hemofarm Group, has 3,230 employees...
, which helped start the town's Technology Park.
Agriculture
Vršac is considered to be one of the most significant centers of agriculture in the region of southern Banat, which is the southern part of the province of Vojvodina. It is mainly because it has 54,000 hectares of arable and extremely fertile land in its possession.The city itself together with 22 surrounding communities has some 56,000 residents, whose lives are closely connected with agriculture.
Tourist destinations
Millennium Center
The Millennium Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the city of Vršac, Serbia. It is the home ground of basketball club KK Hemofarm and has a capacity of 5,000 spectators. The arena is also used for concerts and other live entertainment....
, built in 2002, is located in Vršac. The region around Vršac is famed for its vineyards.
Vršac Castle
The symbol of the town is the Vršac Castle (Vršački zamak), which dates back to the mid 15th century. It stands at the top of the hill (399m) overlooking Vršac.There are two theories about origin of this fortress. According to the Turkish traveler, Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi was an Ottoman traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years.- Life :...
, the fortress was built by the Serbian despot Đurađ Branković. The historians consider that Branković built the fortress after the fall of Smederevo
Smederevo
Smederevo is a city and municipality in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, about 40 km downstream of the capital Belgrade. According to official results of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 107,528...
in 1439. http://www.vrsac.org.rs/en_VrsacIstorijat.asp The fortress in its construction had some architectural elements similar to those in the fortress of Smederevo
Smederevo
Smederevo is a city and municipality in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, about 40 km downstream of the capital Belgrade. According to official results of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 107,528...
or in the fortress around monastery Manasija.
The other theory claim that Vršac Castle is a remain of the medieval fortress known as Erdesumulu (Hungarian: Érdsomlyó or Érsomlyó, Serbian: Erd-Šomljo / Ерд-Шомљо or Šomljo / Шомљо). However, the other sources do not identify Erdesumulu with Vršac, but claim that these two were separate settlements and that location of town and fortress of Erdesumulu was further to the east, on the Karaš River, in present-day Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
.
Monasteries
There are two Serbian Orthodox monasteries in the Vršac municipality: Mesić monasteryMesic monastery
The Mesić Monastery is a Serb Orthodox monastery situated in the Banat region, in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina. The monastery is situated near the village of Mesić, in the Vršac municipality...
from the 13th century and Središte monastery
Središte monastery
The Središte Monastery is a Serb Orthodox monastery located in the Banat region, in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina. The monastery is situated near the villages of Malo Središte and Veliko Središte, in the Vršac municipality. It was built in the late 15th century by Despot Jovan...
, which is currently under construction.
Winery
One of interesting places to visit in Vršac is the family winery, Vinik, which produces the Vržole Red, Vržole White and Bermetto wine.Famous residents
- Marie von Augustin (1807–1886), Austrian female writer (de)
- Dragiša BrašovanDragiša BrašovanDragiša Brašovan was a Serbian modernist architect, one of the leading architects of the early 20th century in Yugoslavia.- Works :Zrenjanin:...
, Serbian modernist architect - Sultana Cijuk, an opera singer
- József Dietrich (1852–1884), Hungarian geographer and chemist of German (Danube Swabian) descent
- Robert HammerstielRobert HammerstielRobert Hammerstiel is an Austrian painter and engraver. Hammerstiel is internationally recognized through numerous awards...
(born 1933), painter, artist (de) - Ferenc HerczegFerenc HerczegFerenc Herczeg was a Hungarian playwright and author who promoted conservative nationalist opinion in his country. He founded and edited the magazine Új Idők in 1895...
(1863–1954), Hungarian writer - Milan Jovanović, photographer
- Paja JovanovićPaja JovanovicPavle "Paja" Jovanović was the most prominent Serbian Realist painter alongside Uroš Predić. He is considered one of Serbia's greatest academic painters. His most famous and recognizable paintings include Serbian Migrations, Crowning of Stefan Dušan, Takovo Uprising, Cockfighting, Decorating of...
(1859–1957), famous Serbian painter - Boris Kostić, chess player
- Teodor Nestorović, the bishop of VršacEparchy of BanatThe Eparchy of Banat is an ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Banat region, Serbia. It is mostly situated in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, while the eparchy also include a small south-western part of Banat that belongs to the City of Belgrade as well...
and leader of the Serb uprising in BanatBanat uprising 1594The Serb uprising in Banat in 1594 was one of the three largest uprisings in Serbian history against the Ottoman Empire, and the largest before the establishment of the autonomous Serbian state in the so-called First Serbian Uprising , led by Karađorđe Petrović.In the Banat region, which then...
in 1594 - Nikola NeškovićNikola NeškovicNikola Nešković was the most famous Serbian religious painter of the 18th century. He is the author of over a thousand works, including many icons, frescos, and portraits.-External links:**...
(1739–1775), Serbian painter - Vasko PopaVasko Popa- Biography :Popa was born in the village of Grebenac , Vojvodina, Serbia. After finishing high school, he enrolled as a student of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy. He continued his studies at the University of Bucharest and in Vienna...
, ethnic Romanian poet - Jovan Sterija PopovićJovan Sterija PopovicJovan Sterija Popović was a Serbian playwright, poet and pedagogue who taught at the Belgrade Higher School. Sterija was recognized by his contemporaries as the one of the leading Serbian intellectuals...
(1806–1856), Serbian playwright, dramatist, comediographer, and pedagogue of mixed AromanianAromaniansAromanians are a Latin people native throughout the southern Balkans, especially in northern Greece, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and as an emigrant community in Serbia and Romania . An older term is Macedo-Romanians...
-SerbSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
descent - Nedeljko Popović Serba, painter
- Döme SztójayDöme SztójayDöme Sztójay born Demeter Sztojakovich was a Hungarian soldier and diplomat of Serb origin, who served as Prime Minister of Hungary during World War II.- Biography :...
(native name: Dimitrije Stojaković; 1883–1946), Hungarian Prime Minister and diplomat of Serb descent - Zorana TodorovićZorana TodorovicZorana Todorović is a Serbian basketball player. Todorović in one interview made clear her fondness of her height and expressed her wish to grow taller than Poland's Margo Dydek and thus become the world's tallest female basketball player...
(1989-), basketball player - Jenő Vincze (1908–1988), Hungarian international football player, most famous for playing for the Hungarian national teamHungary national football teamThe Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
in the 1938 World Cup Final - József Wodetzky (1872–1956), Hungarian astronomer of Polish descent
Twin towns — sister cities
Vršac is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Lugoj, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica is a key city in central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With 81,281 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...