Apatin

Apatin (Апатин) is a city in the Vojvodina administrative region of Serbia, located in the West Bačka District, at 45°40′N 18°59′E. Apatin is the administrative, economic, cultural, educational and tourist centre of the municipality of Apatin (333 km²). The population of the city is 19,289, while the municipality has 32,793 inhabitants.

Name

In Serbian, the town is known as Apatin or Апатин, in Romanian as Apatin, in Croatian as Apatin, in Hungarian as Apatin, and in German as Abthausen.

Geography

The Municipality of Apatin is located on the left bank of the Danube river (natural border with Croatia), between the Municipality of Sombor (on the north) and Municipality of Odžaci (on the southeast).

History

Apatin is situated in the north-western part of the spacious plain in Bačka, on the left side of the Danube. It is considered one of Vojvodina's pristine gems.

The favourable geographic position, proximity to the Danube, and natural wealth of this area (fruitful ground, woods next to the river, abundance of fish in swampy regions and backwaters, and game in woods) attracted people through all ages and made them settle here. Because of these reasons, even in pre-historic times, cultures such as the Sarmatians, the Celts, the Goths and many others were replacing each other within this region, one by one.

In the 1st century, during the Roman conquest, the settlement was turned into a military trench with fortifications, and played an important role in the defense of the Pannonia province. In the 6th century the Slavs settled, and in the 10th century the Hungarians as well, thereby establishing a state in which Slavs were the majority.

The first mentioning of Apatin in any written script was in the year 1011, by the Abbey of Kalocsa Bishopric.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the area became feudalistic, and in exchange for lands, the vassals would need to complete military service to the lord of the property. Many fishermen, hunters, and millers then began to settle down in this area.

In 1417, Apatin is mentioned as a property of Stefan Lazarević, crowned the Despot of Serbia in 1402. In 1526-1527 it belonged to the short-lived state of Emperor Jovan Nenad, and soon after this became part of the Ottoman Empire. During the Ottoman rule Apatin was mainly populated by ethnic Serbs.

In the end of the 17th century it became part of the Habsburg Monarchy. Many of the refugees during the massive migration of Serbs led by Arsenije Čarnojević in 1690, came to Apatin, Sombor and Prigrevica, thus the Serb population in this area increased. A new wave of colonisation occurred in 1748 when many German colonists settled in Apatin, pushing out the Serbs mostly by force, who then evacuated towards Stapar.

The colonists came from many different regions. The gathering centre was in Ulm, Germany and from that point they were transported by the Danube to Apatin, which became the main base of the German expansion in Vojvodina. The church was built near the port and the city square was also built at this time. The real estate value of buildings, such as schools, fishermen’s station, hand craft’s workshops, began to rise.

The Chamber of Court decided to put forth economic objectives to better the economy, and in 1756 the brewery and distillery were built. In 1764 a large textiles factory was built. In 1760 Apatin was officially proclaimed a town and a main trade centre with a special status.

File:ApaChurch.jpg

Orthodox Christian Temple

At the end of the 18th century, a catastrophic flood destroyed the old town square, and ruined half of the settlement. The new square was built north-westward from the brewery. The town as seen today, began to take shape. During the 18th and in the early part of 19th Century, Apatin had prospered economically, mostly because of developed trade, handcraft and shipbuilding.

In 1848-1849 Apatin was part of the Serbian Voivodship, a Serb autonomous region within Austrian Empire, and between 1849 and 1860 it was part of the Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat, a separate Austrian province.

In the year of 1869 numerous banks and saving-banks were established, and that opened the door to industrial development. A great number of brickyards produced brick and tile, which were used to construct many buildings in Vienna and almost all in Pest. In 1912 Apatin was connected to Sombor and Sonta by the railroad, and the following year, a shipyard was founded. Today, the shipyard has been modernized as it the only shipyard on the whole Danube which has a special lift for quickly drawing boats out onto the docks.

In 1918, as part of Banat, Bačka and Baranja, Apatin became part of the Kingdom of Serbia, which later together with the Kingdom of Montenegro and the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs formed the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Yugoslavia in 1929). Between 1929 and 1941, Apatin was part of the Danube Banovina, one of the provinces of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

When Axis Powers invaded and partitioned Yugoslavia in 1941, Apatin was included into Miklós Horthy’s Hungary. During the Battle of Batina, the front was stretched all the way to Apatin and Bogojevo, and these places became military bases overnight. When the Yugoslav Partisans came on October 24, 1944, they liberated Apatin from Axis occupation. Since then Apatin was part of the new Socialist Yugoslavia, within the People's Republic of Serbia and the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.

Between 1992 and 2003, Apatin was part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, between 2003 and 2006 part of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, and since 2006 it is part of an independent Serbia.

Inhabited places

Apatin municipality includes the city of Apatin and the following villages:

• Kupusina
• Prigrevica
• Svilojevo
• Sonta

Ethnic groups (2002 census)

As many as 24 ethnic groups live in the Apatin municipality, including:

• Serbs (61.61% of the population),
• Hungarians (11.53%),
• Croats (11.47%),
• Romanians (3.62%),
• Yugoslavs (2.21%),
• Roma (1.59%),
• Others (including Montenegrins, Macedonians, Muslims, Albanians, Germans, Slovaks, etc).

Settlements with Serb ethnic majority are Apatin and Prigrevica. The settlement with Croat/Šokac ethnic majority is Sonta. Settlements with Hungarian ethnic majority are Kupusina and Svilojevo.

Spa

Near the city of Apatin lies the Junaković spa. It is a modern and well-equipped rehabilitation and recreation centre with sports fields, outdoor pools, indoor therapy, and saunas.

Buildings

Major buildings in Apatin include the Catholic church of The Assumption of Virgin Mary (built in the 18th century), the new Orthodox Christian temple, the city hall, and the Speiser mausoleum.

Economy

File:Pivara.jpg

Main beer factory

The largest companies in Apatin today are the Apatinska pivara AD (brewery, built in 1756), Rapid, Jedinstvo, and Brodogradilište Apatin.

Tourist attraction

Apatin has popular tourist location, and because of its proximity to the Danube river and the forests, it is gathering place for fishermen and hunters. There is also an annual gathering called "Apatinske ribarske večeri" (Apatin Fish Supper), which has taken place for the last forty some years. "Ribarske večeri" usually starts on July 1, and lasts seven days.

Sport

Apatin has a rich history in sports. Željko Rebrača is by far the most famous athlete from this area, but in the past, Apatin has had athletes represent Yugoslavia (and now Serbia) on the international stage. Today, some of the well known professional sports clubs are:

• FK Mladost - member of the Serbia First League Soccer Association

• RK Apatin - member of the Serbia Second League Handball Association

Famous Citizens

• Paul Abraham (1892-1960), a composer and ethnic Hungarian, born in Apatin.
• Gyula Pártos (1845–1916), an architect and ethnic Hungarian, born in Apatin.
• Željko Rebrača (born in 1972), a professional basketball player, and ethnic Serb, playing in the NBA with the LA Clippers. He was born in 1972 in the village of Prigrevica near Apatin.
• Ervin Sinko (1898-1967), a writer and ethnic Hungarian, born in Apatin.
• Jovan Lakatoš (born in 1944), ornitologist, born in Apatin.

Gallery

• Beer Factory
  Beer Factory
• Panorama of Spa
  Panorama of Spa
• 
  Interior of Spa
• Temple at Night
  Temple at Night
• Outdoor Pools
  Outdoor Pools
• 
  Apatin's fisherman nights
• Municipality seat
  Municipality seat
• Apatin
  Apatin