Vršac ( sr-cyr, Вршац, ; hu, Versec; ro, Vârșeț) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and the administrative centre of the

South Banat District The South Banat District ( sr, Јужнобанатски округ, Južnobanatski okrug, ; hu, Dél-bánsági körzet; ) is one of seven administrative districts of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The administrative center of ...

in the autonomous province of

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...

, Serbia. As of 2011, the city urban area had a population of 35,701, while the city administrative area had 52,026 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical region of

Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...

Name

The name ''Vršac'' is of Serbian origin, ultimately deriving from Proto-Slavic *vьrxъ, meaning "summit"

In Serbian, the city is known as Вршац or ''Vršac'', in Romanian language, Romanian as ''Vârșeț'', in Hungarian as ''Versec'' or ''Versecz'', in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

as ''Werschetz'', and in Turkish as ''Virşac'' or ''Verşe''.

History

There are traces of human settlement from the

Palaeolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος '' lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone to ...

and

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

periods. Remains from two types of Neolithic cultures have been discovered in the area: an older one, known as the

Starčevo culture The Starčevo culture is an archaeological culture of Southeastern Europe, dating to the Neolithic period between ''c.'' 6200 and 4500 BCE. It originates in the spread of the Neolithic package of peoples and technological innovations including fa ...

, and a more recent one, known as the

Vinča culture The Vinča culture (), also known as Turdaș culture or Turdaș–Vinča culture, is a Neolithic archaeological culture of Southeast Europe, dated to the period 5700–4500 BC or 5300–4700/4500 BC.. Named for its type site, Vinča-Belo Brdo, ...

. From the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

, there are traces of the

Vatin culture The Vatin culture ( sr, Ватинска култура, Vatinska kultura / or sr, translit=Vatinska grupa, Ватинска група, label=none) is a name of an prehistoric Bronze Age culture, which was named after Vatin, a village in Serbi ...

and

Vršac culture Vršac ( sr-cyr, Вршац, ; hu, Versec; ro, Vârșeț) is a city and the administrative centre of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, the city urban area had a population of 35,701, while t ...

, while from the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

, there are traces of the Hallstatt culture and

La Tène culture The La Tène culture (; ) was a European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BC to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC), succeeding the early Iron Age Hallstatt culture without any defi ...

(which is largely associated with the

Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...

). The

Agathyrsi The Agathyrsi ( Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a people belonging to the Scythian cultures. The Agathyrsi were a people of mixed Iranian Scythic and Geto-Thracian origin whose bulk were Thracian while their aristocracy was closely related to ...

(people of mixed

Scythian The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Centra ...

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied ...

origin) are the first people known to have lived in this region. Later, the region was inhabited by Getae and Dacians. It belonged to the Dacian kingdoms of

Burebista Burebista ( grc, Βυρεβίστας, Βοιρεβίστας) was the king of the Getae and Dacian tribes from 82/61BC to 45/44BC. He was the first king who successfully unified the tribes of the Dacian kingdom, which comprised the area loca ...

and

Decebalus Decebalus (), sometimes referred to as Diurpaneus, was the last Dacian king. He is famous for fighting three wars, with varying success, against the Roman Empire under two emperors. After raiding south across the Danube, he defeated a Roman invas ...

, and then to the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

from 102-271 AD. Archaeologists have found traces of ancient Dacian and Roman settlements in the city. Later, the region belonged to the Empire of the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

, the

Gepid The Gepids, ( la, Gepidae, Gipedae, grc, Γήπαιδες) were an East Germanic tribe who lived in the area of modern Romania, Hungary and Serbia, roughly between the Tisza, Sava and Carpathian Mountains. They were said to share the religion ...

and Avar kingdoms, and the Bulgarian Empire. The Slavs settled in this region in the 6th century, and the Slavic tribe known as the

Abodrites The Obotrites ( la, Obotriti, Abodritorum, Abodritos…) or Obodrites, also spelled Abodrites (german: Abodriten), were a confederation of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany ( ...

(Bodriči) was recorded as living in the area. The Slavs from the region were

Christianized Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...

during the rule of the duke

Ahtum Ajtony, Ahtum or Achtum ( hu, Ajtony, bg, Охтум, ro, Ahtum, sr, Ахтум) was an early-11th-century ruler in the territory now known as Banat in present Romania and Serbia. His primary source is the ''Long Life of Saint Gerard'', a 1 ...

in the 11th century. When duke Ahtum was defeated by the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

, the region was included in the latter state. Information about the early history of the town is scant. According to Serbian historians, medieval Vršac was founded and inhabited by

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

in 1425, although it was under administration of the Kingdom of Hungary. The original name of the town is unknown. There are several theories that its first name was ''Vers'', ''Verbeč'', ''Veršet'' or ''Vegenje'', but these theories are not confirmed. The name of the town appears for the first time in 1427 in the form ''Podvršan''

The Hungarian 12th century chronicle known as

Gesta Hungarorum ''Gesta Hungarorum'', or ''The Deeds of the Hungarians'', is the earliest book about Hungarian history which has survived for posterity. Its genre is not chronicle, but ''gesta'', meaning "deeds" or "acts", which is a medieval entertaining li ...

mention the castle of Vrscia in

, which belonged to

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

duke Glad in the 9th century. According to some interpretations, Vrscia is identified with modern Vršac, while according to other opinions, it is identified with Orşova. According to some claims, the town was at first in the possession of the Hungarian kings, and later became property of a Hungarian aristocrat, Miklós Peréyi, ban of Severin. In the 15th century, the town was in the possession of the

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

n despot

Đurađ Branković Đurađ Branković (; sr-cyr, Ђурађ Бранковић; hu, Brankovics György; 1377 – 24 December 1456) was the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456. He was one of the last Serbian medieval rulers. He was a participant in the battle of Anka ...

According to some claims, it was donated to the despot by Hungarian king Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund in 1411. According to other sources, Vršac fortress was built by Đurađ Branković after the fall of Smederevo. The Ottomans destroyed the town in the 16th century, but it was soon rebuilt under Ottoman administration. In 1590/91, the Ottoman garrison in Vršac fortress was composed of one aga, two Ottoman officers and 20 Serb mercenaries. The town was seat of the local Ottoman authorities and of the Serbian bishop. In this time, its population was composed of

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

and

. In 1594, the Serbs in the

started large uprising against Ottoman rule, and Vršac region was centre of this uprising. The leader of the uprising was

Teodor Nestorović Teodor is a masculine given name. In English, it is a cognate of Theodore. Notable people with the name include: *Teodor Muzaka III, Albanian nobleman who was born in 1393. * Teodor Andrault de Langeron (19th century), President of Warsaw * Teod ...

, the bishop of Vršac. The size of this uprising is illustrated by the verse from one Serbian national song: "Sva se butum zemlja pobunila, Šest stotina podiglo se sela, Svak na cara pušku podigao!" ("The whole land has rebelled, a six hundred villages arose, everybody pointed his gun against the emperor"). The Serb rebels bore flags with the image of

Saint Sava Saint Sava ( sr, Свети Сава, Sveti Sava, ; Old Church Slavonic: ; gr, Άγιος Σάββας; 1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1236), known as the Enlightener, was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalou ...

, thus the rebellion had a character of a

holy war A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

. The Sinan-paša that lead the Ottoman army ordered that green flag of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

should be brought from Damascus to confront this flag with image of Saint Sava. Furthermore, the Sinan-paša also burned the mortal remains of Saint Sava in Belgrade, as a revenge to the

. Eventually, the uprising was crushed and most of the Serbs from the region escaped to

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

fearing the Ottoman retaliation. However, since the Banat region became deserted after this, which alarmed the Ottoman authorities who needed people in this fertile land, the authorities promised to spare everyone who came back. The Serb population came back, but the amnesty did not apply to the leader of the rebellion, Bishop Teodor Nestorović, who was flayed as a punishment. The Banat uprising was one of the three largest uprisings in Serbian history and the largest before the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising ( sr, Prvi srpski ustanak, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; tr, Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1 ...

led by

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Петровић, ), better known by the sobriquet Karađorđe ( sr-Cyrl, Карађорђе, lit=Black George, ; – ), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independ ...

. In 1716, Vršac passed from Ottoman to Habsburg control, and the Muslim population fled the town. In this time, Vršac was mostly populated by Serbs, and in the beginning of the Habsburg rule, its population numbered 75 houses. Soon,

colonists started to settle here. They founded a new settlement known as Werschetz, which was located near the old (Serbian) Vršac. Serbian Vršac was governed by a ''knez'', and German Werschetz was governed by a ''schultheis'' (mayor). The name of the first Serbian ''knez'' in Vršac in 1717 was Jovan Crni. In 1795, the two towns, Serbian Vršac and German Werschetz, were officially joined into one single settlement, in which the authority was shared between Serbs and Germans. It was occupied by Ottomans between 1787-1788 during Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792). The 1848/1849 revolution disrupted the good relations between Serbs and Germans, since Serbs fought on the side of the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

authorities and Germans fought on the side of the Hungarian revolutionaries. In 1848–1849, the town was part of autonomous

Serbian Vojvodina The Serbian Vojvodina ( sr, Српска Војводина / ) was a short-lived self-proclaimed Serb autonomous province within the Austrian Empire during the Revolutions of 1848, which existed until 1849 when it was transformed into the new (o ...

, and from 1849 to 1860, it was part of the

Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat , conventional_long_name = Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banate , common_name = Serbia and Banat , subdivision = Crownland , nation = the Austrian Empire , year_start = 1849 , date_start = 18 November , year_end = 1860 , date_end = ...

, a separate

province. After the abolition of the voivodship, Vršac was included in

Temes County County of Temes ( Hungarian: ''Temes'', Romanian: ''Timiș'', Serbian: ''Тамиш'' or ''Tamiš'', German: ''Temes'' or ''Temesch'') was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in southwestern Roma ...

of the

, which became one of two autonomous parts of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

in 1867. The town was also a district seat. In 1910, the population of the town numbered 27,370 inhabitants, of whom 13,556 spoke

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

, 8,602 spoke Serbian, 3,890 spoke Hungarian and 879 spoke Romanian language, Romanian. On the other side, the Diocese of Vršac numbered 260.000 Romanians in 1847. From 1918, the town was part of the newly formed

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

(later renamed

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

). According to the 1921 census, speakers of German language were most numerous in the town, while the 1931 census recorded 13,425 speakers of Yugoslav languages and 11,926 speakers of German language. During the

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

occupation (1941–1944), Vršac was part of autonomous

region within the area governed by the Military Administration in Serbia. Many

Danube Swabians The Danube Swabians (german: Donauschwaben ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in various countries of central-eastern Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in grea ...

collaborated with the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

authorities and many men were conscripted into the

Waffen SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands. The grew from th ...

. Letters were sent to German men requesting their "voluntary service" or they would face court martial. In 1944, one part of Vršac citizens of German ethnicity left from the city, together with defeated German army. Those who remained in Vršac were sent to local communist prison camps, where some of them died from disease and malnutrition. According to some claims, some were tortured or killed by the partisans. Since 1944 when it was liberated by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

's 46th Army, the town was part of the new

Socialist Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yugo ...

. After prison camps were dissolved (in 1948) and Yugoslav citizenship was returned to the Germans, the remaining German population left Yugoslavia due to being forced out by the Russians. Homes that had been in their families for decades were simply taken over by the Serbs. Vršac was granted city status in February 2016.

Inhabited places

The city of Vršac includes the settlement of Vršac and the following villages: *

Vatin Vatin (; hu, Versecvát) is a village located in the municipality of Vršac, Serbia. A border crossing between Serbia and Romania is located in the village. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (53.2%) with a sizable Hungarian minority (26.8 ...

* Veliko Središte *

Vlajkovac Vlajkovac (; hu, Temesvajkóc; ro, Vlaicovăț) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. Name In Serbian, the village is known as ''Vlajkovac'' (Влајковац), ...

* Vojvodinci (Romanian: ''Voivodinț'') * Vršački Ritovi *

Gudurica Gudurica (; hu, Temeskutas) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (66.21%) and a sizable ethnic Macedonian minority (10.49%), an ...

* Zagajica *

Izbište Izbište ( sr-Cyrl, Избиште, ; hu, Izbistye) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (86.74%) and its population is 1,464 a ...

* Jablanka (Romanian: ''Iabuca'') * Kuštilj (Romanian: ''Coștei'') * Mali Žam (Romanian: ''Jamu Mic'') * Malo Središte (Romanian: ''Srediștea Mică'') * Markovac (Romanian: ''Mărcovăț, Mărculești)'') *

Mesić Mesić may refer to: People * Mesić (surname) Places * Mesić (Vršac), a village in Banat, Vojvodina, Serbia * Mesić Monastery, a monastery in Banat, Vojvodina, Serbia See also * Mesic (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

(Romanian: ''Mesici'') * Orešac (Romanian: ''Oreșaț'') * Pavliš (Romanian: ''Păuliș'') * Parta (Romanian Parța) * Potporanj * Ritiševo (Romanian: ''Râtișor'') * Sočica (Romanian: ''Sălcița'') * Straža (Romanian: ''Straja'') *

Uljma Uljma (; hu, Homokszil) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (83.01%) with a present Romanians, Romanian minority (11.11%) and ...

* Šušara (Hungarian: ''Fejértelep'') Note: For the places with Romanian and Hungarian ethnic majorities, the names are also given in the language of the concerned ethnic group.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the total population of the city of Vršac was 52,026 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

Within the city, the settlements with a

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

ethnic majority are: Vršac (the city itself),

, Veliko Središte,

, Vršački Ritovi,

, Zagajica,

, Pavliš, Parta, Potporanj, and

. The settlements with a

ethnic majority are: Vojvodinci, Jablanka, Kuštilj, Mali Žam, Malo Središte, Markovac,

, Ritiševo, Sočica, and Straža. Šušara has a Hungarian ethnic majority (Székelys colonised from Bukovina during the World War I), while Orešac is an ethnically mixed settlement with a Romanian plurality. Vršac is the seat of the Serb Orthodox

Eparchy of Banat The Eparchy of Banat ( sr, Банатска епархија, Banatska eparhija) is an ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Banat region, Serbia. It is mostly situated in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, ...

. Some notable Serb cultural-artistic societies in Vršac are "Laza Nančić", "Penzioner" and "Grozd". The city's Romanian minority has a Romanian-language theater, schools and a museum. Romanian-language instruction takes place in some kindergartens, elementary schools, high schools and one teachers' university. The cultural organization and folklore group "Luceafarul" hold many cultural events in Vršac and nearby Romanian-populated villages. In 2005, Romania opened a consulate in Vršac. The population of the city (52,026 people) is composed of the following ethnic groups (2011 census):

Economy and industry

Vršac is a city famous for well-developed industry, especially pharmaceuticals, wine and beer, confectioneries and textiles. The leading pharmaceutical company in Vršac (and nationwide) is the Hemofarm, which helped start the city's Technology Park. Vršac is considered to be one of the most significant centres of agriculture in the region of southern Banat, which is the southern part of the province of Vojvodina. It is mainly because it has 54,000 hectares of arable and extremely fertile land in its possession. The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Transportation

State Road 10 (which is part of

European route E70 European route E70 is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from A Coruña in Spain in the west to the Georgian city of Poti in the east. Itinerary The E 70 routes through ten European countries, and includes one sea-crossing, ...

) connects Vršac to Belgrade and to the nearby border with

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. Vršac is also connected to Belgrade by the ''Srbija voz'' railway line 44. Trains to

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

are available from Moravița.

Tourist destinations

The Millennium sport center, opened in early-April 2001, is located in Vršac. The region around Vršac is famed for its

vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

Vršac Castle

The symbol of the town is the

Vršac Castle Vršac Castle ( sr, Вршачки замак, ) formerly known as "Vršac Tower" ( sr, Вршачка кула, ) is a medieval fortress near Vršac, Vojvodina, Serbia. Only Donjon tower remained from the entire complex, but in 2009 reconstructio ...

(Vršačka kula), which dates back to the mid 15th century. It stands at the top of the hill (399m) overlooking Vršac. There are two theories about origin of this fortress. According to the Turkish traveller,

Evliya Çelebi Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...

, the fortress was built by the Serbian despot Đurađ Branković. The historians consider that Branković built the fortress after the fall of

Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, Belgrade. According to ...

in 1439

The fortress in its construction had some architectural elements similar to those in the fortress of

or in the fortress around monastery

Manasija The Manasija Monastery ( sr, Манастир Манасија, Manastir Manasija, ) also known as Resava (Ресава, ), is a Serbian Orthodox monastery near Despotovac, Serbia founded by '' Despot'' Stefan Lazarević between 1406 and 1418. Th ...

. The other theory claim that Vršac Castle is a remain of the medieval fortress known as ''Erdesumulu'' (Hungarian: ''Érdsomlyó'' or ''Érsomlyó'', Serbian: ''Erd-Šomljo'' / Ерд-Шомљо or ''Šomljo'' / Шомљо). However, the other sources do not identify ''Erdesumulu'' with Vršac, but claim that these two were separate settlements and that location of town and fortress of ''Erdesumulu'' was further to the east, on the

Karaš River The Karaš (in Serbian, also Cyrillic: Караш) or Caraș (in Romanian) is a long river in the Banat region of Vojvodina, Serbia and Romania and a left tributary of the Danube. The Karaš drains an area of and although it has been channel ...

, in present-day

Monasteries

There are two Serbian Orthodox monasteries in the city: Mesić monastery from the 13th century and Središte monastery, which is currently under construction.

Churches

*The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, completed in 1728. *The Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, completed in 1912. *The Roman Catholic Church, completed in 1863. *The Apostolic Christian Church of Nazarene, completed in the early 1900s.

Winery

One popular place to visit in Vršac is the local family-run winery, '' Vinik'', which produces the Vržole Red, Vržole White and Bermetto wine.

Museums

There are three museums in Vršac:
Pharmacy on Stairs
(Апотека На Степеницама)- The first and the oldest pharmacy in the town, founded in 1784. Other than a well-preserved collection of pharmaceutical equipment, there's a collection of stuffed animals, created at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. * ''Concordia'' Building- Originally a hotel, it was erected in 1847. Today it serves as the main museum of the town. * Vršac castle- The interior of the castle was transformed into the museum, which is open for visitors on weekends, from April until October.

Gallery

Image:Vrsac centar.jpg, Vršac town center Image:VrsacTownHall2.jpg, Vršac townhall Image:Vrsac-Main Serbian Orthodox Church.jpg, Saint Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Vršac File:Biserica Romana.JPG,

Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, Vršac The Romanian Orthodox Cathedral or specifically Cathedral of Lord's Ascension in Vršac ( ro, Catedrala Înălţarea Domnului din Vârşeţ) is a cathedral in Vršac, Vojvodina, Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of ...

Image:Vršac, hill with Orthodox and Catholic churches.jpg, The Chapel Hill with the new Orthodox church and the old Exaltation of the Holy Cross Catholic Church. Image:Saint Gerhard the Bishop and Martyr Roman Catholic Church, Vršac, Vojvodina, Serbia - 20060827.jpg, The St. Gerhard Bishop and Martyr Catholic Church Image:Vršac, The Ascension of the Holy Cross Catholic Church.jpg, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Catholic Church by night. File:Реконструкција Вршачког замка 5.jpg, Vrsac tower pictured from a nearby hill File:Vrsac, Centar Milenjum.jpg, Millennium sport center Image:VinikWineryVrsac.jpg, Vinik winery in Vršac

Famous residents

* Marie von Augustin (1807–1886), Austrian female writer (de) *

Dragiša Brašovan Dragiša Brašovan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Драгиша Брашован; May 25, 1887 – October 6, 1965) was a Serbian modernist architect, one of the leading architects of the early 20th century in Yugoslavia. Works Barcelona * ''Serbian ...

, Serbian modernist architect *

Robert Hammerstiel Robert Hammerstiel (18 February 193323 November 2020) was an Austrian painter and engraver. His works are influenced by Serbian icon painting, wood-cut engraving and pop art. Hammerstiel was internationally recognized and received numerous aw ...

(born 1933), painter, artist *

Ferenc Herczeg Ferenc Herczeg (born ''Franz Herzog'', 22 September 1863 in Versec, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire – 24 February 1954 in Budapest, Hungary) was a Hungarian playwright and author who promoted conservative nationalist opinion in his coun ...

(1863–1954), Hungarian writer *

Paja Jovanović Pavle "Paja" Jovanović ( sr-cyr, Павле "Паја" Јовановић; ; 16 June 1859 – 30 November 1957) was a Serbian painter who painted more than 1,100 works including: '' The Wounded Montenegrin'' (1882), '' Decorating of the Bride'' ...

(1859–1957), famous Serbian painter *

Boris Kostić Borislav Kostić (24 February 1887 – 3 November 1963) was a Yugoslav chess grandmaster and a popularizer of the game. Life and chess Borislav Kostic was born in Vršac, Kingdom of Hungary, at the time part of Austria-Hungary. His father Di ...

, chess player *

Boban Marjanović Boban Marjanović ( sr-Cyrl, Бобан Марјановић; born August 15, 1988) is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also plays for the Serbian national basket ...

(1988 -), Serbian basketball player, Actor in John Wick III *

Felix Milleker Felix Milleker ( Serbian- Cyrillic: Феликс Милекер, Serbian-Latin: Feliks Mileker, Hungarian: Felix Mil(l)eker; pronounced Feliksz Mileker or magyarised Bódog Milleker; 14 January 1858, Vršac, Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of ...

, curator and first director of City Museum *

Stefan Momirov Stefan Momirov ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Момиров; born 18 December 1999) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Río Breogán of the Spanish Liga ACB. Early career Momirov started to play basketball for the youth system of Crven ...

(1999 -), Serbian basketball player *

Dragan Mrđa Dragan Mrđa ( sr-Cyrl, Драган Мрђа; born 23 January 1984) is a former Serbian footballer who played as a forward. At international level he has represented Serbia. Club career Early career After spending many years of his youth playi ...

, Serbian football player * Nikola Nešković (1739–1775), Serbian painter *

, the bishop of Vršac and leader of the Serb uprising in Banat in 1594 *

Tamara Radočaj Tamara Radočaj ( sr-cyr, Тамара Радочај, born 23 December 1987) is a Serbian professional women's basketball player who plays for Chevakata Vologda of the Russian Premier League. Standing at , she plays at the point guard position. ...

(1987-), Serbian basketball player, Olympic bronze medalist and European champion *

Jovan Sterija Popović Jovan Sterija Popović (; sr-cyr, Јован Стерија Поповић; 13 January 1806 – 10 March 1856) was a Serbian playwright, poet, lawyer, philosopher and pedagogue who taught at the Belgrade Higher School. Sterija was recognized by ...

(1806–1856), Serbian playwright, dramatist, comediographer, and pedagogue of mixed Aromanian-

descent *

Döme Sztójay Döme Sztójay ( sr-cyr, Димитрије Стојаковић, 5 January 1883 – 22 August 1946) was a Hungarian soldier and diplomat of Serb origin, who served as Prime Minister of Hungary in 1944, during World War II. Biography Born i ...

(native name: Dimitrije Stojaković; 1883–1946), Hungarian Prime Minister and diplomat of Serb descent * Zorana Todorović (1989-), basketball player *

Jenő Vincze Jenő Vincze ''( sr, Eugen Vince)'' (20 November 1908 – 20 November 1988) was a Hungarian footballer and a legend of Újpest FC, most famous for playing for the Hungarian national team in the 1938 World Cup Final. Vincze started playing foo ...

(1908–1988), Hungarian international football player, most famous for playing for the Hungarian national team in the

1938 World Cup The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third edition of the World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and was held in France from 4 June until 19 June 1938. Italy defended its title in the final, bea ...

Final

International relations

Consulate

* Romanian Consulate General, Vršac

Twin towns – sister cities

Vršac is twinned with: *

Lugoj Lugoj (; hu, Lugos; german: Lugosch; sr, Лугош, Lugoš; bg, Лугож; tr, Logoş) is a city in Timiș County, Romania. The Timiș River divides the city into two halves, the so-called "Romanian Lugoj" that spreads on the right bank and t ...

* Banská Bystrica,

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

Helvécia Helvécia is a large village in Bács-Kiskun county, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary. History Helvécia was founded in 1892 by Swiss-born teacher Heinrich Eduard Weber (Wéber Ede in Hungarian). After the great phyllox ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Kriva Palanka Kriva Palanka ( mk, Крива Паланка ) is a town located in the northeastern part of North Macedonia. It has 14,558 inhabitants. The town of Kriva Palanka is the seat of Kriva Palanka Municipality which has almost 21,000 inhabitants. ...

, Northern Macedonia

Notes

External links

Govor slike - Vršački sajt

Official site

Site Of Vršac City

Vršac - Electronic Banat

Romanian organizations - Number of Romanians in Banat
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vrsac Populated places in Serbian Banat Populated places in South Banat District Municipalities and cities of Vojvodina Wine regions of Serbia Towns in Serbia Starčevo–Körös–Criș culture Populated places established in the 1420s