Banat – where we are?

The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries:

• the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of Timis, Caras-Severin, Arad south of the Mures, the western part of Mehedinti),
• the western part in northeastern Serbia (the Serbian Banat, mostly included in Vojvodina, except for a small part included in Belgrade Region), and
• a small northern part in southeastern Hungary (Csongrád county).

The Banat is a part of the Pannonian Basin bordered by the River Danube to the south, the River Tisa to the west, the River Mures to the north, and the Southern Carpathian Mountains to the east.

Banat is the Serbian and Romanian language word for a Banate – a term used in the Middle Ages for a region ruled by a military governor, who was called a Ban. Currently Banat is a region that spans 3 countries – Romania, Serbia, and Hungary. However those national boundaries make little sense in terms of history, ethnicity or geography, as it’s been thought of as a single entity for over a thousand years.

Banat short history

Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of stone-age peoples who lived in the Banat region. The Celts were there 2400 years ago,followed by the Romans, Goths, Huns, Gepids, and Avars. During Avar rule, many Slavs moved in until by the the 800’s the region became part of the Bulgarian empire. Hungarians took over around 1000. For 500 years the Banat was a Hungarian-controlled collection of ethnicities.

From 1552 – 1716 the Ottomans ruled, though there were many attempts to break free by Hungarians and Serbs.

In 1716 an alliance of Austrians, Hungarians, Serbs, and Romanians wrested control of most of the Banat from the Turks, and the Austrians took charge. After centuries of warfare, much of the Banat had became de-populated and reverted to marshland, heath, and forest. The Austrians began inviting other German-speakers from Austria Swabia, Alsace and Bavaria. Many settlements in the eastern Banat were developed by Germans and had ethnic-German majorities. The Germans in the Banat region became known as the Danube Swabians, or Donauschwaben.

In 1779, the Banat region was incorporated into the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary.

In 1914, at the beginning of WW1, the Banat was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

At the end of WW1, the victors reduced the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire to a fraction of its former self, carving off the Banat and splitting it between Romania & Serbia...

A Multicultural Treasure of Banat

Banat has always been the center of historical events and population migration.

Multiculturalism is a basic feature that distinguishes Banat from other regions. Banat is, from an ethnic and religious point of view, one of the most heterogeneous regions in Europe. Here Serbs, Romanians, Hungarians, Slovaks,Germans, Croats, Ruthenians, Macedonians, Bunjevians, Czechs, Bulgarians, Slovenes, Roma, Greeks, Albanians, Poles, Russians, Ukrainians and other, coexist and live together centuries back. Traces of different cultures that existed in this area are visible in all municipalities and cities.

Izvor: http://www.aspect.rs/work/76/print-vojvodina-house-brussels

Between the mountains and the plain

The Romanian Banat, is mountainous in the south and southeast, while in the north, west and south-west it is flat and in some places marshy. Game is plentiful and the rivers swarm with fish. Amongst its numerous mineral springs, the most important are those with sulphurous waters, which were already known in the Roman period as the Termae Herculis (Baile Herculane).

„Banat is not just a destination - Banat is a way of life“

In Serbia, Banat is mostly plains. Traditionally is an agricultural country, but in addition to the cultural and historically rooted heritage that makes it possible to offer an indigenous product and to promote the Banat-specific lifestyle (multicultural community, hospitality and local cuisine), significant tourism potential is preserved natural resources. A popular tourist destination in Serbian Banat is Deliblatska Pescara / Deliblato Sands.

The rich cultural heritage, monasteries, archeological sites, thermal and mineral springs, hunting areas, a developed network of canals and rivers are just some of the opportunities to visit this region.