Srbobran

Srbobran ( Kyr . Србобран , Hungarian Szenttamás , German Thomasberg ) is a municipality and city in the Južna Bačka district in the autonomous province of Vojvodina in Serbia . The municipality has 17,855 inhabitants (2002) and extends over an area of 284 km². The municipality is made up of three districts, the town of Srbobran and the places Turija and Nadalj.

geography

Srbobran lies in the Batschka region . The municipality is located in the center of Vojvodina. The surrounding area is largely flat. The place is on the Batschka Canal . There is a temperate continental climate, which benefits agriculture. The region's soil is considered to be very fertile. Srbobran also has several untapped thermal springs. Gas and oil have been discovered and are also being exploited.

etymology

The Serbian name Srbobran can be roughly translated as Serbenwehr or Serbenschild . The Hungarian name Szenttamás (Eng. St. Thomas ) refers to the earlier name of the village from the 14th century, which was consecrated to St. Thomas after its foundation.

history

The oldest mention of Srbobran was recorded in 1338 under the name Szenttamás. In addition to these names, the place also had other names, including Srbograd (German Serb town ; mentioned around 1751). The place got its current name Srbobran in 1918 and leads to the events of the revolutionary year 1848/49 , when the Serbs proclaimed the Serbian Vojvodina and built strong fortifications against the Hungarian army at Szenttamás, where one of the biggest battles between the Serbian and Hungarian armies then took place . The battle was won by the Hungarian army, but before that, on imperial orders, the Serbian units belonging to the military frontier were withdrawn and reintegrated into the military frontier, making the Serbian army in Vojvodina a good half smaller.

population

According to the 2002 census, 17,855 people live in the municipality of Srbobran. Serbs make up the absolute majority in the municipality with 11,963 (67%), followed by Hungarians with 3,920 (22%). There are also other minorities that make up around 11% of the population, including 20 ethnic Germans.