Turistička ponuda

The Municipality building in Bečej is situated in the western part of the main town square (also known as The Liberation Square). The building’s exterior, along with the Baroness Jović endowment building’s facade, forms a distinct regulatory line that clearly delineates the square’s perimeter. The construction of these buildings took place between 1881 and the start of the 20th century.
The Municipality building was designed in 1881 as The Town Hall. The designer was Endre Makai from Budapest and the builder was Schott Klein from Hódmezővásárhely (Hungary), who was identified as Samuel Klein. The structure was finished in 1884.
The Town Hall is an important functional, thematic, urban, and architectural motif of the Square as well as of the town of Bečej. The fact that it is under government protection contributes to its value.
The Endowment building of Baroness Eufemija Jović and the Town Hall were constructed side by side, along the extension of the pedestrian route into the Glavna Street, creating a distinctive street front. Located in this way, these two buildings define the boundaries of the square on the northwest side. The second facade of the Endowment building extends along Glavna Street. The shape of the building is in the form of letter “L”.

Bogdan Dunđerski (1862-1943), in emulating various European landowners, has constructed his own castle.

Construction began in 1919 and was completed in 1923. The castle is an eclectic combination of styles. A public outdoor pool is located right next to the castle and was used up until World War II. A lovely park surrounds the entire castle. It was converted into a Hotel Fantast in the 1980s, which honored the name of the well-known stallion race horse from the 1930s.

The Dunđerski family moved to Vojvodina from Herzegovina at the end of the 17th century from the village of Višnjica near Gacko. In the first decade of the 18th century, the family relocated from Subotica to Srbobran following the Rákóczi Uprising.

The first member of this family to achieve fame and prominence for his commercial acumen was Gedeon Geca Dunđerski, who was given, by his father Avram, several hundred acres of fertile Srbobran’s land. Gedeon acquired Kamendina land from the Gorjup family in the middle of the 19th century; at the time, it encompassed more than 2,000 acres. A little earlier, the former estate of Stratimirović – Kulpin – was bought from the Semza family. These early estates served as the cornerstone of Dunđerski’s economic prosperity and, at the same time, signaled a start in development of American-style (farmer) real estate in Vojvodina.

The Dunđerski family’s efforts have increased since Gedeon divided his estate among his two sons in 1876, giving the Srbobran land to the older Aleksandar, Bogdan Dunđerski’s father, and Kamendin and Kulpin to his younger son, Lazar.

Lazar Dunđerski significantly expanded his estate. He owned properties in Čelarevo, Novi Bečej, Hajdučica. Using the capital and knowledge he acquired while traveling abroad, Lazar began an extensive agricultural production at the time. He has incorporated machinery, artificial fertilizers, and new plant species on the farm. In addition to owning a carpet business in Zrenjanin, Lazar also owned two breweries, one in Čelarevo and the other in Zrenjanin. Lazar Dunđerski passed away in 1917. and was buried in the family tomb of St. George (Sveti Đorđe) in Srbobran. After his passing, the whole estate was divided between his children: brothers Đorđe and Gedeon and two sisters.

Đorđe – Đoka – Dunđerski (1873-1950) continued to improve his family’s agricultural production and he opened several food factories. He also had a large stable of horses.

Dr Gedeon Dunđerski (1875-1939) completed his law studies at the Budapest University, where he earned his PhD at the age of 21. After finishing his education, Gedeon spent time traveling and training in Germany, France and Russia. He served as a representative in the Pest Parliament from 1910 to 1918 and on the Bačka County administration board. Dr Dunđerski was the President of Matica Srpska from 1910-1920. He founded the “Ikarus” factory in Novi Sad, which was later moved to Zemun. Gedeon was also one of the founders of the Rakovica aircraft engine factory. Dr Gedeon Dunđerski was the holder of several decorations of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the French order of the Legion of Honor. He passed away in Budapest in 1939.

The late-classical architecture of the Orthodox Church, which is devoted to Saint George the Great Martyr, gives contrast with its Baroque style construction of the three towers, which serve as a representation of the Holy Trinity. The construction of the church began in 1851 and it was finished in September 1858. The master craftsman was Andrija Šmaus, and his assistant was Mita Somborski from Bečej.

The Church of St. George’s iconostasis is embellished with 63 icons. It was created in a Baroque manner. Kistner, a great craftsman from Vienna, finished it in 1868, and Jarai, another artist from that city, gilded the iconostasis. The icons themselves were created between 1889 and 1893 by a famous Serbian painter Uroš Predić. The iconostasis’ icons were added over the course of two years. It’s important to highlight that the artist prepared an exhibition before it was placed in the iconostasis; this is the first-time paintings have ever been displayed in Bečej. In the years 1930 to 1931, Predić himself restored the icons.

In 1972, the church was restored again and on that occasion part of the tower structure was replaced.

On Bečej’s main square lies The Assumption of Mary Roman Catholic Church. The parish church is the oldest in the city and was built in 1830. It was first constructed in an early classicist style, but during the course of its existence, it incorporated elements of many architectural styles. The church had the most comprehensive renovations in 1923, when its tower underwent significant height increases. The current Church of the Assumption of Mary was constructed in the Baroque architectural style, and its interior was lavishly ornamented. The church is proud to showcase the paintings of the Hungarian painter, Mór Than.

At the start of Braće Tan Street 5-7, on its right side, heading towards the main square, is what is now referred to as the Than house, where the famous brothers, Károly and Mór, Than were born. The Tans’ home was been designated as a cultural monument by the Serbian government.

The Than family came from Austria-Hungary to Bečej in 1826. Father János Than was a high-ranking officer notary in the district, near which they originally lived, while mother Ottilia Setényi raised the children. There were ten children, of whom Mór was the second and Károly the fifth child.

Mór Than was born in Bečej in 1828. He finished elementary school in Bečej. It’s noteworthy that vintage postcards depict the school that once stood where the present department store is now. He moved to Hungary’s Kalocsa after completing elementary school, where he successfully finished high school. The journey then leads him to Pest, where he enrolls in Pest’s most popular course: law. Yet at the time, he starts observing in himself the proclivity for painting.

Along with his law studies, Mór also started to paint, and his first teacher was the master Miklós Barabás, a Hungarian painter. Aware of his painting talent, Mór decides to go to Vienna, where he devotes himself entirely to this art form. His teacher in Vienna was the famous Carl Rahl, under whose influence he accepted the Viennese style of painting and remained a consistent academic painter for the rest of his life. Mór is recognizable by his paintings of historical scenes, religious paintings and portraits. He also served as the gallery director at the National Museum in Pest. As a painter and an endless traveler, he often changed residences. Due to his health condition, he went to Italy in 1897 with his wife Carolina Paganini and daughter Irma, and died in Trieste on March 11th 1899 at the age of 71.

The “Yellow wells,” or artery wells with mineral water from the sodium-chloride-carbonate hypothermia type, are one of Bečej’s distinctive features. The yellow well on Pogača, the main town square, is the oldest well of its kind in Bečej. It was built in 1904 and was drilled by the famous Károly Sos from Hungary. Sos drilled wells at many spots throughout the city in the years that followed. By drilling one of the wells on his own land, he laid the groundwork for an iodine spa, Jodna banja, located in Bečej, Wells with “yellow water” are one of the most recognizable symbols of the city and a popular tourist attraction. Visitors are known to take with them a bottle or two of this particular water when they leave Bečej, and many locals drink it regularly for its medicinal properties. Furthermore, according to a local folklore, if a visitor drinks a glass of the yellow water, they will remain in Bečej, forever.

After World War I, one of the earliest monuments honoring King Peter the First Karađorević was built in Bečej in 1924. The monument commemorates King Peter I The Liberator, and it is made of white marble from Brač and is the work of the sculptor, Milan Nedeljković from Pančevo. A pedestal with a statue of the monarch holding a sword in his hand serves as the Serbian army’s victory symbol. The monument was badly damaged in World War II during the Hungarian occupation, and the new (old) one was erected in 1991. Its restoration was carried out in 2018. Given that King Peter the First Karađorević is typically portrayed as a horseman, it is significant that the monument in Bečej shows him in a standing position.

The Great Bačka Canal flows through Bečej and flows into the slow-moving part of the Tisa (Tisza) River south of Bečej. The crown of connection between the Canal and the Tisa is represented by the old ship lock, which the locals call Schleiz (Šlajz). The lock was built in the Eiffel office. Following the plans of Austro-Hungarian military engineer Heinz Albert, construction was finished in 1900. This dam was among the most advanced at the time due to the electric motor that a hydroelectric plant supplied to operate the lock’s gates. It now serves as a cultural landmark of extraordinary significance for the Republic of Serbia and, along with the Fantast castle, serves as the crown jewel of the municipality of Bečej’s tourist attractions.

On the right bank of the Tisa (Tisza) River, Bečej is situated on the Pannonian beauty’s widest bend in Serbia. The Tisa River, which flows through Central Europe, is the Danube’s longest tributary. It springs in Ukraine, in the Carpathian’s Bukovina region.

It flows through Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia for a total of 965 km. In Serbia, near Stari Slankamen, the Tisa flows into the Danube. Tisa is rich in cyprinidae species of fish, such as: carp, bream, white fish, as well as non-native species, such as silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), grass carp, silver carp (Carassius), Prussian carp (Babuška). Catfish, pike and perch are the most important predators in Tisa River.

The Tisa River, which softly flows across the plain and has numerous catering facilities, is a true haven of peace and delight.

Due to the Tisa’s reputation as a river with an abundance of fish, you can taste some excellent fish delicacies there. The presence of the aquatic insect known as the Tisa flower (Tiski cvet) undoubtedly contributes to the river’s richness. Every June, after spending three years as a larva at the river’s bottom, it emerges from the water causing it to bloom. The Tisa flower only exists on the Tisa River and has such a little lifespan that this rare natural phenomenon is only seldom visible. Apart from Serbia, visitors can experience this phenomenon only on the Yangtze River in China.

Tisa is a river that people used to fear, and several legends are related to it, among which is that between the two branches of the river, or in the riverbed itself, is the grave of the famous Hun warrior, Attila, known as The Scourge of God.

Nevertheless, with its surroundings, Tisa forms a beautiful environment, created for enjoyment. River lovers always return to the Tisa, and every time they leave it, they are left with unforgettable memories.

Stara Tisa Nature Park near Biserno ostrvo (Pearl Island) is a protected area (area of maintained eco systems) within the municipalities of Bečej, Novi Bečej and Žabalj. It has a 391.7 ha area and is 23,706 m long, making it Vojvodina’s longest Tisa River Meander. The park has an intact mosaic of ecosystems of water, marsh, meadows, and salt marshes that are crucial for protection on a national and worldwide scale. The White Water Lily, a species that is unique to the area and is listed among Serbia’s natural rarities, is of the greatest value.

Under the Bečej Highlanders Movement’s initiative, the first seedlings of black pine (30,000 pieces), spruce (28,000 pieces), and larch (2,000 pieces) were planted at Goranski Park in the fall of 1969. At the end of the 1970s, there were 120,000 seedlings in the Park with 65 different types of conifers, deciduous and ornamental plants.

Over time, it transformed into a lovely park, where exotic species were also planted, bringing the total variety of trees and bushes to 80. In a period of 15 years (until 1985), about 400,000 different conifer seedlings were removed from the nursery and planted. deciduous trees and ornamental plants in the territory of the municipality of Bečej. The House of Highlanders (Dom Gorana) was built, including the drilling of a large-capacity well with submersible pumps and irrigation lines beneath. The total area of the nursery and the park was 11.5 ha. Every year, the nursery and park employed roughly 4,000 pioneers, school children and older mountaineers.

Today, you can find trees almost half a century old in the park. Black pine, hornbeam, common oak, black poplar, white willows, and white poplars are unique examples. There are also native animals and unintentional “visitors” such as does, rabbits, squirrels, dragonflies, woodpeckers, and owls.