Jabuka

Name

The Serbian and Macedonian place names mean apple. The Hungarian name (official name Torontálalmás from 1898 to 1918) meant apple of Torontál. The German name (official name Apfeldorf from March 1943 to September 1944) meant apple's village.A legend tells about Serbian fishermen who settled nearby an apple tree. The legend has been published for the first time in 1912. There is no deed or other evidence of founding by first settlers.

Geography

Jabuka is located on flat and fertile plains nearby the Tamiš river at 44°56′35″N 20°35′35″E, approximately 11 km NW of Pančevo and 27 km NE of Pančevo bridge to Belgrade.

History

In the seventies of the 20th century, a team of the Archaeological Institute of Belgrade carried out extensive excavations on the communal area. The scientists found objects and tracks of a temporary settlement of Neolithic (Vinča and Starčevo cultures), Chalcolithic (Baden culture) and Iron periods.

The communal area was a part of Temeşvar Eyalet in Ottoman Empire since 1552, after the Treaty of Požarevac a part of Habsburg's Banat, since 1765 of the military frontier (Austrian Empire) and then it belonged to the Torontál county of Austria-Hungary. After World War I was that area a part of provisional Torontalsko-tamiške županja (Treaty of Trianon), in 1922 of Belgrade oblast and since 1929 of the Danube Banovina in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In the time after World War II its belonged to the Srez Pančevo of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The communal area of Jabuka was a part of the administrative region of the Pančevo municipality from all these centuries to the present.

Demographic history

In December of 1764, a military commission of Viennese Hofkriegsrat registered 88 Rascian people who lived in 69 more or less habitable houses.From 1765 to 1945, it was mostly populated by Germans, and some Romanians lived there as well. In 1921, the population of the village numbered 3,265 inhabitants, including 2,819 Germans, 348 Romanians, 73 Hungarians, 20 Serbs and Croats, 2 Slovenes, 2 Russians, and 1 Englishman. After the defeat of Axis Powers, in 1944, one part of German population left from the region, together with defeated German army. The remaining Germans of the village were sent after local imprisonment to internment camp in Knićanin that existed until 1948. Some of the Germans died in this camp from starvation, cold, and disease. Some were shot or tortured. 423 German civilians from Jabuka did not survive the prison camp. After prison camps were dissolved (in 1948), the remaining German population left Yugoslavia because of economic reasons.

In the time period after World War II the village was settled with families that originated from all parts of Yugoslavia. Most of the settlers were from Macedonia, many of them originating from Kriva Palanka Municipality. In 1948, the majority of inhabitants were Macedonians (2,806 or 63.88%).

Stratište Memorial

The name Stratište (Serbian Cyrillic Стратиште) means place of scaffold. This inaccurate term paraphrases a location of executions by shooting. Political prisoners of National Socialism and Communism have been killed on this location during World War II in Yugoslavia. Special commands of Wehrmacht and German Police killed there more than 5,000 Serbian Jews and Romani people over a period of October to November 1941 and Yugoslavian people from June to September 1944.Danube Swabian members of the regional paramilitary formation Deutsche Mannschaft killed there 146 prisoners from Bor on 30 September 1944.Special commands of Yugoslav Partisans killed there 36 German prisoners from Jabuka and 72 Yugoslavian prisoners in October and November 1944.There is a memorial which has been built in 1980 and it is 4 km away from the village.

Economy

The main occupation of the people is in agriculture, as with many other local settlements. However, many of the inhabitants also work in the factories of the neighbouring city of Pančevo. Since 1894, there is an industrial starch factory on the communal area.

Culture

Given that Jabuka was mostly populated with Macedonians, much of the cultural life of the village reflects these people's cultural traditions. Macedonians living in the village are united by the cultural organisation Jabuka. In 1961 the cultural center Kočo Racin was founded in the village. Every year the national holiday Ilinden is celebrated. Since 2008 the festival Tavče Gravče has been also celebrated in the village. President Gjorge Ivanov visited the Macedonian community in September 2011. In the same year a school book in Macedonian language has been introduced. In 2001, local Romani people have formed the association Crni Biseri (Black Pearls).

Sports

There is a football club named OFK Jugoslavija in the village. It was founded in 1935 and its club colors are Blue and White.Since 1959, there is a handball club (Rukometni Klub) named RK Jabuka.