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Template:Infobox Serbia municipality
Senta (Serbian: Сента or Senta, Hungarian: Zenta, Romanian: Zenta, German: Senta) is a town and municipality on the bank of the Tisa river in the Vojvodina province, Serbia. Although geographically located in Bačka, it is part of the North Banat District. The town has a population of 20,363, whilst the Senta municipality has 25,619 inhabitants (2002 census).
History
Records and archaeological finds indicate that the area around the city was populated from ancient times. Neolithic and eneolithic societies probably investigated the marshes of modern day Senta. A Neolithic Tiszapolgár-Bodrogkeresztúr culture necropolis was found in Senta[1]. Full scale settlement within near proximity of today's city manifests during the 5th-9th centuries. Inhabitants of the early "Senta" were Sarmatians, Slavs alike and Avars. Hungarian population invaded the area during the great breakthrough of the Magyars. The settlement was sacked by Tatars in late 12th or early 13th century. After initial salvation, Senta saw more than three centuries of prosperity. In the 15th century Senta was under the control of the Serbian Despotate.
The "modern" town was mentioned first in 1216 under name Szintarev. In 1246 it belonged to the Csanad county, while in 1506 it became a Free Royal City. In 1526, the town was destroyed by the Ottomans, and during the Ottoman rule (16th-17th century), Ottoman fort and Serb village existed at this locality.
In 1697, Prince Eugene of Savoy defeated the Ottoman army in the Battle of Senta, which was fought at this location, and after the Treaty of Karlovci in 1699, the town belonged to the Habsburg Monarchy as part of the Tisa-Mureş section of the Military Frontier. After the abolishment of this part of the Frontier in 1751, most of the Serbs that lived in the town emigrated to Russia (notably to New Serbia and Slavo-Serbia).
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Hungarians, Slovaks, Germans, and Jews settled in the town. In 1910, the population of the town numbered 29,666 inhabitants of whom 27,221 (91.8%) Hungarian, 2,020 (6.8%) Serbian, and 425 (1.4%) other languages. Serbs started to settle in the town again after the First World War, when Senta became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Senta was occupied by Hungary between 1941-1944.
Senta is the birthplace of many notable people, including Stevan Sremac (writer), Jovan Đorđević (cultural benefactor), Jovan Muškatirović (renowned luminary), Bernat Klein (textile designer) and Thurzó Lajos (writer).
Inhabited places
Senta municipality includes the town of Senta and 4 villages. The villages are (Hungarian names are in italics):
- Gornji Breg (Felsőhegy)
- Bogaraš (Bogaras)
- Tornjoš (Tornyos)
- Kevi (Kevi)
Demographics (2002 census)
Ethnic groups in the Senta municipality
- Hungarians = 20,587 (forming an absolute majority of 80.51%)
- Serbs = 2,739 (10.71%)
- Roma = 581 (2.27%)
- Yugoslavs = 392 (1.53%)
- Others.
All settlements in the municipality have Hungarian ethnic majorities.
Ethnic groups in the Senta town
- Hungarians = 15,860 (78.12%)
- Serbs = 2,655 (13.08%)
- Yugoslavs = 373 (1.84%)
- Roma = 235 (1.16%)
- Others.
With the population of 20,363, the town of Senta is the largest settlement in Vojvodina in which ethnic Hungarians form the absolute majority.
Sights
Twin cities
Dunajská Streda (Dunaszerdahely), Slovakia
Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
Kranj, Slovenia
Mukachevo (Munkács), Ukraine
