Banatska Topola

Banatska Topola Банатска Топола(Serbian)
Village(Selo)
Map of Banatska Topola and other settlements in the neighborhood
Banatska Topola Location of Banatska Topola within Serbia Banatska Topola Banatska Topola (Serbia)
Coordinates:45°40′13″N20°27′34″E
Country	Serbia
Province	Vojvodina
Region	Banat
District	North Banat
Municipality	Kikinda
Elevation	78 m (256 ft)
Population (2002)
• Banatska Topola	1,066
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)
Postal code	23315
Area code	+381(0)230
Car plates	KI

Map of Kikinda municipality, showing location of the village

Banatska Topola(Serbian Cyrillic:Банатска Топола) is a village in theKikindamunicipality, in theNorth Banat Districtof the Republic ofSerbia.It is situated in the Autonomous Province ofVojvodina.The village has a population of 1,066 (2002 census) of which 570 (53.47%) are ethnicSerbsand 434 (40.71%) are ethnicHungarians.

The location of the village is 18 kilometers south of the city ofKikinda.Administratively, the settlement namedVincaidis also classified as part of Banatska Topola.

Name

InSerbian,the village is known as Банатска Топола orBanatska Topola,inHungarianasTöröktopolya,and inGermanasBanat Topola.

History

There are numerous archaeological findings which are pointing to human presence in this area in the lateBronze Age,around 1200 B.C. Accidental findings ofBronze Agetools are kept in theKikindaNational Museum. Other findings provide evidence of the presence ofSarmatiansin later periods. During theMiddle Agesthere existed several settlements in the area of the present-day village. However, up to the second half of the 18th century, the land in this area was composed of wetlands andfens.

The modern village was founded duringHabsburgadministration in 1766 bySerbfrontiersmen, but they soon abandoned the area because of the flooding. In 1781-1783, the land was bought by Count Bogdan Karácsony from neighbouringNovo Miloševo,who then started the process of drying up the wetlands. Around 1790, he founded the village in the middle of these wetlands, which he settled withGermanandHungarianfamilies.

Until 1778, the area was part of a separate Habsburg province known as theBanat of Temeswar.After the abolishment of this province, in 1778, the area was included into theTorontal Countywithin theHabsburg Kingdom of Hungary.In 1848-1849, the village was part of autonomousSerbian Vojvodinaand in 1849-1860 part of theVoivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar,a separate Austrian crown land. It was part of theBatschka-Torontal District(1849-1850) andGroßbetschkerek District(1850-1860) within the voivodeship. After the abolishment of the voivodeship in 1860, the village was again included intoTorontal County.ARoman Catholicchurch was built in 1899. In 1910 census, main spoken language in the village wasGermanand the second largest spoken language wasHungarian.

In 1918, the village firstly became part of theBanat Republic,then (as part of theBanat, Bačka and Baranjaregion) part of theKingdom of Serbiaand finally part of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes(later renamed toYugoslavia). In 1918-1919, the village was part of theBanat, Bačka and Baranjaregion and also (from 1918 to 1922) part of theVeliki Bečkerekdistrict. From 1922 to 1929, the village was part of theBelgrade Oblastand from 1929 to 1941 part of theDanube Banovina.According to 1931 data, main spoken language in the village wasHungarianand the second largest spoken language wasGerman.

From 1941 to 1944, the village was underAxisoccupation and was part of theBanatautonomous region within German-occupiedSerbia.Since 1944, the village is part of autonomousYugoslavVojvodina,which (from 1945) was part of new socialistSerbiawithinYugoslavia.

In 1944, as a consequence ofWorld War IIevents inYugoslavia,one part of Yugoslav citizens of German ethnicity left from the area, together with defeated German army. Those who remained in the area were sent to communist prison camps. After prison camps were dissolved (in 1948), most of the remaining German population left Yugoslavia in subsequent decades, mainly because of economic reasons. After World War II (in 1946), some (mainly ethnicSerb) families fromBosnia and Herzegovinasettled in the village. Post-WW2 population censuses recorded Hungarian ethnic majority in the village. Since 1971 census, the village have a Serb majority.

Historical population

• 1948: 1,255
• 1953: 1,029
• 1961: 1,101
• 1971: 1,848
• 1981: 1,463
• 1991: 1,176
• 2002: 1,066

Gallery

• 
  The Ascension of Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church under reconstruction

See also

• List of places in Serbia
• List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina

External links

• Primary School "Bratstvo-Jedinstvo"