Batschka-Torontal District

Batschka-Torontal District
Bezirk Batschka-Torontal
Бачко-торонталски округ
Bačko-torontalski okrug
Bács-Torontáli körzet
Districtul Bacica-Torontal
	Batschka-Torontal District; Bezirk Batschka-Torontal; Бачко-торонталски округ; Bačko-torontalski okrug; Bács-Torontáli körzet; Districtul Bacica-Torontal
	district of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar
	Location of Batschka-Torontal District
Capital	not specified
History
Today part of	Serbia, Romania, Hungary, Croatia

Last updated March 13, 2019

Batschka-Torontal District (Serbian : Bačko-torontalski okrug or Бачко-торонталски округ; German : Bezirk Batschka-Torontal; Hungarian : Bács-Torontáli körzet; Romanian : Districtul Bacica-Torontal; Croatian : Bačko-torontalski okrug) was one of two original administrative districts of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar (a crown land within Austrian Empire). It existed from 1849 to 1850.

Serbian is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official language of Serbia, the territory of Kosovo, and one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, it is a recognized minority language in Montenegro where it is spoken by the relative majority of the population, as well as in Croatia, North Macedonia, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English.

Hungarian is a Finno-Ugric language spoken in Hungary and several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Outside Hungary it is also spoken by communities of Hungarians in the countries that today make up Slovakia, western Ukraine (Subcarpathia), central and western Romania (Transylvania), northern Serbia (Vojvodina), northern Croatia, and northern Slovenia. It is also spoken by Hungarian diaspora communities worldwide, especially in North America and in Israel. Like Finnish and Estonian, Hungarian belongs to the Uralic language family. With 13 million speakers, it is its largest member in terms of speakers.

History

The crown land Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar was formed in 1849 and was initially divided into two districts: Batschka-Torontal and Temeschwar-Karasch.

The Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar or Serbian Voivodeship and the Banate of Temes, known simply as the Serbian Voivodeship, was a province (duchy) of the Austrian Empire that existed between 1849 and 1860.

In 1850, crown land was divided into five districts and the territory of Batschka-Torontal District was divided among Neusatz District, Zombor District and Großbetschkerek District.

Neusatz District was one of five administrative districts of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar from 1850 to 1860. Its administrative center was Neusatz.

Zombor District was one of five administrative districts of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat from 1850 to 1860. Its administrative center was Zombor.

Großbetschkerek District was one of five administrative districts of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar from 1850 to 1860. Its administrative center was Großbetschkerek.

Geography

The Batschka-Torontal District included most of Bačka (excluding Šajkaška region), north-western Banat and northern Syrmia. It shared borders with Temeschwar-Karasch District in the east, Austrian Military Frontier in the south, Austrian Kingdom of Slavonia in the west, and Austrian Kingdom of Hungary in the north-west.

Bačka geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain

Bačka is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary. Most of the area is located within the Vojvodina region in Serbia and Novi Sad, the capital of Vojvodina, lies on the border between Bačka and Syrmia. The smaller northern part of the geographical area is located within Bács-Kiskun County, in Hungary.

Šajkaška (Шајкашка) is a historical region in northern Serbia. It is southeastern part of Bačka, located in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Territory of Šajkaška is divided among four municipalities: Titel, Žabalj, Novi Sad, and Srbobran. Historical center of Šajkaška is Titel.

The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe that is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania ; the western part in northeastern Serbia ; and a small northern part lies within southeastern Hungary.

Demographics

According to 1850 census, the population of the district numbered 1,002,013 residents, including:^[1]

Germans = 276,552 (27.6%)
Serbs = 264,547 (26.4%)
Hungarians = 251,247 (25.07%)

Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe, who share a common German ancestry, culture and history. German is the shared mother tongue of a substantial majority of ethnic Germans.

The Serbs are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group that formed in the Balkans. The majority of Serbs inhabit the nation state of Serbia as well as in the disputed Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro. They form significant minorities in North Macedonia and Slovenia. There is a large Serb diaspora in Western Europe, and outside Europe there are significant communities in North America and Australia.

Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history and language. Hungarians belong to the Uralic-speaking peoples. There are an estimated 14.2–14.5 million ethnic Hungarians and their descendants worldwide, of whom 9.6 million live in today's Hungary. About 2.2 million Hungarians live in areas that were part of the Kingdom of Hungary before the Treaty of Trianon and are now parts of Hungary's seven neighbouring countries, especially Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. Significant groups of people with Hungarian ancestry live in various other parts of the world, most of them in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, and Argentina. Hungarians can be classified into several subgroups according to local linguistic and cultural characteristics; subgroups with distinct identities include the Székelys, the Csángós, the Palóc, the Matyó and the Jász people, the last being considered an Iranic ethnic group being closely related to the Ossetians.

Cities and towns

Main cities and towns in the district were:

Abthausen (Apatin)
Alt Betsche (Stari Bečej)
Frankenstadt (Baja)
Futok (Futog)
Großbetschkerek (Veliki Bečkerek)
Großkikinda (Velika Kikinda)
India (Inđija)
Josephsfeld (Kula)
Maria-Theresiopel (Subotica)
Neusatz (Novi Sad)
Plankenburg (Palanka)
Ruma (Ruma)
Temeri (Temerin)
Zenta (Senta)
Zombor (Sombor)

Most of the mentioned cities and towns are today in Serbia, while town of Frankenstadt (Baja) is today in Hungary.

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References

↑ Dr Saša Kicošev - Dr Drago Njegovan, Razvoj etničke i verske strukture Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 2010, page 19.

v t e Districts of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat
1849-1850	Batschka-Torontal Temeschwar-Karasch
1850-1860	Großbetschkerek Lugosch Neusatz Temeschwar Zombor