Baranya (region)

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"Baranja" redirects here. For the village in Nepal, see Baranja, Nepal.

Map of the Baranya region

Baranya or Baranja (Hungarian: Baranya; Croatian: Baranja; Serbian: Барања, Baranja, pronounced [bǎraɲa]; German: Branau) is a geographical region between the Danube and the Drava rivers. Its territory is divided between Hungary and Croatia. In Hungary, the region is included into Baranya county, while in Croatia, it is included into Osijek-Baranja county.

[edit] Name

The name of the region come from the Slavic word 'bara', which means 'swamp', thus the name of Baranya means 'a swamp land'. Even today large parts of the region are swamps, such as the natural reservation Kopački Rit in its southeast. Another theory states that the name of the region come from the Hungarian word 'bárány', which means 'lamb'.

[edit] History

During the history, the region of Baranya was part of the Roman Empire, the Hunnic Empire, the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths, the Kingdom of the Lombards, the Avar Kingdom, the Frankish Empire, the Balaton Principality, the Bulgarian Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire and the Austria-Hungary. Since 1918/1921, the region was divided between Hungary and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as Yugoslavia).

The region of Baranya was settled by the Slavs in the 6th century, and in the 9th century, it was part of the Slavic Balaton Principality. Hungarians arrived to the area in the 9th century, and Baranya county arose as one of the first comitatus of the Kingdom of Hungary, in the 11th century. This county included not only present-day region of Baranya, but also one part of present-day Slavonia, on the southern side of the river Drava.

In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire captured Baranya, and included it into the sanjak of Mohács, an Ottoman administrative unit, with the seat in the town of Mohács. In the end of the 17th century, Baranya was captured by the Habsburg Monarchy, and was included into restored Baranya County within the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary.

In 1918, the entire region was captured by Serbian troops and was administered by the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as Yugoslavia). For a short time (in 1918-1919), Baranya was part of Banat, Bačka and Baranja region, which was governed by the People's Administration from Novi Sad. By the Treaty of Trianon (part of the Versailles peace) in 1920, the Baranya region was formally divided between Hungary and the Yugoslavia, but de facto remained under the administration of the latter until 1921. On August 14, 1921, the Serb-Hungarian Baranya-Baja Republic was proclaimed. It included northern parts of Baranya and Bačka regions, which were assigned to Hungary by the treaty. On August 21–25, 1921, the Republic was abolished and its territory was included into Hungary, as was previously decided by the Treaty of Trianon. The northern part of Baranya in Hungary was included into Baranya county.

The southern (Yugoslav) part of the region was part of Novi Sad county between 1918 and 1922, part of Bačka oblast between 1922 and 1929, and in 1929 it was included into the Danube Banovina, a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1941, the Yugoslav Baranya was occupied by Hungary, but it was returned to Yugoslavia in 1944. In 1944-1945, Yugoslav Baranya was part of Vojvodina, while in 1945 it was assigned to the People's Republic of Croatia.

During the War in Croatia in 1991 it came under control of the SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem, which became part of the Republic of Serbian Krajina. After the war ended (in 1995), it was peacefully integrated into Croatia in 1998, by the Erdut Agreement. According to the agreement, it was administered by the administration of the United Nations from 1996 to 1998, when it was returned to full sovereignty of Croatia. Today, it is part of that republic's Osijek-Baranja county.

[edit] Geography

[edit] Hungarian Baranya

Baranya county within Hungary

Some of the important cities and towns in the Hungarian Baranya (with population figures from 2001 census):

Pécs (158,942)
Komló (27,462)
Mohács (19,085)
Szigetvár (11,492)
Siklós (10,384)
Szentlőrinc (7,265)
Pécsvárad (4,104)
Bóly (3,715)
Sásd (3,570)
Harkány (3,519)
Sellye (3,248)
Villány (2,793)

[edit] Croatian Baranja

Osijek-Baranja county within Croatia

Municipalities in Croatian Baranja (with population figures from 2001 census): [2]

Beli Manastir (10,986)
Darda (7,062)
Bilje (5,480)
Kneževi Vinogradi (5,186)
Draž (3,356)
Čeminac (2,856)
Petlovac (2,743)
Jagodnjak (2,537)
Popovac (2,427)

The main settlement in the Croatian Baranja is Beli Manastir with a population of 8,671 (2001 census). Most of the municipalities in Croatian Baranja has a Croat ethnic majority. The municipality of Jagodnjak has a Serb ethnic majority and the municipality of Kneževi Vinogradi has a Hungarian relative majority.