Subotica Суботица (Serbian) Szabadka (Hungarian)
City
Град Суботица Grad Subotica City of Subotica
Panorama of Subotica Subotica City Hall Reichel Palace Franciscan Church St. Theresa of Avila Cathedral St. George's Church Former Savings Bank Liberty Square National Theater Subotica Synagogue
Flag Coat of arms
Subotica Location of the city of Subotica in Serbia Show map of Vojvodina Subotica Subotica (Serbia) Show map of Serbia Subotica Subotica (Europe) Show map of Europe
Coordinates: 46°06′01″N 19°39′56″E / 46.10028°N 19.66556°E / 46.10028; 19.66556
Country	Serbia
Province	Vojvodina
District	North Bačka
Settlements	19
Government
• Mayor	Stevan Bakić (SNS)
Area
• Rank	13th in Serbia
• Urban	164.33 km2 (63.45 sq mi)
• Administrative	1,007.47 km2 (388.99 sq mi)
Elevation	109 m (358 ft)
Population  (2022 census)[1]
• City	94,228
• Rank	5th in Serbia
• Administrative	123,952
• Administrative density	120/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	24000
Area code	(+381) 24
Vehicle registration	SU
Website	Official website

Subotica (Serbian Cyrillic: Суботица, pronounced [sǔbotitsa] ^ⓘ; Hungarian: Szabadka, Rusyn: Суботица) is a city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Subotica is now the second largest city in the province, following the city of Novi Sad. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 94,228, and the population of metro area (the administrative area of the city) stands at 123,952 people.^[1]

Name

The name of the city has changed frequently over time.^[2] The earliest known written name of the city was Zabotka^[3] or Zabatka,^[4] which dates from 1391. It is the origin of the current Hungarian name for the city "Szabadka".^[4] Other sources claim, that the name "Szabadka" comes from the adjective szabad, which derived from the Slavic word for "free" – svobod, referring to the status of the colonists settled in this zone by the Habsburg after the Battle of Zenta.^[5]

The town was named in the 1740s after Maria Theresa of Austria, Archduchess of Austria. It was officially called Sent-Maria in 1743, but was renamed in 1779 as Maria-Theresiapolis. These two official names were also spelled in several different ways (most commonly the German Maria-Theresiopel or Theresiopel), and were used in different languages.^[2]

Architectural Richness

Subotica boasts a remarkable collection of Art Nouveau architecture, including iconic buildings like the Subotica Synagogue and the Reichel Palace, which are recognized as some of the finest examples of this architectural style in Europe.^[6]

Geography

It is located in the Pannonian Basin at 46.07° North, 19.68° East, about 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the border with Hungary, and is the northernmost city in Serbia. It is located in the vicinity of lake Palić.^[7]

Climate

Subotica has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) that is uncommon in Serbia except at higher elevations,

History

Prehistory and antiquity

In the Neolithic and Eneolithic periods, several important archaeological cultures flourished in this area, including the Starčevo culture,^[11] the Vinča culture,^[12] and the Tiszapolgár culture.^[13] Early Indo-European peoples settled in the territory of present-day Subotica in 3200 BC.^[14] During the Eneolithic period, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, several Indo-European archaeological cultures included areas around Subotica - the Baden culture, the Vučedol culture,^[15] the Urnfield culture^[16] and some others. Before the Iazyge conquest in the 1st century BC, Indo-European peoples of Illyrian, Celtic and Dacian descent inhabited this area. In the 3rd century BC, this area was controlled by the Celtic Boii and Eravisci, while in the 1st century BC, it became part of the Dacian kingdom. From the 1st century BC, the area came under the control of the Sarmatian Iazyges, who were sometimes allies and sometimes enemies of the Romans. Iazyge rule lasted until the 4th century AD, after which the region came into the possession of various other peoples and states.^[17]

Early Middle Ages and Slavic settlement

In the Early Middle Ages various Indo-European and Turkic peoples and states ruled in the area of Subotica. These peoples included Huns, Gepids, Avars, Slavs and Bulgarians. Slavs settled today's Subotica in the 6th and 7th centuries, before some of them crossed the rivers Sava and Danube and settled in the Balkans.

The Slavic tribe living in the territory of present-day Subotica were the Obotrites, a subgroup of the Serbs. In the 9th century, after the fall of the Avar state, the first forms of Slavic statehood emerged in this area. The first Slavic states that ruled over this region included the Principality of Lower Pannonia (846-875), Great Moravia (833–c. 907) and the Bulgarian Empire.^[18]

Late-Middle Ages

Subotica probably first became a settlement of note when people poured into it from nearby villages destroyed during the Tatar invasions of 1241–42. When Zabadka/Zabatka was first recorded in 1391, it was a tiny town in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. Later, the city belonged to the Hunyadis, one of the most influential aristocratic families in the whole of Central Europe.

King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary gave the town to one of his relatives, János Pongrác Dengelegi, who, fearing an invasion by the Ottoman Empire, fortified the castle of Subotica, erecting a fortress in 1470. Some decades later, after the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Subotica became part of the Ottoman Empire. The majority of the Hungarian population fled northward to Royal Hungary.^[19] Bálint Török, a local noble who had ruled over Subotica, also escaped from the city. During the military and political havoc following the defeat at Mohács, Subotica came under the control of Serbian mercenaries recruited in Banat. These soldiers were in the service of the Transylvanian general John I Zápolya, a later Hungarian king.^[20]

The leader of these mercenaries, Jovan Nenad, established in 1526–27 his rule in Bačka, northern Banat and a small part of Syrmia and created an independent entity, with Subotica as its administrative centre. At the peak of his power, Jovan Nenad proclaimed himself as Serbian tsar in Subotica. He named Radoslav Čelnik as the general commander of his army, while his treasurer and palatine was Subota Vrlić, a Serbian noble from Jagodina. When Bálint Török returned and recaptured Subotica from the Serbs, Jovan Nenad moved the administrative centre to Szeged.^[21]

Some months later, in the summer of 1527, Jovan Nenad was assassinated and his entity collapsed. However, after Jovan Nenad's death, Radoslav Čelnik led a part of the army to Ottoman Syrmia, where he briefly ruled as an Ottoman vassal.^{[citation needed]}

Ottoman administration

The Ottoman Empire ruled the city from 1542 to 1686. At the end of this almost 150-year-long period, not much remained of the old town of Zabadka/Zabatka. As much of the population had fled, the Ottomans encouraged the settlement of the area by different colonists from the Balkans. The settlers were mostly Orthodox Serbs. They cultivated the extremely fertile land around Subotica. In 1570, the population of Subotica numbered 49 houses, and in 1590, 63 houses. In 1687, the region was settled by Catholic Dalmatas (called Bunjevci today). It was called Sobotka under Ottoman rule and was a kaza centre in Segedin sanjak at first in Budin Eyaleti until 1596, and after that in Eğri Eyaleti between 1596 and 1686.^[22]

Habsburg administration

In 1687, about 5,000 Bunjevci settled in Bačka (including Subotica). After the decisive battle against the Ottomans at Senta led by Prince Eugene of Savoy on 11 September 1697, Subotica became part of the military border zone Theiss-Mieresch established by the Habsburg monarchy. In the meantime the uprising of Francis II Rákóczi broke out, which is also known as the Kuruc War.

In the region of Subotica, Rákóczi joined battle against the Rac National Militia. Rác was a designation for the South Slavic people (mostly Serbs and Bunjevci) and they often were referred to as rácok in the Kingdom of Hungary. In a later period rácok came to mean, above all, Serbs of Orthodox religion.^[23]

The Serbian military families enjoyed several privileges thanks to their service for the Habsburg Monarchy. Subotica gradually, however, developed from being a mere garrison town to becoming a market town with its own civil charter in 1743. When this happened, many Serbs complained about the loss of their privileges. The majority left the town in protest and some of them founded a new settlement just outside 18th century Subotica in Aleksandrovo, while others emigrated to Russia. In New Serbia, a new Russian province established for them, those Serbs founded a new settlement and also named it Subotica. In 1775, a Jewish community in Subotica was established.

It was perhaps to emphasise the new civic serenity of Subotica that the pious name Saint Mary came to be used for it at this time. Some decades later, in 1779, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria advanced the town's status further by proclaiming it a Free Royal Town. The enthusiastic inhabitants of the city renamed Subotica once more as Maria-Theresiopolis.^[24]

This Free Royal Town status gave a great impetus to the development of the city. During the 19th century, its population doubled twice, attracting many people from all over the Habsburg monarchy. This led eventually to a considerable demographic change. In the first half of the 19th century, the Bunjevci had still been in the majority, but there was an increasing number of Hungarians and Jews settling in Subotica. This process was not stopped even by the outbreak of the Revolutions in the Habsburg monarchy (1848–49).

1848/1849 Revolutions

During the 1848-49 revolution, the proclaimed borders of autonomous Serbian Vojvodina included Subotica, but Serb troops could not establish control in the region. On 5 March 1849, at the locality named Kaponja (between Tavankut and Bajmok), there was a battle between the Serb and Hungarian armies, which was won by the Hungarians.

The first newspaper in the town was also published during the 1848/49 revolution—it was called Honunk állapota ("State of Our Homeland") and was published in Hungarian by Károly Bitterman's local printing company. Unlike most Serbs and Croats who confronted the Hungarians, part of the local Bunjevci people supported the Hungarian revolution.

In 1849, after the Hungarian revolution of 1848 was defeated by the Russian and Habsburg armies, the town was separated from the Kingdom of Hungary together with most of the Bačka region, and became part of a separate Habsburg province, called Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar. The administrative centre of this new province was Timișoara. The province existed until 1860. During the existence of the voivodeship, in 1853, Subotica acquired its impressive theatre.^[25]

Hungarian administration

After the establishment of the Dual-Monarchy in 1867, there followed what is often called the "golden age" of city development of Subotica. Many schools were opened after 1867 and in 1869 the railway connected the city to the world. In 1896 an electrical power plant was built, further enhancing the development of the city and the whole region. Subotica now adorned itself with its remarkable Central European, fin de siècle architecture. In 1902 a Jewish synagogue was built in the Art Nouveau style.

Between 1849 and 1860 it was part of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar.^[26]

Yugoslavia and Serbia

Subotica had been part of Austria-Hungary until the end of World War I. In 1918, the city became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. As a result, Subotica became a border-town in Yugoslavia and did not, for a time, experience again the same dynamic prosperity it had enjoyed prior to World War I. However, during that time, Subotica was the third-largest city in Yugoslavia by population, following Belgrade and Zagreb.

In 1941, Yugoslavia was invaded and partitioned by the Axis Powers, and its northern parts, including Subotica, were annexed by Hungary. The annexation was not considered legitimate by the international community and the city was de jure still part of Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav government in exile received formal recognition of legitimacy as the representative of the country. On 11 April 1941, the Hungarian troops arrived in Subotica on the grounds that the majority of the people living in the city were ethnic Hungarians, which had been part of the Kingdom of Hungary for over 600 years. During World War II, the city lost approximately 7,000 of its citizens, mostly Serbs, Hungarians and Jews. Before the war about 6,000 Jews had lived in Subotica; many of these were deported from the city during the Holocaust, mostly to Auschwitz. In April 1944, under German administration, a ghetto was set up.^[27] In addition, many communists were executed during Axis rule. In 1944, the Axis forces left the city, and Subotica became part of the new Yugoslavia. During the 1944–45 period, about 8,000 citizens ^{[failed verification]} (mainly Hungarians) were killed by Partisans while re-taking the city as a retribution for supporting Axis Hungary.^{[28][29][failed verification]}

In the post-war period, Subotica has gradually been modernised. During the Yugoslav and Kosovo wars of the 1990s, a considerable number of Serb refugees came to the city from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, while many ethnic Hungarians and Croats, as well as some local Serbs, left the region.

Cityscape

Unique in Serbia, Subotica and adjacent Palić have the most buildings built in the Hungarian Secession style, a distinct variant of Art Nouveau.^[30] The Hungarian Secession style was operational between the 1890s and World War I. Its designs combined art nouveau vegetal ornaments and symbolic figures with traditional Hungarian motifs. It found its architectural expression in Subotica in the works of Marcell Komor, Dezső Jakab and Ferenc Raichle.^{[citation needed]}

The City Hall (built in 1908–1910) and the Synagogue (1902) are of especially outstanding beauty. These were built by the same architects, Marcell Komor and Dezső Jakab. Another exceptional example of art nouveau architecture is the actual Raichle Palace, which was built in 1904 by Ferenc J. Raichle.

Church buildings include the Cathedral of St. Theresa of Avila dating from 1797, the Franciscan friary dating from 1723, the Eastern Orthodox churches also from the 18th century, and the Hungarian Art Nouveau Subotica Synagogue from the early 20th century and its renovation was completed in the summer of 2019.

The historic National Theatre in Subotica, which was built in 1854 as the first monumental public building in Subotica, was demolished in 2007, although it was declared a historic monument under state protection in 1983, and in 1991 it was added to the National Register as a monument of an extraordinary cultural value. It is currently in the midst of renovation and is scheduled to open in 2017.^[31]

Hungarian Secession buildings
Raichle Palace	Municipal Library	City Hall	Interior of the City Hall	Vojnića palace

Neighborhoods

The following are the neighborhoods of Subotica:

• Aleksandrovo (Hungarian: Sándor)
• Bajnat (Bajnát)
• Centar (Központ)
• Dudova Šuma (Radijalac) (Sétaerdő)
• Gat (Gát)
• Graničar (Határőr)
• Ker (Kér)
• Kertvaroš (Kertváros)
• Makova Sedmica (Makkhetes)
• Mali Bajmok (Kisbajmok)
• Mali Radanovac (Kisradanovác)
• Novi Grad (Újváros)
• Novo Naselje (Újtelep)
• Prozivka (Prozivka)
• Srpski Šor (Szerb sor)
• Teslino Naselje
• Veliki Radanovac (Nagyradanovác)
• Zorka (Zorka)
• Željezničko Naselje (Vasutastelep)

Suburbs and villages

The administrative area of Subotica comprises Subotica proper, the town of Palić (Hungarian: Palics) and 17 villages. The villages are:

• Bački Vinogradi (Bácsszőlős)
• Bačko Dušanovo (Zentaörs)
• Bajmok (Bajmok)
• Bikovo (Békova)
• Čantavir (Csantavér)
• Donji Tavankut (Alsótavankút)
• Đurđin (Györgyén)
• Gornji Tavankut (Felsőtavankút)
• Hajdukovo (Hajdújárás)
• Kelebija (Alsókelebia)
• Ljutovo (Mérges)
• Mala Bosna (Kisbosznia)
• Mišićevo (Hadikörs)
• Novi Žednik (Újnagyfény)
• Stari Žednik (Nagyfény)
• Šupljak (Ludas)
• Višnjevac (Meggyes)

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1948	123,668	—
1953	126,559	+0.46%
1961	136,782	+0.98%
1971	146,770	+0.71%
1981	154,611	+0.52%
1991	150,534	−0.27%
2002	148,401	−0.13%
2011	141,554	−0.52%
2022	123,952	−1.20%
Source: [32]

According to the 2022 census results, the city administrative area of Subotica had 123952 inhabitants.

Ethnic composition

Places with either an absolute or relative Hungarian ethnic majority are: Palić (Hungarian: Palicsfürdő), Hajdukovo (Hungarian: Hajdújárás), Bački Vinogradi (Hungarian: Bácsszőlős), Šupljak (Hungarian: Alsóludas), Čantavir (Hungarian: Csantavér), Bačko Dušanovo (Hungarian: Zentaörs), and Kelebija (Hungarian: Alsókelebia). Places with an absolute or relative Serb ethnic majority are: Subotica, Bajmok, Višnjevac, Novi Žednik, and Mišićevo. Places with a relative ethnic majority Croat are: Mala Bosna, Đurđin, Donji Tavankut, Gornji Tavankut, Bikovo, Stari Žednik. Ljutovo has a relative Bunjevac ethnic majority.

The ethnic composition of the municipality 2022:^[33]

Ethnic group	Population	Proportion
Serbs	38.174	30.8%
Hungarians	37.200	30%
Croats	10.431	8,42%
Bunjevci	9.060	7.31%
Roma	3.432	2.77%
Yugoslavs	2.187	1.77%
Montenegrins	810	0.65%
Macedonians	313	0.25%
Albanians	310	0.25%
Muslims	233	0.19%
Russians	193	0.16%
Bosniaks	180	0.15%
Gorani	166	0.13%
Rusyns	149	0.12%
Germans	144	0.12%
Slovaks	135	0.11%
Slovenians	87	0.07%
Unknown	1.463	1.18%
Others	19.281	15.56%
Total	123.952

Languages

Languages spoken in Subotica administrative area:^[34]

• Serbian = 59.575
• Hungarian = 36.149
• Bunjevac = 3.005
• Croatian = 3.937
• Others

Serbian is the most employed language in daily life, but Hungarian is also used by over one third of the population in their daily conversations. Both languages are also widely employed in commercial and official signage.^[35]

Religion

Religion in the Subotica administrative area as of the 2022 census:^[36]

• Roman Catholic = 59.748
• Orthodox = 37.647
• Muslim = 3.238
• Protestant = 1.609
• Judaism = 54

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Subotica_City_Hall
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