Zmajevo (; hu, Ókér) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

. It is situated in the Vrbas

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 go ...

, in the

South Bačka District The South Bačka District ( sr, Јужнобачки округ, Južnobački okrug, ; hu, Dél-bácskai körzet; ) is one of seven administrative districts of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Geographically it lies in the southern ...

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 ...

province. The village has a

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 ...

ethnic majority and its population numbering 4,361 people (2002 census). It has lakes that are full of carp (Zmajevacka jezera) and a large hunting ground with many wild animals. Anglers from all over Serbia come to Zmajevo to fish the carp in Vojvodina.

Name

In Serbian, the village is known as ''Zmajevo'' (Змајево), 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 ''Alt-Keer'' or ''Altker'', and in Hungarian as ''Ókér'' (Kér was the name of one of the Hungarian tribes that occupied this territory). Older Serbian names (that were given to the village only after the end of the First World War) were: ''Pašićevo'' (Пашићево), ''Stari Ker'' (Стари Кер), ''Ker'' (Кер), and ''Bačka Dobra'' (Бачка Добра). The current name, ''Zmajevo'', derived from nickname of Serbian poet

Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Jovan Jovanović Zmaj ( sr-cyr, Јован Јовановић Змаj, pronounced ; 24 November 1833 – 1 June 1904) was a Serbian poet. Jovanović worked as a physician; he wrote in many poetry genres, including love, lyric, patriotic, poli ...

History

It was recorded first in 1267. During Ottoman rule (16th-17th century), the village of Kér was populated by

Serbs 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 ...

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

settled in the village in 1787, but after

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, as a consequence of the war events, the German population (approximately 2,500 people) was exiled from the village by the communist government. The German Evangelical church was torn down and the German cemetery turned into a pheasant-farm.

Ethnic groups (2002 census)

= 3,177 (72.85%) *

Montenegrins Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Genetics Accordi ...

= 435 (9.98%) *

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 Urali ...

= 306 (7.02%) *others.

Historical population

*1961: 5,212 *1971: 4,859 *1981: 4,773 *1991: 4,548 *2002: 4,361

References

*Slobodan Ćurčić, Broj stanovnika Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 1996.

External links

Zmajevo (ADF/USAID)

Gallery

Image:Zmajevo,_Catholic_Church.jpg, Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. Image:Oker2.jpg, Pharmacy in the village. Places in Bačka South Bačka District {{SouthBačkaRS-geo-stub