Zrenjanin

Over the course of its history, the city has undergone several name changes. Under Habsburg administration, it was referred to as Großbetschkerek in German, Bečkerek (Бечкерек) or Veliki Bečkerek (Велики Бечкерек) in Serbian and Nagybecskerek in Hungarian. In 1935, as part of Yugoslavia, it was renamed to Petrovgrad (Петровград) in honor of king Peter I of Serbia. During the German occupation of Serbia in World War Two from 1941 to 1944, it was called Betschkerek or Gross-Betschkerek in official German documents. In 1946, it was renamed Zrenjanin after Yugoslav Partisan Žarko Zrenjanin (1902–1942) who was a victim of the occupying forces. In Romanian it is known as Becicherecul Mare or Zrenianin, in Slovak as Zreňanin, and in Rusyn as . ==History==

Prehistory earthenware dishes at the National Museum of Zrenjanin Prehistory can be divided into the PalaeolithicOld Stone Age and the NeolithicNew Stone Age. In Zrenjanin's regions no archaeological sites of the Palaeolithic have been found. The only exception was the discovery of a mammoth's head and other bones found on the banks of Tisa River near Novi Bečej in 1952. The region had already been inhabited in the early Neolithic period about 5000 years BC. The most important archaeological site from this period is the so-called Krstić tumulus, located near Mužlja, about away from Zrenjanin where ceramics, with ornaments were found. Beside the brewery ground, coloured fine ceramics, and ornaments from the Starčevo culture were discovered. The middle Neolithic appeared in our area as Vinča and Potisje culture, in the down course of the Tisa River. The influence of two parallel cultures flew through it at the same time. The Iron Age has not been enough explored yet. A few regions with some archaeological materials from the Iron Age have been found: in the residential area Šumica a tip of a spear was found and near the oil factory, and pieces of ceramics from the Bronze Age were also discovered. Many noblemen came with the King, including the powerful Imre Becsei. The areas where Becsei settled down were named for him, “Bechereki” and “Beche” (Novi Bečej). The oldest written records of Bečkerek date from Budim Capitulum's document of collecting the Pope's tens taxes in 1326, 1331 and 1332. Judging by the size of the taxes, Bečkerek of the 1330s was an average village. The first settlers were the landless Hungarian peasants. There were the Serbs in Banat, too. During the reign of Louis I of Hungary (1343–1382), more Serbs migrated to the area from the south, and with them many Orthodox priests.{{cite web |title=Gradonačelnik Zrenjanina tvrdi da je voda u ovom gradu ponovo ispravna za piće |trans-title=The mayor of Zrenjanin proclaims that the water in this city is safe to drink again ==Geography==

Zrenjanin is situated on the western edge of the Banat loess plateau, at the place where the canalized River Begej flows into the former water course of the River Tisa. The territory of the city is predominantly flat country. The City of Zrenjanin is situated at a longitude of 20°23’ east and a latitude of 45°23’ north, in the center of the Serbian part of the Banat region, on the banks of the Rivers Begej and Tisa. The city is located at 80 meters above sea level. Zrenjanin is around away from Belgrade, and about from Novi Sad, which is also the distance to the present border with the European Union (Romania), which makes its position a particularly important transition center and potential resource in the directions north–south and east–west. Inhabited places The city administrative area includes the following villages: • Aradac • Banatski Despotovac • Belo Blato • Botoš • Čenta • Ečka • Elemir • Farkaždin • Jankov Most • Klek • Knićanin • Lazarevo • Lukićevo • Lukino Selo • Melenci • Mihajlovo • Orlovat • Perlez • Stajićevo • Taraš • Tomaševac Neighbourhoods in Zrenjanin • Bagljaš • Berbersko • Bolnica • Brigadira Ristića • Downtown • Četvrti Jul • Čontika • Dolja • Dunavska • Duvanika • Gradnulica • Lesnina • Mala Amerika • Mužlja, a former village, joined with Zrenjanin in 1981 • Nova Kolonija • Putnikovo • Ruža Šulman • Šećerana • Šumica • Zeleno Polje Climate The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is Cfa (Humid Temperate Climate). The average temperature for the year in Zrenjanin is . The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of . The highest recorded temperature in Zrenjanin is , which was recorded in July. The lowest recorded temperature in Zrenjanin is , which was recorded in February. The average amount of precipitation for the year in Zrenjanin is . The month with the most precipitation on average is June with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of . There are an average of 126.8 days of precipitation, with the most precipitation occurring in May with 12.4 days and the least precipitation occurring in August with 7.5 days. ==Demographics==

According to the 2022 census, the total population of the city of Zrenjanin was 67,129, or 105,722 in the administrative area. Ethnic groups Settlements with Serb ethnic majority are: Zrenjanin, Banatski Despotovac, Botoš, Elemir, Ečka, Klek, Knićanin, Lazarevo, Lukićevo, Melenci, Orlovat, Perlez, Stajićevo, Taraš, Tomaševac, Farkaždin, and Čenta. Settlements with Hungarian ethnic majority are: Lukino Selo and Mihajlovo. Settlement with Romanian ethnic majority is Jankov Most. Ethnically mixed settlements are: Aradac (with relative Serb majority) and Belo Blato (with relative Slovak majority). The ethnic composition of the city administrative area: Urbanization ;Changing demographics of Zrenjanin proper Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:560 height:260 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:100000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:10000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1000 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1948 text:1948 bar:1953 text:1953 bar:1961 text:1961 bar:1971 text:1971 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2002 text:2002 bar:2011 text:2011 bar:2022 text:2022 PlotData= color:barra width:25 align:left bar:1948 from:0 till: 38564 bar:1953 from:0 till: 44168 bar:1961 from:0 till: 55539 bar:1971 from:0 till: 71424 bar:1981 from:0 till: 81270 bar:1991 from:0 till: 81316 bar:2002 from:0 till: 79773 bar:2011 from:0 till: 76511 bar:2022 from:0 till: 67129 PlotData= bar:1948 at: 38564 fontsize:S text: 38.564 shift:(-2,5) bar:1953 at: 44168 fontsize:S text: 44.168 shift:(-8,5) bar:1961 at: 55539 fontsize:S text: 55.539 shift:(-10,5) bar:1971 at: 71424 fontsize:S text: 71.424 shift:(-10,5) bar:1981 at: 81270 fontsize:S text: 81.270 shift:(-10,5) bar:1991 at: 81316 fontsize:S text: 81.316 shift:(-10,5) bar:2002 at: 79773 fontsize:S text: 79.773 shift:(-10,5) bar:2011 at: 76511 fontsize:S text: 76.511 shift:(-20,5) bar:2022 at: 67129 fontsize:S text: 67.129 shift:(-20,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text: Religion According to the 2002 census, most of the inhabitants of the Zrenjanin municipality were Orthodox Christians (77.28%). Other faiths include Roman Catholic (12.01%), Protestant (2.13%), and other. Orthodox Christians in Zrenjanin belong to the Eparchy of Banat of the Serbian Orthodox Church with seat in Vršac. Zrenjanin is also the centre of the Roman Catholic diocese of the Banat region belonging to Serbia. ==Economy==

The city of Zrenjanin has been a regional industrial center since the second half of the nineteenth century, when it was a center of the Yugoslavian food processing industry. The modern economy of Zrenjanin is diverse, as it has developed a processing industry, as well as agriculture, forestry, building industry, and transport industries. As of September 2017, Zrenjanin has one of 14 free economic zones established in Serbia. The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018): ==Transportation==

Zrenjanin no longer has a public transport operator, for the first time in its recent history, following the privatization and subsequent bankruptcy of Autobanat. It used to operate as the city's public transport company and as the regional public transport service to the nearby cities of (Novi Sad, Belgrade, Kikinda, Vršac), etc. In the past river traffic on the Begej river used to be most developed mode of cargo transport. Veliki Bečkerek got a railway in 1883, when it linked the city to Velika Kikinda. There are many taxi companies in Zrenjanin and the regulations are either lacking or are not enforced by the authorities. The city is served by Zrenjanin Airport, which however, as of 2023, has no hard runway, and no facilities for commercial air transport. ==Culture==

Main sights • City Hall, built in 1816, re-constructed in 1887, neobaroque, Gyula Partos and Ödön Lechner. • Finance palace, today National museum, built in 1894 in Neorenaissance style by István Kiss. • Zrenjanin Theatre, built in 1839, classicism, the oldest theatre building in Serbia. • Zrenjanin Court House, built between 1906 and 1908, romanticism, Sandor Eigner and Marcus Rehmer. • Uspenska Serbian Orthodox church, built in 1746, baroque, the oldest church in the city. • Vavedenska church, built in 1777 in Baroque style. • Slovak evangelic church, built in 1837, classicism. • Zrenjanin Cathedral, built between 1864 and 1868, romanesque, Franz Xaver Brandeisz. • Zrenjanin Protestant church, built in 1891, neogothic, Ferenc Zaboretzky. • Zrenjanin Synagogue, built in 1896, Moorish Revival, Lipót Baumhorn, demolished in 1941 by Nazis. • Bukovac palace, built in 1895, neorenaissance. • Old Vojvodina hotel, built in 1886, neorenaissance, Ferenc Pelzl. • Zrenjanin Grammar School building, built in 1846, re-constructed in 1937 and later. • Small bridge, built in 1904, the oldest bridge in the city. • Trade academy, built in 1892, neorenaissance, István Kiss. • Bence House, built in 1909, secession. • Dry Bridge, built in 1962, without river since 1985. • Eiffel Bridge, built in 1904, replaced by a new bridge in 1969. In popular culture • Zrenjanin (under the name of Petrovgrad) is mentioned in the novel "Waiting for Robert Capa" of Spanish author Susana Fortes. Jewish protagonist's brothers who are running from persecution, are settling in Serbian village Petrovgrad, just on Romanian border, because there was never tradition of antisemitism in the village. Tourism Zrenjanin has many places of interest like City Hall, the cathedral, Freedom Square, King Aleksandar I Street, etc. There is a Tourist Information Office in the building of National Museum (Subotićeva 1). Sports is an indoor basketball and handball arena that was the home venue of the 2013 World Women's Handball Championship. Zrenjanin has a long sports tradition. First clubs were established during the 1880s. It was the home town of Proleter football club from 1947 until 2005. As of 2021, FK Radnički Zrenjanin plays in Serbian League Vojvodina division, which is the third-level football league in Serbia. The city was designated European city of sport in 2021. ==Notable residents==

• Dezső Antalffy-Zsiross, Hungarian organist and composer • Tibor Várady, lawyer, member of SANU and former Minister of Justice of FR Yugoslavia (1992) • Nenad Bjeković, Serbian football player • Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player, Olympic silver medalist, World and European champion • Ivan Boldirev, Yugoslavia-born Canadian ice hockey player • Jovana Brakočević, Serbian volleyball player, Olympic silver medalist and European champion • Branimir Brstina, Serbian actor • Žarko Čabarkapa, Serbian basketball player, World champion • Konstantin Danil, Serbian painter • Željko Đurđić, Serbian handball player • Dejan Govedarica, Serbian football player • Nikola Grbić, born in Zrenjanin, lived in Klek, Olympic and European champion • Vladimir Grbić, born in Zrenjanin, lived in Klek, Olympic and European champion • Ivan Ivanji, Serbian author • Vladimir Ivić, Serbian football player • Đura Jakšić, Serbian painter, studying painting as a student of Danil • Todor Kuljić, Serbian sociologist and university professor • Vilmos Lázár, Hungarian general • Kija Kockar, Serbian television host and singer • Jelena Lavko, Serbian handball player, World Championship silver medalist • Ivan Lenđer, Serbian swimmer, World and European junior champion • Mile Lojpur, first Serbian and Yugoslav rocker • Željko Lučić, Serbian operatic baritone • Todor Manojlović, writer, literary and art critic • Aleksandar Markoski, Serbian football player • Brižitka Molnar, Serbian volleyball player, European champion • Maja Ognjenović, Serbian volleyball player, Olympic silver medalist and European champion • Joe Penner (József Pintér), American radio and film comedian • Snežana Pantić, Serbian professional karate competitor, World champion • Nebojša Popov, sociologist, member of the Praxis School • Marianna Schmidt, Hungarian-Canadian printmaker and painter • Milorad Stanulov, Serbian rower, two-time Olympic medalist • Mario Szenessy, Hungarian-German author • Uglješa Šajtinac, Serbian writer • Nada Šargin, Serbian actress • Duško Tošić, Serbian football player • Zoran Tošić, Serbian football player • Zvonimir Vujin, Serbian boxer, two-time Olympic medalist • Zvonimir Vukić, Serbian football player • Ivana Vuleta, Serbian long jumper, Olympic bronze medalist, World and European champion • Rudolf Wegscheider, Austrian chemist ==International relations==

Twin towns – sister cities Zrenjanin is twinned with: • Békéscsaba, Hungary • Arad, Romania • Timișoara, Romania • Laktaši, Bosnia and Herzegovina • Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina • Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina • Noginsk, Russia • Pestszentlőrinc-Pestszentimre, Hungary ==See also==