Šabac
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Šabac ( sr-Cyrl, Шабац, ) is a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
and the administrative centre of the
Mačva District The Mačva District (, ) is one of administrative districts of Serbia. It lies in the western part of Serbia, in the geographical regions of Mačva, Podrinje, Posavina, and Pocerina. According to the 2022 census, it has a population of 265,3 ...
in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile
Mačva Mačva ( sr-Cyrl, Мачва, ; ) is a geographical and historical region in the northwest of Central Serbia, on a fertile plain between the Sava (river), Sava and Drina rivers. The chief town is Šabac. The modern Mačva District of Serbia is nam ...
region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river
Sava The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...
. , the city proper has population of 51,163, while its administrative area comprises 105,432 inhabitants.


Name

The name ''Šabac'' was first mentioned in Ragusan documents dating to 1454. The origin of the city's name is uncertain; it is possible its name comes from the name of the city's main river, the
Sava The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...
. The city is known by a variety of different names: ''Zaslon'' in medieval Serbian, ''Szabács'' in Hungarian, ''Böğürdelen'' in Turkish, and ''Schabatz'' in German.


History

Archaeological evidence attests to more permanent settlement in the area from the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
. In the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, a Slavic settlement named ''Zaslon'' existed at the current location of Šabac. The settlement was part of the Serbian Despotate until it fell to the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in 1459. In 1470, the Ottomans built the first
fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
in the town and named it ''Beyerdelen'' (Böğürdelen, meaning "side-striker"). In 1476 the Hungarian king
Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and ...
captured the fort; it remained under administration of the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
until 1521, when it was again captured by the
Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
. Under Hungarian administration, the town was part of the Banate of Macsó, whereas under Ottoman administration it was firstly part of the Sanjak of
Zvornik Zvornik ( sr-cyrl, Зворник, ) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2013, it had a population of 58,856 inhabitants. Zvornik is located on the Drina River, on the eastern slopes of Majevica mountain, at the altitude of ...
within the Province of Bosnia, and later part of the Sanjak of Smederevo. Šabac was the administrative centre of the
nahiye A nāḥiyah ( , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiyeh, nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level divisi ...
of Šabac, a local Ottoman administrative unit. During the Ottoman period, Šabac was a typical oriental town with tiny streets, small shops and several mosques. The population was composed of both
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
and
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
, along with smaller numbers of Hungarians and Croats. Until the 19th century, Šabac was mostly under Ottoman administration, but control of the town changed hands several times between the Ottoman Empire and the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
during the Ottoman-Habsburg wars. The first period of Habsburg rule began in 1718, when Šabac was incorporated into the Habsburg Kingdom of Serbia. After the Treaty of Belgrade (1739), Šabac reverted to Ottoman control and, straddling the boundary between the two empires, it gained importance as a market town. A second period of Habsburg control of the area followed starting in 1789. The storming of the city was one of the early experiences of the renowned military leader Józef Poniatowski. Ottoman control over the area was restored a few years later. Šabac became a site of importance in Serbian history in the
First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising (; sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; ) was an uprising of Serbs in Orašac (Aranđelovac), Orašac against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1804 to 7 October 1813. The uprising began as a local revolt ...
when, in 1806, Karađorđe led the Serbian insurgents into one of the first victories over the Ottoman army near the nearby village of Mišar. Until 1813, the town was part of Revolutionary Serbia. A brief period of restored Ottoman control followed, but after the Second Serbian Uprising in 1815, Šabac was included into the now-autonomous
Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia () was an autonomous, later sovereign state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was negotiated first through an unwritten agre ...
under the Obrenović dynasty. This first ruling family of modern Serbia left its mark on the town; ''knez'' Miloš Obrenović's brother, the enlightened Jevrem Obrenović, built a personal residence and helped modernise the town: the period from 1820 to 1850 saw the establishment of a hospital, a pharmacy, a Serbian grammar school, a gymnasium, a theatre, and a musical society. The Ottoman army evacuated the fort of Šabac in 1867, marking the end of the Ottoman presence in the area. The first newspaper in the
Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...
was printed in Šabac in 1883, and the town was also the first in Serbia where women started visiting kafanas (pubs) on Sunday afternoons, as was customary for men. The town prospered until the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, when it was occupied and devastated by the
Austro-Hungarian army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...
and had its population halved (from cca. 14,000 to 7,000) on the orders of Kasimir von Lütgendorf, despite the fact that the Royal Serbian Army evacuated the town without resistance. Lütgendorf later ordered three of his own soldiers to be publicly executed by bayonet in the town square for drunkenly discharging their rifles despite orders from his superior Karl Tersztyánszky von Nádas to stop, leading to him being court-martialed and convicted for murder after the war in 1920. World War I is also remembered for the
battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
on nearby Cer mountain where the Serbian army under general Stepa Stepanović won an early victory against
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
in August 1914, the first Allied victory in the war. After the war, Šabac was decorated with the French War Cross with Palm (1920), the Czechoslovak War Cross (1925), and the Order of the Karađorđe's Star with Swords (1934). In 1918, the town became a part of the newly formed
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its colloq ...
(later renamed to
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
). From 1918 to 1922, it was the administrative seat of Podrinje District, from 1922 to 1929 the administrative seat of Podrinje Oblast, and from 1929 to 1941 it was a part of the Drina Banovina. An early milestone in the Yugoslav era of the town's history was the opening of the Zorka chemical plant in 1938. The city's renewal was interrupted by
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and occupation by German troops (from 1941 to 1944). During the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, Šabac was part of the area governed by the Military Administration in Serbia. Its population of 1,200 Jews were arrested and ended in the ill-fated Kladovo transport. During the Uprising in Serbia the united rebel forces of the Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland, forces of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and Pećanac Chetniks attacked German garrison in Šabac in an event known as Attack on Šabac, but failed to capture the town. In the German and Croatian
Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...
retributions 1,130 civilians were executed, 21,500 imprisoned and most of the populated places in Mačva were completely burned down. Eventually, 7,000 inmates were killed. The city was liberated from occupation by the
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
in 1944. After the war, it was included into People's Republic of Serbia within the new socialist Yugoslavia. Since then, it grew into a modern industrial city with the aforementioned Zorka chemical plant and an expanded population. The 1970s saw the construction of the first modern sports hall. The swamp at the city's outskirts, Benska Bara, was drained and turned into a residential neighborhood, and a new bridge was built over the Sava river. By 2010, the population of the city and its suburbs had risen to 75,000.


Demographics

According to the 2022 census results, the city of Šabac has a population of 105,432 inhabitants.


Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the city of Šabac (as of 2011 census):


Local communities


Urban local communities


Rural local communities


Economy

Prior to 1990, Šabac had one of the best developed economies among cities in Yugoslavia. However,
international sanctions International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect i ...
against Yugoslavia during the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
provoked the shutdown of the Zorka plant, which was the main enterprise in Šabac. Many other major local firms like "Šapčanka", "Izgradnja", and "Nama" also shut down during this period. The main industries of Šabac today are agriculture, transportation and food production. Since 2000, some of the more important companies are dairy plant Mlekara Šabac, Elixir Group, Zorka Pharma, and Hesteel Serbia Iron & Steel - Tin mill. Production of
raspberry The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...
is also highly developed in Šabac area. As of September 2017, Šabac has one of 14
free economic zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subjec ...
s established in Serbia. The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2022):


Sports

There are several sports societies in Šabac: * FK Mačva Šabac * RK Metaloplastika * VK Šabac * Basketball club Šabac * Football club Borac * Boxing club Šabac * Female handball club Medicinar * Kayak club "Zorka color" Šabac * Wrestling club Knight Šabac


Local media


Education


Elementary schools

* OŠ "Sele Jovanović" * OŠ " Nikolaj Velimirović" * OŠ " Vuk Karadzić" * OŠ " Stojan Novaković" * OŠ " Nata Jeličić" * OŠ "Janko Veselinović" * OŠ " Laza Lazarević"


High schools

* Šabačka gimnazija (Šabac Grammar School) *High agriculture school *High medicine school "Dr Andra Jovanović" *High economical-commercial school *High chemical and textile school *High technical school *High music school
Mihailo Vukdragović Mihailo Vukdragović (; November 8, 1900 – March 3, 1967) was a Serbian composer and conductor, Professor at the Belgrade Music Academy (later named Faculty of Music in Belgrade), Rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade and member of t ...
* High art school


Private centres of education

* King's College * Premier * Pygmalion * Interlink


Transportation


Roads

The length and status of roads in the city are: * Main roads (all asphalt) * Regional roads (all asphalt) * Local roads ( asphalt) * Unconventional roads (only asphalt) * City streets The Ruma-Šabac motorway, with a new 1,300-metre bridge on the Sava River, connects Srem and Mačva and was completed on time. The freeway from Ruma to Šabac is 24.6 kilometres long, including the Sava bridge and its related parts. This includes 440 meters connected to the Fruška Gora Corridor, 22.08 kilometers of road, the 1.335-kilometer-long Sava Bridge, and 700 meters of section 3 leading to the Drenovac Interchange.


Railway

Šabac railway station is served by a Serbian Railways' branch line connecting to the main
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
to
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
railway at Ruma. A former line continued from the station to connect Serbia with
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. A branch which connected this line with
Bogatić Bogatić ( sr-cyr, Богатић, ) is a town and municipality located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. As of the 2022 census, it has 24,522 residents. Geography Bogatić is located in the western part of Serbia. The nearest large ...
(Petlovača - Bogatić) is locked out. The railway is used for the transport of goods and raw materials for the Zorka factory and passenger transport to Ruma.


Politics

Seats in the city council won in the 2004 local elections

* Democratic Party (Serbia), Democratic Party -
Serbian Renewal Movement The Serbian Renewal Movement (, abbr. SPO) is a liberal and monarchist political party in Serbia. It was founded in 1990 by writer Vuk Drašković, who served as the party's president until 2024. Aleksandar Cvetković is the incumbent leader. ...
(25) * Serbian Radical Party (13) * Democratic Party of Serbia (11) *
Socialist Party of Serbia The Socialist Party of Serbia (, abbr. SPS) is a populist political party in Serbia. Ivica Dačić has led SPS as its president since 2006. SPS was founded in 1990 as a merger of the League of Communists of Serbia and Socialist Alliance ...
(8) * Strength of Serbia Movement (6) * G17 Plus (4) * People's Peasant Party (2) *Group of the citizens "The voice of the people" (2)


Non-government organizations in Šabac

According to unofficial data, in the city of Šabac, there are over 300 registered non-government organizations, with wide variety of activities and different primary goals. Traditionally, the most active are those organizations whose primary goals are humanitarian, protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, protection of the rights of ethnic minorities, protection of the vulnerable social categories, ecology, etc. Beside traditionally active organizations in Šabac, there are non-government organizations which unites young people in purpose of protecting their own rights. Under the social category of youth (young people) are those who are not older than 30, and not younger than 15 years, according to Ministry (Department) of youth and sports, of the Republic of Serbia. Some of the most active organizations in Šabac are: Youth Umbrella (Omladinski Kišobran), Caritas - Šabac, Roma for Roma, Human heart of Šabac (Humano srce Šapca), NGO Light, NGO Ecos.


Notable people

* Branimir Ćosić, writer and journalist * Branislav Lečić, actor * Draga Ljočić, the first female doctor in Serbia * Dragiša Lapčević, politician, journalist, historian * Dušan Ninić, novelist * Isidora Sekulić, writer * Janko Veselinović, writer * Jela Spiridonović-Savić, poet * Jevrem Obrenović, younger brother of Prince Miloš Obrenović, governor of the Šabac nahija (district) * Jovan Cvijić, geographer, president of the Serbian Royal Academy, rector of the Belgrade University * Józef Poniatowski, Polish leader, general * Sava Petrović, botanist * Kosta Abrašević, poet * Laza Lazarević, doctor, writer * Ljubiša Jovanović, actor * Mileva Marić, Serbian physicist * Milić Stanković, painter * Milorad Popović Šapčanin, poet, writer, dramatist, pedagogue and educational reformer * Sasha Knezev, Serbian American filmmaker and author * Slobodan Jovanović, historian, lawyer, literary critic and politician * Stanislav Vinaver, avant-garde writer * Stojan Novaković, historian, scholar, writer, literary critic, translator, politician and diplomat * Šaban Šaulić, folk singer * Veselin Vujović, handball player * Vladimir Jovanović, philosopher, political theorist, economist, politician, political writer * Vladislav Lalicki, production designer, costume designer, painter *
Živojin Pavlović Živojin "Žika" Pavlović (15 April 1933 – 29 November 1998) was a Yugoslav and Serbian film director, writer, painter and professor. In his films and novels, Pavlović depicted the cruel reality of small, poor and abandoned people living ...
, film director, writer * Lyenko Urbanchich (1922–2006), Australian politician * Jasmina Vujic, nuclear engineering professor at Berkeley, 1st female nuclear engineering department chair in the US * Alex Lifeson, guitarist of Canadian rock band Rush born to ethnic Serbian parents from Šabac Sportspeople: * Mile Isaković, handballer * Milutin Dragićević, handballer * Miroslav Đukić, footballer *
Nemanja Matić Nemanja Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Матић, ; born 1 August 1988) is a Serbian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon. Matić began his senior career at ...
, footballer * Aleksa Purić, footballer


Coat of arms of Šabac and armorial flag

There are three versions of the coat of arms of Šabac: the Primary, Middle, and Large. File:COA Šabac.png, Primary coat of arms File:COA Šabac (middle).png, Middle coat of arms File:FLAG_Šabac.gif, Šabac Armorial flag


Twin towns – sister cities

Šabac is twinned with: *
Argostoli Argostoli (, Katharevousa: ) is a town and a municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands (region), Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is one of the three municipalities on the island. It has been the capi ...
, Greece * Fujimi, Japan * Kiryat Ata, Israel * Kralupy nad Vltavou, Czech Republic


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabac Populated places in Mačva District Mačva Municipalities and cities of Šumadija and Western Serbia Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross