Straža (Vršac)
Encyclopedia
Straža or Straja
Straža or Straja (Serbian
: Straža or Стража, Romanian
: Straja, Hungarian
: Strázsa (later Temesőr), German
: Lagerdorf) is a village
in Serbia
. It is situated in the Vršac
municipality
, in the South Banat District
, Vojvodina
province. The village has a Romanian majority and its population numbering 538 people (2011 census).
imperial army as a base for soldiers sent to protect the town of Palanka
from advancing Turkish
troops. After the army was recalled, several soldiers and artisans remained to form the settlement of Lagerdorf. The historian Borovski confirms that after the Turks were expelled, the settlement was colonized by Germans
. By 1734, the settlement already had its own post office and a German mill was built near the Karaš River.
By 1744, Romanian
settlers began to move into the settlement mostly from the Oltenia
province in lesser Wallachia
. By 1782, the settlement's population swelled to over 1,000 people, 917 of which were Eastern Orthodox. She was occupied by Ottomans between 1787-1788.
In October 1848, Serbian
troops from Alibunar
were stationed in the settlement because of advancing Hungarian
troops. The Serb army was nearly destroyed by Hungarian troops under the leadership of the Hungarian general Jovan Damjanić (who was a Serb
by origin).
In 1880, Lagerdorf was renamed Straža (Straja in Romanian) and was referred to as Temes-Strazsa by the Hungarians in 1894 and Temesor in 1911. Name Straža itself is of Serbian origin (meaning "sentinel" in Serbian).
In 1854, the settlement's population was 1,195, in 1869, it reached 1,242, in 1880, the population was 1,510, in 1900 it was 1,606, and by 1910 the population was 1,678. During World War I
, 70 soldiers from Straža lost their lives. In 1921, a total of 1,482 people lived in the settlement: 1,389 Romanians
, 17 Serbs
, 14 Hungarians, 10 Germans
, and 52 others of various nationalities.
Straža or Straja (Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
: Straža or Стража, Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
: Straja, Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
: Strázsa (later Temesőr), German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Lagerdorf) is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. It is situated in the Vršac
Vršac
Vršac is a town and municipality located in Serbia. In 2002 the town's total population was 36,623, while Vršac municipality had 54,369 inhabitants. Vršac is located in the Banat region, in the Vojvodina province of Serbia. It is part of the South Banat District.-Name:The name Vršac is of Serbian...
municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, in the South Banat District
South Banat District
South Banat District is a northeastern district of Serbia with the seat of the district in Pančevo. It borders Romania to the east. The district lies in the region of Banat, in the autonomous province of Vojvodina...
, Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
province. The village has a Romanian majority and its population numbering 538 people (2011 census).
History
Straža was established in the winter of 1716-1717 by the AustrianHabsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
imperial army as a base for soldiers sent to protect the town of Palanka
Palanka
-Places:In Serbia:* Bačka Palanka, a town and municipality in Vojvodina, Serbia* Smederevska Palanka, a town and municipality in Central Serbia, Serbia* Bela Palanka, a town and municipality in Central Serbia, Serbia...
from advancing Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
troops. After the army was recalled, several soldiers and artisans remained to form the settlement of Lagerdorf. The historian Borovski confirms that after the Turks were expelled, the settlement was colonized by Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
. By 1734, the settlement already had its own post office and a German mill was built near the Karaš River.
By 1744, Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
settlers began to move into the settlement mostly from the Oltenia
Oltenia
Oltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river ....
province in lesser Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
. By 1782, the settlement's population swelled to over 1,000 people, 917 of which were Eastern Orthodox. She was occupied by Ottomans between 1787-1788.
In October 1848, Serbian
Serbian Vojvodina
The Serbian Vojvodina was a Serbian autonomous region within the Austrian Empire...
troops from Alibunar
Alibunar
Alibunar is a town and municipality in South Banat District of Vojvodina, Serbia. Alibunar town has a population of 3,402, and Alibunar municipality 22,856.-Name:...
were stationed in the settlement because of advancing Hungarian
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
troops. The Serb army was nearly destroyed by Hungarian troops under the leadership of the Hungarian general Jovan Damjanić (who was a Serb
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
by origin).
In 1880, Lagerdorf was renamed Straža (Straja in Romanian) and was referred to as Temes-Strazsa by the Hungarians in 1894 and Temesor in 1911. Name Straža itself is of Serbian origin (meaning "sentinel" in Serbian).
In 1854, the settlement's population was 1,195, in 1869, it reached 1,242, in 1880, the population was 1,510, in 1900 it was 1,606, and by 1910 the population was 1,678. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, 70 soldiers from Straža lost their lives. In 1921, a total of 1,482 people lived in the settlement: 1,389 Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, 17 Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
, 14 Hungarians, 10 Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, and 52 others of various nationalities.
Church
The Orthodox Church in Straža was originally built in 1854 but was not in use until 1856 when the priest Stefan Popović was present. The interior was restored in 1935 by Karl and Josef Löffler while Ion Mităr was cleric. Jon Mităr served in Straža as chaplain until May 1943. He was succeeded by Ioan Ivaşcu in June of the same year. From 1948 until 1978, Corneliu Şdicu served as chaplian. Moise Janeş became chaplian in 1979 and still serves today.Notable citizens
- According to some sources, Jovan Damjanić, a controversial Hungarian general of Serb origin was born in this village.