Tovarnik (, , , , ) is a municipality in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in Croatia next to the border with Serbia with the town of Šid and the village of Ilinci on the other side of the border. According to the 2001 census, there are 2,775 inhabitants, 91.06% which are Croats. The municipality is part of Syrmia. It is the birthplace of great Croatian poet Antun Gustav Matoš. Tovarnik is underdeveloped municipality which is statistically classified as the First Category Area of Special State Concern by the Government of Croatia.
Geography
The municipality is located in historical regions of Syrmia. The total area of the municipality is 64.56 km2. The territory of the municipality is completely flat with very fertile black soil. The municipality shares borders with municipalities of Lovas to north, Tompojevci to northwest, Nijemci to west and southwest and the Republic of Serbia to south, east and north-east where it borders the town of Šid. The village is connected with the rest of the country by the D46 state road connecting it with the town of Vinkovci and continuing into Serbia as the State Road 120 to the nearest town of Šid.
Climate and weather
Tovarnik municipality has a moderately warm and rainy continental climate as defined by the Köppen climate classification. Due to the influence of continentality temperature differences within one year are more pronounced than in the rest of country.
Demographics
With pronounced issue of population decline in eastern Croatia caused by population ageing, effects of the Croatian War of Independence and emigration after the accession of Croatia to the European Union, the population of the municipality dropped to 2,067 residents at the time of 2021 census.
Politics
Minority councils
Directly elected minority councils and representatives are tasked with consulting tasks for the local or regional authorities in which they are advocating for minority rights and interests, integration into public life and participation in the management of local affairs. At the 2023 Croatian national minorities councils and representatives elections Serbs of Croatia fulfilled legal requirements to elect 10 members minority councils of the Tovarnik Municipality with Serb community electing only 6 members to the body in the end.
History
Ancient history
During the classical time the settlement called Ulmo existed at the place of modern-day Tovarnik in what was then Roman province Pannonia Secunda.
Medieval and early modern history
The contemporary settlement was firstly mentioned in 1335. The village was known as Tabornik but the name was changed into Tovarnik by Eastern Orthodox settlers who moved into the village after the Ottoman conquest of the region. Catholic religious document from 1632 states that the village is inhabited not only by Catholic population but by Turks and Orthodox who altogether live in 30 houses on the road which connects Belgrade and Istanbul with Budapest. On 28 March 1737 the village was purchased by the House of Eltz. The local school was opened in 1758, post office in 1826 and the Tovarnik railway station in 1890. In 1894 local Croat Reading House was established as well.
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Tovarnik war administratively part of Šid Srez firstly within the pre-Yugoslav the Syrmia County (up to 1922), the Syrmia Oblast (1922–1929), after that the Danube Banovina (1929–1939) and ultimately the Banovina of Croatia (1939-1941).
World War II
During the World War II Tovarnik was a part of Independent State of Croatia, a puppet state led by the fascist Ustaša organization which at the time ruled the entire Syrmia region and implemented genocide of Serbs on its territory. The historical Serb village of Ivanci, which was located south of Ilača, was completely destroyed on 30 November 1943 while 73 inhabitants were murdered in half an hour by Nazi German forces. The village of Ivanci was center of the Yugoslav Partisans in Syrmia with established local branches of Women's Antifascist Front of Yugoslavia and League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia. Surviving villagers found rescue in Šidski Banovci, Tovarnik and Ilača. After the Syrmian Front broke through on 12 April 1945 local Danube Swabians and some Croats in Tovarnik (51 in total) were exposed to a wave of executions of suspected collaborators who were executed by being pushed from the tower of the Church of St. George. Protestant Danube Swabians from Šidski Banovci were expelled despite the fact that they helped to save survivors from Ivanci and were more protective of local Orthodox population than Catholic Danube Swabians.