Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; hu, Nagybecskerek; ro, Becicherecu Mare; sk, Zreňanin; german: Großbetschkerek) 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 de ...
and the administrative center of the
Central Banat District 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. The city urban area has a population of 76,511 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 123,362 inhabitants (2011 census data). The old name for Zrenjanin is Veliki Bečkerek or ''Nagybecskerek'' as it was known under
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 ...
up until 1918.
Zrenjanin is the largest city in the Serbian part of the
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 ...
geographical region, and the third largest city in Vojvodina (after
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the P ...
and
Subotica
Subotica ( sr-cyrl, Суботица, ; hu, Szabadka) is a city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Subotica is ...
). The city was designated European city of sport.
Name

The city was named after
Žarko Zrenjanin
Žarko Zrenjanin "Uča" ( sr-Cyrl, Жарко Зрењанин, ; 11 September 1902 – 4 November 1942) was a partisan and National Hero of Yugoslavia. The city of Zrenjanin, in Serbia, is named after him, since 1946.
Zrenjanin was born in ...
(1902–1942) in 1946 in honour and remembrance of his name. One of the leaders of the Vojvodina
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
Partisans during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, he was imprisoned and released after being tortured by the Nazis for months, and later killed while trying to avoid recapture.
The former
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
*
*
* Old Serbian (disambigua ...
name of the city was ''Bečkerek'' (Бечкерек) or ''Veliki Bečkerek'' (Велики Бечкерек). In 1935 the city was renamed to ''Petrovgrad'' (Петровград) in honor of king
Peter I of Serbia
Peter I ( sr-Cyr, Петар I Карађорђевић, Petar I Кarađorđević; – 16 August 1921) was the last king of Serbia, reigning from 15 June 1903 to 1 December 1918. On 1 December 1918, he became the first king of the Serbs, C ...
. It was called ''Petrovgrad'' from 1935 to 1946.
In
Hungarian Hungarian may refer to:
* Hungary, a country in Central Europe
* Kingdom of Hungary, state of Hungary, existing between 1000 and 1946
* Hungarians, ethnic groups in Hungary
* Hungarian algorithm, a polynomial time algorithm for solving the assignme ...
, the city is known as ''Nagybecskerek'', 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
**Ger ...
as ''Großbetschkerek'' or ''Betschkerek'', in
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, traditiona ...
as ''Becicherecul Mare'' or ''Zrenianin'', in
Slovak as ''Zreňanin'', in
Rusin as ''Зрењанин'', in
Croatian
Croatian may refer to:
* Croatia
*Croatian language
*Croatian people
*Croatians (demonym)
See also
*
*
* Croatan (disambiguation)
* Croatia (disambiguation)
* Croatoan (disambiguation)
* Hrvatski (disambiguation)
* Hrvatsko (disambiguation)
* S ...
as ''Zrenjanin'', and in
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities ...
as ''Beşkelek'' (meaning ''five melons'') or ''Beçkerek''.
It is assumed that Zrenjanin's original name, Bečkerek/Becskerek, comes from Hungarian word ''kerek'' ("forest, grove") and the surname of the 14th-century nobleman, Imre Becsei, who had large estates in the area. Therefore, the name would be translated into English as "Becsei's Forest".
The original name received an adjective meaning "great/big/major" in the languages of the Banat ( sr, Veliki or ''Велики'',
Danube Swabian
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 ...
: ''Groß'', hu, Nagy, ro, Mare), to distinguish it from a village of the same name in the
Romanian 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 ...
, that is usually referred to as
small Bečkerek (cf.
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
*
*
* Old Serbian (disambigua ...
: ''Mali Bečkerek'' or ''Мали Бечкерек'',
Danube Swabian
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 ...
: ''Kleinbetschkerek'', ro, Becicherecu Mic, hu, Kisbecskerek).
History
Prehistory

Prehistory can be divided into 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 too ...
Old Stone Age and the
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 part ...
New Stone Age. In Zrenjanin's regions no archaeological sites of 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 too ...
have been found. The only exception makes the discovery of
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 and ...
’s head and other bones found on the banks of
Tisa River
The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders.
The Tisza be ...
near
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.
Na ...
in the year 1952. The discovered archaeological sites, however, indicate that these regions had already been inhabited in the early
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 part ...
period about 5000 years BC. The most important archaeological site from this period is so-called
Krstić tumulus, near
Mužlja
Mužlja ( sr-cyr, Мужља; hu, Muzslya) is a neighborhood of the Zrenjanin city in Serbia. Formerly, it had been a separate village that joined with Zrenjanin in 1981.
Name
In Serbian the neighborhood is known as ''Mužlja'' or Мужља ...
, about away from Zrenjanin. Here were found the
ceramics
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...
, with interesting
ornament
An ornament is something used for decoration.
Ornament may also refer to:
Decoration
* Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts
* Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals that appear to serve ...
s. Beside the brewery ground have been found rough, with coloured fine ceramics, ornaments (
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 ...
). The middle Neolithic appeared in our area as
Vinča
Vinča ( sr-cyr, Винча, ) is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, Serbia. It is part of the municipality of Grocka. Vinča-Belo Brdo, an important archaeological site that gives its name to the Neolithic Vinča culture, is located in the villa ...
and Potisje culture, in the down course of the
Tisa River
The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders.
The Tisza be ...
. What makes this area important is the fact that the influence of two parallel cultures flew through it at the same time. 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 mostly appl ...
has not been enough explored yet. A few regions with some archaeological materials from the Iron Age have been found: in the residential area
Šumica a tip of a spear was found and near the oil factory, pieces of ceramics 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 pri ...
were discovered.
At the beginning of the common era, this area was settled by many native tribes, but also by many newcomer tribes: the
Illyrians
The Illyrians ( grc, Ἰλλυριοί, ''Illyrioi''; la, Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, a ...
, 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
Goths
The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...
, the
Geths, the
Sarmatian
The Sarmatians (; grc, Σαρμαται, Sarmatai; Latin: ) were a large confederation of ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic peoples of classical antiquity who dominated the Pontic steppe from about the 3rd century BC to the 4th ...
and
Jazghs. In the end of the third century and in the middle of the fourth century, in the area of Zrenjanin and its surroundings, the
Sarmatian
The Sarmatians (; grc, Σαρμαται, Sarmatai; Latin: ) were a large confederation of ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic peoples of classical antiquity who dominated the Pontic steppe from about the 3rd century BC to the 4th ...
tribe
Roxolani
The Roxolani or Rhoxolāni ( grc, Ροξολανοι , ; la, Rhoxolānī) were a Sarmatian people documented between the 2nd century BC and the 4th century AD, first east of the Borysthenes (Dnieper) on the coast of Lake Maeotis (Sea of Azov), a ...
appeared. From this period a
Sarmatian
The Sarmatians (; grc, Σαρμαται, Sarmatai; Latin: ) were a large confederation of ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic peoples of classical antiquity who dominated the Pontic steppe from about the 3rd century BC to the 4th ...
’s graveyard has been found in a city residential district, near the railroad bridge. Finally in the necropolis, not far from
Aradac
Aradac (; hu, Aradi) is a village located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District of Vojvodina, Serbia. The village is ethnically mixed and its population numbering 3,335 people (2011 census).
Name
In Serbo-Croatian, the ...
, “Mečka”, more than 120 graves, which date from the end of the sixth and the beginning of the seventh century, have been excavated in 1952.
Middle Ages

The first historical records mentioning Zrenjanin (Bečkerek) date from the 14th century, the time when
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
, King of Hungary and Croatia (1301–1342), used to visit
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 ...
and spend time in his capital
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_ ...
. (Near today's Zrenjanin a coin was found with the inscription "Charles I".) Many noblemen came with the King, including the powerful
Imre Becsei
Imre is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and Henry.
...
. The areas where Becsei settled down were named for him, “Bechereki” and “Beche” (
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.
Na ...
).
The oldest written records of Bečkerek date from
Budim Capitulum’s document of collecting the Pope’s tens taxes in 1326, 1331 and 1332. Judging by the size of the taxes, Bečkerek of 1330s was an average village. The first settlers were the landless
Hungarian Hungarian may refer to:
* Hungary, a country in Central Europe
* Kingdom of Hungary, state of Hungary, existing between 1000 and 1946
* Hungarians, ethnic groups in Hungary
* Hungarian algorithm, a polynomial time algorithm for solving the assignme ...
peasants. There were the
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 ...
in
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 ...
, too. During the reign of
Louis I of Hungary (1343–1382), more Serbs migrated to the area from the south, and with them many
Orthodox priests.
After the
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities ...
victory at the
battle of Nicopolis (1396) the Hungarian
King Sigismund
Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia (''jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in ...
(1387–1437) was considering defending the territory settled by the
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 ...
, and he is known to have visited Bečkerek on September 30, 1398. The town was granted to
Stefan Lazarević
Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall ( sr, Стефан Високи / ''Stefan Visoki''), was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389–1402) and despot (1402–1427), ...
at the end of the 1403. The despot became the
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. ...
of the Hungarian King; but he got Bečkerek and the title of the Great Head of the
Torontál County
Torontál (, , , ) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now divided between Serbia and Romania, except for a small area which is part of Hungary. The capital of the county was Nagybecskerek (, , ), t ...
.
Ottoman period

The Hungarian
King Ferdinand appointed friar Djordje Martinović, a commander of his forces, to defend the town from the Ottomans. Hungary was attacked by 80,000 Ottoman soldiers under the command of Vizier
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha ( ota, صوقوللى محمد پاشا, Ṣoḳollu Meḥmed Pașa, tr, Sokollu Mehmet Paşa; ; ; 1506 – 11 October 1579) was an Ottoman statesman most notable for being the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. Born in ...
. On September 15, 1551, the siege of the town
Bečej
Bečej ( sr-cyrl, Бечеј, ; hu, Óbecse, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 23,895, while the municipality has 37,351 inhabitants. ...
was raised and the town was taken after four days. On September 24 the Bečkerek fortress was sieged. Many people left town earlier and with few defenders the town couldn't be defended and those eighty, who left surrendered the next day. Malković was appointed the lord of Bečkerek. After the Ottomans had taken
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_ ...
in 1552,
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 ...
became a special province, the
Temeşvar Eyalet
The Province of Temeşvar ( ota, ;ایالت طمشوار Eyālet-i Tımışvār), known as Province of Yanova after 1658, was a first-level administrative unit (eyalet) of the Ottoman Empire located in the Banat region of Central Europe.
B ...
, which was made up of several
sanjak
Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ)
* Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province")
* Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region")
* el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...
s, one of which was the
Sanjak of Beçkerek.
During Ottoman occupation, the sanjak had a military administration. Due to good behaviour of the
rayah
A raiyah or reaya (from , a plural of "countryman, animal, sheep pasturing, subjects, nationals, flock", also spelled ''raiya'', ''raja'', ''raiah'', ''re'aya''; Ottoman Turkish رعايا ; Modern Turkish râiya or reaya; related to the Arab ...
, the inhabitants were exempt from war taxes. During the 165 years of Ottoman rule, Bečkerek consisted of two separate settlements: the settlement of Bečkerek and the village of
Gradnulica
Gradnulica (Serbian Cyrillic: Граднулица) was a former village near Veliki Bečkerek (Zrenjanin) until the 18th century. Today, it is one of the biggest city quarters of Zrenjanin, Serbia.
History
Gradnulica was formed in Medieval period ...
. The town was divided into two parts, a Turkish and a Serbian. The Turkish part was fenced and closed, while the Serbian one was open. On the main square there was a large
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...
built and inside the fortress there was a little one. There was a
Turkish bath
A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherite ...
, and around it there were about twenty stores. Gradnulica was a disorderly village, whose centre was approximately on the crossroad of the present streets Sindjelićeva and Djurdjevska. Prior to Ottoman occupation, the citizens were Serbs and Hungarians. At the end of the 18th century there were about fifty Turkish families.
According to the
Treaty of Karlowitz
The Treaty of Karlowitz was signed in Karlowitz, Military Frontier of Archduchy of Austria (present-day Sremski Karlovci, Serbia), on 26 January 1699, concluding the Great Turkish War of 1683–1697 in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated by t ...
(1699), the Temeşvar Eyalet, including Bečkerek, stayed under Ottoman rule, while bordering territories once again came under the
Military Frontier
The Military Frontier (german: Militärgrenze, sh-Latn, Vojna krajina/Vojna granica, Војна крајина/Војна граница; hu, Katonai határőrvidék; ro, Graniță militară) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and ...
. After the
Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18 Bečkerek went under Habsburg rule.
Habsburg and Austrian period (1718–1914)

As a crown province,
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 ...
belonged directly to the
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
court. The first governor, appointed by the Emperor, was Count
Claudius Mercy
Count Claudius Florimund de Mercy (1666 – 29 June 1734) was an Imperial field marshal, born at Longwy in Lorraine, now in France. His grandfather was the Bavarian field marshal Franz Freiherr von Mercy.
Mercy entered the Austrian army ...
. By the imperial edict on September 12, 1718,
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 ...
was divided into 13 districts, with the main administration in
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_ ...
at its head. The
District of Banat included a few settlements:
Idjoš,
Arač,
Bečej
Bečej ( sr-cyrl, Бечеј, ; hu, Óbecse, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 23,895, while the municipality has 37,351 inhabitants. ...
,
Itebej,
Elemir,
Ečka
Ečka ( sr-cyr, Ечка, ; hu, Écska) is a village located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District of Serbia. It is situated in the autonomous province of Vojvodina.
Name and history
In Serbian, the village is known a ...
and
Aradac
Aradac (; hu, Aradi) is a village located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District of Vojvodina, Serbia. The village is ethnically mixed and its population numbering 3,335 people (2011 census).
Name
In Serbo-Croatian, the ...
. The first chief of this district was
Titus Vespanius Slucki. After the Turkish forces and Turks families had withdrawn, the land was left devastated without labour, which could till the soil and paid taxes. That's why the Austrian court tried to settle
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 ...
as soon as possible.
The colonization lasted from 1718 till 1724, when the town was settled mostly by
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
, but the
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 ...
never stopped arriving. The military frontier in
Potisje
Potisje ( sr-cyr, Потисје) is the name of the Tisa river basin parts located in Serbia, in the autonomous province of Vojvodina. The river Tisa flow between Banat and Bačka regions.
Municipalities in Potisje
Municipalities in Bačka:
*Ka ...
was displaced. In the following years
Italians
, flag =
, flag_caption = Flag of Italy, The national flag of Italy
, population =
, regions = Italy 55,551,000
, region1 = Brazil
, pop1 = 25–33 million
, ref1 =
, ...
,
Frenchmen
The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France.
The French people, especially the nat ...
,
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 ...
arrived and then the
Catalans
Catalans (Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; es, catalanes, Italian: ''catalani'', sc, cadelanos) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citiz ...
from
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...
, who escaped the repression after the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...
and settled in a place which is now the suburb of Dolja within Zrenjanin. The town was called
New Barcelona. But the life was difficult in this
marsh area with many contagious diseases, so many of them died and still many left.

In the summer of 1738 there was the great plague. The Count Mersy wanted to turn marshes into fertile soil and he began to regulate the
Begej River. In the middle and down course of the river a long canal was built, to make the river traffic possible between Bečkerek 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_ ...
. On the first of November 1745
Sebastian Krazeisen
Sebastian may refer to:
People
* Sebastian (name), including a list of persons with the name
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films and television
* ''Sebastian'' (1968 film), British spy film
* ''Sebastian'' (1995 film), Swedish drama film
...
began to make beer in the first brewery and that meant the first start of the industrialization. In the same year the first Serb’s school was mentioned.
On 6 June 1769
Maria Theresa
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) ...
granted the Community of Great Bečkerek, the privilege of becoming the trading centre. By this privilege the whole social-economic life of the former Bečkerek was regulated and it got the status of the town. In 1769 the first hospital was built. In 1779, by the new organization of
Torontál County
Torontál (, , , ) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now divided between Serbia and Romania, except for a small area which is part of Hungary. The capital of the county was Nagybecskerek (, , ), t ...
, Bečkerek became its centre. The city was briefly restored to
Ottoman
Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to:
Governments and dynasties
* Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924
* Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...
administration from 1787 to 1788 during
Austro-Turkish War (1787–91) The term Austro-Turkish War may refer to:
* Austro-Turkish War (1593–1606)
* Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664)
* Austro-Turkish War (1683–1699)
* Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718)
* Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739)
* Austro-Turkish War (1788� ...
.

In the 18th century it developed into thriving economic and cultural centre, but the great fire destroyed a large portion of the town in 1807. The town was soon rebuilt. The fire came from the brewery, on 30 August 1807. After the fire a new regulation of streets had been done, houses had been built from stronger materials, roads had been rebuilt. The river traffic was especially intensive. The theatre building with an attractively decorated hall was built in 1839. In 1846 the Grammar School was opened and in 1847 the first printing shop.
The
1848–49 Revolutions had its impact on Bečkerek. The
Serbs revolted, aiming for autonomy within the Austrian Empire. At the
May Assembly
May Assembly ( sr, Мајска скупштина / Majska skupština) was the national assembly of the Serbs in Austrian Empire, held on 1 and 3 May 1848 in Sremski Karlovci, during which the Serbs proclaimed autonomous Serbian Vojvodina. This ...
(13–15 May 1848), the
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 ...
was proclaimed, including most of what is today Vojvodina. Serbs from Bečkerek participated in the uprising against Hungarian authority (which refused Serb rights) and from 26 January to 29 April 1849 the town was under Serb rebel control. In 1849, the town became part of the
Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar
, 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 = ...
until 1860.
Although that time was known in history as a period of
Bach's absolutism
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, ...
, the second part of the 19th century brought the town new developing benefits. New industrial facilities and handicraft stores were opened in every part of the town. Late 19th and early 20th century was progressive period for Veliki Bečkerek. Railway arrived in 1883, while post office was opened back in 1737.
World War I and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

After the
Sarajevo assassination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated on 28 June 1914 by Bosnian Serb student Gavrilo Princip. They were shot at close range while b ...
, more than 30 citizens of Bečkerek were accused by the
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 ...
’s authorities of high treason. Among them was Dr Emil Gavrila, who together with
Svetozar Miletić
Svetozar Miletić ( sr-cyr, Светозар Милетић; 22 February 1826 – 4 February 1901) was a Serbian lawyer, journalist, author and politician who served as the mayor of Novi Sad between 1861 and 1862 and again from 1867 to 1868.
...
and
Jaša Tomić
Jakov "Jaša" Tomić ( sr-cyr, Јаков Јаша Томић; 23 October 1856 – 22 October 1922) was a Serbian journalist, politician and author from the Serbian region of Vojvodina, which was part of the Austrian Empire when he was born.
Mo ...
, worked very hard on the cultural and social strengthening of Serbs.
Those Serbs recruited in the
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 ...
's army began to desert to avoid having to fight their own people.
7,000 of them formed volunteer detachments (people were from
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 ...
and
Srem
Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the ...
) at the
Eastern front and fought at
Dobruja
Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...
, but 79 of them fought on
the Salonice front, too.
After years, the Serbs forces made a breakthrough of
the Salonice front in 1918 and began to liberate their own country. The First Army in command of
Vojvoda Petar Bojović freed
Belgrade on 1 November 1918 and began to occupy
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 ...
.
On 17 November Serbian army arrived at Veliki Bečkerek. On 31 October 1918, the Serb Chamber of People of the town founded in the war conditions, as a temporary authority with Dr Slavko Župunski at its head. Serb army, the infantry iron regiment “Prince Mihajlo” and the infantry brigade with Colonel Dragutin Ristić in command came into the town on 17 November 1918.
A few days after
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 ...
had been occupied, its provinces were attached to the
Kingdom of Serbs and on December 1, 1918, the
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 ...
was founded, as the first
South Slavic state.
The town of Veliki Bečkerek became the administrative centre of Torontal-Tamiš County, and after its repealing, the town became the headquarters of District Office. In 1929 the town became part of the
Danube Banovina
Danube Banovina or Danube Banate ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Dunavska banovina, Дунавска бановина), was a banovina (or province) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of the geographical ...
. By the Town Council decision made on 29 September 1934, and confirmed by the Town Authority on 18 February 1935, the town was renamed Petrovgrad, after the
king Peter I.
It is near that town that the
Vera Renczi
Vera Renczi (dubbed the Black Widow, Mrs. Poison or Chatelaine of Berkerekul), was a Romanian serial killer who was charged with poisoning 35 individuals including her two husbands, multiple lovers, and her son with arsenic during the 1920s.
J ...
, the notorious "Black Widow", lived in her castle of Berkerekul, where, out of raging jealousy, she poisoned her two husbands, her 10-year-old son and 32 lovers starting in 1925. She placed all the corpses in zinc coffins in the chateau crypt and used to talk to them, drinking champagne. She was arrested in 1930, condemned to death, sentence commuted to life in prison because, at that time, Yugoslavia did not execute women. She became completely insane and died in the town asylum in 1960.
Second World War and SFR Yugoslavia

After the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...
had capitulated on 18 April 1941, and
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
occupied the country, the German Forces came into Petrovgrad. The authority in
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 ...
had domestic Germans
Volksdeutsche
In Nazi German terminology, ''Volksdeutsche'' () were "people whose language and culture had German origins but who did not hold German citizenship". The term is the nominalised plural of ''volksdeutsch'', with ''Volksdeutsche'' denoting a sing ...
, who immediately started to confiscate Jews' property and arrested patriots. The town was renamed Great Bečkerek and it was the headquarters of the occupation authority for
Banat (1941-44), headed by Juraj Špiler, and a concentration camp in Cara Dušana Street.
The camp existed for almost two years and thousands of people passed through it. In town there were many underground groups supported by the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
, which fought the German occupiers and the Germans made reprisals.
On 2 October 1944, the
Red Army Forces came into town, and, after a short fight, took command of most vital public buildings.
The following day the first meeting on National Liberation Committee for the town Petrovgrad was held.
Eight members of the national liberation resistance, from the town and its surroundings were announced National Heroes:
Žarko Zrenjanin
Žarko Zrenjanin "Uča" ( sr-Cyrl, Жарко Зрењанин, ; 11 September 1902 – 4 November 1942) was a partisan and National Hero of Yugoslavia. The city of Zrenjanin, in Serbia, is named after him, since 1946.
Zrenjanin was born in ...
,
Svetozar Marković Toza Svetozar (Cyrillic script: Светозар) is a Slavic origin given name and may refer to:
*Svetozar Boroević (1856–1920), Austro-Hungarian Field Marshal
* Svetozar Čiplić (born 1965), Serbian politician
*Svetozar Đanić (1917–1941), Ser ...
,
Pap Pavle,
Stevica Jovanović,
Servo Mihalj
Servo may refer to:
Mechanisms
* Servomechanism, or servo, a device used to provide control of a desired operation through the use of feedback
** AI servo, an autofocus mode
** Electrohydraulic servo valve, an electrically operated valve that c ...
, Dr. Boško Vrebalov,
Nedeljko Barnić Žarki,
Bora Mikin Marko Bora may refer to:
Geography
* Bora (Australian), the site of an initiation ceremony in Australian aboriginal culture, sometimes known as Bora rings
* Bora, Punjab, a village in India
* Borá, a city in the São Paulo state in Brazil
* Bora (wind) ...
. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the town infrastructure was kept almost saved. Except in the final fights for the town, there were no war actions on the territory of the town. The Germans tried to damage and destroy some industrial buildings, but it was prevented. Only Anau-Winkler’s mill and the monumental
Jewish synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
in the centre of the town were destroyed.
After World War II important social-political changes were made in the country, which, of course, had their influence on the development of Zrenjanin, newly named in 1946. In August 1945 the Agriculture Reform Act came into force, in June 1950 the Worker Self-Management Act, in 1959 the first direct urban plan of the town development, which indicated the urbanism-economic development of the town, was passed.
The development, in the first after war decade, was directed by the directive plans, which were based on the principles of socialist economy in which the most important industrial branches were industry and agriculture. By the 1980s many people left their villages and moved into towns which brought many changes in the social, educational and ethnic structure of the town. There was permanently shortage of housing. That is why many new parts of the town and many new apartment buildings were built. Zrenjanin became an important agricultural, industrial, cultural and sport centre, at the time Zrenjanin was one of the most powerful industrial centres of the
Socialist Federative Republic of 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 ...
led by
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
.
After 1991

The town's development has always been strongly affected by the social-economic circumstances reflecting the State surroundings that Zrenjanin found in. At the beginning of 1990s, when
the war broke out on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and the country was falling apart, it led to rather hard social and economic crisis in this area, All that caused an economic stagnation, unemployment, large migrations of refugees from the
former Yugoslav Republics: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The town experienced the first political changes by the introducing of multiparty system at the end of 1996 when the local government was ruled by the coalition Zajedno (Together) and in 2000 by the coalition
Democratic opposition of Serbia
The Democratic Opposition of Serbia ( sr, Демократска oпозиција Cрбије, Demokratska opozicija Srbije), commonly referred to as DOS, was a wide alliance of political parties in Serbia, intent on ousting the ruling Socialis ...
.
On March 24, 1999, the
NATO bombing of Serbia
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until a ...
began but the town was not targeted. Life in the town was quite normal, in spite of the dangerous situation elsewhere in the country.
In the first years after the end of war activities the Town and its citizens have been adjusting to new economic and social-economic conditions, known as
transition
Transition or transitional may refer to:
Mathematics, science, and technology Biology
* Transition (genetics), a point mutation that changes a purine nucleotide to another purine (A ↔ G) or a pyrimidine nucleotide to another pyrimidine (C ↔ ...
. Instead of previous large economic combines and companies plenty of new flexible private enterprises are established and foreign capital is starting to flow in Zrenjanin. New industrial and work and residential zones are formed and the Town's General Plan 2006-2026 and Sustainable Development Strategy 2006-2013 are made and approved. At the end of 2007, introducing a new national territorial organisation followed by necessary legislation, the Municipality of Zrenjanin has been upgraded to an administrative and territorial status of a city.
Geography
Zrenjanin is situated on the western edge of the
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 ...
loess plateau, at the place where the canalized River
Begej
The Bega or Begej ( ro, Bega; sr, / ; german: Bega; hu, Béga, formerly ''Kistemes''), is a 244 km (152 mile) long river in Romania (169 km; 105 mi.) and Serbia (75 km; 47 mi.). It rises in the Poiana Ruscă Mounta ...
flows into the former water course of the River
Tisa
The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders.
The Tisza b ...
. The territory of the city is predominantly flat country. The City of Zrenjanin is situated at a longitude of 20°23’ east and a latitude of 45°23’ north, in the center of the Serbian part of the
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 ...
region, on the banks of the Rivers
Begej
The Bega or Begej ( ro, Bega; sr, / ; german: Bega; hu, Béga, formerly ''Kistemes''), is a 244 km (152 mile) long river in Romania (169 km; 105 mi.) and Serbia (75 km; 47 mi.). It rises in the Poiana Ruscă Mounta ...
and
Tisa
The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders.
The Tisza b ...
. The city is located at 80 meters above sea level.
Zrenjanin is around away from
Belgrade, and about from
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the P ...
, which is also the distance to the present border with the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...
(Romania), which makes its position a particularly important transition center and potential resource in the directions north–south and east–west.
Inhabited places

The city administrative area includes the following villages:
*
Aradac
Aradac (; hu, Aradi) is a village located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District of Vojvodina, Serbia. The village is ethnically mixed and its population numbering 3,335 people (2011 census).
Name
In Serbo-Croatian, the ...
*
Banatski Despotovac
Banatski Despotovac (; hu, Ernőháza) is a village in Serbia. It is located in the municipal area of the City of Zrenjanin, in the Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (98.2%) and its population n ...
*
Belo Blato
Belo Blato ( sr-cyr, Бело Блато; sk, Biele Blato or ; hu, Erzsébetlak, , , or ) 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 ...
*
Botoš
Botoš (; hu, Botos) 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 (89.43%) and its population number ...
*
Čenta
Čenta (; hu, Csenta) 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 (95.19%) and the population is 3, ...
*
Ečka
Ečka ( sr-cyr, Ечка, ; hu, Écska) is a village located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District of Serbia. It is situated in the autonomous province of Vojvodina.
Name and history
In Serbian, the village is known a ...
*
Elemir
*
Farkaždin
Farkaždin (; hu, Farkasd) is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (94.94%) and its population numbering 1,386 people (2002 c ...
*
Jankov Most
Jankov Most ( sr-cyr, Јанков Мост; ro, Iancăid; hu, Jankahíd) is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District
The Central Banat District ( sr, Средњобанатски ...
*
Klek
*
Knićanin
Knićanin (, ) is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Zrenjanin municipal area, in the Banat region ( Central Banat District), Vojvodina province. Its population is 2,034 (2002 census) and most of its inhabitants are ethnic Serbs (97.39% ...
*
Lazarevo
Lazarevo (; hu, Lázárfő) 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 (94.77%) and a total populat ...
*
Lukićevo
*
Lukino Selo
Lukino Selo ( sr-Cyrl, Лукино Село, hu, Lukácsfalva, german: Lukasdorf) 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 villag ...
*
Melenci
Melenci (; hu, Melence) 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 (93.40%) and its population num ...
*
Mihajlovo
Mihajlovo ( sr-cyr, Михајлово, hu, Magyarszentmihály) is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Hungarian ethnic majority (94.02%) and its ...
*
Orlovat
Orlovat (; hu, Orlód) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (95.52%) and its population numbering 1,789 people (2002 cens ...
*
Perlez
Perlez (; hu, Perlasz) 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 (87.29%) and its population numbe ...
*
Stajićevo
Stajićevo (; hu, Óécska) is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Zrenjanin municipality, in the Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (96.29%) and its population numbering 1,999 people (2002 ...
*
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 ...
*
Tomaševac
Neighbourhoods in Zrenjanin
*
Bagljaš
*
Berbersko
*
Bolnica
*
Brigadira Ristića
*
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
*
Četvrti Jul
Četvrti Jul ( sr, Четврти Јул) is a neighbourhood of Zrenjanin, Serbia. It is located some 1.5 kilometres to southeast from the city centre. It is residential area, consisting of 50 buildings with 4 or 5 storey each, in the street of t ...
*
Čontika
*
Dolja
*
Dunavska
*
Duvanika
*
Gradnulica
Gradnulica (Serbian Cyrillic: Граднулица) was a former village near Veliki Bečkerek (Zrenjanin) until the 18th century. Today, it is one of the biggest city quarters of Zrenjanin, Serbia.
History
Gradnulica was formed in Medieval period ...
*
Lesnina
*
Mala Amerika
Mala Amerika ( sr-cyrl, Мала Америка; literally: "Little America") is one of the local communities in the city of Zrenjanin, Serbia. It is surrounded by the river Begej
The Bega or Begej ( ro, Bega; sr, / ; german: Bega; hu, Bé ...
*
Mužlja
Mužlja ( sr-cyr, Мужља; hu, Muzslya) is a neighborhood of the Zrenjanin city in Serbia. Formerly, it had been a separate village that joined with Zrenjanin in 1981.
Name
In Serbian the neighborhood is known as ''Mužlja'' or Мужља ...
, a former village, joined with Zrenjanin in 1981
*
Nova Kolonija
*
Putnikovo
Putnikovo () is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Kovačica municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (97.53%) and its population numbering 243 people (2002 census).
Histori ...
*
Ruža Šulman
Ruža (Serbo-Croatian for "Rose") may refer to:
* Ruža (given name)
* ''Ruža na asfaltu''
* ''Ruža vetrova Beograda''
* ''Ruža vjetrova''
See also
*
* Ruza (disambiguation) Ruza may refer to:
People
* Marty Ruza, an American jewelry and acc ...
*
Šećerana
*
Šumica
*
Zeleno Polje
Zeleno Polje ( hu, Szentistvánpuszta, sr-Cyrl, Зелено Поље) is a settlement in the region of Baranja, Croatia. Administratively, it is located in the Petlovac municipality within the Osijek-Baranja County. Population is 43 people.
H ...
Climate

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, nota ...
subtype for this climate is
Dfa (Humid Continental Climate).
The average temperature for the year in Zrenjanin is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .
The highest recorded temperature in Zrenjanin is , which was recorded in July. The lowest recorded temperature in Zrenjanin is , which was recorded in January.
The average amount of precipitation for the year in Zrenjanin is . The month with the most precipitation on average is June with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of . There are an average of 126.8 days of precipitation, with the most precipitation occurring in May with 12.4 days and the least precipitation occurring in August with 7.5 days.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, the total population of the city of Zrenjanin was 123,362.
Ethnic groups
Settlements with Serb ethnic majority are: Zrenjanin, Banatski Despotovac, Botoš, Elemir, Ečka, Klek, Knićanin, Lazarevo, Lukićevo, Melenci, Orlovat, Perlez, Stajićevo, Taraš, Tomaševac, Farkaždin, and Čenta. Settlements with Hungarian ethnic majority are: Lukino Selo and Mihajlovo. Settlement with Romanian ethnic majority is Jankov Most. Ethnically mixed settlements are: Aradac (with relative Serb majority) and Belo Blato (with relative Slovak majority).
The ethnic composition of the city administrative area:
Urbanization
;Changing demographics of Zrenjanin proper
Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7)
id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1)
id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8)
ImageSize = width:560 height:260
PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:100000
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:10000 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo
BarData=
bar:1948 text:1948
bar:1953 text:1953
bar:1961 text:1961
bar:1971 text:1971
bar:1981 text:1981
bar:1991 text:1991
bar:2002 text:2002
bar:2011 text:2011
PlotData=
color:barra width:25 align:left
bar:1948 from:0 till: 38564
bar:1953 from:0 till: 44168
bar:1961 from:0 till: 55539
bar:1971 from:0 till: 71424
bar:1981 from:0 till: 81270
bar:1991 from:0 till: 81316
bar:2002 from:0 till: 79773
bar:2011 from:0 till: 76511
PlotData=
bar:1948 at: 38564 fontsize:S text: 38.564 shift:(-2,5)
bar:1953 at: 44168 fontsize:S text: 44.168 shift:(-8,5)
bar:1961 at: 55539 fontsize:S text: 55.539 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1971 at: 71424 fontsize:S text: 71.424 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1981 at: 81270 fontsize:S text: 81.270 shift:(-10,5)
bar:1991 at: 81316 fontsize:S text: 81.316 shift:(-10,5)
bar:2002 at: 79773 fontsize:S text: 79.773 shift:(-10,5)
bar:2011 at: 76511 fontsize:S text: 76.511 shift:(-20,5)
TextData=
fontsize:S pos:(20,20)
text:
Religion

According to the 2002 census, most of the inhabitants of the Zrenjanin municipality were
Orthodox Christians
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
(77.28%). Other faiths include
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
(12.01%),
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
(2.13%), and other. Orthodox Christians in Zrenjanin belong to the
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, ...
of the
Serbian Orthodox Church with seat in
Vršac
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 ...
. Zrenjanin is also the centre of the
Roman Catholic diocese
As of October 5, 2021, the Catholic Church in its entirety comprises 3,171 ecclesiastical jurisdictions, including over 652 archdioceses and 2,248 dioceses, as well as apostolic vicariates, apostolic exarchates, apostolic administrations, ap ...
of the
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 ...
region belonging to Serbia.
Economy
The city of Zrenjanin used to be the fourth largest industry center in former
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
. The economy of Zrenjanin is diverse, as it has developed
processing industry
Process manufacturing is a branch of manufacturing that is associated with formulas and manufacturing recipes, ,
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 peop ...
,
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
,
building industry
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...
, and
transport
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipel ...
.
As of September 2017, Zrenjanin has one of 14
free economic zone
Free economic zones (FEZ), free economic territories (FETs) or free zones (FZ) are a class of special economic zone (SEZ) designated by the trade and commerce administrations of various countries. The term is used to designate areas in which co ...
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 2018):
Transportation
Zrenjanin no longer has a public transport operator, for the first time in its recent history, following the privatization and subsequent bankruptcy o
Autobanat It used to operate as the city's public transport company and as the regional public transport service to the nearby cities of (
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the P ...
,
Belgrade,
Kikinda
Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; hu, Nagykikinda) is a city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia . The city urban area has 38,069 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 59,453 inhabitants.
The ...
,
Vršac
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 ...
), etc.
In the past river traffic on the
Begej
The Bega or Begej ( ro, Bega; sr, / ; german: Bega; hu, Béga, formerly ''Kistemes''), is a 244 km (152 mile) long river in Romania (169 km; 105 mi.) and Serbia (75 km; 47 mi.). It rises in the Poiana Ruscă Mounta ...
river used to be most developed mode of cargo transport. Veliki Bečkerek got a railway in 1883, when it linked the city to
Velika Kikinda
Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; hu, Nagykikinda) is a city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia . The city urban area has 38,069 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 59,453 inhabitants.
The c ...
. There are many taxi companies in Zrenjanin and the regulations are either lacking or are not enforced by the authorities.
Culture
Main sights

*
City Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
, built in 1816, re-constructed in 1887, neobaroque,
Gyula Partos Gyula may refer to:
* Gyula (title), Hungarian title of the 9th–10th century
* Gyula (name), Hungarian male given name, derived from the title
; People
* Gyula II, the ''gyula'' who was baptized in Constantinople around 950
* Gyula III, the ''g ...
and
Ödön Lechner
Ödön Lechner (born Eugen Lechner, 27 August 1845 – 10 June 1914) was a Hungarian architect, one of the prime representatives of the Hungarian Szecesszió style, which was related to Art Nouveau in the rest of Europe, including the Vienna ...
.
*
Finance palace
Finance palace, (Serbian ''Финансијска палата'', Hungarian ''Pénzügyi Palota'', German ''Finanz Palast'') is a two-floored neo-renaissance palace on the main square in Zrenjanin, Serbia, and one of the most beautiful buildings ...
, today National museum, built in 1894 in Neorenaissance style by
István Kiss.
*
Zrenjanin Theatre, built in 1839, classicism, the oldest theatre building in
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 Hung ...
.
*
Zrenjanin Court House
Zrenjanin Court House, also known as Palace of Justice ( sr, Палата правде / , hu, Igazságügyi palota) is a seat of Municipal, District and Trade Court in Zrenjanin.
Building
The monumental Neromantical building of the Distric ...
, built between 1906 and 1908, romanticism, Sandor Eigner and Marcus Rehmer.
*
Uspenska Serbian Orthodox church, built in 1746, baroque, the oldest church in the city.
*
Vavedenska church, built in 1777 in Baroque style.
*
Slovak evangelic church
Slovak may refer to:
* Something from, related to, or belonging to Slovakia (''Slovenská republika'')
* Slovaks, a Western Slavic ethnic group
* Slovak language, an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages
* Slovak, Arkan ...
, built in 1837, classicism.
*
Zrenjanin Cathedral
, dedication = John of Nepomuk
, color =
, image = Zrenjanin Cathedral.jpg
, imagesize =
, denomination = Roman Catholic (Latin)
, founded date =
, style = Neoclassical
, constructed_ ...
, built between 1864 and 1868, romanesque, Franz Xaver Brandeisz.
*
Zrenjanin Protestant church, built in 1891, neogothic, Ferenc Zaboretzky.
*
Zrenjanin Synagogue, built in 1896,
Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centu ...
,
Lipót Baumhorn
Lipót Baumhorn ( hu, Baumhorn Lipót, german: Leopold Baumhorn, 28 December 1860, Kisbér – 8 July 1932, Kisbér) was a Hungarian architect of Jewish heritage, the most influential Hungarian synagogue architect in the first half of the 20th c ...
, demolished in 1941 by Nazis.
*
Bukovac palace, built in 1895, neorenaissance.
*
Old Vojvodina hotel, built in 1886, neorenaissance, Ferenc Pelzl.
*
Zrenjanin Grammar School building
Zrenjanin Gymnasium () is the oldest secondary school in Zrenjanin. It was established in 1846 as a Piarist school. At the beginning, school was primarily Hungarian, although Serbs were large minority in Veliki Bečkerek. Students were obligatory ...
, built in 1846, re-constructed in 1937 and later.
*
Small bridge
Small Bridge () is the oldest bridge in Zrenjanin, Serbia.
Today's steel bridge was built in 1904, on the site of an older movable wooden bridge, when it was named Franz Josef Bridge (, German: , Hungarian: ), and after 1919
Events
Ja ...
, built in 1904, the oldest bridge in the city.
*
Trade academy, built in 1892, neorenaissance,
István Kiss.
*
Bence House
Bence House (Serbian: ''Бенцеова кућа'') is a palace in Zrenjanin, Serbia. It was built in 1909 in the style of Vienna secession.
History
The palace was projected as a modern department store. The owner of the palace was Miksa Benc ...
, built in 1909, secession.
*
Dry Bridge
Dry Bridge ( sr, Мост на сувом, Суви мост) is a bridge in Zrenjanin, Serbia. It currently does not span any physical obstacle, since the flow of the river under it was diverted.
History
The bridge was built in 1962 by project en ...
, built in 1962, without river since 1985.
*
Eiffel Bridge Eiffel Bridge can refer to:
* Eiffel Bridge, Láchar, a bridge in Spain
* Eiffel Bridge, Ungheni, a railway bridge in Ungheni, Moldova
* Eiffel Bridge, Tsagveri, a railway bridge in Tsagveri, Georgia
* Eiffel Bridge, Zrenjanin, a bridge in Zrenjani ...
, built in 1904, replaced by a new bridge in 1969.
*
Dunđerski palace, built in 1910, secession.
*
House of Soko, built in 1927, academism,
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, ...
.
In popular culture
*Zrenjanin (under the name of Petrovgrad) is mentioned in the novel "Waiting for Robert Capa" of Spanish author
Susana Fortes. Jewish protagonist's brothers who are running from persecution, are settling in Serbian village Petrovgrad, just on Romanian border, because there was never tradition of
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
in the village.
Tourism

Zrenjanin has many places of interest like
City Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
, the cathedral, Freedom Square,
King Aleksandar I Street, etc.
There is a Tourist Information Office in the building of National Museum (Subotićeva 1).
Sports

Zrenjanin has a long sports tradition. First clubs were established during the 1880s. It was the home town of
Proleter football club from 1947 until 2005. As of 2021
FK Radnički Zrenjanin FK or fk may refer to:
In arts and entertainment:
* Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise.
* Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block.
* Funky Kong, a video game character.
Place ...
plays in
Serbian League Vojvodina
Serbian League Vojvodina (Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
...
division, which is the third level football league in
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 Hung ...
.
The city was designated European city of sport in 2021.
Notable residents

*
Dezső Antalffy-Zsiross
Dezso d'Antalffy (born Dezső Antalffy-Zsiross;Names in Hungarian usually begin with the surname (Antalffy-Zsiross Dezső). To Germans, he was Desider von Antalffy, and Désiré d'Antalffy in France; in the United States he was known as Dez ...
, Hungarian organist and composer
*
Tibor Várady
Tibor Várady (born May 25, 1939, Zrenjanin Yugoslavia) is a legal scholar.
He has also earned recognition as a writer. He was one of the founders of the Hungarian language avant-garde literary magazine "Új Symposion" published in Novi Sad (Yugo ...
, lawyer, member of
SANU
Sanu may refer to:
*Sanu, Iran, village in the Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran
* Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), an academic institution in Serbia
*Sudan African National Union, a political party in Sudan
*South American native ungulat ...
and former Minister of Justice of FR Yugoslavia (1992)
*
János Bartl
János Bartl (1878–1958), a descendant of a German craftsman family which had emigrated to Hungary, was one of the most important magic supply dealers of the pre-war era.
Biography
His parents called him Johann, but on his Hungarian birth cert ...
, magician
*
Nenad Bjeković
Nenad Bjeković (, ; born 5 November 1947) is a Serbian football administrator and former player and manager.
Club career
Born in Lazarevo, a village near Zrenjanin, Bjeković started out at his local club Zadrugar Lazarevo, before switching to ...
, former Serbian football player
*
Dejan Bodiroga
Dejan Bodiroga ( sr-Cyrl, Дејан Бодирога; born 2 March 1973) is a Serbian basketball executive and former professional player who is the Chairman of the Euroleague Basketball.
During his playing career, he mainly played at the smal ...
, Serbian basketball player, Olympic silver medalist, World and European champion
*
Ivan Boldirev
Ivan Boldirev (Serbian Cyrillic: Иван Болдирев; born August 15, 1949) is a Serbian Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Boldirev played fifteen seasons and over 1000 games in the NHL from 1970 through 1985. Boldirev was not ...
, ice hockey player
*
Jovana Brakočević
Jovana Brakočević Canzian ( sr-cyrl, Јована Бракочевић Канцијан; born 5 March 1988) is a Serbian volleyball player, who was a member of the Serbia women's national volleyball team that won the silver medal at the 2016 Su ...
, Serbian volleyball player, Olympic silver medalist and European champion
*
Branimir Brstina
Branimir Brstina ( sr-cyr, Бранимир Брстина; born 4 January 1960) is a Serbian actor.
References
External links
*
1960 births
Living people
People from Kikinda
Serbian male television actors
Serbian male film actors
Z ...
, Serbian actor
*
Žarko Čabarkapa, Serbian basketball player, World champion
*
Konstantin Danil
Konstantin Danil ( sr-Cyrl, Константин Данил, ro, Constantin Dănilă, 1798-1873) was a Serbian painter of the 19th century. He is most famous for his portraits and religious painting. Danil is considered to be the most important ...
, Serbian painter
*
Željko Đurđić
Željko Đurđić (, ; 8 November 1962 – 28 July 2014) was a Serbian handball goalkeeper.
Known locally by the nickname ''Džigi'', he captained RK Proleter Zrenjanin to the 1990–91 European Handball Cup final where Proleter narrowly lost t ...
, Serbian
handball player
*
Dejan Govedarica
Dejan Govedarica (, ; born 2 October 1969) is a Serbian retired football player.
Career
He played three seasons for FK Proleter Zrenjanin (1989–1992), 3 and a half seasons for FK Vojvodina (1992-February 1996), little more than season and a ...
, Serbian football player
*
Nikola Grbić
Nikola Grbić ( sr-cyrl, Никола Грбић; born 6 September 1973) is a Serbian professional volleyball coach and former player, who is currently serving as head coach for the Poland national team. The Olympic Champion Sydney 2000, a bron ...
, born in Zrenjanin, lived in
Klek, Olympic and European champion
*
Vladimir Grbić
Vladimir "Vanja" Grbić ( sr-cyrl, Владимир Вања Грбић; born 14 December 1970) is a Serbian former volleyball player. He is 193 cm and played as passer-side attacker. He is Nikola Grbić's brother and a member of the Volley ...
, born in Zrenjanin, lived in Klek, Olympic and European champion
*
Ivan Ivanji
Ivan Ivanji (; born 24 January 1929) is a Serbian author of many internationally renowned novels.
He was held in Auschwitz and Buchenwald during 1944 and 1945. He was Secretary General of the Yugoslav Writers' Union from 1982 - 1988. His most ...
, Novelist
*
Vladimir Ivić
Vladimir Ivić (; born 7 May 1977) is a Serbian football manager and former player who is currently head coach of Krasnodar.
A former Serbia and Montenegro international, Ivić is best remembered for his time with Partizan and PAOK at club lev ...
, Serbian 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 ...
, Serbian painter, studying painting as a student of Danil
*
Todor Kuljić Todor (Bulgarian, and sr, Тодор/Todor) is a Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian given name, a local rendering of the name Theodore. The Hungarian form of the name is rendered similarly as ''Tódor''. It is the most common name in Bulgarian vill ...
, sociologist
*
Vilmos Lázár
Vilmos Lázár de Szkáros (24 October 1817, Nagybecskerek (present-day Zrenjanin, Serbia) – 6 October 1849, Arad) was a honvéd colonel in the Hungarian Army. He was executed for his part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and is conside ...
, Hungarian general
*
Ivan Lenđer
Ivan Lenđer (Serbian Cyrillic: Иван Ленђер, Rusyn: Иван Лендєр, ) (born 29 July 1990, in Zrenjanin, SFR Yugoslavia) is an Olympic swimmer from Serbia. He swam for Serbia at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2006 he was n ...
, Serbian swimmer, World and European junior champion
*
Mile Lojpur
Milan "Mile" Lojpur (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан-Миле Лојпур) (4 March 1930 – 29 July 2005) was a Serbian and Yugoslav rock musician, notable as one of the first rock and roll musicians in Yugoslavia and one of the pioneers of the Yug ...
, first Serbian and Yugoslav
rocker
Rocker or rockers may refer to:
Places
*Rocker, Montana, a neighborhood in Butte, Montana, United States
People
*Rocker, a British drummer, formerly of The Flatmates
*Fermin Rocker (1907–2004), painter and illustrator
*John Rocker (born 1974), ...
*
Željko Lučić
Željko Lučić (born 24 February 1968), is a Serbian operatic baritone who has had an active international career since 1993. He was a member of the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad from 1993 to 1998 and at the Frankfurt Opera from 1998 to ...
, operatic baritone
*
Todor Manojlović
Todor "Todoš" Manojlović (Veliki Bečkerek, Austria-Hungary, February 17, 1883 – Zrenjanin, Yugoslavia, 27 March 1968) was a poet, playwright, essayist and art critic. He laid the foundations of modern Serbian drama with his first major work " ...
, writer, literary and art critic
*
Aleksandar Markovski, Serbian football player
*
Brižitka Molnar
Brižitka Molnar ( sr-cyrl, Брижитка Молнар; born 28 July 1985 in Torak, Serbia) is a retired Serbian volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter.
She competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics where she was eliminated with the S ...
, Serbian volleyball player, European champion
*
Maja Ognjenović
Maja Ognjenović ( sr-cyrl, Маја Огњеновић; born 6 August 1984) is a Serbian volleyball player and the captain of the Serbia women's national volleyball team. With the national team, she won the gold medal at the 2011 European Champi ...
, Serbian volleyball player, Olympic silver medalist and European champion
*
Joe Penner
Joe Penner (born József Pintér; November 11, 1904 – January 10, 1941) was an American vaudeville, radio, and film comedian.
Early life
Penner was an ethnic Hungarian born József Pintér in Nagybecskerek, Austria-Hungary, (present-day Zren ...
(József Pintér), American radio and film comedian
Joe Penner biography (in Hungarian)
/ref>
*Snežana Pantić
Snežana Pantić (Serbian Cyrillic: Снежана Пантић; nee Perić; 18 June 1978 – 9 February 2022) was a Serbian professional karate competitor and the most successful Serbian female karateka.
Biography
Born in Zrenjanin, SR Serbia, ...
, Serbian professional karate competitor, World champion
*Nebojša Popov Nebojša (Cyrillic script: Небојша ) is a Slavic given name, meaning "fearless". People with the name include:
In arts and entertainment
*Nebojša Bradić (born 1956), Serbian theater director
*Nebojša Glogovac (born 1969), award-winning ...
, sociologist, member of the Praxis School
The Praxis school was a Marxist humanist philosophical cycle, whose members were influenced by Western Marxism. It originated in Zagreb in the SFR Yugoslavia, during the 1960s.
Prominent school's theorists include Gajo Petrović and Milan Kang ...
*Marianna Schmidt
Marianna Schmidt (1918 – May 27, 2005) was a Hungarian-Canadian artist who worked primarily as a printmaker and painter.
Life
Schmidt was born in Nagybecskerek, Hungary (later Yugoslavia) in 1918.
Her early life was disrupted by war and th ...
, Hungarian-Canadian printmaker and painter
*Milorad Stanulov
Milorad Stanulov (born 20 February 1953, in Zrenjanin) is a Serbian rower who competed for Yugoslavia. He and Zoran Pančić
Zoran Pančić (born 25 September 1953 in Novi Sad) is a Serbian rower who competed for Yugoslavia
...
, Serbian rower, two-time Olympic medalist
*Mario Szenessy
Mario Szenessy (14 September 1930 in Veliki Bečkerek, Yugoslavia (today Zrenjanin, Serbia) – 11 October 1976 in Pinneberg, Germany) was a Hungarian-German author, translator, and literary critic.
Biography
Mario Szenessy grew up in the Voj ...
, Hungarian-German author
*Uglješa Šajtinac
Uglješa Šajtinac (Serbian Cyrillic: Угљеша Шајтинац; born 1 October 1971 in Zrenjanin, Yugoslavia) is a Serbian writer and playwright.
Biography
Šajtinac grew up in an artistic parents home, his mother Mirjana is an actress, his ...
, Serbian writer
*Nada Šargin
Nada Šargin ( sr-cyr, Нада Шаргин: born 19 January 1977) is a Serbian actress.Vukica Strugar (10 May 2015 Novosti.rs. Retrieved on 2019-04-04. She appeared in more than twenty films since 2003.
Selected filmography
References
...
, Serbian actress
*Ivana Španović
Ivana Vuleta (; sr-cyr, Ивана Вулета, , ; born 10 May 1990) is a Serbian long jumper, two-time World indoor champion, three times European indoor champion and reigning European champion.
In 2013, Vuleta became the first Serbian tr ...
, Serbian long jumper, Olympic bronze medalist and European champion
*Duško Tošić
Duško Tošić ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Тошић, ; born 19 January 1985) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Club career Early career
Born in Zrenjanin, Tošić began his career in his native Serbia playing ...
, Serbian football player
*Zoran Tošić
Zoran Tošić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Тошић, ; born 28 April 1987) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Greek Super League club Lamia. He has built a reputation as a free-kick specialist and a tricky dribbler.
Toši ...
, Serbian football player
*Zvonimir Vujin
Zvonimir "Zvonko" Vujin (23 July 1943 – 8 December 2019) was a Serbian amateur boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
*Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal ...
, Serbian boxer, two-time Olympic medalist
*Zvonimir Vukić
Zvonimir Vukić (; born 19 July 1979) is a Serbian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
A former Serbia and Montenegro international, Vukić appeared at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
Vukić started out at his homet ...
, Serbian football player
* Jelena Živković, Serbian handball player, World Championship silver medalist
*Rudolf Wegscheider
Rudolf Wegscheider (18 October 1859 – 8 January 1935) was an Austrian chemist of Banat Swabian origin.
Wegscheider studied chemistry and was the founder of the Austrian School of Chemistry. He taught at the University of Vienna, and from 19 ...
, Austrian chemist
*Kija Kockar
Kristina "Kija" Kockar ( sr-cyr, Кристина "Кија" Коцкар; born 26 May 1989) is a Serbian singer and TV personality, who rose to prominence by winning the first season of Serbian reality TV show ''Zadruga''.
Personal life
Kristi ...
, Singer
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Zrenjanin is twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
* Békéscsaba
Békéscsaba (; sk, Békešská Čaba; see also other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, the capital of Békés County.
Geography
Békéscsaba is located in the Great Hungarian Plain, southeast from Budapes ...
, Hungary
* Arad Arad or ARAD may refer to:
People
* Arad (given name)
* Arad (surname)
Places and jurisdictions Bahrain
* Arad, Bahrain, a village in Al Muharraq Governorate
* Arad Fort, located on Arad shore
* Arad Island, a former member of the Bahrain Islan ...
, Romania
* 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_ ...
, Romania
* Laktaši
Laktaši ( sr-cyrl, Лакташи) is a city located in Republika Srpska, an entity of the state Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the municipality had a population of 34,966 inhabitants, while the town has a population of 5,879 inhabita ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Trebinje
Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the r ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bijeljina
Bijeljina ( sr-cyrl, Бијељина) is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the provincial center of Semberija, a geographic region in the country's northeast. Administratively, Bijeljina is part of the Republika Srpska ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
See also
*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 gi ...
* Central Banat District
*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 ...
* Zrenjanin Airport
References
;Bibliography
* Milan Tutorov, ''Banatska rapsodija - istorika Zrenjanina i Banata'', Novi Sad, 2001.
External links
*
Tourist organization of Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin online camera
{{Authority control
Populated places in Serbian Banat
Populated places in Vojvodina
Populated places established in the 14th century
Municipalities and cities of Vojvodina
Central Banat District
Holocaust locations in Yugoslavia
Spatial Cultural-Historical Units of Great Importance
Starčevo–Körös–Criș culture