Vršac

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City in the province of Vojvodina, Serbia

title: "Vršac" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["vršac", "populated-places-in-serbian-banat", "populated-places-in-south-banat-district", "municipalities-and-cities-of-vojvodina", "wine-regions-of-serbia", "towns-in-serbia", "starčevo–körös–criș-culture", "populated-places-established-in-the-1420s"] description: "City in the province of Vojvodina, Serbia" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vršac" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary City in the province of Vojvodina, Serbia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameVršac
native_namesr-Cyrl
ro
hu
native_name_langsr
official_nameCity of Vršac
image_skyline{{multiple image
borderinfobox
perrow1/2/3/2/2
total_width260
aligncenter
caption_aligncenter
image1Vrsac_Vojvodina_WV_Banner_1.jpg
caption1Panorama of Vršac
image2Gradska kuća u Vršcu.JPG
caption2Vršac City Hall
image3Wiki.Vojvodina VI Vršac 215.jpg
caption3Bishop's Palace
image4Vrsac-Main Serbian Orthodox Church.jpg
caption4Church of St. Nicholas
image5Vršac, katedrála II.jpg
caption5Cathedral of St. Gerhard the Bishop and Martyr
image6Wiki.Vojvodina VI Vršac 3121 04.jpg
caption6Romanian Orthodox Cathedral
image7Vršačka kula posle obnove1.jpg
caption7Vršac Castle
image8Vršac (14370906663).jpg
caption8Vršac City Centre
image9Конкордија.JPG
caption9Konkordija building
image10Vrsac, Centar Milenjum.jpg
caption10Millennium Centar
image_flagFlag of Vršac.png
image_shieldVrsac-grb-srednji.png
image_mapMunicipalities of Serbia Vršac.png
map_captionLocation of Vršac within Serbia
settlement_typeCity
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameSerbia
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_name1Vojvodina
subdivision_type2District
subdivision_name2South Banat
leader_titleMayor
leader_nameDragana Mitrović (SNS)
population_demonymVrščani, Vrščanka (sr)
established_titleFounded
established_title1City status
established_date1
area_blank1_titleArea
area_blank1_km21324
area_rank4th in Serbia
population_as_of2022
total_typeUrban
population_total31,946
population_density_km2auto
population_metro45,462
population_rank30th in Serbia
timezoneCET
utc_offset+1
timezone_DSTCEST
utc_offset_DST+2
coordinates
elevation_m93
postal_code_typePostal code
postal_code26300
area_code+381(0)13
website

| | blank_name | Car plates | | blank_info | VŠ | | iso_code | SRB | | population_density_sq_mi | auto | | population_density_urban_km2 | auto | | blank_name_sec1 | Official languages | | blank_info_sec1 | Serbian together with Romanian and Hungarian | ::

| name = Vršac | native_name = sr-Cyrl ro hu | native_name_lang = sr | official_name = City of Vršac | image_skyline = {{multiple image | border = infobox | perrow = 1/2/3/2/2 | total_width = 260 | align = center | caption_align = center | image1 = Vrsac_Vojvodina_WV_Banner_1.jpg | caption1 = Panorama of Vršac | image2 = Gradska kuća u Vršcu.JPG | caption2 = Vršac City Hall | image3 = Wiki.Vojvodina VI Vršac 215.jpg | caption3 = Bishop's Palace | image4 = Vrsac-Main Serbian Orthodox Church.jpg | caption4 = Church of St. Nicholas | image5 = Vršac, katedrála II.jpg | caption5 = Cathedral of St. Gerhard the Bishop and Martyr | image6 = Wiki.Vojvodina VI Vršac 3121 04.jpg | caption6 = Romanian Orthodox Cathedral | image7 = Vršačka kula posle obnove1.jpg | caption7 = Vršac Castle | image8 = Vršac (14370906663).jpg | caption8 = Vršac City Centre | image9 = Конкордија.JPG | caption9 = Konkordija building | image10 = Vrsac, Centar Milenjum.jpg | caption10 = Millennium Centar | imagesize = | image_caption = | image_flag = Flag of Vršac.png | image_shield = Vrsac-grb-srednji.png | image_map = Municipalities of Serbia Vršac.png | mapsize = | map_caption = Location of Vršac within Serbia | settlement_type = City | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Serbia | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Vojvodina | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = South Banat | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Dragana Mitrović (SNS) | population_demonym = Vrščani, Vrščanka (sr) | established_title = Founded | established_date = | established_title1 = City status | established_date1 = | area_magnitude = | area_blank1_title = Area | area_blank1_km2 = 1324 | area_rank = 4th in Serbia | population_as_of = 2022 | population_footnotes = | total_type = Urban | population_total = 31,946 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_metro = 45,462 | population_rank = 30th in Serbia | timezone = CET | utc_offset = +1 | timezone_DST = CEST | utc_offset_DST = +2 | coordinates = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 93 | elevation_ft = | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = 26300 | area_code = +381(0)13 | website =

| blank_name = Car plates | blank_info = VŠ | iso_code = SRB | population_density_sq_mi = auto | population_density_urban_km2 = auto | blank_name_sec1 = Official languages | blank_info_sec1 = Serbian together with Romanian and Hungarian Vršac (Вршац, ) is a city in the province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the city urban area had a population of 31,946, while the city administrative area had 45,462 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical region of Banat.

Etymology

The name Vršac is of Serbian origin, ultimately deriving from Proto-Slavic *vьrxъ, meaning "summit".

In Serbian, the city is known as Вршац or Vršac, in Romanian as Vârșeț or Vîrșeț, in Hungarian as Versec or Versecz, in German as Werschetz, and in Turkish as Virşac or Verşe.

History

The uniqueness of Vršac is reflected in the fact that it has been inhabited since the dawn of the first cultures. Thus, the oldest traces of human presence in Banat originate precisely from Vršac, since individual finds of Paleolithic flint tools from the middle and younger Paleolithic, Mousterian and Aurignacian cultures were found on the slopes of the Vršac Mountains. The collection of over 5,000 finds from this period constitutes the largest collection of Paleolithic material in the Balkans. There are traces of human settlement from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods. Remains from two types of Neolithic cultures have been discovered in the area: an older one, known as the Starčevo culture, and a more recent one, known as the Vinča culture. Near Vršac there are Vatin circles that were estimated to belong to the Vinča culture. From the Bronze Age, there are traces of the Vatin culture and Vršac culture, while from the Iron Age, there are traces of the Hallstatt culture and La Tène culture (which is largely associated with the Celts).

The Agathyrsi (people of mixed Scythian-Thracian origin) are the first people known to have lived in this region. Later, the region was inhabited by Getae and Dacians. It belonged to the Dacian kingdoms of Burebista and Decebalus, and then to the Roman Empire from 102 to 271 AD. Archaeologists have found traces of ancient Dacian and Roman settlements in the city. Later, the region belonged to the Empire of the Huns, the Gepid and Avar kingdoms, and the Bulgarian Empire.

The Slavs settled in this region in the 6th century, and the Slavic tribe known as the Abodrites (Bodriči) was recorded as living in the area. The Slavs from the region were Christianized during the rule of the duke Ahtum in the 11th century. When duke Ahtum was defeated by the Kingdom of Hungary, the region was included in the latter state.

Information about the early history of the town is scant. According to Serbian historians, medieval Vršac was founded and inhabited by Serbs in 1425, although it was under administration of the Kingdom of Hungary. The original name of the town is unknown. There are several theories that its first name was Vers, Verbeč, Veršet or Vegenje, but these theories are not confirmed. The name of the town appears for the first time in 1427 in the form Podvršan. The Hungarian 12th century chronicle known as Gesta Hungarorum mention the castle of Vrscia in Banat, which belonged to Romanian duke Glad in the 9th century. According to some interpretations, Vrscia is identified with modern Vršac, while according to other opinions, it is identified with Orşova. According to some claims, the town was at first in the possession of the Hungarian kings, and later became property of a Hungarian aristocrat, Miklós Peréyi, ban of Severin. In the 15th century, the town was in the possession of the Serbian despot Đurađ Branković. According to some claims, it was donated to the despot by Hungarian king Sigismund in 1411. According to other sources, Vršac fortress was built by Đurađ Branković after the fall of Smederevo.

The Ottomans destroyed the town in the 16th century, but it was soon rebuilt under Ottoman administration. In 1590/91, the Ottoman garrison in Vršac fortress was composed of one aga, two Ottoman officers and 20 Serb mercenaries. The town was seat of the local Ottoman authorities and of the Serbian bishop. In this time, its population was composed of Muslims and Serbs.

In 1594, the Serbs in the Banat started large uprising against Ottoman rule, and Vršac region was centre of this uprising. The leader of the uprising was Teodor Nestorović, the bishop of Vršac. Teodor organized the revolt with Sava Ban and voivode Velja Mironić. An important man was Janko Lugošan, called Halabura, who got control of the Vršac Castle after defeating Arslan Beg, the aga, in a duel. The size of this uprising is illustrated by the verse from one Serbian national song: "Sva se butum zemlja pobunila, Šest stotina podiglo se sela, Svak na cara pušku podigao!" ("The whole land has rebelled, a six hundred villages arose, everybody pointed his gun against the emperor").

The Serb rebels bore flags with the image of Saint Sava, thus the rebellion had a character of a holy war. The Grand Vizier Koca Sinan Pasha of Temeşvar Eyalet that lead the Ottoman army ordered that green flag of Muhammed should be brought from Damascus to confront this flag with image of Saint Sava. Furthermore, the Koca Sinan Pasha also burned the mortal remains of Saint Sava in Belgrade, as a revenge to the Serbs. Eventually, the uprising was crushed and most of the Serbs from the region escaped to Transylvania fearing the Ottoman retaliation. However, since the Banat region became deserted after this, which alarmed the Ottoman authorities who needed people in this fertile land, the authorities promised to spare everyone who came back. The Serb population came back, but the amnesty did not apply to the leader of the rebellion, Bishop Teodor Nestorović, who was flayed as a punishment. The Banat uprising was one of the three largest uprisings in Serbian history and the largest before the First Serbian Uprising led by Karađorđe.

In 1716, Vršac passed from Ottoman to Habsburg control, and the Muslim population fled the town. In this time, Vršac was mostly populated by Serbs, and in the beginning of the Habsburg rule, its population numbered 75 houses. Soon, German colonists started to settle here. They founded a new settlement known as Werschetz, which was located near the old (Serbian) Vršac. Serbian Vršac was governed by a knez, and German Werschetz was governed by a Schultheiß (mayor). The name of the first Serbian knez in Vršac in 1717 was Jovan Crni. In 1795, the two towns, Serbian Vršac and German Werschetz, were officially joined into one single settlement, in which the authority was shared between Serbs and Germans. It was occupied by Ottomans between 1787 and 1788 during Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792).

The 1848/1849 revolution disrupted the good relations between Serbs and Germans, since Serbs fought on the side of the Austrian authorities and Germans fought on the side of the Hungarian revolutionaries. In 1848–1849, the town was part of autonomous Serbian Vojvodina, and from 1849 to 1860, it was part of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat, a separate Austrian province. After the abolition of the voivodship, Vršac was included in Temes County of the Kingdom of Hungary, which became one of two autonomous parts of Austria-Hungary in 1867. The town was also a district seat. In 1910, the population of the town numbered 27,370 inhabitants, of whom 13,556 spoke German language, 8,602 spoke Serbian, 3,890 spoke Hungarian and 879 spoke Romanian. On the other side, the Diocese of Vršac numbered 260.000 Romanians in 1847.

From 1918, the town was part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed Yugoslavia). According to the 1921 census, speakers of German language were most numerous in the town, while the 1931 census recorded 13,425 speakers of Yugoslav languages and 11,926 speakers of German language. During the Axis occupation (1941–1944), Vršac was part of autonomous Banat region within the area governed by the Military Administration in Serbia. Many Danube Swabians collaborated with the Nazi authorities and many men were conscripted into the Waffen SS. Letters were sent to German men requesting their "voluntary service" or they would face court martial. In 1944, one part of Vršac citizens of German ethnicity left from the city, together with defeated German army. Those who remained in Vršac were sent to local communist prison camps, where some of them died from disease and malnutrition. According to some claims, some were tortured or killed by the partisans. Since 1944 when it was liberated by the Red Army's 46th Army, the town was part of the new Socialist Yugoslavia. After prison camps were dissolved (in 1948) and Yugoslav citizenship was returned to the Germans, the remaining German population left Yugoslavia. Homes that had been in their families for decades were simply taken over by the Serbs.

Vršac was granted city status in February 2016.

Inhabited places

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Vrsac_mun.png" caption="Map of the city of Vršac"] ::

The city of Vršac includes the settlement of Vršac and the following villages:

Note: For the places with Romanian and Hungarian ethnic majorities, the names are also given in the language of the concerned ethnic group.

Demographics

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Vrsac_mz.png" caption="Map of local communities in urban Vršac"] ::

|type = | percentages = pagr |1948|51792 |1953|55594 |1961|61284 |1971|60528 |1981|61005 |1991|58228 |2002|54369 |2011|52026 | source =

According to the 2011 census, the total population of the city of Vršac was 52,026 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

Within the city, the settlements with a Serb ethnic majority are: Vršac (the city itself), Vatin, Veliko Središte, Vlajkovac, Vršački Ritovi, Gudurica, Zagajica, Izbište, Pavliš, Parta, Potporanj, and Uljma. The settlements with a Romanian ethnic majority are: Vojvodinci, Jablanka, Kuštilj, Mali Žam, Malo Središte, Markovac, Mesić, Ritiševo, Sočica, and Straža. Šušara has a Hungarian ethnic majority (Székelys colonised from Bukovina during the World War I), while Orešac is an ethnically mixed settlement with a Romanian plurality.

Vršac is the seat of the Serb Orthodox Eparchy of Banat. Some notable Serb cultural-artistic societies in Vršac are "Laza Nančić", "Penzioner" and "Grozd". The city's Romanian minority has a Romanian-language theater, schools and a museum. Romanian-language instruction takes place in some kindergartens, elementary schools, high schools and one teachers' university. The cultural organization and folklore group "Luceafarul" hold many cultural events in Vršac and nearby Romanian-populated villages. In 2005, Romania opened a consulate in Vršac.

The population of the city (52,026 people) is composed of the following ethnic groups (2011 census): ::data[format=table]

Ethnic groupPopulation%
Serbs37,59572.26%
Romanians5,42010.42%
Hungarians2,2634.35%
Roma1,3682.63%
Macedonians4720.91%
Yugoslavs3020.58%
Others4,6068.85%
Total52,026
::

Economy and industry

Vršac is a city famous for well-developed industry, especially pharmaceuticals, wine and beer, confectioneries and textiles. The leading pharmaceutical company in Vršac (and nationwide) is the Hemofarm, which helped start the city's Technology Park.

Vršac is considered to be one of the most significant centres of agriculture in the region of southern Banat, which is the southern part of the province of Vojvodina. It is mainly because it has 54,000 hectares of arable and extremely fertile land.

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

ActivityTotal
Agriculture, forestry and fishing364
Mining and quarrying2
Manufacturing4,763
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply47
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities593
Construction388
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles1,813
Transportation and storage668
Accommodation and food services536
Information and communication222
Financial and insurance activities203
Real estate activities44
Professional, scientific and technical activities449
Administrative and support service activities310
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security668
Education938
Human health and social work activities1,545
Arts, entertainment and recreation210
Other service activities160
Individual agricultural workers465
Total14,388
::

Transportation

State Road 10 (which is part of European route E70) connects Vršac to Belgrade and to the nearby border with Romania.

Vršac is also connected to Belgrade by the Srbija voz railway line 44. Trains to Timișoara are available from Moravița.

Main sights

Vršac Castle

The symbol of the town is the Vršac Castle (Vršačka kula), which dates back to the mid-15th century and was used until 1522. It stands at the top of the hill (399m) overlooking Vršac.

There are two theories about the origin of this fortress. According to the Turkish traveller, Evliya Çelebi, the fortress was built by the Serbian despot Đurađ Branković. The historians consider that Branković built the fortress after the fall of Smederevo in 1439. The fortress in its construction had some architectural elements similar to those in the fortress of Smederevo or in the fortress around monastery Manasija.

The other theory claim that Vršac Castle is a remain of the medieval fortress known as Erdesumulu (Hungarian: Érdsomlyó or Érsomlyó, Serbian: Erd-Šomljo / Ерд-Шомљо or Šomljo / Шомљо). However, the other sources do not identify Erdesumulu with Vršac, but claim that these two were separate settlements and that location of town and fortress of Erdesumulu was further to the east, on the Karaš River, in present-day Romanian Banat.

Bishop's Palace

The palace is the official residence of the Bishop of the Eparchy of Banat of the Serbian Orthodox Church and was built between 1750 and 1757.

House of Jovan Sterija Popović

The birth house of Jovan Sterija Popović is located in Vršac and it was built in 1868. He was a Serbian writer and one of the leading intellectuals of his time.

Monasteries

There are two Serbian Orthodox monasteries in the city:

Churches

Museums

There are three museums in Vršac:

  • Pharmacy on Stairs - The first and the oldest pharmacy in the town, founded in 1784. Other than a well-preserved collection of pharmaceutical equipment, there's a collection of stuffed animals, created at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.
  • Concordia Building - Originally a hotel, it was erected in 1847. It later served as a restaurant and today hosts the main museum of the town.
  • Vršac Castle - The interior of the castle was transformed into the museum, which is open for visitors on weekends, from April until October.

Vršac vineyards

The region around Vršac is famed for its vineyards. The "Dani berbe grožđa" ("Grape Ball") is held in Vršac every September.

City Park

At the end of the 17th century, the famous Aga, to whom the attribute "good" was added, because he behaved culturally and did not mistreat the people of Vršac at that time, formed Aga's garden and laid the foundations of what is today the City Park. Aga loved nature and used his position to decorate his garden as much as possible. However, in the thirties of the 18th century, this area, as a noble estate with the right of inheritance, was awarded by the Palace Chamber to Siegfried von Scherübl, while the credit for the further development of the park as a whole is attributed to his son Johann, when the park became "Šeriblov majur" a kind of arboretum, of rare plants that could resist the microclimate of Vršac. After Siegfried's death (1795) due to outstanding debts, "Šeriblov majur" was bought at an auction on January 15, 1797 by the Municipality of Vršac, so that in 1817, when Vršac was declared a free royal city, the name "Gradski Majur" came into use, and immediately before the Hungarian Revolution (1848) it was changed to "City Park". The park is six hectares in size and is under state protection as a monument of garden architecture.

City Lake

On the edge of Vršac there is an artificial lake, which represents an oasis on hot summer days. The lake has an area of about 32,000 square meters

Notable residents

International relations

Consulate

Twin towns – sister cities

Vršac is twinned with:

Gallery

Image:Vršac City Park.jpg|Vršac City Park Image:VrsacTownHall2.jpg|Vršac townhall Image:Vrsac-Main Serbian Orthodox Church.jpg|Church of St. Nicholas, Vršac File:Wiki.Vojvodina VI Vršac 324.jpg|Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, Vršac Image:Vršac, hill with Orthodox and Catholic churches.jpg|The Chapel Hill with the new Orthodox church and the old Exaltation of the Holy Cross Catholic Church. Image:Wiki.Vojvodina VI Vršac 489.jpg|The St. Gerhard Bishop and Martyr Catholic Church Image:Vršac, The Ascension of the Holy Cross Catholic Church.jpg|The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Catholic Church by night. File:Wiki.Vojvodina VI Vršac 459.jpg|Vrsac tower File:Vrsac, Centar Milenjum.jpg|Millennium sport center Image:VinikWineryVrsac.jpg|Vinik winery in Vršac

Notes

References

  1. "Статут Града Вршца, Члан 6". City of Vršac.
  2. "Vršac lepa varoš".
  3. (23 December 2021). "Vatinski krugovi – kalendar drevnih Vinčanac".
  4. (1997). "Mala Istorija Vršca". Videotehna - Vršac.
  5. "Portal opstine Vrsac - Istorija".
  6. "Opstina Vrsac".
  7. "Museum".
  8. (11 May 2021). "Hidden Belgrade (63): Finding Vračar and Belgrade’s holiest mound".
  9. "Temes County".
  10. Dragomir Jankov, Vojvodina – propadanje jednog regiona, Novi Sad, 2004, page76, Quotation (English translation): "After the war, property of Germans in Vojvodina (where about 350,000 of them lived) was confiscated. Most of the Germans (about 200,000) left from Vojvodina together with German army....About 140,000 Germans was sent to camps".
  11. Nenad Stefanović, Jedan svet na Dunavu, Beograd, 2003, pages 174-176.
  12. (29 February 2016). "Pirot, Kikinda i Vršac dobili status grada". [[B92]].
  13. "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia". Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.
  14. [http://www.romanii.ro/romanii_de_langa_noi/ 1ROMANII%20DIN%20BANATUL%20SARBESC.doc "Românii din Banatul Sârbesc"]{{dead link. (November 2017)
  15. "comunitatea-romanilor.org.rs".
  16. {{in lang
  17. "Population by ethnicity". Republic of Serbia Republic Statistical Office.
  18. "MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA, 2023.". [[Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia]].
  19. "Споменици културе у Србији, Вршачка кула".
  20. (14 November 2009). "Saborna crkva u Vršcu".
  21. "Sărbătoare românească la hramul catedralei din Vârşeţ".
  22. [http://banatulsarbesc.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/biserica-%e2%80%93-catedrala-inaltarea-domnului-din-varset-%e2%88%92-monument-al-artei-bizantine-%e2%88%92/ Biserica – Catedrala Înălţarea Domnului din Vârşeţ − monument al artei bizantine] {{webarchive. link. (30 April 2010)
  23. (14 November 2009). "Rimokatolička crkva u Vršcu".
  24. "Седиште музеја Конкордија".
  25. (21 May 2016). "The Vršac Vineyards: Drink the Serbian Wine the Romans Drank". Serbia Incoming.
  26. (14 November 2023). "Gradski park - duša Vršca".
  27. (31 July 2020). "Gradsko jezero, lek iz Panonskog mora".

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vršacpopulated-places-in-serbian-banatpopulated-places-in-south-banat-districtmunicipalities-and-cities-of-vojvodinawine-regions-of-serbiatowns-in-serbiastarčevo–körös–criș-culturepopulated-places-established-in-the-1420s