The idea of the Novi Bečej swimmers was accepted, but due to issues with obtaining a permit, the swimming event wasn’t held as originally planned—on August 1st and 2nd—but instead on August 28th and 29th, 1943.
From the manuscript The Great Swimming Day by Branislav Kiselički, we highlight the part describing the welcome of the Belgrade athletes:
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of the past and culture of Novi Bečej through our virtual library, where the pages of books turn into windows through time. Here we discover the wealth of local heritage through complete works that bring stories of brave people, important events and unique traditions.
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May 29–30, 1997
In the last days of May 1997, the small town on the left bank of the Tisa River once again came alive with the spirit of the Days of Josif Marinković.
In his manuscript “The Great Swimming Day,” Branislav Kiselički writes about the start of the competition on August 29, 1943:
Jedinstvo Maintains Second Place at the European Cup
From the journalist’s notebook
During the second competition day of the European Cup in women’s bowling, held in Skopje, listeners of Radio Novi Bečej followed the performances of the Jedinstvo team and their fight for a place in the final stage of the competition.
A considerable amount of time had passed since our trip to Šumica before we embarked on a new adventure to Matejski Brod. We were eagerly waiting for Voja Glavaški to get a bicycle so that the three of us could ride together. This anticipation lasted almost until the end of the school year. Voja finally got a Vesta-brand bicycle, just like mine, but his was newer and more stylish by two years.
The Tisa River Dam near Novi Bečej is the largest facility of the Danube–Tisa–Danube Hydrosystem. Its primary function is to release water by gravity into the main canal network of Banat, enabling the irrigation of vast agricultural areas and supplying water to other users. In this way, the released water can be used for multiple purposes simultaneously.
During 1927 and 1928, the Local Party Committee in Kumane developed extensive political activity not only within the village itself but also by assisting Party organizations in neighboring communities, including Zrenjanin, Velike Livade, Novi Bečej, and Melenci. During election campaigns, it helped organize political gatherings and distribute propaganda materials.
June 3 and October 4, 1999
After two open solo-vocal competitions (1995 and 1997) and two invitational composition contests (1996 and 1998), the organizers of “Horizons on the Tisa” planned the seventh edition of the event with great ambition.
Fifty years ago, Novi Bečej was the site of one of the terrible crimes of World War II. After five months of imprisonment, the Jewish community, which had existed in our town for more than one hundred and fifty years, disappeared in a single day and forever. Generations after the war could neither learn about nor experience the presence of these people, who were extremely important for the economic and cultural development of our community.
Altered economic conditions and the development of productive forces in agriculture are the main reasons for the disappearance of farmhouses. With the reduction of land ownership limits after World War II, first to 20, and then to 10 hectares, farmhouses lose their previous significance in production.
In the 1890s, Socialists were already participating in local elections. In some places, they took power. In Kuman, they achieved their greatest success in the municipal administration elections of 1898, when members of the Social Democratic Party were elected to the Municipal Board: Toša Stančić, the municipal prince, Boža Radišić-Bratko, the secretary, Živa Sekulić, and Laza Tubić, councilors.
I do not consider myself an expert qualified to critically evaluate the literary work of Bogdan Čiplić. However, out of respect for him and from the memories of our friendship during the last ten years of his life, I will attempt to present—in the broadest terms—what I observed of his literary output.
The development of fisheries along the Main Canal Network (OKM) is observed through:
- the use of canal water for recreational and commercial fishing, and
- the supply of fishponds with water along the OKM.
This image shows the appearance of Novi Bečej in the late 1910s, with a focus on its Main Street — at the time, the central axis of everyday life, trade, education, and religion. On the left side, we see the prominent building of the state school, one of the cornerstones of the town’s modernization. This institution served not only as a place of learning but also as a space for shaping the collective identity of a diverse population.
Drainage enables the reception of all excess water from the catchment area—either by gravity (free fall) or artificially using pumps—and evacuates it further into the main receivers: the Tisa and the Danube rivers.
In early 1992, following the adoption of the Serbian Water Law, three public water management companies were established across the territory of Republic of Serbia, covering the entire country. These companies are:
Since we do not have direct and reliable data on when and how the Jewish communities in Novi Bečej and Vranjevo were formed, we will use data from municipal registers of these municipalities for the period from 1895 to 1941, as well as from school registers of primary schools for the period from 1888 to 1941.
He was, heart and soul, bound to Vojvodina. However, those who ingratiated themselves with politicians, receiving authority and promotion to influence the cultural development of the province, saw his dedication as intrusive.
The Obznana was the response of the bourgeoisie to the growing strength and influence of the Communist Party. Its goal was to secure the position of the bourgeoisie and the monarchy while preventing any legal activity of communists and the working class in general.
Between 1945 and 1963, two Water Management Organizations covered the area of the municipality: the Upper Banat Water Organization, with its headquarters in Kikinda, north of Novi Bečej, and the Tisa Water Organization, based in Zrenjanin, south of Novi Bečej. Thus, two water communities existed:
- Upper Banat Water Community (1945-1963)
- Tisa Water Community (1945-1963)
In the northern Banat region, which includes the municipality of Novi Bečej, an organizational unit has existed since 1973 under the Water Management Organization “Gornji Banat” in Kikinda, addressing issues related to the Core Canal Network (CCN).
The only prominent Jew from Novi Bečej who was not arrested at the time was Dr. Dezider Kanic, a lawyer. He made direct contact with the military commander of the town and, proving that he had served as a German "Uhlan" officer, managed to obtain permission to move to Hungary (see the testimony of Dr. Viktor Jordanić).
Tibor Nađ was born in 1952 in Novi Bečej. He graduated from the School of Applied Arts in Novi Sad in 1973. His work spans painting, industrial design, and unique ceramics.
Often, especially at night when I wake up, I find myself walking in my mind through the New Bečej and Vranjevo of the past, as I left them in my youth, and how they became dear to my heart.
The Tisa is a major international river and the largest tributary of the Danube, flowing through four countries. Its total length is 966 km, with 164 km passing through Serbia. The river originates in the Carpathians at an altitude of 1,800 meters, but after 266 km of its upper course, near the mouth of the Samoš, it descends to just above 200 meters, gradually sloping to its confluence with the Danube.
A master of watercolor and a guitar virtuoso, Branislav Stojančev—affectionately known to the people of Novi Bečej as Paša—was born in 1952. A lover of art, nature, and the Tisa River, he began his watercolor journey in 2001, dedicating himself to this delicate yet demanding painting technique. Since then, he has embraced its challenges with great success, finding in watercolor a source of peace, inspiration, and inner balance.
In geographical terms, Banat is a region in the southern part of the vast Pannonian Plain, bordered by the rivers Mureș, Tisza, Danube, and the Transylvanian Alps. A large portion of Banat lies in Romania, a small part in Hungary, while the Yugoslavian section is located along the lower courses of the mentioned rivers.
Folk songs like "Hey homesteads, I will come to you again..." or "Hey homesteads in the north of Bačka," with their exceptional melody and perhaps perfectly chosen words, awaken a longing for homesteads even in those who have never experienced their charms in reality.
Irrigation
Irrigation is one of the most important functions of the primary canal network, as it enables the distribution of water from the Tisa River into the central parts of Banat. According to project plans, the primary canal network should supply water for the irrigation of approximately 300,000 hectares in Banat. The intake of Tisa water in this region is carried out by gravity.
Although I lived with my parents on a farm near Novi Bečej, on the road to Kumane, all my close friends during those childhood years were from Vranjevo. Thanks to their stories, I fell in love with certain parts, or rather places, of the Vranjevo field more than with those of Novi Bečej, and I was eager to get to know them better.
- Ferenc Gomba – Left Winger of DMKS Turul and Novi Bečej Football Legend
- Excursions to the Surroundings of Novi Bečej and Vranjevo
- 13th Horizons on the Tisa – Josif Marinković Days 2005 | Novi Bečej
- Horizons on the Tisa – Days of Josif Marinković in Novi Bečej (1993)
- Founding of S. C. Zanatlija – The First Workers’ Football Club in Novi Bečej
