Baranya or Baranja (, ; , ) is a geographical and

historical region History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

between the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

and the

Drava The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern Central Europe.

rivers located in the

Pannonian Plain The Pannonian Basin, with the term Carpathian Basin being sometimes preferred in Hungarian literature, is a large sedimentary basin situated in southeastern Central Europe. After the Treaty of Trianon following World War I, the geomorphologic ...

. Its territory is divided between

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

and

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. In Hungary, the region is included in Baranya county, while in Croatia, it is part of

Osijek-Baranja county Osijek-Baranja County (, , ) is a Counties of Croatia, county in Croatia, located in northeastern Slavonia and Baranya (region), Baranja which is defined part of the Pannonian Plain. Its center is Osijek. Other towns include Đakovo, Našice, Val ...

Name

The name of the region come from the Slavic word 'bara', which means 'marsh', 'bog', thus the name of Baranya means 'marshland'. Even today large parts of the region are swamps, such as the natural reservation

Kopački Rit Kopački Rit is a nature park in eastern Croatia in the municipalities of Bilje and Kneževi Vinogradi. It is located northwest of the confluence of the Drava and the Danube, situated at the border with Serbia. It comprises many backwaters a ...

in its southeast. Another theory states that the name of the region comes from the , an adaptation of

Proto-Slavic Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium BC through the 6th ...

'ram'.

History

Koh administrative 1370 01 southern banates

Historically, the region of Baranya was part of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, the

Hunnic Empire The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was pa ...

, the Kingdom of the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

, the Kingdom of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

, the Avar Kingdom, the

Frankish Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lomba ...

, the Balaton Principality, the

Bulgarian Empire Bulgarian Empire may refer to: * First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led b ...

, the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

, the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

, the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

and

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. For most of the 20th century, the region was divided between

and

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Since 1991, it has been split between

and Hungary. The region of Baranya was settled by the

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

in the 6th century, and in the 9th century, it was part of the Slavic Lower Pannonian Principality.

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

arrived in the area in the 9th century, and

Baranya county Baranya (, ; German language, German:Croatian language, Croatian:'' Baranjska županija'') is a Counties of Hungary, county () in southern Hungary. It is part of the Southern Transdanubia statistical region and the historical Baranya (region), B ...

arose as one of the first

comitatus Comitatus may refer to: *Comitatus (warband), a Germanic warband who follow a leader * ''Comitatus'', the office of a Roman or Frankish comes, translated as count. * ''Comitatus'', translated as county, a territory such as governed by medieval cou ...

of the

, in the 11th century. This county included not only the present-day region of Baranya, but also one part of present-day

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

, on the southern side of the river

Drava The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern Central Europe.

. In the 16th century, the

captured Baranya, and included it into the

sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...

Mohács Mohács (; Croatian: ''Mohač''; ; ; ; ) is a town in Baranya County, Hungary, on the right bank of the Danube. Etymology The name probably comes from the Slavic ''*Mъchačь'',''*Mocháč'': ''mъchъ'' (moss, Hungarian ''moha'' is a loanword ...

, an Ottoman administrative unit, with the seat in the town of Mohaç. Later the sanjak of Peçuy was created from the northwestern part of the Mohaç Sanjak. After Ottoman rule was established the area was settled by people from

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. In the late the 17th century Baranya was captured by the

and Baranya County was restored within the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. Under the Habsburgs the area was settled by Germans; the total number of German settlers who emigrated from different parts of Germany to Hungary between 1686 and 1829 is estimated at 150,000. The official name

Danube Swabians The Danube Swabians ( ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary in east-central Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in greater numbers in the 17 ...

has been used for this population group since 1922.

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

moved from Bosnia into Slavonia and Baranja ''en masse'' after the Ottoman retreat, and this population is today known as the

Šokci Šokci ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Šokci, Шокци, , ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=, separator=" / ", Šokac, Шокац, sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=, separator=" / ", Šokica, Шокица; ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native t ...

In 1918, the entire region was captured by Serbian troops. The

Great People's Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci and other Slavs in Banat, Bačka and Baranja The Great People's Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci and other Slavs in Banat, Bačka and Baranja () or Novi Sad Assembly () was a political assembly held in Novi Sad on 25 November 1918, which proclaimed the secession of Banat, Bačka and Baranya (regi ...

was an assembly held in

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

on 25 November 1918, which proclaimed the unification of

Banat Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...

Bačka Bačka ( sr-Cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska (), is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary. ...

and Baranya with the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...

. It would subsequently be administered by the newly created

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its colloq ...

(later known as Yugoslavia). For a short time (in 1918–1919), Baranya was part of

Banat, Bačka and Baranja Banat, Bačka and Baranya ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Banat, Bačka i Baranja, Банат, Бачка и Барања) was a province of the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes between November 1918 and 1922. It ...

region, which was governed by the People's Administration from

. By the

Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (; ; ; ), often referred to in Hungary as the Peace Dictate of Trianon or Dictate of Trianon, was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference. It was signed on the one side by Hungary ...

(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 14 August 1921, the Serb-Hungarian Baranya-Baja Republic was proclaimed. It included northern parts of Baranya and

regions, which were assigned to Hungary by the treaty. On 21–25 August 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 became the Hungarian Baranya county. Spomenik Batinske bitke 03

The southern (Yugoslav) part of the region was part of Novi Sad county between 1918 and 1922, part of

Bačka Oblast Bačka Oblast () was one of the Oblast, oblasts of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 1922 to 1929. Its administrative center was Novi Sad. History The Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Sloven ...

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 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, located in Central Europe. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to ...

, while in 1945 it was assigned to the

People's Republic of Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...

. During the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

in 1991 it came under the control of the self-proclaimed SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem, which became part of the unrecognized self-declared

Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Република Српска Крајина, Republika Srpska Krajina, separator=" / ", ; abbr. РСК / RSK), known as the Serbian Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српск� ...

. After the war ended (in 1995), it was peacefully integrated into Croatia in 1998, by the

Erdut Agreement The Erdut Agreement ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Erdutski sporazum, Ердутски споразум), officially the Basic Agreement on the Region of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium, is an agreement reached on 12 November 19 ...

. 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 Osijek-Baranja County (, , ) is a Counties of Croatia, county in Croatia, located in northeastern Slavonia and Baranya (region), Baranja which is defined part of the Pannonian Plain. Its center is Osijek. Other towns include Đakovo, Našice, Val ...

Stifolder

The ''Stifolder'' or ''Stiffoller Shvove'' are a Roman Catholic subgroup of the so called

. Their ancestors once came ca. 1717 - 1804 from the Hochstift Fulda and surroundings, (

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fulda The Diocese of Fulda () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the north of the German state of Hessen. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Paderborn. The bishop's seat is in Fulda Cathedral. History The history of ...

), and settled in the Baranya. They retained their own German dialect and culture, until the end of WW2. After WW2 the majority of Danube Swabians were expelled to

allied-occupied Germany The entirety of Germany was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II, from the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945 to the establishment of West Germany on 23 May 1949. Unlike occupied Japan, Nazi Germany was stripped of its sov ...

and

allied-occupied Austria Austria was occupied by the Allies of World War II, Allies and declared independence from Nazi Germany on 27 April 1945 (confirmed by the Berlin Declaration (1945), Berlin Declaration for Germany on 5 June 1945), as a result of the Vienna offen ...

as a result of the

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement () was the agreement among three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union after the war ended in Europe that was signed on 1 August 1945 and published the following day. A ...

. Only a few people can speak the old Stiffolerisch Schvovish dialect. Also, a salami is named after these people.

Geography

Baranya is divided between Hungary and Croatia with the majority of the region lying in Hungary. The Hungarian portion of the region coextensive with

Baranya County Baranya (, ; German language, German:Croatian language, Croatian:'' Baranjska županija'') is a Counties of Hungary, county () in southern Hungary. It is part of the Southern Transdanubia statistical region and the historical Baranya (region), B ...

, while in Croatia, it comprises only part of

. Contemporary Hungarian usage of ''Baranya'' usually refers only to the Hungarian section while the terms '' Drávaköz'' and ''Drávaszög'' ("

Drava The Drava or Drave (, ; ; ; ; ), historically known as the Dravis or Dravus, is a river in southern Central Europe.

corner") are used for Croatian Baranja.

Hungarian Baranya

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

Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...

(158,942) *

Komló Komló (, , ) is a town in Baranya county, Hungary. The name of the settlement is derived from the local crop of hops (komló), an ingredient of beer. By the 18th century a depiction of this plant running up a support already featured on the heral ...

(27,462) *

(19,085) * Szigetvár (11,492) * Siklós (10,384) * Szentlőrinc (7,265) * Pécsvárad (4,104) *

Bóly Bóly (; ) is a town in Baranya County, Hungary. Today Hungarian, the town was historically home to a large Danube Swabian population. History Until the end of World War II, the town's inhabitants were Danube Swabians, also locally known as ...

(3,715) * Sásd (3,570) * Harkány (3,519) * Sellye (3,248) *

Villány Villány (; , or ; Živko Mandić: Hrvatska imena naseljenih mjesta u Madžarskoj, ) is a town in Baranya County, Hungary that is famous for its wine. Residents are Hungarians, with minority of Croats, Serbs and Germans of Hungary. Until t ...

(2,793)

Croatian Baranja

Municipalities in Croatian Baranja (with population figures from 2001 census): *

Beli Manastir Beli Manastir ( sr-Cyrl, Бели Манастир, ) is a town in eastern Croatia. It is the principal town of the Croatian part of Baranja, located in the Osijek-Baranja County. Name The name means "white monastery" in Serbo-Croatian. Origina ...

(10,986) * Darda (7,062) * Bilje (5,480) * Kneževi Vinogradi (5,186) * Draž (3,356) * Čeminac (2,856) *

Petlovac Petlovac (, , sr-Cyrl, Петловац) is a village and municipality in the western part of Baranja, which comprise the northern part of Osijek-Baranja County in Croatia. Petlovac is underdeveloped municipality which is statistically classifi ...

(2,743) * Jagodnjak (2,537) * Popovac (2,427) * Suburban settlements of Tvrđavica and Podravlje of the city of

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

The main settlement in Croatian Baranja is

with a population of 8,671 (2001 census). Most of the municipalities in Croatian Baranja have a

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

ethnic majority with a small

minority. The municipality of Jagodnjak has a

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

ethnic majority and the municipality of Kneževi Vinogradi has a Hungarian plurality.

Demographics

Hungarian Baranya

In 2001, the population of Hungarian Baranya (Baranya county) numbered 407,448 inhabitants, including: *

= 375,611 (92.19%) *

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

= 22,720 (5.58%) * Romani = 10,623 (2.61%) *

= 7,294 (1.79%)

Croatian Baranja

In 2011, the population of Croatian Baranja numbered 39,420 inhabitants, including: *

= 23,041 (58.45%) *

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

= 7,278 (18.46%) *

= 5,980 (15.17%) *

= 3,121 (7.92%)

Gallery

File:Megyeszékhely - Baranya megye - Pécs.jpg, Aerial photography:

, Hungary File:Hungary-Pecs Main Place.jpg,

, Hungary, Main Square File:Batina.jpg, 2004 waterfront of Batina, Croatia File:Szigetvár - Castle.jpg, Aerial Photography: Szigetvár, Hungary - Castle File:Bastion Castle Siklós.jpg, Castle of Siklós, Hungary File:Szentlőrinc - Palace.jpg, Szentlőrinc, Hungary - Palace from above File:Pécsvárad - Bencés apátság.jpg, Aerial photography: Castle of Pécsvárad, Hungary File:Bóly - Palace.jpg, Aerial photography:

, Hungary - Palace File:Villany stone wall hungary.jpg, A scene in

Villány Mountains Villány Mountains ( ) is a relatively low mountain range located west from the town of Villány, in Baranya county, Southern Hungary. Its highest summit, the Szársomlyó is 442 metres high. The latter has an extraordinary flora: on its sou ...

, Hungary File:Pécs - Yakovali Hassan Mosque 01.jpg, Turkish Monument of

, Hungary (Jakovali Hassan mosque)

Notes

Sources and references

WorldStatesmen - Hungary

External links

Baranja.org

Baranja Tourism

Tourist Organization of Baranja
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baranya (Region) Regions of Hungary Regions of Croatia Historical regions in Hungary Historical regions in Croatia Historical regions in the Kingdom of Hungary

Name

History

Stifolder

Geography

Hungarian Baranya

Croatian Baranja

Demographics

Hungarian Baranya

Croatian Baranja

Gallery

See also

Notes

Sources and references

External links