Novi Bečej (, ) 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.
Name
Novi Bečej means "New Bečej". In the past it was known as Turski Bečej (, "Turkish Bečej"), while the current town of Bečej, across the river Tisa (in the Bačka region) was in the past known as Stari Bečej (Serbian Cyrillic: , "Old Bečej").
There are several theories about town's name origin. The first one is that it derives from Castellum de Beche, which was the name of the fort located near today's town center. The other theory is that the name was given after the family Wechey, which used rule the settlement and the land around modern-day Novi Bečej. The town was also known as Turski Bečej (Турски Бечеј). In 1919 it was renamed Novi Bečej (Нови Бечеј).
For a short period of time after the World War II, from 1947 to 1952, the name of the town was Волошиново (Vološinovo) after the Red Army Colonel Lavrenty Voloshinov who died in the battle for the liberation of the town.
In Serbian, the town is known as Novi Bečej (Нови Бечеј), in Hungarian as Törökbecse and in German as Neu-Betsche. Both Serbian and Hungarian are officially used by municipal authorities.
History
12th century BC ornithomorphic pendants were found in the town. The Dacians inhabited the region before the Roman conquest in the second to first century BC.
The town was first mentioned in 1091 during the administration of the Kingdom of Hungary. In the 15th century, it was a possession of the Serbian despot Đurađ Branković. During the Ottoman rule (in 1660/6), it was populated by ethnic Serbs. Ottomans administered the town as Beçe from 1552 to 1718. Until 1918, it was part of the Habsburg monarchy, then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and subsequent South Slavic states.
Inhabited places
Novi Bečej municipality includes the town of Novi Bečej and the following villages:
Bočar
Kumane
Novo Miloševo
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, the total population of the municipality of Novi Bečej was 23,925 inhabitants.
Ethnic groups
Municipality
According to the 2011 census, the Novi Bečej municipality has 23,925 inhabitants, including:
16,132 Serbs (67.43%) 4,319 Hungarians (18.05%) 1,295 Romani (5.41%) 2,179 Others and undeclared (9.11%)
All settlements in the municipality have an ethnic Serb majority.
Town
The town of Novi Bečej had 13,133 inhabitants, including:
7,738 Serbs (58.92%) 3,210 Hungarians (24.44%) 609 Romani (4.64%) Others and undeclared Yugoslavs (12.00%)
Economy
There are several factories operating in Novi Bečej, but the leading branch of economic development is tourism. The town is located on the river Tisa, and thus it offers many leisure opportunities. One of the most notable large companies are IGK Polet (ceramics industry, member of Nexe group), PD Vojvodina (agricultural combine, member of MK Group) and Serbia Manufacture (shoes industry).
The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity (as of 2016):
Culture
Serbia's fourth largest festival, Velikogospojinski Dani ("Dormition Days"), is held in Novi Bečej. The festival honors the town's patron saint, Mary. It gathers more than 200,000 visitors from across Serbia and surrounding areas. Most popular Serbian, Croatian, and Hungarian singers and bands, such as Lepa Brena, Zdravko Čolić, Severina, Tony Cetinski, Crvena Jabuka, Plavi Orkestar, Željko Joksimović, Edda, Omega, etc. have performed here. Also, great historical legacy is a big boost, since there are remains of a medieval monastery Arača and the old fort.
Arača
Arača, is a medieval Romanesque church ruin about 12 km north of Novi Bečej. It is the one of the older churches built in the region during administration of the Kingdom of Hungary. The department for the Protection and Scientific Study of Cultural Monuments in Belgrade issued a decision in 1948 which placed the Romanesque church of Arača under state protection.