Vrbas () is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the town has a population of 20,892, while the municipality has 36,601 inhabitants.
Name Its name stems from the word for 'willow' in Serbian. During the SFRY period, the town was renamed Titov Vrbas (meaning 'Tito's Vrbas'), after Josip Broz Tito. Like all other towns in communist Yugoslavia named after Tito, the first part was dropped once the new states were formed during the early 1990s.
In Rusyn, the town is known as Вербас, in Hungarian as Verbász, in Croatian as Vrbas, in German as Werbass, and in Turkish as Verbas.
History
Vrbas was mentioned first in 1213 during the administration of the Kingdom of Hungary. According to other sources, it was mentioned first in 1387.Dr Slobodan Ćurčić, Naselja Bačke - geografske karakteristike, Novi Sad, 2007, page 220. In the 16th century it became a part of the Ottoman Empire. During Ottoman administration it was populated by ethnic Serbs.Dr Slobodan Ćurčić, Naselja Bačke - geografske karakteristike, Novi Sad, 2007, page 220.
Since the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718), Vrbas and the Banat were placed under administration of the Habsburg monarchy. According to the 1720 census, it was populated exclusively by Serbs (about 250 familiesDr Slobodan Ćurčić, Naselja Bačke - geografske karakteristike, Novi Sad, 2007, page 220.).Ivan Jakšić, Iz popisa stanovništva Ugarske početkom XVIII veka, Novi Sad, 1966.
After 1784 many Germans settled in the town founding a new settlement named Novi Vrbas (Neu-Verbasz) near the old Serb settlement, which then became known as Stari Vrbas (Old Vrbas).
In 1910, population of Novi Vrbas was mostly composed of ethnic Germans, while population of Stari Vrbas was ethnically mixed and was mainly composed of Serbs and Germans.
In 1918, Vrbas became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which was later renamed to Yugoslavia. The town was under Axis occupation in 1941–1944, and during that time it was attached to Horthy's Hungary. As a consequence of the World War II events in Yugoslavia, the German population fled from the town after this war. At the same time, many settlers from Montenegro came to Vrbas and other neighboring places.
Inhabited places Vrbas municipality includes the city of Vrbas and the following villages: Bačko Dobro Polje Zmajevo Kosančić Kucura Ravno Selo Savino Selo
Demographics
According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has 36,601 inhabitants.
Ethnic groups
Settlements with Serb ethnic majority are: Bačko Dobro Polje, Zmajevo, Kosančić, Ravno Selo and Vrbas. Ethnically mixed settlements are: Kucura (with relative Rusyn majority) and Savino Selo (with relative Montenegrin majority).
The ethnic composition of the municipality: Ethnicity Population ShareSerbs22,73962.1%Montenegrins4,26411.6%Rusyns2,8337.7%Hungarians1,9495.3%Ukrainians6261.7%Croats3791.%Roma3360.9%Slovaks2560.7%Yugoslavs1510.4%Macedonians1190.3%Muslims1120.3%Others2,8377.7%Total36,601
Economy The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018): Activity TotalAgriculture, forestry and fishing385Mining and quarrying-Manufacturing2,710Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply91Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities193Construction188Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles1,326Transportation and storage806Accommodation and food services259Information and communication74Financial and insurance activities125Real estate activities12Professional, scientific and technical activities249Administrative and support service activities516Public administration and defense; compulsory social security547Education661Human health and social work activities1,081Arts, entertainment and recreation191Other service activities117Individual agricultural workers270Total9,802
Notable citizens Károly Molter, Hungarian writer (1890–1981) Vida Ognjenović, writer and director (b. 1941) Desanka Pešut, sports shooter (1941–2021) Lazar Ristovski, actor (b. 1952) Radoman Božović, politician and former Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1953) Miodrag Kostić, businessman (b. 1959) Svetozar Šapurić, footballer (b. 1960) Igor Marojević, Serbian writer (b. 1968) Milorad Mažić, football referee (b. 1973) Ivan Kostić, politician (b. 1975) Magdolna Rúzsa, Hungarian singer (b. 1985) Nikola Komazec, footballer (b. 1987) Ljubomir Fejsa, footballer (b. 1988) Bianka Buša, volleyball player (b. 1994) Maša Janković, basketball player (b. 2000) Milos Kerkez, Hungarian footballer for Liverpool F.C. (b. 2003)
Gallery
See also Municipalities of Serbia South Bačka District Bačka List of places in Serbia List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina
References Slobodan Ćurčić, Broj stanovnika Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 1996.
External links
www.vrbas.net Vrbas Vrbas