Subotica (Serbian Cyrillic:Суботица,pronounced[sǔbotitsa]ⓘ;Hungarian:Szabadka,pronounced[ˈsɒbɒtkɒ]) is acity in Central Europe and the administrative center of theNorth Bačka District in the autonomous province ofVojvodina,Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Subotica is now the second largest city in the province, following the city ofNovi Sad. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a population of 88,752, while the population of the administrative area of the city stands at 123,952 people.[3]
The name of the city has changed frequently over time.[4] The earliest known written name of the city wasZabotka[5] orZabatka,[6] which dates from 1391. It is the origin of the current Hungarian name for the city"Szabadka".[6] According toSkok, Szabadka originated fromsobotka, aSlavicdiminutive ofsobota, meaning "a place that had a market fair on Saturday" (likeSzombathely orNagyszombat), but its ending-ka was later replaced with-ica, another Slavic diminutive, by theBunjevci.[7] Other sources claim that the name "Szabadka" comes from the adjective szabad, which derived from theSlavic word for "free" – svobod, referring to the status of the colonists settled in this zone by the Habsburg after theBattle of Zenta.[8]
The town was named in the 1740s afterMaria Theresa of Austria, Archduchess of Austria. It was officially calledSent-Maria in 1743, but was renamed in 1779 asMaria-Theresiapolis. These two official names were also spelled in several different ways (most commonly theGermanMaria-Theresiopel orTheresiopel), and were used in different languages.[4]
In the Early Middle Ages variousIndo-European andTurkic peoples and states ruled in the area of Subotica. These peoples includedHuns,Gepids,Avars,Slavs andBulgarians.Slavs settled today's Subotica in the 6th and 7th centuries, before some of them crossed the rivers Sava and Danube and settled in theBalkans.
The Slavic tribe living in the territory of present-day Subotica were theObotrites, a subgroup of theSerbs. 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 thePrincipality of Lower Pannonia (846-875),Great Moravia (833–c. 907) and theBulgarian Empire.[18]
Subotica probably first became a settlement of note when people poured into it from nearby villages destroyed during theTatar invasions of 1241–42. WhenZabadka/Zabatka was first recorded in 1391, it was a tiny town in the medievalKingdom of Hungary. Later, the city belonged to theHunyadis, one of the most influential aristocratic families in the whole ofCentral Europe.
KingMatthias Corvinus of Hungary gave the town to one of his relatives,János Pongrác Dengelegi, who, fearing an invasion by theOttoman Empire, fortified the castle of Subotica, erecting a fortress in 1470. Some decades later, after theBattle of Mohács in 1526, Subotica became part of theOttoman Empire. The majority of the Hungarian population fled northward toRoyal 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 atMohács, Subotica came under the control of Serbianmercenaries recruited inBanat. These soldiers were in the service of theTransylvanian generalJohn I Zápolya, a later Hungarian king.[20]
The leader of these mercenaries,Jovan Nenad, established in 1526–27 his rule inBačka, northernBanat and a small part ofSyrmia and created an independent entity, with Subotica as its administrative centre. At the peak of his power, Jovan Nenad proclaimed himself as Serbiantsar in Subotica. He namedRadoslav Čelnik as the general commander of his army, while his treasurer andpalatine was Subota Vrlić, a Serbian noble fromJagodina. When Bálint Török returned and recaptured Subotica from the Serbs, Jovan Nenad moved the administrative centre toSzeged.[21]
Some months later, in the summer of 1527, Jovan Nenad wasassassinated and his entity collapsed. However, after Jovan Nenad's death, Radoslav Čelnik led a part of the army to OttomanSyrmia, where he briefly ruled as an Ottoman vassal.[citation needed]
TheOttoman 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 ofZabadka/Zabatka. As much of the population had fled, the Ottomans encouraged the settlement of the area by different colonists from theBalkans. The settlers were mostlyOrthodoxSerbs. 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 byCatholicDalmatas (calledBunjevci today). It was calledSobotka under Ottoman rule and was a kaza centre inSegedin sanjak at first inBudin Eyaleti until 1596, and after that inEğri Eyaleti between 1596 and 1686.[citation needed]
In the region of Subotica, Rákóczi joined battle against theRac National Militia.Rác was a designation for the South Slavic people (mostly Serbs and Bunjevci) and they often were referred to asrácok in the Kingdom of Hungary. In a later periodrácok came to mean, above all, Serbs of Orthodox religion.[22]
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 inAleksandrovo, while others emigrated toRussia. InNew Serbia, a new Russian province established for them, those Serbs founded a new settlement and also named itSubotica. 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, EmpressMaria 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 asMaria-Theresiopolis.[23]
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 theHabsburg 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 theRevolutions in the Habsburg monarchy (1848–49).
During the 1848–49 Revolution, the proclaimed borders of autonomousSerbian 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 calledHonunk 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 theHungarian 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, calledVoivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar. The administrative centre of this new province wasTimișoara. The province existed until 1860. During the existence of the voivodeship, in 1853, Subotica acquired its impressive theatre.[24]
After the establishment of theDual-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.
Massacred bodies ofSerbian andJewish civilians killed by Hungarian troops during the World War II
Subotica had been part ofAustria-Hungary until the end ofWorld War I. In 1918, the city became part of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. As a result, Subotica became a border-town inYugoslavia 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, followingBelgrade andZagreb.
Monument to the Victims of Fascism
In 1941, Yugoslavia was invaded and partitioned by theAxis 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. TheYugoslav 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. DuringWorld War II, the city lost approximately 7,000 of its citizens, mostly Serbs, Hungarians and Jews. Before the war about 6,000Jews had lived in Subotica; many of these were deported from the city during theHolocaust, mostly toAuschwitz. In April 1944, under German administration, a ghetto was set up.[26] In addition, manycommunists were executed during Axis rule. In 1944, the Axis forces left the city, and Subotica became part of the newYugoslavia. During the 1944–45 period, about 8,000 citizens[failed verification] (mainly Hungarians) were killed byPartisans while re-taking the city as a retribution for supporting Axis Hungary.[27][28][failed verification]
In the postwar period, Subotica has gradually been modernised. During theYugoslav andKosovo wars of the 1990s, a considerable number of Serb refugees came to the city fromCroatia,Bosnia and Herzegovina, andKosovo, while many ethnic Hungarians and Croats, as well as some local Serbs, left the region.
It is located in Central Europe at thePannonian Basin at 46.07° North, 19.68° East, at the altitude of 109m, about 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the border withHungary, and is the northernmost city in Serbia.Lake Palić is in the immediate vicinity of the city.[29][30] Sand dunes areaSubotička Peščara is located north of the city, along the Hungarian border.[31]
Subotica boasts a remarkable collection of buildings built in theHungarian Secession style, a distinct variant ofArt Nouveau.[33] The Hungarian Secession style combined art nouveau vegetal ornaments and symbolic figures with traditional Hungarian motifs. It found its architectural expression in Subotica in the works ofMarcell Komor,Dezső Jakab andFerenc Raichle.[citation needed] Iconic buildings like theSubotica Synagogue and the Reichel Palace, are recognized as some of the finest examples of this architectural style in Europe.[34]
TheCity Hall (built in 1908–1910) and theSynagogue (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 actualRaichle Palace, which was built in 1904 by Ferenc J. Raichle.
The historicNational 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.[36]
Serbian is the most used language in everyday life, while Hungarian is used by almost 30% of the population in their daily conversations. Both languages are also widely used in commercial and official signage.[41]
Subotica has the highest concentration of Catholics in Serbia with almost half of the city's population being Catholic. It is the seat of theRoman Catholic diocese with jurisdiction over theBačka region. There are eight Catholic parish churches, aFranciscan spiritual centre (the city has communities of both Franciscan friars and Franciscan nuns), a femaleDominican community, and two congregations ofAugustinian religious sisters. The diocese of Subotica has the only Catholic secondary school in Serbia (Paulinum).[citation needed]
TheJewish community of Subotica is the third largest in Serbia, after those inBelgrade andNovi Sad. About 1,000 (of the 6,000 pre-WWII Jews of Subotica) survived the Holocaust. According to the 2022 census, only 54 practicing Jews remained in Subotica.
The original coat of arms and current medium coat of arms have an outlining Latin inscription ofCivitatis Maria Theresiopolis, Sigillum Liberæque Et Regiæ, translated asSeal of the Free and Royal City of Maria Theresiopolis.
The area around Subotica is mainly farmland but the city itself is an important industrial and transportation centre in Serbia. Due to the surrounding farmlands Subotica has famous food producer industries in the country, including such brands as the confectionery factory "Pionir", "Fidelinka" the cereal manufacturer, "Mlekara Subotica" a milk producer and "Simex" producer of strong alcohol drinks.
Currently the biggest export industry in town is the "Siemens" wind generators factory and it is the biggest brownfield investment so far. The other big companies in Subotica are: Fornetti, ATB Sever and Masterplast. More recent companies to come to Subotica include Dunkermotoren and NORMA Group. Tourism is important. In the past few years, Palić has been famous for thePalić Film Festival. Subotica is a festival city, hosting more than 17 festivals over the year.[citation needed]
Tutoring of teachers in Subotica dates back to the late 18th century. After the establishment of Austria-Hungary, the second state-financed teacher training faculty of Hungary was founded in Subotica, second to Buda only. Modern history of teacher training in Subotica started in 2006, when the Sombor Teacher Training Faculty's curriculums in the Hungarian language seceded from the faculty and became independent as the 14th faculty of the University of Novi Sad.[46] Nowadays, the faculty offers bachelor's degrees in kindergarten teaching, elementary school teaching, disciplinatory teaching and communications, and master's degrees in kindergarten teaching and elementary school teaching.
Polytechnic school, Surveying and Construction, Typography, Forestry and Wood Processing
Teachers' College, founded in 1689, the oldest college in the country and region
"Svetozar Marković" gymnasium
"Dezső Kosztolányi" Philological grammar school
"MEŠC" Electro-mechanical school, recently renamed to "Tehnička Škola - Subotica" (en. "Technical School")
"Bosa Milićević" School of Economics
"Lazar Nešić" School of Chemistry
"Medicinska Škola" Medical School
4 953 students studied in the city in the year 2020/21 in the secondary education. 1 626 students chose Hungarian speaking classes (32.8%), 209 students chose Croatian classes while 3 118 students studied in Serbian language.[47]
A1 motorway connects the city withNovi Sad andBelgrade to the south and, across the border with Hungary, withSzeged to the north. It runs alongside theBudapest–Belgrade railway, which connects it to major European cities. As of November 2022, the line is out of order without replacement as both the Serbian and the Hungarian part of the line is currently being reconstructed. Subotica also has branch line railway connections toSombor,Senta (with passenger service), andSzeged throughHorgoš (under reconstruction with limited freight service, passenger service planned to commence in late 2023), while the former branch line toBaja throughCsikéria was dismantled in the 1960s but parts of the derelict tracks are still visible in the city's northwestern outskirts.
The city used to have a tram system, theSubotica tram system, but it was discontinued in 1974. The Subotica tram, put into operation in 1897, ran on electricity from the start. While neighbouring cities' trams at this date were often still horse-drawn, this gave the Subotica system an advantage over other municipalities including Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zagreb, and Szeged. Its existence was important for the citizens of Subotica, as well as tourists who came to visit.Subotica has since developed a bus system, operated by JP Subotica Trans, who operates eleven city lines, eight suburban lines, and thirteen interurban lines, as well as a single international line to Szeged. Per year the buses travel some 4.7 million kilometres, and carry about ten million people.
The city is served bySubotica Airport; its runway is too short for airliners, limiting usage to mostly recreational aviation. Southwest of the city there is a 218.5 metres tall guyed mast for FM-/TV-broadcasting. It is the tallest of its kind in Serbia and one of the tallest in the region.
Bârcă, Vitalie (2013).Nomads of the Steppes on the Danube Frontier of the Roman Empire in the 1st Century CE. Historical Sketch and Chronological Remarks. Dacia.OCLC1023761641.
Recent (2002) statistical information comes from the Serbian statistical office.
Ethnic statistics:"КОНАЧНИ РЕЗУЛТАТИ ПОПИСА 2002"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2009-02-25. (477 KB), САОПШTЕЊЕ СН31, брoј 295 • год. LII, 24.12.2002, YUISSN0353-9555. Accessed 17 January 2006. On page 6–7, Становништво према националној или етничкој припадности по попису 2002. Statistics can be found on the lines for "Суботица" (Subotica).
Language and religion statistics:Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i stanova u 2002,ISBN86-84433-02-5. Accessed 17 January 2006. On page 11–12: СТАНОВНИШТВО ПРЕМА ВЕРОИСПОВЕСТИ, СТАНОВНИШТВО ПРЕМА МАТЕРЊЕМ ЈЕЗИКУ. Statistics can be found on the lines for "Суботица" (Subotica).
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