About Becej

Get to know our city

On the right side of the peaceful river of Tisa in the hear of Vojvodina, on 48000 acres of land lies the muncipality of Becej, a beautiful and peaceful city.

The municipality of Becej borders Ada in the north, Mali Idjos and Backa Topola in the west, Srbobran and Zabalj in the south, and the border of the Tisa and its former riverbed in the east, cut off by regulatory intervention from the current one.

The municipality of Becej has slightly more than 30,000 inhabitants, who live in six settlements: Becej, Backo Gradiste, Backo Petrovo Selo, Radicevic, Milesevo-Drljan, Poljanica. As in the past, today Bečej and its surroundings represent a multiethnic environment of mutual respect. The composition of the population is multinational. The majority of the population are Serbs and Hungarians, as well as Montenegrins, Albanians, Muslims, Bulgarians, Roma, Croats… This is an environment where human rights, traditions and differences are respected, regardless of religious, national and any other affiliation.

Thanks to the well-developed traffic network, the municipality is evenly connected with all parts of Vojvodina. By road traffic, the municipality is connected with almost all cities and other settlements in the Province. The Belgrade – Novi Sad – Subotica – Budapest highway has significantly improved freight and passenger transport in the north-south direction. Two important waterways pass through the territory of the municipality, the river Tisa and the canal Danube-Tisa-Danube, which enable the transport of bulky cargo (coal, wood, oil, construction materials, etc.), in the cheapest way.

The History

On the territory of the municipality of Becej, during archeological excavations, objects from earlier epochs of human society were found. Based on the research conducted so far and the material found, it is known that this area was inhabited from the fifth millennium BC, ie from the older Neolithic. On the site of today’s city and in its surroundings, settlements from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, as well as Iron Age settlements have been found, all the way to the historical period.
At the beginning of the new era, the territory was inhabited by the Sarmatians. During the Great Migration, many tribes settled through this territory, staying longer or shorter in one place, leaving houses and graves. The most numerous remains from that period were left by the Avars between the 6th and 9th centuries, who often left rich contributions in the graves of their deceased.

The first written mention of Bečej is from 1091, Bačko Petrovo selo in 1092, and Bačko Gradište from 1316. The settlement of Milesevo was built after World War I, and Radičević after World War II. Bečej is mentioned as a fortification in 1238, when the Hungarian king Bela IV gave Bečej as a gift to the crusading monks from Stolni Biograd. North of today’s Becej was the settlement of Perlek, which came to life in the XI-XII century. According to Turkish notebooks, it is mentioned as a settlement in 1650, but in 1698 it was without inhabitants. Archaeological excavations in this settlement have found a number of buildings: half-dug dugouts, silos, waste pits, wells and trenches. The most beautiful objects found at this site are today in the hall of the factory „Linde-Carbodioksid”.

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In the 15th century, it was the property of Despot Đurađ Branković within feudal Hungary.
The Turkish vizier Mehmed – pasha Sokolović conquered it in 1551 and remained under Turkish rule until 1687. After the great Austro-Turkish war at the end of the 17th century and the conclusion of peace in Sremski Karlovci in 1699, this territory came under Austrian rule. From 1702-1751. the city belonged to the Potisko-Pomorskie military border of the Habsburg monarchy.

After the Austro-Turkish war in 1717 and the conclusion of peace in Požarevac in the same year, Turkey lost Banat, and thus the need for the existence of the Potiska Border ceased. The then county authorities demanded the abolition of the privilege of border guards, which they vehemently opposed. After the abolition of this part of the Military Border, many Serbs who lived in the city left for Russia. In order to calm down the border guards, the Austrian government established the Potisko-kruna district in 1751, with its headquarters in Becej, which included 14 Potiska municipalities. In 1774, the privileges were extended to the inhabitants of the non-Orthodox faith, who lived in the territory of the District. In the period of nearly a century of existence of the district in Becej, crafts, trade and other economic and social activities developed and it became the political and cultural center of the middle Potisje. According to the 1820 census, it has a population of 8,357. Becej will remain part of Austro-Hungary until the end of the First World War in 1918, when these areas became part of the kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. 1774.

Between the two world wars, the development of industry began in Becej, which will flourish in the years after the Second World War, together with the flourishing of education and cultural life.
Becej is a city more than 900 years old. There are numerous cultural and historical monuments in it and in other places in the municipality. In the very center of the city, the Serbian Orthodox Church, built in 1858, dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr George, stands out for its monumentality. It was made in the Baroque style. The high iconostasis with classicist-romantic decorations and 63 icons, made by the academic painter Uroš Predić, stands out in the church. In the center of the city is the Catholic Church „Ascension of Mary”, which received its current form in 1830. It is a single-nave building, with elongated foundations and a bell tower on the front side. It has two altar paintings by the famous Hungarian painter Tan Mora, born in 1828 in Becej, „The Assumption of the Mother of God” and „Saint Joseph”.

he square is dominated by the two-storey municipal building from 1881, and next to it is the endowment of Baroness Eufemija Jović from 1894. The square is also surrounded by the former primary school (now the Secondary Technical School) from 1861, the two-storey building of the former hotel „Central” (now the City Theater and the Economic and Technical School), the building of the former Potiska štedionica, the house of Bogdan Dundjerski from 1904.
The old Dam at the mouth of the Grand Bačka Canal in the Tisza is also noteworthy. The dam was built according to the plans of Heinz Albert, the technical director of the canal, in the period from 1895-1900. years. There is a possibility that the construction of this building came out of the Eiffel workshop. In its time, this constitution was one of the most modern in the world.

Culture

The cultural activity of the municipality takes place through cultural institutions: the National Library, the City Museum, the Historical Archive, the City Theater, a developed network of schools, as well as NGOs operating in this field.
The National Library is the oldest institution in this field. It was founded in 1863. Its activity covers almost all populated places in the municipality, and it has over 85,000 books.
The City Museum is an institution of native character, founded in 1953. During its existence, it developed and expanded its activities, so that now archeology, history, art, ethnology, nature, numismatics and more are represented. Organized by the Museum, the Bečej Art Colony was founded in 1954, which made a significant contribution to the enrichment of the art collection.

The Senta Historical Archive, Bečej Department of Historical Materials, deals with finding and protecting documents that are important for the reconstruction of our distant and recent past.
The City Theater is the organizer of amateur activities in the municipality. Within it, there are: KUD „Đido”, theater, drama sections, drama studios, professional theater companies, and the gallery „Krug”.
There are also various non-governmental organizations in the municipality that contribute a lot to the cultural and educational life in the municipality. Among the most important are MKD „Petefi Sandor”, which every year hosts and organizes the folklore festival of children of Vojvodina is „Koketanc”, KUD „Jido”, KUD „Tisa”.

Important cultural events in Becej are: Becej at Night, Thunderball, May Games, Folk Fest, BE: FEMON, Winter Magic…

Education

According to historical data, the first Serbian primary school was opened in Becej in 1703, and the Hungarian one in 1765. The children’s kindergarten in Hungarian was founded in 1881, and in Serbian in 1887, and in 1913 Becej received a civic and agricultural high school.

Today’s education takes place in a kindergarten, six primary schools that have branches in smaller settlements of the municipality, a lower music school, primary and secondary school for children with special needs and three secondary schools: Gymnasium that provides students with knowledge of humanitaian sciences, Economic school which educates staff for economics and trade, and Technical school, which educates students in the field of mechanical engineering and metal processing III and IV degrees.

Sport

Sport in Becej has a long tradition. The Society of Cyclists was founded in 1872, and the Shooting Society in 1878. These sports societies were not similar to today’s, but their greatness lies in the fact that they laid the foundation of sports activity, which later continued through the development of a large number of sports. These are primarily gymnastics, athletics, swimming, rowing, etc.

The first soccer ball was brought to Becej in the summer of 1911, when football began to be played. Today, there are 43 sports clubs in the municipality, some of which are also in federal leagues. Water polo players, football players, tennis players, basketball players, basketball players and handball players stand out with the most significant results and the longest tradition in the league competition.

Becej was known for the great success of the water polo club Becej, which in 2000 was the winner of the final four event held in Becej, and thus the water polo players of Becej became European champions. In 1994, FC Becej was a member of the first federal league.
Especially important for the development of sports is the Youth Sports Center, where a rich and diverse sports life takes place.

Economy

Agriculture is the most developed in the municipality, but small and medium enterprises are taking an increasing share in the leading structure of economic branches.
In the vicinity of Becej there are rich hunting grounds and famous picnic areas, and in the town itself is Becejska Banja (1904) – Rehabilitation Center (Jodna Banja). As there are natural water purifiers under the municipality (various layers of the earth), they eventually provide drinking water and healing water that is used in the Iodine Spa in Becej. Light terraces and unlimited amounts of water provide excellent opportunities for the production of bricks and other building materials, and the deposits of the Tisa are an inexhaustible source of sand and gravel.

Forest vegetation is limited to forest belts along watercourses. Between the riverbed and the embankment there are willow and poplar forests. Poplar has several roles here, such as lowering groundwater levels, and is a raw material for pulp production. Of the total area of the municipality 48,653 ha, agricultural areas include 42,538 ha or 87.43%, while the rest includes about 12.5%, ie. 6,115 ha. The city and municipality of Becej owe their development mostly to typical lowland resources: fertile land, water fund, natural gas and thermal water sources. From there, agriculture (on 42,538 ha of exceptionally high quality land) took the first place in the economic rise of the municipality of Becej. Favorable climatic conditions, the proximity of the Tisa River, the Danube-Tisa-Danube canal and the traditional inclination of the population towards agriculture have left their specific mark. As a logical consequence of natural and socio-cultural potentials, an agro-industrial complex is developing, which is the foundation of the entire industrial production.