Apatin Апатин (Serbian) Abthausen | |
|---|---|
Town andmunicipality | |
 Apatin Town Hall  Apatin Brewery  Freedom Square in Apatin  Nikola Tesla Square in Apatin  Nikola Tesla Statue in Apatin  Junaković Spa .jpg) Danube in Apatin | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of the municipality of Apatin within Serbia | |
| Coordinates:45°40′N18°59′E / 45.667°N 18.983°E /45.667; 18.983 | |
| Country |  Serbia |
| Province |  Vojvodina |
| Region | Bačka (Podunavlje) |
| District | West Bačka |
| Municipality | Apatin |
| Settlements | 5 |
| Government | |
| • Municipal president | Dubravka Korać (SNS) |
| Area | |
| • Town | 112.93 km2 (43.60 sq mi) |
| • Municipality | 379.00 km2 (146.33 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 82 m (269 ft) |
| Population (2022 census)[3] | |
| • Town | 14,613 |
| • Town density | 130/km2 (340/sq mi) |
| • Municipality | 23,155 |
| • Municipality density | 61/km2 (160/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 25260 |
| Area code | +381 25 |
| Official languages | Serbian together withHungarian inKupusina andSvilojevo andCroatian inSonta[4] |
| Website | www |
Apatin (Serbian Cyrillic:Апатин,Hungarian:Apatin,Croatian:Apatin) is a town and municipality located in theWest Bačka District of the autonomous province ofVojvodina,Serbia. As of 2022 census, the population of the town is 14,613, while the municipality has 23,155 inhabitants.
InSerbian, the town is known asApatin (Апатин), while the same name is also used inRomanian,Croatian (Šokac), andHungarian. InGerman it was calledAbthausen. According to some claims, the nameApatin is derived from the old formOpaty, by which the town was first mentioned in the 11th century.[5]
The Municipality of Apatin is located on the left bank of theDanube river between the municipalities ofSombor (to the northeast) andOdžaci (to the southeast).
Apatin is situated in the north-western part of the spacious plain inBačka, on the left side of theDanube. It is in the autonomous province ofVojvodina.
The favourable geographic position, proximity to the Danube, and natural wealth of this area (fruitful ground, woods next to the river, abundance of fish in swampy regions and backwaters, and game in woods) attracted people through all ages and made them settle here. Because of these reasons, even in pre-historic times, cultures such as theSarmatians, theCelts, theGoths and many others were replacing each other within this region, one by one.
In the first century, during the Roman conquest, the settlement was turned into a military trench with fortifications, and played an important role in the defense of thePannonia province. Subsequently, the area came under control of theHuns,Gepids andAvars. In the sixth century theSlavs settled,[6] and in the ninth century, the area was included into theBulgarian Empire. Bulgarian dukeSalan who had residence inTitel ruled over region ofBačka. In the tenth century theHungarians came to Central Europe, thereby establishing a state, which was populated by both, Hungarians and Slavs.
The first mentioning of Apatin in any written script was in the year 1011, by the Abbey ofKalocsa Bishopric. According to other source, Apatin was firstly mentioned in 1407. During this time, settlement was part of theBodrogiensis County within the medievalKingdom of Hungary.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the area became feudalistic, and in exchange for lands, the vassals would need to complete military service to the lord of the property. Many fishermen, hunters, and millers then began to settle down in this area.
In 1417, Apatin is mentioned as a property ofStefan Lazarević, who was crowned as the Despot of Serbia in 1402.[7] In 1526-1527 it belonged to the short-lived Serb state ofEmperor Jovan Nenad, and soon after (in 1541) this area became part of theOttoman Empire. During the Ottoman administration Apatin was part of theSanjak of Segedin and was mainly populated by ethnic Serbs.
In the end of the 17th century it became part of theHabsburg monarchy. Many of the refugees during the massive migration of Serbs led byArsenije Čarnojević in 1690, came to Apatin,Sombor andPrigrevica, thus the Serb population in this area increased. A new wave of colonisation occurred in 1748 when many German colonists settled in Apatin, pushing out the Serbs mostly by force, who then evacuated towardsStapar.
The German colonists came from many different regions. The gathering centre was inUlm, Germany and from that point they were transported by the Danube to Apatin, which became the main base of the German expansion in Vojvodina. The church was built near the port and the city square was also built at this time. The real estate value of buildings, such as schools, fishermen's station, hand craft's workshops, began to rise.
The Chamber of Court decided to put forth economic objectives to better the economy, and in 1756 the brewery and distillery were built. In 1764 a large textiles factory was built. In 1760 Apatin was officially proclaimed a town and a main trade centre with a special status.
At the end of the 18th century, a catastrophic flood destroyed the old town square, and ruined half of the settlement. The new square was built north-westward from the brewery. The town as seen today, began to take shape. During the 18th and in the early part of 19th century, Apatin had prospered economically, mostly because of developed trade, handcraft and shipbuilding.
During the initial years of the Habsburg administration, Apatin was administratively a part of theBatsch County within theHabsburg Kingdom of Hungary. Subsequently, it was included into the newly formedBatsch-Bodrog County. In 1848-1849 Apatin was part of theSerbian Voivodship, a Serb autonomous region withinAustrian Empire, and between 1849 and 1860 it was part of theVoivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar, a separate Austrian province. After abolishment of the voivodeship, in 1860 it was again included intoBatsch-Bodrog County within the HabsburgKingdom of Hungary, which became one of two autonomous parts of the Monarchy after 1867.
In the year of 1869 numerous banks and saving-banks were established, and that opened the door to industrial development. A great number of brickyards produced brick and tile, which were used to construct many buildings inVienna and almost all inPest. In 1912 Apatin was connected to Sombor and Sonta by the railroad, and the following year, a shipyard was founded. Today, the shipyard has been modernized as it the only shipyard on the whole Danube which has a special lift for quickly drawing boats out onto the docks. According to 1910 census, most of the inhabitants of Apatin spoke the German language.
In 1918, as part ofBanat, Bačka and Baranja, Apatin became part of theKingdom of Serbia, which later together with theKingdom of Montenegro and theState of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs formed theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed toYugoslavia in 1929). In 1918–1919, Apatin was part of theBanat, Bačka and Baranja region and also (from 1918 to 1922) part of theNovi Sad District. Between 1922 and 1929, the town was part of theBačka Oblast and between 1929 and 1941, part of theDanube Banovina, one of the provinces of theKingdom of Yugoslavia.
WhenAxis Powers invaded, occupied and partitionedYugoslavia in 1941, Apatin was included intoBács-Bodrog County within theHorthy'sHungary. The town remained under Axis control until 1944. During theBattle of Batina, the front was stretched all the way to Apatin andBogojevo, and these places became military bases overnight. YugoslavPartisans entered Apatin on October 24, 1944, and since then Apatin was part of the Yugoslav Autonomous Province ofVojvodina, which (from 1945) was part of the People's Republic ofSerbia within the new SocialistYugoslavia.
In 1944, as a consequence of World War II events in Yugoslavia, one part of Yugoslav citizens of German ethnicity left from the area, together with defeated German army. The antifascist council for deliberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) declared the remaining German population as public enemies and sent them to communist prison camps, where one part of them died from disease, cold and malnutrition. The death toll among the German population of Apatin amounts to 2,074 people known by name. This figure includes the victims of deportation to the USSR.[8] After prison camps were dissolved (in 1948), most of the remaining German population left Yugoslavia in subsequent decades, mainly because of economic reasons. After the war, Apatin was populated by (mainly Serb) settlers from other parts of Yugoslavia, largely fromLika. Population censuses conducted after World War II recorded Serbs as the largest ethnic group in the town.
Between 1992 and 2003, Apatin was part of theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia, between 2003 and 2006 part of the State Union ofSerbia and Montenegro, and since 2006 it is part of an independentSerbia.
Apatin municipality includes the city of Apatin and the following villages:
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 31,145 | — |
| 1953 | 32,612 | +0.92% |
| 1961 | 34,836 | +0.83% |
| 1971 | 34,279 | −0.16% |
| 1981 | 33,843 | −0.13% |
| 1991 | 32,999 | −0.25% |
| 2002 | 32,813 | −0.05% |
| 2011 | 28,929 | −1.39% |
| Source:[9] | ||
According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Apatin has 28,929 inhabitants.
As many as 24ethnic groups live in the Apatin municipality, including:[10]
Settlements with aSerb ethnic majority are Apatin and Prigrevica. The settlement with aCroat/Šokac ethnic majority is Sonta. Settlements withHungarian ethnic majority are Kupusina and Svilojevo.
Near the city of Apatin lies the Junaković spa. It is a modern and well-equipped rehabilitation and recreation centre with sports fields, outdoor pools, indoor therapy, and saunas.
Major buildings in Apatin include the newOrthodox Christian cathedral, theCatholicchurch of TheAssumption of Mary (built in the 18th century), theApatin city hall, and theSpeiser mausoleum.
As of September 2017, Apatin has one of 14free economic zones established in Serbia.[11] It covers 160 hectares of ground next to riverDanube, and forms so called "Free Port Apatin" (Serbian:"Slobodna zona Apatin").
The largest companies in Apatin today are theApatin Brewery, "Jedinstvo" (agricultural company) and "Apatin Shipyard" (formerly known as Boris Kidrič Shipyard).
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):[12]
| Activity | Total |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 559 |
| Mining and quarrying | 1 |
| Manufacturing | 1,613 |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 19 |
| Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 60 |
| Construction | 177 |
| Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 799 |
| Transportation and storage | 338 |
| Accommodation and food services | 227 |
| Information and communication | 22 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 75 |
| Real estate activities | 11 |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 169 |
| Administrative and support service activities | 223 |
| Public administration and defense; compulsory social security | 321 |
| Education | 416 |
| Human health and social work activities | 396 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 63 |
| Other service activities | 101 |
| Individual agricultural workers | 220 |
| Total | 5,812 |
Apatin has popular tourist location, and because of its proximity to the Danube river and the forests, it is gathering place for fishermen and hunters. There is also an annual gathering calledApatinske ribarske večeri (Apatin Fishermen Nights), which has taken place for the last forty some years.Ribarske večeri usually starts on July 1, and lasts five or seven days.
Apatin has a rich history in sports.Željko Rebrača is by far the most famous athlete from this area, but in the past, Apatin has had athletes represent Yugoslavia (and now Serbia) on the international stage. Today, some of the well known professional sports clubs are:
Cities, towns and villages in theWest Bačka District | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sombor |  | |
| Apatin | ||
| Kula | ||
| Odžaci | ||
bold aremunicipalities or cities | ||
| Spas (thermal, mud and air) |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Unregulated, undeveloped and former spas |
| |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
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