Žabalj

Žabalj (Serbian Cyrillic: Жабаљ) pronounced [ʒǎːbaʎ] is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town Žabalj has a population of 9,107 and the municipality Žabalj has a population of 25,777. It is located in southeastern part of Bačka, known as Šajkaška. All settlements in the municipality have an ethnic Serb majority.

Žabalj

Жабаљ (Serbian)
Orthodox church in Žabalj
Coat of arms
Location of the municipality of Žabalj within Serbia
Coordinates: 45°22′N 20°04′E
Country Serbia
ProvinceVojvodina
DistrictSouth Bačka
Settlements4
Government
  MayorUroš Radanović
Area
  Municipality400 km2 (200 sq mi)
Elevation
72 m (236 ft)
Population
 (2011 census)[2]
  Town
9,107
  Municipality
25,777
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
21230
Area code+381 21
Car platesNS
Websitewww.zabalj.rs
Map of Žabalj municipality
Map of the Žabalj municipality and Šajkaška region

Name

Its name came from the Serbian word "žaba"/жаба ("frog" in English). In Serbian, the town is known as Žabalj (Жабаљ), in Hungarian as Zsablya or Józseffalva (between 1886 and 1919), in German as Josefdorf, and in Croatian as Žabalj.

History

Žabalj was first mentioned in 1514 as Zeble, a fortress captured by György Dózsa. During the Ottoman rule (16th-17th century), it was populated by ethnic Serbs.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Žabalj was part of the Habsburg Military Frontier (Šajkaš Battalion). The first church in Žabalj was mentioned in 1720, but it was later razed. After 1763, the village was part of Šajkaš Battalion until the military administration was abolished in 1783. Present-day Orthodox churches dedicated to Saint Nicholas were built in 1835. In 1901, a Catholic church was built as well.

It belonged to Hungary 1920, when by the Treaty of Trianon it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and subsequent South Slavic states.

After the 1941 annexation of the town by Hungary, in a 1942 raid, 666 inhabitants of the town were murdered: 355 men, 141 women, 101 children, and 69 elderly people. Those who were liable, were convicted by Hungary in 1943.

During the Communist purges in Serbia in 1944–45, about 1500, mostly civilian Hungarians and Germans were murdered. None of the perpetrators were convicted, and during the Communist regime, the topic of the genocide was suppressed in both Hungary and Yugoslavia.

Inhabited places

Žabalj municipality encompasses the town of Žabalj, and the following villages:

Demographics

Historical population of the town

  • 1961: 7,457
  • 1971: 7,851
  • 1981: 8,503
  • 1991: 8,766

Ethnic groups

The population of the Žabalj municipality:

Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity (as of 2017):[3]

Activity Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing253
Mining21
Processing industry664
Distribution of power, gas and water32
Distribution of water and water waste management84
Construction138
Wholesale and retail, repair937
Traffic, storage and communication216
Hotels and restaurants98
Media and telecommunications17
Finance and insurance30
Property stock and charter3
Professional, scientific, innovative and technical activities112
Administrative and other services59
Administration and social assurance217
Education406
Healthcare and social work284
Art, leisure and recreation47
Other services91
Total3,708

See also

References

  • Slobodan Ćurčić, Broj stanovnika Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 1996.
  • Zvonimir Golubović, Racija u južnoj Bačkoj 1942. godine, Novi Sad, 1991.
  • Dr Dušan J. Popović, Srbi u Vojvodini, knjiga 1, Novi Sad, 1990.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.