Žitište ( sr-Cyrl, Житиште; ; hu, Begaszentgyörgy) is a town and municipality located in the
Central Banat District
The Central Banat District ( sr, Средњобанатски округ, Srednjobanatski okrug, ; hu, Közép-bánsági körzet) is one of seven administrative districts of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It lies in the geogr ...
of the autonomous province of
Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...
, Serbia. The town has a population of 2,898, while Žitište municipality has 16,786 inhabitants.
Name
In
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
*
*
* Old Serbian (disambiguation ...
, the town is known as ''Žitište'' (
Cyrillic
The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking co ...
: Житиште), in
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
** Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...
as ''Jitiște'' or ''Zitiște'', in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
as ''Sankt Georgen an der Bega'', and in
Hungarian as ''Bégaszentgyörgy'' or ''Begaszentgyörgy''.
The Serbian name of the town derived from the Serbian word "žito" ("wheat" in English). Its old names used in Serbian were ''Begej Sveti Đurađ'' and ''Senđurađ''.
The Hungarian name of the town derived from the Hungarian family name Szentgyörgyi.
History
Žitište was founded in the 14th century during the administration of the medieval
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
, under the name of Zenthgyurgh (Szentgyörgyi). In 1660/1666, it was called Senđurađ, which was recorded as a settlement repopulated by ethnic
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...
during
Ottoman rule. In the beginning of the 18th century, the settlement was completely abandoned and in 1723 it was recorded as an uninhabited
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
.
It was settled again in 1724 by
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
and
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
** Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...
settlers. In 1736/37, the settlement had 27 houses. Because of the
Austro-
Turkish war (1736–1739) and pestilence, the number of inhabitants decreased and in 1740 the population of the settlement numbered 18 houses. In 1753, Begej Sveti Đurađ was settled by 1,000 Serb frontiersmen from
Pomorišje,
Potisje
Potisje ( sr-cyr, Потисје) is the name of the Tisa river basin parts located in Serbia, in the autonomous province of Vojvodina. The river Tisa flow between Banat and Bačka regions.
Municipalities in Potisje
Municipalities in Bačka:
* K ...
and
Veliki Bečkerek, and in the same year it was recorded on map as a "Serb-inhabited settlement". In 1758, Begej Sveti Đurađ had 45 houses, and in 1773 it had 182 houses. Its church was built in 1758, and it was also used as a school. In 1781, Begej Sveti Đurađ became a property of
Isak Kiš (Kis Izsák), who was a trader of
Armenian origin.
In 1800-1805, the settlement was moved to another location closer to the
Begej
The Bega or Begej ( ro, Bega; sr, / ; german: Bega; hu, Béga, formerly ''Kistemes''), is a 244 km (152 mile) long river in Romania (169 km; 105 mi.) and Serbia (75 km; 47 mi.). It rises in the Poiana Ruscă Mounta ...
river. Part of the Serb population moved from the settlement and settled in the
Military Frontier, while
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
colonists settled in Begej Sveti Đurađ instead of them. Begej Sveti Đurađ was a municipality until 1877, when it was joined to the municipality of
Veliki Bečkerek. In 1880, the population of the settlement numbered 3,041 people, of whom 1,983 were
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, 1,033 were
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
, 19 were
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, and 6 were others. In accordance with the census made in 1910, the linguistic distribution of the 2,814 inhabitants included 1,454 who spoke
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, 1,034 who spoke
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
*
*
* Old Serbian (disambiguation ...
and 214 who spoke
Hungarian.
In 1931, the population of Begej Sveti Đurađ included 1,318 inhabitants who spoke the
German language
German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a ...
, 1,055 who spoke the
Serbian language
Serbian (, ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-official in Montenegro and ...
, 188 who spoke the
Hungarian language
Hungarian () is an Uralic language spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Outside Hungary, it is also spoken by Hungar ...
, 34 who spoke other
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic, spoken during the ...
, and 94 who spoke other languages. In 1940, population of Begej Sveti Đurađ numbered 3,055 people, of whom 1,642 were
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
, 1,387 were
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, 16 were
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, and 10 were others.
As a consequence of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
and
Axis occupation, the German population left or was evicted from Begej Sveti Đurađ after the war, while 270 Serb families from
Bosanska Krajina came to the settlement. In 1947, the name of the settlement was officially changed to Žitište. In 1960, Žitište became a seat of its
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
.
On 2 July 2016, a man
killed his wife in a mass shooting that occurred at a local cafe. Four others were also killed and an additional 22 were injured. The shooter was arrested by police after the attack.
Inhabited places
Žitište municipality includes the town of Žitište and the following villages:
*
Banatski Dvor
Banatski Dvor ( sr-cyr, Банатски Двор; hu, Törzsudvarnok) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Žitište municipality, in the Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village is ethnically mixed and its population n ...
*
Banatsko Višnjićevo
*
Banatsko Karađorđevo
*
Međa
*
Novi Itebej ( hu, Magyarittabé)
*
Ravni Topolovac
Ravni Topolovac (; hu, Katalinfalva) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Žitište municipality, Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (88.09%) and its population numbering 1,352 people ( ...
*
Srpski Itebej
Srpski Itebej (; hu, Szerbittabé) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Žitište municipality, Central Banat District, Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an auto ...
*
Torak ( ro, Torac)
*
Torda ( hu, Torontáltorda)
*
Hetin ( hu, Tamásfalva or Hetény)
*
Čestereg
Čestereg ( sr-cyr, Честерег; hu, Csősztelek) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Žitište municipality, Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,391 p ...
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, the population of the municipality of Žitište was 16,841 inhabitants.
Ethnic groups
;Municipality
*
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...
= 10,436 (61.97%)
*
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...
= 3,371 (20.02%)
*
Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Romania ...
= 1,412 (8.38%)
*
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
= 832 (4.94%)
* Others and undeclared = 790 (4.69%)
Settlements with Serb ethnic majority are: Žitište,
Banatsko Višnjićevo,
Banatsko Karađorđevo,
Međa,
Ravni Topolovac
Ravni Topolovac (; hu, Katalinfalva) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Žitište municipality, Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (88.09%) and its population numbering 1,352 people ( ...
,
Srpski Itebej
Srpski Itebej (; hu, Szerbittabé) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Žitište municipality, Central Banat District, Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an auto ...
, and
Čestereg
Čestereg ( sr-cyr, Честерег; hu, Csősztelek) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Žitište municipality, Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,391 p ...
. Settlements with Hungarian ethnic majority are:
Novi Itebej (Magyarittabé in Hungarian),
Torda, and
Hetin (Tamásfalva in Hungarian). The settlement with Romanian ethnic majority is
Torak (Begejci). Ethnically mixed settlement with relative Serb majority is
Banatski Dvor
Banatski Dvor ( sr-cyr, Банатски Двор; hu, Törzsudvarnok) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Žitište municipality, in the Central Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village is ethnically mixed and its population n ...
(Szőllősudvarnok in Hungarian).
;Town
According to the 2011 census the town of Žitište had 2,903 inhabitants, including:
*
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...
= 2,511 (86.50%)
*
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
= 175 (6.03%)
*
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...
= 58 (2.00%)
* Others and undeclared = 159 (5.48%)
Language
Serbian, Hungarian, and Romanian language are officially used by municipal authorities.
Sports
*
KK Sveti Đorđe,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team
Gallery
Image:Zitiste church.jpg, The Eastern Orthodox church of Saint George, built in 1810.
File:Orthodox church of Saint George in Žitište, Serbia, under reconstruction, September 2007.jpg, The Eastern Orthodox church of Saint George under re-construction
File:Relief depicting Saint George, above the entrance of Orthodox church in Žitište, Serbia.jpg, Relief depicting Saint George, above the entrance of the Eastern Orthodox church
Image:Rocky statue Zitiste.jpg, Monument of Rocky Balboa, built in 2007 in Žitište
Notable inhabitants
*
Radomir Antić
Radomir Antić ( sr-Cyrl, Радомир Антић, ; 22 November 1948 – 6 April 2020) was a Serbian professional football manager and player.
Following a 17-year playing career as a defender, most of which he spent playing at Partizan, wi ...
Trivia
In 2007 local authorities unveiled
a monument in the centre of the town, dedicated to famous, fictional boxer
Rocky Balboa
Robert "Rocky" Balboa (also known by his ring name The Italian Stallion), is a fictional title character and the protagonist of the ''Rocky'' film series. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who has also portrayed him in all eight ...
In 2009, filmmaker Barry Avrich produced and directed the documentary, "Amerika Idol" about the making and dedication of the Rocky statue.
See also
*
List of places in Serbia
This is the list of populated places in Serbia (excluding Kosovo), as recorded by the 2002 census, sorted alphabetically by municipalities. Settlements denoted as " urban" (towns and cities) are marked bold. Population for every settlement is gi ...
*
List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina
*
Municipalities of Serbia
The municipalities and cities ( sr, општине и градови, opštine i gradovi) are the second level administrative subdivisions of Serbia. The country is divided into 145 municipalities ( sr-Latn, opštine, singular: ; 38 in Southern ...
*
Central Banat District
The Central Banat District ( sr, Средњобанатски округ, Srednjobanatski okrug, ; hu, Közép-bánsági körzet) is one of seven administrative districts of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It lies in the geogr ...
References
Further reading
* Ljubica Budać, Begej Sveti Đurađ - Žitište, Žitište, 2000.
* Slobodan Ćurčić, Broj stanovnika Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 1996.
External links
Official web site of ŽitišteCitizens' Association Rocky Balboa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zitiste
Populated places in Serbian Banat
Populated places in Vojvodina
Municipalities and cities of Vojvodina
Central Banat District