Žabalj ( sr-cyrl, Жабаљ, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the
South Bačka District of the autonomous province of
Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. According to 2022 census, the town Žabalj has a population of 8,449 and the municipality Žabalj has a population of 23,853. It is located in southeastern part of
Bačka, known as
Šajkaška. All settlements in the municipality have an ethnic Serb majority.
Name
Its name came from the
Serbian word "žaba"/жаба ("frog" in English). In
Serbian, the town is known as ''Žabalj'' (Жабаљ), in
Hungarian as ''Zsablya'' or ''Józseffalva'' (between 1886 and 1919), in
German as ''Josefdorf'', and in
Croatian as ''Žabalj''.
History
Žabalj was first mentioned in 1514 as ''Zeble'', a fortress captured by
György Dózsa. During the
Ottoman rule (16th-17th century), it was populated by ethnic
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 ...
.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Žabalj was part of the
Habsburg Military Frontier (
Šajkaš Battalion). The first church in Žabalj was mentioned in 1720, but it was later razed. After 1763, the village was part of Šajkaš Battalion until the military administration was abolished in 1783. Present-day
Orthodox churches dedicated to Saint Nicholas were built in 1835. In 1901, a
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church was built as well.
It belonged to
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much 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 south, Croatia and ...
1920, when by the
Treaty of Trianon it became part of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and subsequent
South Slavic states.
After
the 1941 annexation of the town by Hungary, in a 1942 raid, 666 inhabitants of the town were murdered: 355 men, 141 women, 101 children, and 69 elderly people. Those who were liable, were convicted by Hungary in 1943.
Inhabited places
Žabalj municipality encompasses the town of Žabalj, and the following villages:
*
Gospođinci
*
Đurđevo
*
Čurug
Demographics
Historical population of the town
*1961: 7,457
*1971: 7,851
*1981: 8,503
*1991: 8,766
Ethnic groups
The population of the Žabalj municipality:
*
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 ...
(86.25%)
*
Rusins (5.11%)
*
Romani (2.79%)
*
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
(1.1%)
Economy
The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity (as of 2017):
Gallery
Image:Monument_of_the_1942_raid_victims_near_Žabalj.jpg, Monument of the 1942 raid victims near Žabalj
Image:Catholic church in Žabalj, Vojvodina, Serbia 3.jpg, The Catholic Church
See also
*
Šajkaška
*
South Bačka District
*
List of places in Serbia
This is the list of populated places in Serbia (excluding Kosovo), as recorded by the 2002 census, sorted alphabetically by municipalities. Settlements denoted as " urban" (towns and cities) are marked bold. Population for every settlement is ...
*
List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina
This is a list of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina, a province of Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ...
References
*Slobodan Ćurčić, Broj stanovnika Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 1996.
*Zvonimir Golubović, Racija u južnoj Bačkoj 1942. godine, Novi Sad, 1991.
*Dr Dušan J. Popović, Srbi u Vojvodini, knjiga 1, Novi Sad, 1990.
References
External links
Official presentation of Zabalj municipality
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zabalj
Places in Bačka
Populated places in South Bačka District
Municipalities and cities of Vojvodina
Towns in Serbia