Kovačica

The town of Kovačica is located 27km from Pančevo and 43km from Belgrade.

The town was founded in the 18th century, but there are records of small settlements dating from 1458. In the middle of the 18th century, this area was recorded as a wasteland. Settlement was founded in 1750 and was settled (in 1751–1752) by Serb soldiers from Potisje and Pomorišje, after military frontier in these regions was abolished. In 1767, Kovačica was included into German regiment of Banatian Military Frontier.

First Slovaks came here from Ečka and Aradac (in 1783) and after them, Slovaks from Arvas, Trenčin and Bekeš county came here as well (in 1801). From the middle of the 19th century, Kovačica is a center of municipality and cultural and social center of Slovaks in Banat.Source: Stevan Kovačević, Gradovi Srbije u slici i reči, Beograd, 2010.

Kovačica municipality includes the town of Kovačica and the following villages:

• Crepaja
• Debeljača ({{langx|hu|Torontálvásárhely}})
• Idvor
• Padina
• Putnikovo
• Samoš
• Uzdin

{{Kovacica Labelled Map}}

{{Historical populations

| type =

| percentages = pagr

|1948|31682 |1953|32808 |1961|34654 |1971|33489 |1981|32798 |1991|30469 |2002|27890 |2011|25274 |2022|21178

| source = {{cite web|title=2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia|url=http://pod2.stat.gov.rs/ObjavljenePublikacije/Popis2011/Knjiga20.pdf|website=stat.gov.rs|publisher=Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia|access-date=17 March 2019}}{{cite web | title=2022 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings | url=https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2023/PdfE/G20234001.pdf | access-date=2023-12-07}}

}}

According to the 2022 census results, the municipality of Kovačica has 21,178 inhabitants.{{cite web | title=2022 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings | url=https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2023/PdfE/G20234001.pdf | access-date=2023-12-07}}

{{See also|Slovaks in Vojvodina|Serbs in Vojvodina|Hungarians in Vojvodina|Romani people of Vojvodina|Romanians in Vojvodina|List of Hungarian communities in Vojvodina}}

File:Kovacica mun.png

Communities with Slovak majorities are: Kovačica ({{langx|sk|Kovačica}}) and Padina ({{langx|sk|Padina}}). Communities with Serb majorities are: Crepaja, Idvor, Putnikovo and Samoš. There is one community with a Hungarian majority: Debeljača ({{langx|hu|Torontálvásárhely}}), and one community with a Romanian majority: Uzdin ({{langx|ro|Uzdin}}).

The ethnic composition of the municipality:{{cite web | title=2022 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings | url=https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2023/PdfE/G20234001.pdf | access-date=2023-12-07}}

The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity (as of 2017):{{cite web|title=ОПШТИНЕ И РЕГИОНИ У РЕПУБЛИЦИ СРБИЈИ, 2018.|url=http://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2018/Pdf/G201813045.pdf|website=stat.gov.rs|publisher=Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia|access-date=16 March 2019|language=sr}}

File:Kovačica Gallery of Naive Art.jpg

Kovačica is well known for the tradition of naïve art, originating from local Slovak painters.{{Cite web |title=Galerija naivne umetnosti u Kovačici |url=https://slovackizavod.org.rs/sr/galerije/galerija-naivne-umetnosti-u-kovacici/ |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Zavod za kulturu vojvođanskih Slovaka |language=sr-RS}} The Gallery of Naïve Art, founded in 1955, is a major tourist destination in the area. Its most notable representatives are Zuzana Chalupová, also known as Mama Zuzana, Martin Jonáš, Jan Knjazovic, Martin Paluška, Jan Sokol and Jan Venjarski. The gallery organizes various exhibitions and events, such as Kovačički oktobar (Kovačica October), and has a collection of over 800 paintings.{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://naivnaumetnost.com/en/about/ |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=Gallery of naive art |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Galerija naivne umetnosti u Kovačici |url=http://www.took.org.rs/clanak/galerija-naivne-umetnosti-u-kovacici/10038/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=www.took.org.rs |language=en-US}}

Kovačica's naïve painting is characterized by nostalgic, idyllic themes featuring life on the streets and in village yards, work in the fields of the golden Banat plain, and the ambience of country rooms with old carpets and objects.{{Cite web |title=o naivnoj umetnosti |url=http://www.took.org.rs/clanak/o-naivnoj-umetnosti/30162/ |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=www.took.org.rs |language=en-US}} In December 2024, Kovačica's naïve art was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible cultural heritage.{{Cite news |date=5 December 2024 |title=Ethnic Slovak naïve paintings from Serbia join UNESCO’s list of cultural heritage |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/serbia-unesco-slovak-naive-art-kovacica-9301a613e500226b38a6074f0e8c95fd |access-date=5 December 2024}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Serbia}}

Kovačica is twinned with:

• {{flagicon|Slovakia}} Banská Bystrica, Slovakia

• Municipalities of Serbia
• South Banat District

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Kovačica}}

• {{official website|http://www.kovacica.org}}
• [http://www.travel.rs/culture/art/art-and-cultural-events-in-the-municipality-of-kovacica Art and Cultural Events In The Municipality of Kovačica] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205080225/http://www.travel.rs/culture/art/art-and-cultural-events-in-the-municipality-of-kovacica |date=2020-12-05 }}

{{South Banat District}}

{{Municipalities of Serbia}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Slovak communities in Serbia

Category:Populated places in Serbian Banat

Category:Populated places in South Banat District

Category:Municipalities and cities of Vojvodina

Category:Towns in Serbia

Category:Slovaks of Vojvodina