| Banovci | |
|---|---|
| — Village — | |
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Banovci
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Croatia |
| County | Vukovar-Srijem |
| Municipality | Nijemci |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 438 |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 32247 Banovci |
Banovci (German: Schider Banovci) is a village in eastern Croatia, near the Serbian border. It is connected by the D46 highway. The village is 72 miles away from Belgrade (Serbia), 98 miles from Sarajevo (Bosnia), 155 miles from Zagreb (Croatia) and 160 miles from Budapest (Hungary).
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The village of Banovci was called Novi Banovci through the year 1900, and Šidski Banovci between 1910 and 1991.[2] Many local residents still call it Šidski Banovci. The first word is a possessive adjective derived from the name of the nearest town of Šid, located 12 kilometers from Banovci in neighboring Serbia. It also distinguishes it from the adjacent village of Vinkovački Banovci.
Most of the approximately 500 people who live in Banovci have declared themselves Orthodox Christians and Serbs.
Most of the income for the population is derived from agriculture. Unemployment is high due to war and ethnic struggles.
| Population[3] | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1857 | 1869 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1921 | 1931 | 1948 | 1953 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 |
| 460 | 779 | 651 | 836 | 890 | 990 | 1047 | 1139 | 1028 | 1138 | 1084 | 975 | 778 | 653 | 479 | 438 |
In the village there is an interesting Orthodox church of Saint Parascheva of the Balkans from the 18-19th century, built in neoclassical style style. One can also still find old houses built in the traditional style of the Pannonian Plain.
Slobodan Bajić Paja who was born in the village was a People's Hero of Yugoslavia because of his participation in the resistance to the Nazis in World War II. During that war, Harold Alexander visited Banovci and praised the fighting spirit of the regional military.
Before World War II Banovci was mostly populated by Germans. According to the census of 1910, Banovci had 990 residents, and 668 were Germans. They had developed a social life and a multitude of public institutions. The most important was the local Protestant church. Next door to the church was the school, which served as the city hall, and a bank was nearby. Local residents cherished traditional values, it was a village that maintained its strong work ethic. In late 1944 villagers had just barely escaped from Banovci. This was similar to that experienced by thousands of other ethnic Germans in the latter stages of World War II. The new post-war government declared that ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia were no longer citizens and confiscated their property. By 1945, nearly 500,000 Germans had been expelled the term that would be used in Article XIII of the Potsdam Agreement was “transfer”—from Yugoslavian territory. The residents of Banovci had some advanced warning from the German Army that they would have to leave their homes and evacuate the village. On October 17, with the Banovci church-bells pealing, a caravan of 40 to 50 families formed and proceeded out of the village and into the uncertain terrain ahead. They headed northwest toward Hungary. Huber family (Wilhelm Huber was born in 1824 and became the first Huber to settle in Banovci), in book The Past Rebuilt-The Huber Family Journey to Success, will describe their memories of that period.
Every year on the Orthodox Christmas Eve (January 6), residents in the churchyard fallen bonfire which cold Badnjak which is Serbian word for Christmas Eve. In this occasion locals takes oak tree from the surrounding and make the ritual fire. These nights the locals remember their old Slavic religion and symbolically confirm Christianity. In the rest part of year, villagers are organized around the celebration of New Year's, Women's Day, the day labor, on the occasion of the end of the school year, important religious holidays etc. There are active and the football club, pensioners club, the Protestant community and the Women's Caucus, which also periodically organizes public events.
Elementary School Ilača-Banovci (Croatian: Osnovna škola Ilača-Banovci is an elementary school situated in Ilača, Banovci and Vinkovački Banovci. Elementary School Ilača-Banovci carries the educational programs of general elementary school education. Classes are taught in Croatian and Serbian language.
The Banovci School used to host the center of the school administration, before it was moved to Ilača in 2002.[4] Classes in Banovci are conducted in the Serbian version of Serbo-Croatian language. The school is located in the center of Banovci. The campus contains a small gym, garden and football field (Before the war there was a large hall which has not yet been restored to function).
In addition to classes that are listening at the other two schools, students in Banovci have also the following classes- Serbian Language, Orthodox Religion Education, 30% of History of Serbia, 30% of Geography of Serbia and 30% of Arts and Music of Serbia. The students of Banovci Campus have so far shown remarkable success in secondary school enrollment and thus entered schools in Šid, Vinkovci, Vukovar and Zagreb such as Gymnasium Vukovar, Gymnasium Vinkovci or Serbian Orthodox Secondary School "Kantakuzina Katarina Branković"...
The school organizes several annual celebrations that involve the entire local community (at the start of school year, at Bread day, at Sport day, at St. Sava, and at the end of school year). Banovci School's location in the center of a safe village in a beautifully decorated small park make it an integral part of the local environment. The combination of both young and experienced teachers provides Banovci students a solid foundation to continue of their further education.
Some noted alumni include:
NK Borac is a football club based in the Banovci. The club was founded in 1940 by a group of local football fans. The name of the club means Fighter in english, which refers to local soldiers from the World War II. The club owns the local playground in Banovci, which is by the words of the mayor of the Nijemci, one of the best in that area. The club regularly achieves good results in the 3 County League and is usually among the top three clubs. NK Borac is funded by donations from local communitie, municipalitie and local businesses. Borac footballers participation as volunteers and do not receive financial compensation. The club celebrated its 70th anniversary throughout 2010, when played many friendly matches with other local clubs.
In addition to their regular activities, NK Borac Banovci has developed a collaboration with local schools with the project Sport Day. The Sport Day is an event that is held every spring. The students are released from classes to be on the Borac court competing in various sports activities such as football, racing and old sports.
To further engage youth and returned to the popularity of sports Borac also launched youth football club.