Bačka Palanka
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| Bačka Palanka Бачка Паланка |
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Serbia | ||
| District | South Bačka | ||
| Settlements | 14 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Dragan Bozalo | ||
| Area [1] | |||
| - Municipality | 579 km² (223.6 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2002 census)[2] | |||
| - Total | 29,449 | ||
| - Municipality | 60,966 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 21400 | ||
| Car plates | NS | ||
| Area code | +381 21 | ||
| Website: http://www.backapalanka.org.yu | |||
Bačka Palanka (Бачка Паланка) is a city and municipality located in Serbia, on left bank of the Danube, at 45.15° North, 19.24° East. In 2002 the city had a total population of 29,449, while Bačka Palanka municipality had 60,966 inhabitants.
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[edit] Name
Its name means "a town in Bačka" in Serbian. In Slovak, the town is known as Báčska Palanka, in Croatian as Bačka Palanka, in Hungarian as Bácspalánka, in German as Plankenburg and in Turkish as Küçük Hisar.
[edit] History
Archeologists have proved that people live here for centuries. There are many archeological objects from Stone, Bronze, and Iron age and Roman period.
It is first mentioned as a settlement in 1486, as a suburb of Ilok called Iločka. In the beginning of the 16th century, village was in property of landowner Lovro Iločki, a duke of Syrmia. It was destroyed by the Ottomans after The Battle of Mohács in 1526. It was rebuilt as small Ottoman fortress named Palanka. During the Ottoman rule, Palanka was mostly populated by ethnic Serbs.
In 1687 Palanka was included into Habsburg Monarchy and more Orthodox Serbs settled here. In the year of 1699, Turks left Palanka, which was then mentioned as a small town where Serbs and Hungarians live.
It was used for military purposes from 1702 to 1744. Nova Palanka (New Palanka) was founded between 1765 and 1770 2 kilometers away from Palanka and Nemačka Palanka (German Palanka) was founded by Germans in 1783. Those three cities will become one city, Bačka Palanka, in the 19th century.
Palanka's industrial development started in 1765, when brick plant was built. It got its first post office in 1828. In 1875, one of the first libraries in Vojvodina was opened.
In 1884 Sintelon was founded. In 1886, first public school started working. By the year of 1894, railroad was built from Bačka Palanka to Feketić and a first phone call was made with Novi Sad. In 1944 it was the site of a post World War II work camp for the ethnic Germans (Donauschwaben) under partisan rule.
During 1990s, about 5,000 people from Croatia and Bosnia moved to Bačka Palanka because of the Yugoslav wars. During the NATO bombing in 1999, Bačka Palanka was bombed by NATO only twice, on 2nd and 27 April. Both times target was The Bridge of Youth. It was only damaged, but not destroyed.
[edit] Inhabited places
Bačka Palanka municipality includes the city of Bačka Palanka and several villages.
Villages on the northern bank of the river Danube, in the region of Bačka:
- Gajdobra
- Despotovo
- Karađorđevo
- Mladenovo
- Nova Gajdobra
- Obrovac
- Parage
- Pivnice
- Silbaš
- Tovariševo
- Čelarevo
Villages on the southern bank of the river Danube, in the region of Syrmia:
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Ethnic groups in the municipality
The population of the Bačka Palanka municipality (2002 census):
- Serbs = 47,916 (78.59%)
- Slovaks = 5,837 (9.57%)
- Hungarians = 1,490 (2.44%)
- Yugoslavs = 1,041 (1.7%)
- Croats = 982 (1.61%)
- Roma = 841 (1.37%)
- Others (including Rusyns, Bosniaks, etc).
Most of the settlements in the municipality have an ethnic Serb majority, while the village of Pivnice have an ethnic Slovak majority.
[edit] Ethnic groups in the town
The population of the Bačka Palanka town (2002 census):
- Serbs = 23,864 (81.04%)
- Slovaks = 1,194 (4.06%)
- Hungarians = 1,160 (3.94%)
- Croats = 618 (2.10%)
- Yugoslavs = 607 (2.06%)
- Roma = 231 (0.78%)
- Montenegrins = 110 (0.37%)
- others
[edit] Historical population of the town
- 1961: 16,475
- 1971: 21,104
- 1981: 25,001
- 1991: 26,780
[edit] Tourism
Tourism is developed in Bačka Palanka. City is famous for Tikvara, a Natural Monument. Tikvara is a Danube lake. Tikvara covers an area of 5 km². The Tikvara Resort complex is built along the lake for practising various sports, recreational and entertaining activities. There are 33 archeological sites in municipality. It is also known for Karađorđevo, which has a hunting ground and horse farm. People enjoy racing derbies in Karađorđevo. Bačka Palanka's church St. John the Baptist is one of the oldest churches in Vojvodina. North of the town is forest Bagremara.
[edit] Industry
Industry of Bačka Palanka started developing in the 18th century. First companies were built in the second half of the 18th century. Brick plant was opened in 1765, and tobacco storehouse was opened a year later. In 1974 the Bridge of Youth was built to connect Bačka Palanka and Ilok. Today, Bačka Palanka falls among the ten most developed municipalities in Vojvodina. Bačka Palanka municipality is an agricultural and industrial center. Main industries are food, metallurgy, textiles, electronic and machine industry. Most famous factories are Enia, Sintelon, Tarkett, Nectar, Čelarevo Brewery, Marina, Majevica, Žitoprodukt, Budućnost and others.
[edit] Sports
Sport is very popular in Bačka Palanka. People enjoy swimming in Lake Tikvara and cycling down the coast of The Danube. Professional sports include handball, football (soccer), basketball and karate. There is a chess tournament every year, Bačka Palanka Open.
Most famous sport clubs in Bačka Palanka are:
- Bačka, football (soccer) club
- Sintelon, handball club
- Nopal, women's handball club
- Sintelon, kayak club
- Bačka Palanka, women's basketball club
- ČSK Pivara, football (soccer) club in Čelarevo
[edit] Politics
For many years Socialist Party of Serbia's member Zvezdan Kisić was the mayor. Now, Dragan Bozalo from Serbian Radical Party is the Mayor.
Seats in the municipality parliament won in the 2004 local elections: [1]
- Serbian Radical Party (16)
- Democratic Party (9)
- Socialist Party of Serbia (6)
- Democratic Party of Serbia (4)
- Serbian Strength Movement (3)
- Serbian Renewal Movement (2)
- Group of citizens "Club of Pivnice citizens" (2)
[edit] Famous people
- Natasa Janics, a Hungarian canoer with a Serbian background. Born in 1982 in Bačka Palanka.
- Dragan Zorić, a Serbian flatwater canoer and current (2006) world champion. Born in 1979 in Bačka Palanka.
- Milan Janić (1957–2003), a Yugoslav kayak champion and a member of the national team. Born in Bačka Palanka.
- Žarko Šešum, handball player.
- Milan Kurepa (1933-2000), a renowned Serbian atomic physicist. Born in Bačka Palanka.
- Ratko Nikolić, handball player.
- Dragan Sudžum, handball player.
- Kalman Konrad (1896-1980), one of the best football players in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 1910s. Born in Bačka Palanka.
- Mihalj Kertes, politician. Born in 1947 in Bačka Palanka.
- Sanja Papić, Miss Vojvodina.
- Nikola Krstic, that earned the title of honorary citizen of this town, even though he originated from Belgrade.
- Aca Seltik, an Orthodox Brother from Belgrade
[edit] Trivia
- World Sensible Soccer tournaments in 2001 and 2004 were held at Lawrence's Playhouse Ring in Bačka Palanka.
- There is a legend about how was city named: There was once a beautiful girl called Anka. One night, she sneaked out of the house to be with the young man he loves. She fell into a nearby river and drowned. Because she was very beautiful people called the town Palanka, which also means Pala Anka (Anka Fell, but in Serbian language those two words are reversed so they make Fell Anka).
- On 13th January 2002, 4 tons of fish stew were cooked at Kalos Carda at the Bager Lake in Bačka Palanka and it entered Guinness Book of Records.
[edit] Twin cities
[edit] References
- Slobodan Ćurčić, Broj stanovnika Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 1996.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Bačka Palanka Online
- Portal of the city Bačka Palanka
- Bačka Palanka
- Danube-town Fun-Forum of the city Bačka Palanka
- Specialized Business Portal of Bačka Palanka
- Official Presentation of Natural Beauty in Tikvara
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