Sombor

Name and etymology

In Serbian, the city is known as Sombor (Сомбор), and in Hungarian as Zombor.

The older Hungarian name for the city was Czoborszentmihály. The name originates from the Czobor family, who were the owners of this area in the 14th century. The family name came from the Slavic name Cibor. The city was mentioned in historical documents under several different names.

An unofficial name for the city is Ravangrad (Раванград), which literally means "flat town" in Serbian.

History

The first historical record relating to the city is from 1340. The city was administered by the Kingdom of Hungary until the 16th century, when it became part of the Ottoman Empire. During the establishment of Ottoman authority, the local Hungarian population left the region. As a result, the city became populated mostly by ethnic Serbs. It was called "Sonbor" during Ottoman administration and was a kaza centre in the Sanjak of Segedin at first in Budin Province until 1596, and then in Eğri Province between 1596 and 1687.

In 1665, a well-known traveller, Evliya Çelebi, visited Sombor and wrote: "All the folk (in the city) are not Hungarian, but Wallachian-Christian (Serb). These places are something special; they do not belong to Hungary, but are a part of Bačka and Wallachia. Most of the inhabitants are traders, and all of them wear frontiersmen clothes; they are very polite and brave people." According to Celebi, the city had 200 shops, 14 mosques and about 2,000 houses. From 12 September 1687, the city was under Habsburg administration, and was included into the Habsburg Military Frontier. Ottomans attempted to recapture it during the Battle of Zenta on 11 September 1697. However their attack was repulsed.

In 1717, the first Orthodox elementary school was opened. Five years later a Roman Catholic elementary school was opened as well. In 1745, Sombor was excluded from the Military Frontier and was included into Bacsensis County. In 1749, Sombor gained royal free city status and acquired 11 additional areas on which farm settlements were founded over time. In 1786, the city became the seat of Bacsensis-Bodrogiensis County. According to 1786 data, the population of the city numbered 11,420 people, mostly Serbs. As a royal free city, Sombor was entitled to a democratically elected civil government that consisted of three chambers, the Upper House (Exteriori Senatus), the Lower House (Inferiori Senatus), and the Selected Community (Selecta Comunitatis). There was also a city Captain, a Chief Judge, a Tribune, and dozens of other appointed city officials.

According to the 1843 data, Sombor had 21,086 inhabitants, of whom 11,897 were Orthodox Christians, 9,082 Roman Catholics, 56 Jewish, and 51 Protestants. The main language spoken in the city at that time was Serbian, and the second-largest language was German. In 1848/1849, Sombor was part of the Serbian Vojvodina, a Serb autonomous region within Austrian Empire, while between 1849 and 1860, it was part of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat, a separate Austrian crown land. Sombor was a seat of the district within voivodship. After the abolishment of this crown land, Sombor again became the seat of the Bacsensis-Bodrogiensis (Bács-Bodrog, Bačka-Bodrog) County.

Geography

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa" (Warm Temperate Climate/humid subtropical climate).

Settlements

The city administrative area of Sombor includes following villages:

Aleksa Šantić

Bački Breg

Bački Monoštor

Bezdan

Gakovo

Doroslovo

Kljajićevo

Kolut

Rastina

Riđica

Svetozar Miletić

Stanišić

Stapar

Telečka

Čonoplja

Smaller and suburban settlements, "Salaši" include

Bukovački Salaši

Rančevo

Kruševlje

Bilić

Lugomerci

Žarkovac

Šaponje

Obzir

Milčići

Gradina

Lenija

Nenadić

Radojevići

Demographics

According to the last official census done in 2011, the city of Sombor has 85,903 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

Settlements with Serb ethnic majority (as of 2002) are: Sombor, Aleksa Šantić, Gakovo, Kljajićevo, Kolut, Rastina, Riđica, Stanišić, Stapar, and Čonoplja. Settlements with Croat/Šokac ethnic majority (as of 2002) are: Bački Breg and Bački Monoštor. Settlements with Hungarian ethnic majority (in 2002) are: Bezdan, Doroslovo, and Telečka. Ethnically mixed settlement with relative Hungarian majority is Svetozar Miletić.

The ethnic composition of the city:

Culture

Sombor is famous for its greenery, cultural life and beautiful 18th and 19th century center. The most important cultural institutions are the National Theater, the Sombor City Museum, the Modern Art Gallery, the Milan Konjović Art Gallery, the Teacher's College (Preparandija), the Serbian Reading House, and the Sombor Gymnasium. Teacher's College (Preparandija) founded in 1778, is the oldest college in Serbia and the region.

There are two monasteries in this city:

Sombor Orthodox Monastery, founded in 1928–1933

Discalced Carmelite Catholic monastery, founded in 1904

Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2022):

Sports

Radnički Sombor is the main football club from the city competing in the 5th-tier PFL Sombor. They once played at the country's second level.

Sombor is the hometown of Radivoj Korać, the FIBA Hall of Fame basketball player. Korać holds the EuroLeague record for points in a game at 99.

Sombor is the hometown of 3x NBA MVP, NBA Champion and Finals MVP Nikola Jokić. The local basketball club where he began his playing career renamed itself KK Joker in 2017 after his English-language nickname, and was promoted to the top-level Basketball League of Serbia at the end of the 2022–23 season.

Local media

Newspapers

Somborske novine

TV stations

K-54

Spektar

RTV Sreće

Radio stations

Radio Marija (95.7)

Radio Sombor (97.5)

Radio Fortuna (106.6)

Internet media

Novi Radio Sombor

SOinfo.org

Twin cities

Twin cities:

Baja, Hungary

Kispest, Hungary

Veles, North Macedonia

Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Regional cooperation:

Osijek, Croatia

Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Vukovar, Croatia

Transportation

Buses

Buses offer direct connections to major Serbian cities including Belgrade, Novi Sad and Subotica, as well as many regional towns. Among the companies operating in the area is Severtrans.

Rail

Sombor is linked by direct rail links to Novi Sad and Subotica, among others.

Air

The city houses Sombor Airport.

Notable residents

József Schweidel (b. 1796), Home Guard General, Martyr of Arad, his statue stood in the square in front of the County Hall until 1918.

Samuilo Maširević (1804–1870), Orthodox Patriarch of Karlovci

Laza Kostić (1841–1910), poet, prose writer, lawyer, philosopher, polyglot, publicist, and politician

Joseph Kish (1899 – 1969), Academy Award winning Art Director

Ernest Bošnjak (1876–1963), cameraman, film director and printer. One of the founders of the filmography in the area

Sándor Gombos (1895–1968), Olympic champion fencer

Milan Konjović (1898–1993), prominent painter

Gustav Mezey (1899–1981), artist

Sava Stojkov (1925–2014), naive art painter

Bogdan Maglić (1928–2017), nuclear physicist

Zvonko Bogdan (b. 1942), performer of traditional folk songs

Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), basketball player in the FIBA Hall of Fame

Andrija Konc (1919–1945), singer, born in Sombor.

Nemanja Milić (b. 1990), professional football player

Filip Krajinović (b. 1992), professional tennis player

Nikola Jokić (b. 1995), professional basketball player, NBA Champion and Olympic silver medalist