Subotica

Subotica [ˈsûbɔtitsa] (Serbian Cyrillic Суботица, listen^{? /i}; German name Maria-Theresiopel; Hungarian Szabadka [ˈsɒbɒtkɒ]) is the second largest city in Vojvodina and fifth largest city in the Republic of Serbia, with 105,681 inhabitants. It is the capital of the eponymous Opština Subotica, the northernmost opština in Serbia, and the administrative center of the Severna Bačka Okrug. Subotica is located ten kilometres from the Hungarian border. The region around the city is very fertile and known for intensive agriculture. A significant branch of the economy is the food industry.

Before the First World War, Subotica was a territorial part of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy and was called Maria-Theresiopolis (still in the official coat of arms) or Maria-Theresiopel. With the end of the war, the city became part of the newly created Kingdom of Serbs Croats and Slovenes, which was confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon in 1920. Subotica was the second largest city in Serbia after its annexation to Serbia.

Geography

Subotica is located in the Pannonian Plain. It has a temperate continental climate with the four seasons common in Europe.

Thanks to its geographical position, it became a regiopolis for the surrounding area.

The city is located on the European Road 75, which connects it to the north with Szeged in Hungary and to the south with Novi Sad, the capital of Vojvodina. Further south you can also reach the Serbian capital Belgrade. A single-track non-electrified 43 km long railway line (railway line Szeged-Röszke-Subotica) leads to Szeged (Hungary).

Structure

The city is divided into 16 municipalities. However, these do not have a municipal status, such as the municipalities of Belgrade or Niš.

Name origin

The name Subotica is derived from the Serbian word for Saturday, Subota, and first appeared in 1653. The Croatian and Serbian word for Saturday is Subota, thus Subotica means "little Saturday" or "little Saturday". Another theory is that the name of the town derives from Subota Vrlić. Subota was the treasurer of Emperor Jovan Nenad in the 16th century.

In history there were almost two hundred different names of the city of Subotica. This is due to the fact that the city, like Vojvodina, belonged to many different empires and states. Moreover, different peoples settled on the present site of the city and gave it a name in their own language.

The earliest known record of the town's name is Zabadka and dates back to 1391, which is also the origin of the Hungarian version of the name Szabadka. However, it was not until 1679 that the name appeared in its current spelling. The Hungarian name of the town is derived from the adjective szabad, in the sense of "free" or "independent", and the suffix -ka, which is a belittling form. Thus the earliest name means something like free or independent town.

In 1740 the town was renamed in honour of Maria Theresa of Austria. Officially, the city was called Szent-Maria in 1743. But already in 1779 it was renamed again to Maria-Theresiapolis.

In the three other official languages of Vojvodina, the city is called the same as in Serbian: in Slovak Subotica, Yugoslav-Russian Суботица and in Romanian Subotica or Subotiţa.