Kanjiža (, pronounced ) formerly Stara Kanjiža (; ; , formerly Kanizsa) is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Kanjiža town has a population of 8,067, while the Kanjiža municipality has 20,141 inhabitants (2022 census).
Geography Although it belongs to the North Banat District, the territory of Kanjiža municipality is actually located in the region of Bačka. The territory of the municipality is bordered by the river Tisa and the Novi Kneževac Municipality in the east, the Municipality of Senta in the south, the Municipality of Subotica in the west, and the border with Hungary in the north. Its proximity to the border, the free-way, and the river Tisa makes it an important location.
History The town was mentioned in the Gesta Hungarorum chronicle under the name Kenesna, and, according to the chronicle, it belonged to the duchy of Bulgarian duke Salan who ruled from Titel in the 9th century. In the first written documents after the Hungarian conquest of Central Europe, the town is mentioned as Cnesa or Kenesna. This name came from the Slavic word knez 'prince'. In 1335, it was mentioned as Villa Canysa.
In the first half of the 16th century, the town was administered by the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom, until 1552 when it was administered by the Ottoman Empire (Sanjak of Çanad).
From 1686 to 1918, the town was administered by the Habsburg monarchy. Initially, it was part of the Habsburg Military Frontier, but was placed under civil administration in 1751. In the beginning of Ottoman administration, the local Hungarian population left this area. During the Ottoman period and also during the first decades of Habsburg administration, the town was mainly populated by ethnic Serbs. Hungarian colonists from the northern counties of the Kingdom of Hungary started to settle here in 1753, and they became the dominant ethnic group in the town. Since 1918, the town has been part of Serbia and subsequent Yugoslav states of which Serbia was a part.
Inhabited places
The municipality of Kanjiža includes the town and 12 villages: Adorjan (Adorján) Doline (Völgyes) Horgoš (Horgos) Male Pijace (Kispiac) Mali Pesak (Kishomok) Martonoš (Martonos) Novo Selo (Újfalu) Orom (Orom) Totovo Selo (Tóthfalu) Trešnjevac (Oromhegyes) Velebit Zimonić (Ilonafalu)
Note: For the inhabited places with Hungarian ethnic majority, the names are also given in italics in Hungarian.
Demographics
According to the 2022 census results, the municipality of Kanjiža had a population of 20,141.
Ethnic groups Almost all of the settlements in the municipality have Hungarian majorities, except Velebit, which is predominantly Serbian.
The ethnic composition of the municipality: Ethnic group Population%Hungarians21,57685.1%Serbs1,8307.2%Roma5962.3%Romanians2681%Albanians790.3%Croats670.2%Yugoslavs510.2%Bunjevci330.1%Others8433.3%Total25,343
Economy The economy of Kanjiža is dominated by the Potisje-Tondach roof tile factory. Other firms are FIM Kanjiža, Keramika Kanjiža, various paprika refining firms, and the "Banja Kanjiža" spa health center.
The following table gives a preview of the total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018): Activity TotalAgriculture, forestry and fishing158Mining and quarrying24Manufacturing1,676Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply32Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities48Construction217Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles940Transportation and storage474Accommodation and food services168Information and communication32Financial and insurance activities78Real estate activities7Professional, scientific and technical activities134Administrative and support service activities140Public administration and defense; compulsory social security406Education475Human health and social work activities411Arts, entertainment and recreation23Other service activities117Individual agricultural workers736Total6,297
Notable citizens Frank Arok, football player and former manager of the Socceroos Ferenc Barath (in Hungarian), graphic artist. Jozsef Beszedes (in Hungarian), Hungarian hydrotechnical engineer (19th century works). Zoltan Bicskei (in Hungarian), film director and graphic artist. Dragan Bošnjak, former Serbian football player Tibor Harsanyi (in Hungarian), Hungarian composer. Mika K. (Mirjana Kostic), Serbian singer and musician. Đorđe Krstić, Serbian realist painter. Josef Nadj (in French), choreographer, director and dancer. Dan Reisinger, Israeli designer of graphics, exhibitions, and stage sets. Otto Tolnai (in Hungarian), writer, poet, translator.
Twin towns – sister cities
Budaörs, Hungary Felsőzsolca, Hungary Ferencváros (Budapest), Hungary Kiskunhalas, Hungary Kráľovský Chlmec, Slovakia Nagykanizsa, Hungary Röszke, Hungary Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania Svilajnac, Serbia Tata, Hungary Vodice, Slovenia
Gallery
See also List of Hungarian communities in Vojvodina
References
External links
The official website of the municipality Center for Information and Development of the Tisa region History of Kanjiža