Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; hu, Nagykikinda) 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 center of the

North Banat District The North Banat District ( sr, Севернобанатски округ, Severnobanatski okrug, ; hu, Észak-bánsági körzet) is one of seven administrative districts of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It lies in the geograph ...

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 ...

. The city urban area has 38,069 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 59,453 inhabitants. The city was founded in the 18th century. From 1774 to 1874 Kikinda was the seat of the

District of Velika Kikinda The Privileged District of Velika Kikinda ( sr, Великокикиндски привилеговани диштрикт / ''Velikokikindski privilegovani dištrikt''; german: Privilegierten Bezirk Gross Kikinda; la, Regio-privilegiatus Distri ...

, an autonomous administrative unit of Habsburg monarchy. In 1893 Kikinda was granted the status of a city. The city became part of the Kingdom of Serbia (and Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) in 1918, and it lost the city status. The status was re-granted in 2016. In 1996, the well-preserved archaeological remnants of a half a million-year-old

mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks an ...

were excavated on the outer edge of the town area. The mammoth called "Kika" has become one of the symbols of the town. Today it is exhibited in the National Museum of Kikinda. Other attractions of the city are the

Suvača Suvača ( sr-cyr, Сувача) in Kikinda, Serbia, is one of the three remaining horse mill, horse-powered dry mills in the whole of Europe.horse-powered dry mill, the annual Pumpkin Days and the International Symposium of Sculpture "Terra".The "TERRA" Centre for fine and applied arts
The winter roosts of

long-eared owl The long-eared owl (''Asio otus''), also known as the northern long-eared owlOlsen, P.D. & Marks, J.S. (2019). ''Northern Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)''. In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook o ...

, with a large number of individuals, are easily accessible as they are situated in town parks and therefore they attract birdwatchers both from this country and abroad.

Name

In Serbian, the city is known as ''Kikinda'' (Кикинда), while in other languages it is called ''Great Kikinda'': in Hungarian as ''Nagykikinda'', in German as ''Gross Kikinda'' or ''Großkikinda'', in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

as ''Magna Kikinda'', in Romanian as ''Chichinda Mare'', in Slovak as ''Kikinda'', in Rusyn as Кикинда, and in Croatian as ''Kikinda''. Until 1947 it was also known in Serbian as ''Great Kikinda'' — ''Velika Kikinda'' (Велика Кикинда). The name of Kikinda is first found recorded at the beginning of the 15th century as ''Kokenyd'', and most probably denoted, together with the name ''Ecehida'', a number of small settlements, i.e. estates, firstly belonging to Hungarian and later to

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 ...

local rulers. The name of the town first appears on a map of 1718 as ''Gross Kikinda'', indicating an uninhabited area or a

wasteland Wasteland or waste land may refer to: * Desert or barren area * an uncultivated area of land, whether wooded or not, whether common land or not Art, entertainment, and media Comics * ''Wasteland'' (DC Comics), 1987–1989 anthology-style horror/ ...

and not a settlement. The adjective ''Gross'', ''Nagy'' or ''Velika'' (Great) in German, Hungarian and Serbian versions respectively, was in official use as the name of the town until the end of 1947.Kikinda Online
Istorija>NAZIV

Coat of arms

The official coat of arms of the city dates back to the Austrian rule and the 18th century. It is derived from the coat of arms of the

http://www.kikinda.co.rs
''Blažić se stidi kikindskog grba'' (trans: ''Blažić Ashamed of the Kikinda Coat of Arms'')
, 30 June 2007 which was issued by

Maria Theresa of Austria Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

on 12 November 1774. The Coat of Arms represents a hand holding a

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

on which an Ottoman Turkish head is impaled. It symbolizes the fight of Serbs and the majority ethnic Hungarians at that time, against the Turks during the Military Frontier period and the military contributions of the population of Kikinda during the Austro-Ottoman Wars. In 2007, Branislav Blažić, then president of the municipality of Kikinda, asked for the change of the coat of arms, criticizing it for being " morbid". The idea proved very controversial, and ultimately the coat was not changed. Most critics of Blažić stated that the coat of arms is a part of the history and tradition of Kikinda and so an important factor of the city identity. The severed head of a Turk is also one of the common symbols in Austrian and

Hungarian heraldry Hungarian heraldry generally follows German heraldry in its artistic forms, but has its own distinctive character. It is classified to Central and Eastern European heraldry. Private armory One of the most common devices found on Hungarian shields ...

. It symbolizes the struggle of Serb soldiers of the Habsburg Empire (

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

) against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

during the Austro-Ottoman Wars.

History

The city of Kikinda is located on a territory rich in remains of old and bygone cultures. Numerous archeological findings are the testimony of people who lived here more than seven thousand years ago. However, the continuity of that duration was often broken. People arrived and departed, lived and disappeared, depending on various historical circumstances.

Medieval history

Two important medieval settlements existed near the location of modern Kikinda. The names of these settlements were Galad and Hološ. Galad was one of the oldest Slavic settlements in northern Banat and was built by Slavic duke Glad in the ninth century. In 1337, Galad was recorded as settlement populated almost exclusively 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 ...

. This settlement was destroyed during the Austro- Ottoman wars at the end of 17th and beginning of the 18th century.Milivoj Rajkov, Istorija grada Kikinde do 1918. godine, Kikinda, 2003, page 16. Another settlement, Hološ (also known as Velika Holuša), was a local administrative centre in the 17th century, during the Ottoman administration. This settlement was also destroyed at the end of the 17th century. According to some sources, an older settlement named Kekenj (Kekend, Keken) existed at this location.Milivoj Rajkov, Istorija grada Kikinde do 1918. godine, Kikinda, 2003, page 27. In 1423 it was mentioned as the domain of Hungarian kings, under the name of Kokenyd, and as a property of the Hungarian king

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it '' Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

. In 1558, this settlement was populated by

. It was deserted after the Banat Uprising in 1594.

Modern history

Cross in the town square (Kikinda, Vojvodina - circa 1900)

Kikinda, Main Street and Catholic Church

The history of modern Kikinda can be traced back for 250 years; by 1751–1752, when the area where the city is presently located began to be repopulated.Milivoj Rajkov, Istorija grada Kikinde do 1918. godine, Kikinda, 2003, page 28. The Serbs settlet in two waves. The first settlers were Serbs who served in the Habsburg military in border patrols. They were tasked with protecting the borders against the Ottomans along the rivers of Moriš and Tisa. After the Požarevac peace treaty, where an agreement between the Habsburg monarchy and the

was reached, the Ottomans lost the territory of Banat which led to huge job losses among the Serb population. As a result, they founded a new settlement in an effort to make a living from

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

. Some decades later, along with the Serbs, Germans ( Banat Swabians), Hungarians, French and Jews also settled the area. About twenty years after the establishment of the settlement, on 12 November 1774, the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, by way of a special charter, formed the Velikokikindski privileged district – Regio-privilegiatus Districtus Magnokikindiensis, as a distinct feudal governmental administrative unit with headquarters in Kikinda. Besides Kikinda, the district included another nine settlements of the Serb border military establishments in North and Central Banat: Srpski Krstur, Jozefovo (today part of

Novi Kneževac Novi Kneževac ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Кнежевац, ; hu, Törökkanizsa; german: Neu-Kanischa) is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 6,960, ...

), Mokrin, Karlovo (today part of Novo Miloševo), Bašaid, Vranjevo (today part of

Novi Bečej Novi Bečej (, hu, Törökbecse) is a town and municipality located in the Central Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 13,133, while Novi Bečej municipality has 23,925 inhabitants. Nam ...

), Melenci,

Kumane Kumane may refer to: * Kumane, Novi Bečej, a village in Vojvodina, Serbia * Kumane, Veliko Gradište, a village in eastern Serbia * Kumane, Istočni Stari Grad, a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina See also * Kumani (disambiguation) {{D ...

and

Taraš Taraš (; hu, Tiszatarrós) is a village located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (96.49%) and its population n ...

. During that period, the inhabitants of these places had substantial economic, and even political privileges within the Habsburg monarchy. The District functioned, with some interruptions, until 1876 when it was abolished, and Kikinda was allocated both organizationally and administratively to the direct authority of the Torontal County with its headquarters in Veliki Bečkerek (today Zrenjanin), which covered most of the territory of present-day Serbian Banat. In 1848/1849, the famous uprising of the Serbs in

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 ...

took place. Initially, Kikinda's citizens expressed, almost unanimously, social revolt, while later the uprising turned into a national one, and Kikinda became part of the Serbian Voivodship, a Serb autonomous region within the Austrian Empire. During the war, control over the city changed hands between the Serbian and Hungarian governments at the expense of great conflicts, which resulted in suffering and destruction. It was one of the most difficult and most complex periods in the history of Kikinda. Between 1849 and 1860 Kikinda 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 Austrian crown land. In 1860, this crown land was abolished, and Kikinda was incorporated into Torontal county, in 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 ...

after the compromise of 1867. A railway connecting

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the m ...

, Kikinda and

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_ ...

was built in 1857 and is the oldest railway on the territory of present-day Serbia and the entire southeast Europe, predating Belgrade by 27 years. Kikinda had 15,000 inhabitants at the time. The first train arrived on 15 November at 15:00 at the, still unfinished, railway station. The railway itself was part of a long railway

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

- Bratislava-

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

-Timișoara- Baziaș, a spa and port on the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

. Days before the first train arrived, public drummers were announcing the event and huge crowds gathered at the arrival ceremony. But, some complained. Farmers whose land was appropriated by the state for the route of the railway were not satisfied with the compensation they received. Others spread stories that the fumes from the locomotive are toxic, that sparks from the wheels will set grain fields on fire or that the sound of locomotive will scare the cattle. However, the railway brought an economic boom to Kikinda, as in the next five years industry began to develop, including steam mills and brickyards. When at the end of 19th century Veliki Bečkerek was linked directly to Szeged, bypassing Kikinda, the economy slowed down. In 1953 the connection with Szeged was cut as the bridge over the river Tisza was demolished. The connection to Timișoara was operational via railbuses until 2015. The Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I visited Kikinda in 1872 arriving by this railway and it was also used for the original Orient Express route. As of 2017, trains operate only as far as Subotica and Zrenjanin. Un 1893, Kikinda was declared a royal free city. At the end of the 19th century Kikinda was the most densely inhabited place in Torontál County, with 22,000 inhabitants.
After the declaration of free city, period from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was a peaceful and fruitful one in the history of Kikinda and was marked by a strong economic and urban development of the city. Moreover, the core of the city was formed, and the city received a defined local government in 1895 (statute, senate, town representative, mayor (Karlo Radovan), etc.). According to the 1910 census, the population of Kikinda numbered 26,795 inhabitants, of whom 14,214 (53.00%) spoke Serbian, 5,968 (22.27%) Hungarian, and 5,855 (21.85%) German. A date around the end of the First World War (20 November 1918) denotes one of the most crucial moments in the modern history of Kikinda. The entry of the Serbian army into the city represented the achievement of the Serbs of Kikinda in striving to unite with Serbia. From 1 December 1918, the city was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed

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

in 1929). However, the city suffered greatly in the economic realm, as it was located in the hinterland, between two borders, with lines of communication disconnected. The period between the two world wars was not a period of economic prosperity. In 1921, the population of Kikinda numbered 25,774 people and included 15,000 (58%) Serbs and Croats, 5,500 (21%) Germans ( Banat Swabians), 4,000 (16%)

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

, and 5%

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Roman ...

. Between 1918 and 1922, Kikinda was part of Banat county, Between 1922 and 1929 it was part of Belgrade oblast, and between 1929 and 1941 it was part of Danube Banovina. Sinagoga u Kikindi

During the

Interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...

, numerous public buildings were built. While Historical Archive and People's Museum moved in the old district's seat building from 1876, new buildings were constructed for city administration, other museums, library, etc. Clergy House was built in 1939. After only twenty years of peace, in 1941 Kikinda entered the stormy period of World War II, during which it was occupied by German troops. The Banat region, which Kikinda belonged to, was made an autonomous region within Serbia and was placed under the control of the region's German minority. The city was liberated on 6 October 1944, and since 1945, it has been part of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina within the new Socialist Yugoslavia. During and after the war, the city's economic and political organizational structure significantly changed. In addition there were major changes in the ethnic structure of the city. The German (about 22%) and Jewish (about 2%) populations vanished. In 1940, there were about 500 Jews in the town. In August, 1941, they were deported to the Sajmište death camp near Belgrade and murdered. In 1944, one part of the German population fled the region, together with the defeated German army. Between 1944 and 1948, those who remained were detained in work camps. After the abolition of the camps, most of the remaining German population left for Austria and Germany in search of better living conditions. In 1948, shortly after the end of World War II, Kikinda had a population of 28,070. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, the city saw continuous economic and cultural development: new factories and production plants, new blocks of flats and residential settlements, various objects of general social interest, and paved streets definitely stressed and formed the urban dimension of Kikinda. In 1971 the city had a population of 37,487. In March 2016, Kikinda was again granted city status.

Greater Kikinda area

The City of Kikinda comprises the town of Kikinda, nine villages and two

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

. The nine villages are: * Banatska Topola * Banatsko Veliko Selo * Bašaid * Iđoš * Mokrin *

Nakovo Nakovo ( sr-cyr, Наково) is a village located in the Kikinda municipality of the North Banat District of Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. It is situated near the border with Romania. The population of the village numbers 2,4 ...

* Novi Kozarci * Rusko Selo * Sajan ( hu, Szaján) The two

are: * Bikač, officially part of Bašaid * Vincaid, officially part of Banatska Topola Note: for settlements with a Hungarian majority, the name is also given in Hungarian. The city belongs to the group of so-called planned organized settlements. Plans of streets and crossroads were completed in the second half of the 18th century according to the standard city plans of the time used for the construction of new settlements in Banat. Those plans defined settlements with regularly lined and wide streets intersecting at right angles, with a central town square, market place, church, city hall, school, inn, etc.

Demographics

According to the last official census done in 2011, the city of Kikinda has 59,453 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

Most of the settlements in the city have an ethnic Serb majority, while one settlement has a Hungarian ethnic majority: Sajan (Hungarian: Szaján). Two others have over 20% of ethnic Hungarian population: Banatska Topola and Rusko Selo. The ethnic composition of city administrative area:

Economy

The principal branch of the city's economy is agriculture, with its of arable land. The annual production of wheat is about 60,000 tons, 114,670 tons of sunflower seeds.

Soy The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...

, sugar beet and other fruits and vegetables are also produced. Industrial production includes the production of oil derivatives by the "Naftagas" branch in Kikinda, metal processing, machine tools, special tools, car parts and flexible technologies by the former "Livnica Kikinda" (metal foundry) and IDA-Opel (now owned by

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

n Cimos Koper), roof tile and brick production by "Toza Marković", the production of chemicals by "MSK" and "Hemik" and the processing of agricultural products by a number of factories. The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Transport

Rail line Banatsko Aranđelovo – Kikinda – Romanian border at

Jimbolia Jimbolia (; hu, Zsombolya; german: Hatzfeld; sr, Жомбољ, Žombolj; Banat Bulgarian: ''Džimbolj'') is a town in Timiș County, Romania. Geography Jimbolia is located in the west of Timiș County, 39 km from Timișoara, with which it is ...

, part of the former

–

railway is the second oldest railway in present-day Serbia. The city is also connected by railway to Subotica and to Belgrade via Zrenjanin. Regional roads connect Kikinda with all the neighbouring cities and villages. Buses operate regularly to the surrounding villages and major domestic and some European cities. The only transport waterway in the city is the Danube-Tisa-Danube Canal. There is a dock which is used for industrial transport. There is also the

Kikinda Airfield Kikinda Airfield ( sr, Aerodrom Kikinda or Aerodrom Drahslerov Salaš, ''Аеродром Кикинда'' or ''Аеродром Драxслеров Салаш'') is a recreational airfield in Serbia, situated in the vicinity of the northern town ...

, a recreational aerodrome near the city. The local flying club organizes lessons in parachuting, aviation and space-modeling. "Cropduster" planes are also flown from this airstrip to spray agricultural fields.

Education

;Primary schools There are eight primary schools in the city: * ''Đura Jakšić'' Primary Schoo

Language of instruction: Serbian. * ''Feješ Klara'' Primary School. Language of instruction: Serbian and Hungarian. * ''Jovan Popović'' Primary School. Language of instruction: Serbian. * ''Sveti Sava'' Primary Schoo

Languages of instruction: Serbian and Hungarian. * ''Vuk Karadžić'' Primary School. Language of instruction: Serbian. * ''Žarko Zrenjanin'' Primary School. Language of instruction: Serbian. * ''6 October'' Special Primary School. School for children with special needs. Language of instruction: Serbian. * ''Slobodan Malbaški'' Primary

Music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

. Language of instruction: Serbian. ;Secondary schools All secondary schools in Kikinda use Serbian as the language of instruction: * ''Dušan Vasiljev'' Gymnasium, founded in 1858. Students can choose between four main courses: socio-linguistic, mathematics and natural sciences, informatics and general.
Technical School

Economics and Trade Secondary School
* ''Miloš Crnjanski'' Secondary Vocational School. The school offers courses in food processing, building, and health sciences. * Higher School for the Education of Teachers ;Free schools * ''Pionir'' free schoo

Integral education. Students learn about technology, ethics and digital humanities. Language of instruction: Serbian and English

Culture

Cultural institutions

Situated in the city square, the building of the National Museum of Kikinda was built in 1839. In the beginning, the building served as the city

curia Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...

and the seat of the

until its abolishment in 1876. In 1946, the National Museum of Kikinda and the City Archiv

were founded and housed in the building. The Museum boasts numerous artifacts which are displayed in its four sections: archeological, historical, ethnological and naturalist. As of recently, it also possesses a

skeleton which was excavated on the grounds of the "Toza Marković" brick factory in 1996. The ''Jovan Popović'' National Library was founded in 1845 as ''Čitaonica Srbska'' (Serbian Reading Room). It was renamed in 1952 to '' Jovan Popović (writer), Jovan Popović'' in honor of a prominent poet from Kikinda. Besides serving its primary function of loaning books, the library also organizes literary meetings, book promotions, seminars, lectures, exhibitions, and has published several works. Although the National Theater in Kikinda was founded only 50 years ago, Kikinda has a long theatrical tradition. Kikinda witnessed its first theatrical play in 1796 in German. The first play in Serbian was performed in 1834. The theater has a continuous program all year round, including the summer when the stage is set up outside, in the yard of the theater.

Manifestations

The Pumpkin Days (''Дани лудаје/Dani ludaje'' in Serbian) are an annual manifestation that takes place in mid-October.KIKA Online
Dani ludaje u Kikindi...
Every year people from all over the region gather in Kikinda to take part in a competition of who has the largest pumpkin and longest

gourd Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly ''Cucurbita'' and '' Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. One of the ear ...

. The term is specific to the Kikinda region, while the common Serbian word for pumpkin is . Kikinda has a special relationship with this plant because throughout its history, the locals used to say that one had to stand on a pumpkin while working in the fields in order to get a clear view of the whole city. This exaggeration is supposed to depict the flatness of the city's territory and symbolize the joy of finding way back home. A local man standing on a pumpkin, dressed in a traditional attire, and with his hand blocking the sun so that he can see into the distance, thus became the symbol of the region. A group of local enthusiasts started the Pumpkin Days celebration in 1986 and it quickly started attracting pumpkin and gourd lovers from all over the country. The three-day event also includes lectures and seminars on the advancement of pumpkin and gourd cultivation, a culinary competition in preparing meals from pumpkins and gourds, children's competitions in creating masks and sculptures, and various concerts and exhibitions. Over the past few years this event has gained prominence and has drawn visitors from Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslav republics. In 2006 the event celebrated its 20th anniversary and had the largest number of visitors so far, as well as a richer program. A tamburitza festival was included in the event, contributing to the authentic Banat experience. In 2019, records in both categories were set - the largest pumpkin weighed , while the longest gourd was in length. However, in 2022, a pumpkin with was measured. Every year, since 1982, 6 to 8 world-renowned sculptors are invited to Kikinda, to the premises of an old production plant of the "Toza Marković" brick factory, to take part at the international symposium of sculpture "Terra". Work area has and a tall furnace for baking sculptures. The symposium takes place throughout the month of July. Over the years, "Terra" has hosted sculptors from all corners of the world who are drawn by the unique and peaceful ambience of the studio. All sculptures are done in terracotta and some have appeared at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

. Over 300 sculptors have so far participated at the symposium and together have produced more than 500 sculptures. The "Terra" museum was opened on 5 December 2017. A building of the old riding hall (''manjež''), built in 1871, was converted into a museum by sculptor Slobodan Kojić. When built, ''manjež'' served for the horse training of the Austro-Hungarian army and was the second largest such facility in the empire, after the one in Vienna. The exhibits, works of over 300 artists from all over the world since 1982, belong both to large and gallery format sculptures. The "Terra" exhibition is the largest collection of large size terracotta sculptures in the world and the first new museum of the contemporary art in Serbia since 1967. Previously proposed locations were within the brickyard complex, old brickyard II and old drier, but the adaptation of ''manjež'' began in 2012. There are over 1,000 sculptures in the exhibition space of . Previously, the collection was shown in Venice, Paris, Ljubljana and Belgrade. Several sculptures are permanently exhibited in the parks of Kikinda and Belgrade, while 5 monumental ones were donated to Venice after the 1999

Media

;Newspapers *
Nove Kikindske Novine
', weekly newspaper. Printed in Serbian, using the Cyrillic alphabet, with a supplement in Hungarian. ;TV stations *
TV VK
', independent TV station, ceased broadcasting in November 2016. *
TV Kikinda (ex TV Rubin)
', TV station favoring the local government. ;Radio stations *
VK Radio
' (frequency: 98.3 MHz), independent regional radio station, ceased broadcasting in November 2016. *
Radio Kikinda
' (frequency: 93.3 МHz, ceased broadcasting in January 2016.), state-owned local station, which broadcast programs in both Serbian and Hungarian *
Radio Ami
' (frequency: 89.7 МHz), local commercial pop music radio station

Tourism

Before the break-up of former

, hunting tourism was widespread in Kikinda. There are a number of hunting grounds in the city covering an area of , mostly around the banks of the Danube-Tisa-Danube Canal, where rabbits,

pheasants Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...

and

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

are hunted. On the location of the former clay pit of the "Toza Marković" company, an artificial lake was created. Located at the southern entrance into the town, it was named ''Plava banja'' ("Blue Spa"). Though it is not officially classified as a spa, the water is highly mineralized, microbiologically suitable for swimming and chemically has an elevated levels of

sulfates The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many a ...

and

chlorides The chloride ion is the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. It is formed when the element chlorine (a halogen) gains an electron or when a compound such as hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Chloride salt ...

, so as higher electroconductivity and pH values. That means the water may be beneficial for the skin and some skin diseases, like the eczema. Until the early 2000s, the lake was arranged with numerous recreational activities and was visited by several thousand people daily. It was busy in the evenings as the lake was place for many concerts and other artistic and entertaining happenings. As the lake is on the lot of "Toza Marković", new owners stopped all that and by 2017 the lake was neglected and without even the basic infrastructure (showers, toilets, etc.). However, the locals still visit the lake, though on a much smaller scale. In the summer of 2017, the lake shores were cleaned from garbage and vegetation. There is another lake, ''Staro jezero'' ("Old Lake"), in the town itself. It is a remnant of the former river Galacka, part of the Mureș river system. The river was in time discontinuet, partially channeled and conducted underground, so Kikinda today has no river. There is a Blandaš Park in town, which was declared a natural monument. The avenue along the long Generala Drapšina Sreet is made of 400 trees, and the street was declared the 22nd most beautiful street in the world bz the ''Architecture and Design'' magazine. The avenue was planted after the World War II liberation, but before the war was ended ion the rest of Europe and Yugoslavia. It is believed that the seedlings were gift from the U.S. president

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, due to this friendship with

Mihajlo Pupin Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin ( sr-Cyrl, Михајло Идворски Пупин, ; 4 October 1858Although Pupin's birth year is sometimes given as 1854 (and Serbia and Montenegro issued a postage stamp in 2004 to commemorate the 150th anniversary o ...

. In the vicinity of Kikinda is the Copper Age

kurgan A kurgan is a type of tumulus constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into much of Central As ...

of Kinđa, which possibly gave name to the city.

Main sights

The

Suvača Suvača ( sr-cyr, Сувача) in Kikinda, Serbia, is one of the three remaining horse mill, horse-powered dry mills in the whole of Europe.horse-powered dry mill. Kikinda has one of the three remaining such mills in Europe (the other two being in Szarvas, Hungary and Otok). There were many mills like this in the city: 17 in 1781, 32 in 1801, with the largest recorded number being 51 in 1847. The only remaining mill was built in 1899 and was operational until 1945. Located in the center of the square, the

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches. The majori ...

church was built in 1769. The icons of the iconostasis were done by Jakov Orfelin (nephew of Zacharius Orfelin) in 1773. Teodor Ilić Češljar is the author of the two large wall paintings "The Last Supper" and "Ascension of Jesus Christ" (1790). Both, the late baroque iconostasis and the wall paintings show significant influence of western European art of the period. New church bells were installed in 1899. Small Vodice church was built in 1865. On an elevated plateau above it, four water wells were dug. THe complex was declared a cultural monument.

Holy Trinity monastery is located in the south outskirts of the city. It was built between 1885 and 1887 as a foundation of Melanija Nikolić-Gajčić. The construction of the Roman Catholic Church in Kikinda was started in 1808 and completed in 1811. According to a popular belief, the treasure of Attila the Hun is buried somewhere on the territory of the city of Kikinda. Fossil remains of a mammoth, named Kika, were discovered in 1996 in the clay pit of the "Toza Marković" company. Kika was a female, tall, long with an estimated weight of . The tusks are long. That makes Kika one of the largest mammoth specimens ever discovered. It is still not determined to which mammoth species it belongs. Among the birdwatchers Kikinda is known as the prime hotspot for observing winter roosts of

with large number of individuals. Kkinda has been nicknamed as the Serbian owl capital. The roosts are situated in city parks so they are easily accessible. In November 2017, 238 owls were numbered while the record was set in 2009 when 743 birds were counted in the town. At one point, 145 owls were counted on only one tree. The

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

crews visited Kikinda in 2015 and 2018, filming documentaries about the wild animals in urban areas and focusing on the owls.

Prominent citizens

* Miroslav Mika Antić, poet * Radivoj Berbakov, painter * Albert Bogen (Albert Bógathy; 1882–1961), Kikinda-born Austrian Olympic silver medalist saber fencer * Predrag Bubalo, politician, former Government minister * Dajana Butulija, professional basketball player, Olympic bronze medalist and European champion * Branimir Brstina, actor, from nearby

Banatsko Novo Selo Banatsko Novo Selo ( sr-cyr, Банатско Ново Село ) is a village located in the municipality of Pančevo, South Banat District, Vojvodina, Serbia. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 7,089 people ( 2 ...

* Vesna Čipčić, actress, was raised and schooled in Kikinda *

Jovan Ćirilov Jovan Ćirilov (Serbian Cyrillic: Јован Ћирилов; ; 30 August 1931 – 16 November 2014) was a Serbian theatrologist, philosopher, writer, theatre selector, and poet. Biography Ćirilov was born in Kikinda. the only son of Milivoj � ...

, dramaturge, poet, writer *

Dimitrije Injac Dimitrije "Dima" Injac ( sr-Cyrl, Димитрије Ињац; born 12 August 1980) is a Serbian Association football, football midfielder. Club career His former clubs were OFK Kikinda, FK Kabel, FK Vojvodina, FK Bečej and FK Slavija Sarajevo. ...

, professional football player *

Đura Jakšić Georgije "Đura" Jakšić ( sr-Cyrl, Георгије Ђура Јакшић; 27 July 1832 – 16 November 1878) was a Serbian poet, painter, writer, dramatist and bohemian. Biography Đura Jakšić was born as Georgije Jakšić in Srpska Crnja, ...

, poet and painter, lived in Kikinda for some time * Milivoj Jugin, aeronautical enginner *

Mladen Krstajić Mladen Krstajić ( sr-cyr, Младен Крстајић, ; born 4 March 1974) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. From Janua ...

, former football player of football club

Partizan Belgrade Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...

* Peđa Krstin, professional tennis player * Maja Latinović, supermodel * Jovan Popović (writer), Jovan Popović, poet * Srđan Srdić, writer * Vasa Stajić, writer and philosopher (from nearby Mokrin) * Srđan V. Tešin, writer and journalist * Dušan Vasiljev, poet * Goran Živkov, politician

Twin towns – sister cities

Kikinda is twinned with:

Awards

In 2003, the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

Mission to Serbia awarded the Municipality of Kikinda the Municipal Award for Tolerance.

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfa" ( Humid subtropical climate).

References

General references

* Brane Marijanović ''et al.'' ''Kikinda: istorija, kultura, sela, privreda, sport, turizam'', Novi Sad: Prometej, 2002. * Jovan M. Pejin, ''Iz prošlosti Kikinde'', Kikinda: Istorijski arhiv & Komuna, 2000. * Milivoj Rajkov, Istorija grada Kikinde do 1918. godine, Kikinda, 2003. * Dr Slobodan Ćurčić, Naselja Banata – geografske karakteristike, Novi Sad, 2004.

Name

Coat of arms

History

Medieval history

Modern history

Greater Kikinda area

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Economy

Transport

Education

Culture

Cultural institutions

Manifestations

Media

Tourism

Main sights

Prominent citizens

Twin towns – sister cities

Awards

Climate

See also

References

General references

References

External links