Kelebija

For village in Hungary, also close to the border, see Kelebia.

Village in Vojvodina, Serbia

Kelebija

Келебија (Serbian)
Kelebia (Hungarian)

Village (Selo)

The Catholic church in Kelebija

Subotica

Kelebija

Palić

Mala Bosna

Ljutovo

Hajdukovo

Bački Vinogradi

Šupljak

Bikovo

Donji Tavankut

Gornji Tavankut

Mišićevo

Bajmok

Đurđin

Stari Žednik

Novi Žednik

Višnjevac

Čantavir

Bačko Dušanovo

Municipality of
Subotica

Kelebija

Location of Kelebija within Serbia

Show map of Vojvodina

Kelebija

Kelebija (Serbia)

Show map of Serbia

Kelebija

Kelebija (Europe)

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Coordinates: 46°06′00″N 19°34′00″E﻿ / ﻿46.1°N 19.5667°E﻿ / 46.1; 19.5667
Country|  Serbia
Province|  Vojvodina
District| North Bačka
Municipality| Subotica
Area

[1]

• Total

| 55.89 km2 (21.58 sq mi)
Population

(2011)

• Total

| 2,142
• Density| 38/km2 (99/sq mi)
Time zone| UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+2 (CEST)

Kelebija (Serbian Cyrillic: Келебија; Hungarian: Kelebia or Alsókelebia) is a village located in the administrative area of Subotica, Serbia. As of 2011, it has a population of 2,142 inhabitants and Hungarian ethnic majority. A border crossing between Serbia and Hungary is located in the village.

## History

[edit]

There is a small lake at the south-western part of the village, next to which there is a little hill often called "Church Hill" by the local people. Today, however, there is no church in this site, but there are some remnants of a medieval settlement here, among them also the foundations of a larger building, which was probably the church of the medieval settlement called Kalyb.

Kalyb, that is to say, today's Kelebija was mentioned first time in 1297 as the property of Simon Filins Wasa de Kelyb, an aristocrat in the Kingdom of Hungary.

The village became destroyed and depopulated during the Ottoman occupation of the region.

In 1702, the territory of the deserted village (puszta in Hungarian) became attached to Subotica, the largest settlement in the region at that time.

The facade of the Catholic Church Passport stamp from the Kelebija border crossing from Serbia into Hungary.

According to a map drawn in 1783, the territory of today's Kelebija was completely intersect by many important roads going out from Subotica towards Baja, Bácsalmás, Tataháza, Mátéháza, Mélykút and Kiskunhalas. Along these roads many people settled forming several rows of houses (houses close to each other). These rows of farmhouses are called sor in Hungarian language, and from the 19th century many of the relatively distant parts of the territory of Kelebia have been called sor with different names: Akasztai sor (Akasztai's row), Belső sor (inside row), Csajkás sor (the row of hard working men), Kertész sor (the row of gardener), Kernyájszky sor (Kernyájszky's row). This latter designation indicates the name of a wealthy man who had several servants living not too far from his villa. This is interesting to note, because Kernyájszky's row of houses is often called also as Szerb sor in Hungarian language, referring probably to the ethnic origin (szerb means Serb) of the inhabitants of this part of Kelebija.

The forming of Kelebija as a proper village took place, actually, in the 20th century, when a monumental Catholic church was built (1937) for the numerous faithful living dispersed in the region. The church served as a meeting point for people and many of them started building their homes around the church, forming thus the center of a proper village.

After World War I, Kelebija became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croat and Slovenes  (later Yugoslavia). A part of Kelebija's territory that traditionally belonged to the village remained in Hungary, forming thus a new settlement on the other side of the border, which is called with the same name, but with Hungarian spelling Kelebia. That is why Hungarians often call Kelebija as Alsókelebia, that is to say Lower-Kelebija. Kelebija was ruled again by Hungary between 1941 and 1944 during World War II.

In 1978, the border crossing between Yugoslavia and Hungary was open, putting thus to end the relative isolation of the village from the rest of the world.

Today, Kelebija is the most northern settlement in Serbia, a few hundred meters from the border with Hungary.

## Demographics

[edit]

As of 2011 census, the village has 2,142 inhabitants.

### Historical population

[edit]

* 1961: 2,974
* 1971: 2,434
* 1981: 1,995
* 1991: 1,975
* 2002: 2,168
* 2011: 2,132

### Ethnic groups

[edit]

Hungarian dancers in front of the Catholic church

The ethnic composition of the village is as follows (2002 census):

* Hungarians = 1,275 (58.81%)
* Serbs = 367 (16.93%)
* Croats = 138 (6.37%)
* Bunjevci = 133 (6.14%)
* Yugoslavs = 102 (4.71%)
* Others

## See also

[edit]

* List of places in Serbia
* List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina

## References

[edit]

* Slobodan Ćurčić, Broj stanovnika Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 1996.

1. ^ "Насеља општине Суботица" (pdf). stat.gov.rs (in Serbian). Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 24 October 2019.[permanent dead link]

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kelebija.

* Kelebija Customs Details

* v
* t
* e

Cities, towns and villages in the North Bačka District

Subotica|

* Bajmok
* Bački Vinogradi
* Bačko Dušanovo
* Bikovo
* Višnjevac
* Gornji Tavankut
* Donji Tavankut
* Đurđin
* Kelebija
* Ljutovo
* Mala Bosna
* Mišićevo
* Novi Žednik
* Palić
* Stari Žednik
* Hajdukovo
* Čantavir
* Šupljak

Bačka Topola|

* Bagremovo
* Bajša
* Bački Sokolac
* Bogaraš
* Gornja Rogatica
* Gunaroš
* Zobnatica
* Kavilo
* Karađorđevo
* Krivaja
* Mali Beograd
* Mićunovo
* Novo Orahovo
* Njegoševo
* Obornjača
* Tomislavci
* Panonija
* Pačir
* Pobeda
* Svetićevo
* Srednji Salaš
* Stara Moravica

Mali Iđoš|

* Lovćenac
* Feketić

(*) bold are municipalities or cities

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany

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