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{{for|the fortress in town|Bač Fortress}}
{{Infobox settlement
| native_name = {{native name|sr-Cyrl|Бач|italics=off}}<br />{{native name|hu|Bács}}<ref name="Statut">{{cite web|url=https://bac.rs/sites/default/files/skupstina/dokumenta/statutob-sl.%202-2019.pdf |title=Статут Општине Бач |trans-title=Municipality of Bač Statute |format=PDF |access-date=19 February 2025 |language=sr |publisher=Municipality of Bač }}</ref><br>{{native name|sk|Bač}}<ref name="Statut"/>
| native_name_lang = sr
| official_name = Bač
| other_name =
| settlement_type = [[List of cities in Serbia|Town]] and [[Municipalities and cities of Serbia|municipality]]
| image_shield = COA Bač (greater).gif
| image_flag =
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| perrow = 1/2/3/2/2
| total_width = 260
| align = center
| caption_align = center
| image1 = Bačka tvrđava - panoramio (10).jpg
| caption1 = [[Bač Fortress]]
| image2 = Zmaj Jovina - panoramio (2).jpg
| caption2 = Bač Town Hall
| image3 = Bač - panoramio.jpg
| caption3 = Bač Town Centre
| image4 = Wiki.Vojvodina V Crkva Sv. Jovana (Bač) 397.jpg
| caption4 = Church of St. John
| image5 = Saint Paul church in Bac (6).jpg
| caption5 = [[St Paul's Church, Bač|Church of St. Paul]]
| image6 = Hamam u Baču 6.jpg
| caption6 = Turkish Bath
| image7 = Bođani monastery, Serbia 02.jpg
| caption7 = [[Bođani Monastery]]
| image8 = Franciscan church in Bac (3).jpg
| caption8 = Franciscan Monastery
| image9 = Wiki.Vojvodina V Bač Fortress 332.jpg
| caption9 = Šiljak Gate
| image10 = Kalvarija - panoramio (5).jpg
| caption10 = Kalvarija
}}
| image_caption = View of the fortress and the town of Bač
| image_map = Municipalities of Serbia Bač.png
| map_caption = Location of the municipality of Bač within Serbia
| mapsize =
| coordinates = {{coord|45|23|N|19|14|E|region:RS|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{SRB}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Administrative divisions of Serbia|Province]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Vojvodina}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of regions of Serbia|Region]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Bačka]] ([[Podunavlje]])
| subdivision_type3 = [[Districts of Serbia|District]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[South Bačka District|South Bačka]]
| subdivision_type4 = [[Municipalities and cities of Serbia|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name4 = Bač
| parts_type = Settlements
| parts_style = para
| p1 = 6
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Lela Milinović ([[Serbian Progressive Party|SNS]])
| leader_title1 =
| leader_name1 =
| area_blank1_title = Town
| area_blank1_km2 = 111.89
| area_blank2_title = Municipality
| area_blank2_km2 = 367.48
| area_footnotes = <ref>{{Serbian municipalities 2006}}</ref>
| elevation_m = 83
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{Serbian census 2022}}</ref>
| population_as_of = 2022 census
| population_blank1_title = Town
| population_blank1 = 4405
| population_density_blank1_km2 = auto
| population_blank2_title = Municipality
| population_blank2 = 11431
| population_density_blank2_km2 = auto
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| postal_code_type = [[Postal codes in Serbia|Postal code]]
| postal_code = 21420
| blank_name = [[Serbian car license plates|Car plates]]
| blank_info = NS
| area_code = +381 21
| area_code_type = [[Telephone numbers in Serbia|Area code]]
| website = {{url|www.bac.rs}}
| blank_name_sec1 = Official languages
| blank_info_sec1 = [[Serbian language|Serbian]] together with [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] and [[Slovak language|Slovak]] on the entire territory and [[Croatian language|Croatian]] in [[Bođani]] and [[Plavna]] and [[Romani language|Romani]] in [[Vajska]]<ref name="Statut"/>
}}
'''Bač''' ({{lang-sr-cyrl|Бач}}, {{IPA|sh|bâːtʃ|pron|Sr-Bacx.ogg}}; {{langx|hu|Bács}}) is a town and municipality located in the [[South Bačka District]] of the autonomous province of [[Vojvodina]], [[Serbia]]. The town has a population of 4,405, while the municipality has 11,431 inhabitants.<ref name="Anon. o709">{{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}}</ref> The entire geographical region between the rivers [[Danube]] and [[Tisza]], today divided between Serbia and Hungary, was named [[Bačka]] after the town.<ref name=Politika>{{ cite news | author = Andrijana Cvetićanin | title = Tvrđava pod prolećnim snegom | trans-title = Fortress under the spring snow | newspaper = [[Politika]]-Magazin, No. 1070 | pages = 19–21 | language = sr | date = 1 April 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/401390/Tvrdava-pod-prolecnim-snegom }}</ref>
== Name ==
In [[Serbian language|Serbian]], the town is known as ''Бач'' (''Bač''); in [[Slovak language|Slovak]] as ''Báč''; in [[Croatian language|Croatian]] ([[Šokac language|Šokac]]) as ''Bač''; in [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] as ''Bács''; in [[German language|German]] as ''Batsch''; in [[Latin language|Latin]] as ''Bach'' or ''Bacs''; and in [[Turkish language|Turkish]] as ''Baç''. Along with Serbian, Slovak and Hungarian are also in official use in the municipality administration.
In the ninth and tenth centuries, the name of the town was ''Bagasin''.<ref>Prof. Dr. Miloš Blagojević, Istorijski atlas, Beograd, 1999</ref>
The [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] writer [[John Kinnamos]] writes that ''Παγάτζιον'' is the most important city in [[Sirmium]].<ref>Boris Stojkovski: [https://trivent-publishing.eu/img/cms/6-%20Boris%20Stojkovski.pdf#page=8 Southern Hungary and Serbia in al-Idrisi’s Geography], page 8, trivent-publishing.eu.</ref> In 1154, the Arab geographer [[Muhammad al-Idrisi|Idrisi]] mention it under name ''Bakasin'' and claim that "it is a famous city that was mentioned among old big cities".
The current name of the town was first recorded in 1094. In 1111 the parish was mentioned as ''Bache''.<ref>[http://lexikon.katolikus.hu/LINKEK/LINKBBBB/02BACS.HTML 02BACS] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104183828/http://lexikon.katolikus.hu/LINKEK/LINKBBBB/02BACS.HTML |date=January 4, 2007 }}</ref> This name probably derived from the same personal name. In [[Serbian language|Serbian]] this name is written as ''[[Bač (personal name)|Bač]]'' (Бач), in [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] as ''Bács'', and in [[Romanian language|Romanian]] as ''Baci'', although the Romanian population used this word as a title rather than as a name. The name is of uncertain origin and its existence was recorded among [[Vlachs]], [[Slavs]] and [[Hungarians]] in the Middle Ages. The origin of the name could be [[Paleo-Balkan languages|Paleo-Balkanic]],<ref>Milica Grković, Rečnik imena Banjskog, Dečanskog i Prizrenskog vlastelinstva u XIV veku, Beograd, 1986</ref> [[Romanian language|Romanian]], [[Slavic languages|Slavic]],<ref>Dr. Aleksa Ivić, Istorija Srba u Vojvodini, Novi Sad, 1929</ref> or [[Turkic languages|Old Turkic]].<ref>[http://www.pallaslexikon.hu/pallas/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=default.htm A Pallas Nagy Lexikona<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060911162541/http://www.pallaslexikon.hu/pallas/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=default.htm |date=September 11, 2006 }}</ref>
In the [[Romanian language|Romanian]], ''Baci'' means "tenant, mountaineer or chieftain of the shepherd habitation in the mountain". The name could be spread into other languages by the Vlach shepherds. However, a similar name, ''Bača'', was recorded among old Russians, which implies the possibility of Slavic origin.<ref>С. Б. Веселовскии, Ономастикон, древнерусские имена, прозвиша и фамилии, Москва, 1974</ref> Hungarian linguists claim that a similar but originally different Hungarian personal name was derived from the Old Turkic ''baya'' dignity in the form ''Bácsa'', which later evolved into ''Bács''.<ref>[https://www.mek.ro/01600/01695/01695.doc 403 Forbidden<!-- Bot generated title -->]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> It is not certain whether name of the town came from Vlach-Slavic or from the Hungarian name. Some Hungarian historians assume that the town was named after the first comes of the county, Bács ispán (Bač župan).<ref>[http://www.dmisz.net/barangolo/tortenelem.htm A Délvidék Rövid Történelme<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929115739/http://www.dmisz.net/barangolo/tortenelem.htm |date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref> However, the existence of that person is not historically confirmed and his ethnic origin is uncertain.
There are several more places with same name (in [[North Macedonia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Montenegro]] and [[Albania]]), as well as a large number of place names beginning with letters "bač-" or "bács-" that are scattered all over the [[Balkans]] and [[Central Europe]], as well as in some other regions.<ref>[http://fallingrain.com/world/a/B/a/269/ Places in World that start with Bač] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116054846/http://fallingrain.com/world/a/B/a/269/ |date=January 16, 2009 }}</ref>
== History ==
[[File:Coat of Arms of Bac from 1880.png|150px|thumbnail|left|Coat of arms of Bač in 1880]]
Evidence show that the area was inhabited already in the younger [[Neolithic]]. The town later developed on an island in the [[meander]] of the [[Mostonga]] river and for centuries was accessible only by the wooden bridge. The river is channeled today as part of the [[Danube–Tisa–Danube Canal]] system and has two proper bridges, so the fortress and the old town are now on a dry land.<ref name=Politika/>
Bač is one of the oldest towns in [[Vojvodina]]. The archeological research showed that an ancient [[Roman Empire|Roman]] settlement existed in this area. Bač was first mentioned in 535 AD, in a letter written by Eastern Roman emperor [[Justinian I|Justinian]]. In 873 AD, the town was mentioned as [[Avars (Carpathians)|Avar]] fortress, inhabited by both, Avars and [[Slavs]]. In this time, the [[Saint Methodius of Thessaloniki|Saint Methodius]], a creator of the [[Early Cyrillic alphabet|Slavic alphabet]], converted to [[Christianity]] Slavs that lived in [[Bačka]] and Bač.
In the tenth century, this region became part of the [[Kingdom of Hungary]]. In the Middle Ages the town was the seat of the [[Bács-Bodrog|Bacsensis]] County. The foundation date of the county is a disputed question, some historians assume that it was one of the first counties of the Kingdom established by [[Stephen I of Hungary|Stephen I]] but there is no documentary evidence of its existence in that time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historia.hu/archivum/2000/0004zsoldos.htm |title=História 2000/04. - ZSOLDOS ATTILA: Szent István vármegyéi. Források, következtetések |publisher=Historia.hu |access-date=2013-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204204621/http://www.historia.hu/archivum/2000/0004zsoldos.htm |archive-date=2012-02-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first known prefect (comes) of the county was recorded in 1074 and his name was [[Vid (prefect of Bacsensis)|Vid]].
King [[Ladislaus I of Hungary|Ladislaus I]] made the town the seat of a new archbishopric in 1085. Previously historians assumed that Bač (Bacs) was a bishopric before that time. The first archbishop, Fabian (1085–1103) helped the king in the course of the campaign against [[Croatia]] and was rewarded with the title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elib.hu/00000/00060/html/034/pc003441.html |title=A Pallas nagy lexikona |publisher=Elib.hu |access-date=2013-03-26}}</ref>
[[Gyula Városy]] proved that king Ladislaus only moved the seat of the [[archbishopric of Kalocsa]] to Bač (Bacs), where he built a cathedral and established a chapter house around 1090. After 1135 the archbishops moved back to their former seat in [[Kalocsa]]. Later the diocese was called the "Archbishopric of Kalocsa-Bacs" (first mentioned in 1266).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lexikon.katolikus.hu/ |title=Magyar Katolikus Lexikon |publisher=Lexikon.katolikus.hu |access-date=2013-03-26}}</ref>
In 1154, the Arab geographer [[Muhammad al-Idrisi|Idrisi]] wrote that Bač is a rich town with many merchants and craftsmen, a place with a lot of wheat and many "Greek scholars" which could refer to [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] priests and monks.
In the early 13th century. [[Ugrin Csák (archbishop of Kalocsa)|Ugrin Csák, Archbishop of Kalocsa]], founded a hospital in Bač, as the first such facility in this part of Europe. Pope [[Gregory IX]] wrote about the "Bačka hospital" in 1234, as being open for the sick and poor.<ref name=Politika/>
The town prospered with the Hungarian king [[Charles I of Hungary|Charles Robert I]] built the fortress in the first half of the 14th century. The fort developed and reached its full extension by the 16th century. From the 15th century, it was the most important Hungarian ramparts against the invading [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman forces]]. The pivotal moment was the disastrous Hungarian defeat in 1526 at the [[Battle of Mohacs]], so the Ottomans conquered Bač in 1529.<ref name=Politika/> During the war between Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, in the 16th century, Serbian despot [[Stevan Berislavić]] successfully defended the Bač fortress from the Ottomans for a long time until the fortress finally fell.
During the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule (16th-17th century), Bač was a seat of a kaza of Bač in [[Sanjak of Segedin]]. Since 1686 the town was under [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg]]. The fortress was mined with explosives in 1704, during the [[Rákóczi's War of Independence]].<ref name=Politika/> During the Austrian rule, many [[Germans]] settled in Bač during this time. After 1918, Bač was part of the [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]] and subsequent [[South Slavs|South Slavic]] states. It was occupied by Hungary between 1941 and 1944 during [[World War II]].
== Characteristics ==
Bač Fortress is the best preserved medieval fort in Vojvodina. Section of Bač below the fortress is called ''Podgrađe''. It consists of 36 houses in the typical lowland Vojvodina style and is protected, together with the fort, as the [[Spatial Cultural-Historical Units of Exceptional Importance (Serbia)|Spatial Cultural-Historical Units of Exceptional Importance]]. The section is directly accessed via the bridge across the canal and through the gate of ''Šiljak''. The houses were built from the 18th to the 20th century, and residents are not allowed to change façades without prior consent from the institutes in charge of protection.<ref name=Politika/>
The fort used to have 8 towers, but five are preserved today. There are four side towers and the tallest, over {{convert|20|m|abbr=on}}, [[keep]] (''donžon''). The fortress was left to the elements from 18th to 20th century. First occasional archaeological explorations began in the 19th century, but the survey in earnest began in the 20th century.<ref name=Politika/> Reconstruction and conservation project, which includes the exploration works, started in 2006. The fortress was restored, archaeological sections were conserved while the visitors center was open in the keep. The project was awarded the 2018 [[Europa Nostra]] Award, European Union prize for cultural heritage.<ref>{{ cite news | author = M.Đorđević | title = Tri nagrade za srpsko nasleđe | trans-title = Three awards for Serbian heritage | newspaper = Politika | page = 20 | language = sr | date = 16 May 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/403792/Tri-nagrade-za-srpsko-naslede }}</ref>
One of the first modern pharmacies in this part of Vojvodina was open in Bač in 1828. It was founded by the Gebauer family, in their family home. The house still exists today and, though the interior is changed, the original [[display window]] and the stairs are preserved.<ref name=Politika/>
== Inhabited places ==
[[File:Bac mun.png|thumb|270px|Map of Bač municipality]]
[[File:Bač fortress, view from the south.jpg|thumb|270px|The fortress of Bač (view from the south)]]
[[File:Bač fortress, view from the south-east.jpg|thumb|270px|The fortress of Bač (view from the south-east)]]
Bač municipality includes the town of Bač (together with [[Mali Bač]] settlement) and the following villages:
*[[Bačko Novo Selo]]
*[[Bođani]]
*[[Vajska]] (together with [[Labudnjača]] and [[Živa (Vajska, Serbia)|Živa]] settlements)
*[[Plavna]]
*[[Selenča]]
== Media ==
[[Zvonik]], a [[Roman Catholic]] [[magazine]] in [[Croatian language|Croatian]], was founded in Bač in 1994.
==Demographics==
According to the 2022 census, the Bač municipality has 11,431 inhabitants.<ref name="Anon. o709">{{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}}</ref>
===Historical population of the town===
*1961: 6,321
*1971: 5,916
*1981: 5,994
*1991: 6,046
*2011: 5,390
*2022: 4,405
{{Historical populations
| type =
| percentages = pagr
|1948|19215 |1953|21050 |1961|22262 |1971|19348 |1981|18243 |1991|17249 |2002|16268 |2011|14405 |2022|11431
| source =<ref>{{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=11 January 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714191241/http://pod2.stat.gov.rs/ObjavljenePublikacije/Popis2011/Knjiga20.pdf |archive-date=14 July 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Anon. o709">{{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}}</ref>
}}
===Ethnic groups===
{{See also|Serbs in Vojvodina|Slovaks in Vojvodina|Croats in Vojvodina|Hungarians in Vojvodina|Romani people of Vojvodina|Romanians in Vojvodina|Muslims (ethnic group)|ethnic Muslims|List of Hungarian communities in Vojvodina}}
The ethnic composition of the municipality:<ref name="Anon. o709">{{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}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Ethnic group
! Population
!%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Serbs]]||align="right"|5,210
|45.58%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Slovaks of Serbia|Slovaks]]||align="right"|2,260
|19.77%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Croats of Serbia|Croats]]||align="right"|873
|7.64%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Romani people in Serbia|Roma]]||align="right"|817
|7.15%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Hungarians in Serbia|Hungarians]]||align="right"|632
|5.53%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Romanians of Serbia|Romanians]]||align="right"|151
|1.32%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Muslims (nationality)|Muslims]]||align="right"|115
|1.01%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Yugoslavs in Serbia|Yugoslavs]]||align="right"|71
|0.62%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Germans in Serbia|Germans]]||align="right"|59
|0.52%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|[[Montenegrins of Serbia|Montenegrins]]||align="right"|24
|0.21%
|-
|style="background:#F5F5DC;"|Others||align="right"|1,219
|10.66%
|-
|style="background:#F0F0F0;"|'''Total'''||align="right"|11,431
|
|}
Settlements with Serb ethnic majority are: Bač, Bačko Novo Selo, and Bođani. The settlement with Slovak ethnic majority is Selenča. Ethnically mixed settlements with relative Serb majority are Vajska and Plavna.
;Town
* [[
* [[Croats]] (8.36%)
* [[Hungarians]] (6.87%)
* [[
* [[Slovaks]] (2.33%)
In the 17th century some Šokci Croats from Tuzla area migrated to Bač as refugees. Today they comprise less than 9% of the population.
==
According to the 2002 census, 66% of inhabitants of the Bač municipality speak [[Serbian language|Serbian]] as mother tongue. Other spoken languages include [[Slovak language|Slovak]] (20%), [[Romanian language|Romanian]] (4%), [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] (3%), [[Croatian language|Croatian]] (3%), and [[Romani language|Romani]] (2%).
Serbian, Slovak, and Hungarian are officially used by municipal authorities.
==Economy==
The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity (as of 2017):<ref name="stats18">{{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=17 March 2019|language=sr}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
! Activity
! Total
|-
|Agriculture, forestry and fishing||align="right"|184
|-
|Mining||align="right"|2
|-
|Processing industry||align="right"|454
|-
|Distribution of power, gas and water||align="right"|-
|-
|Distribution of water and water waste management||align="right"|96
|-
|Construction||align="right"|170
|-
|Wholesale and retail, repair||align="right"|391
|-
|Traffic, storage and communication ||align="right"|85
|-
|Hotels and restaurants||align="right"|98
|-
|Media and telecommunications||align="right"|10
|-
|Finance and insurance||align="right"|21
|-
|Property stock and charter||align="right"|-
|-
|Professional, scientific, innovative and technical activities||align="right"|40
|-
|Administrative and other services||align="right"|68
|-
|Administration and social assurance||align="right"|158
|-
|Education||align="right"|208
|-
|Healthcare and social work ||align="right"|105
|-
|Art, leisure and recreation||align="right"|13
|-
|Other services||align="right"|38
|- class="sortbottom"
|'''Total'''||align="right"|'''2,143'''
|}
== Politics ==
Seats in the municipality parliament won in the 2012 local elections: [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929090625/http://www.cesid.org/lokalni2004/rezultati.jsp?opstina=80055]
*Democratic Party (9)
*Serbian Radical Party (2)
*SNS (6)
*Socialist Party of Serbia (5)
*LSV (3)
== Sites of interest ==
* [[Bač Fortress]];
* [[Bođani monastery]];<ref name=Politika/>
* Remains of the [[Turkish bath]];<ref name=Politika/>
* Kalvarija, memorial locality which consists of 12 pillars built in the 19th century and dedicated to the Christian saints;<ref name=Politika/>
In 2017 the fortress was visited by 6,500 tourists. Other attractions include the Provala Lake, which was formed in the mid-20th century after a flood of the Danube, and a Berava stream, popular among the fishermen.<ref name=Politika/>
=== Franciscan monastery ===
Origins can be traced to the 12th century.<ref name=Politika/> In 1169, [[canon (priest)|canons]] from the knighthood [[Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic)|Order of the Holy Sepulchre]] built a small church in the [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque style]]. They used some building materials from much older previous edifices. Franciscans took over the church in 1300. In the second half of the 14th century, the Franciscans expanded it, forming a monastery. The inner corridors are designed to practically form the cubes. Franciscans added the tall [[bell tower]] and the monastery building, all in the [[Gothic style]]. A nice, [[Renaissance]] style [[sink]] is still preserved. The monastery was surrounded by a [[moat]] and the walls with towers, as was the usual for the monasteries in Hungary at the time. After the Ottoman conquest, the monastery was converted to a [[mosque]] in the 16th century. Some of the Ottoman adaptations still remain, like the south wall's [[mihrab]] - a [[Niche (architecture)|niche]] in the wall that indicates the direction of [[Mecca]]. With the withdrawal of the Ottomans, the Franciscans returned in the 17th century.<ref name=magazin>{{ cite news | author = Andrijana Cvetićanin | title = Занимљива Србија - Муѕејска поставка у фрањевачком самостану | trans-title = Interesting Serbia - Museum exhibition in the Franciscan monastery | newspaper = Politika-Magazin, No. 1079 | pages = 20–21 | language = sr | date = 3 June 2018 }}</ref><ref name=franjevci>{{cite news | author = Jelena Čalija | script-title=sr: Фрањевачки самостан - чувар историје | trans-title = Franciscan monastery - guardian of history | newspaper = Politika | page = 8 | language = sr | date = 28 June 2019}}</ref>
The present appearance of the complex dates from the 1734-1768 period. Visually, the monastery is today a combination of Gothic, Romanesque and Classicist architecture. The dining room still has a large [[doorknob]] from 1736. The monastery hosts a mechanical [[pipe organ]], one of the oldest in this part of Europe. The original one was acquired in 1716 and was "like the one that [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]] plays on". It was replaced with the larger and bigger one, which was made in 1826 and installed in 1827. It has 2 [[Manual (music)|manuals]], 16 [[Register (music)|registers]], almost 1,000 [[organ pipes]] and is fully functional.<ref name=magazin/><ref name=franjevci/>
Restoration of the monastery, dedicated to the [[Assumption of Mary]], began in 2016. The remains of the old moat were discovered during the digging. During the reconstruction, one part of the monastery was adapted into the museum. A permanent archaeological exhibition was set, which shows the continuous habitation of the area, from the Prehistoric time until the 18th century. As the monastery holds numerous Franciscan relics, books, dishes, cloths and other items, they are also exhibited. The idea is to make this one part of the "diffused museum" within the scopes of the "Centuries in Bač" project, which would also include the fortress and the Serbian Orthodox [[Bođani monastery]].<ref name=magazin/> The reconstruction was finished in June 2019.<ref name=franjevci/>
Artifacts in the museum include bricks from the Roman period, which have the game [[Nine men's morris]] or the crosses carved on. Also exhibited are the 13th century remains of the [[fresco]] paintings, including the fresco ''[[Crucifixion of Jesus]] with Virgin Mary'' which was discovered accidentally in 2011. There is also an icon of [[Mary, Mother of God]], painted in 1684, which is protected by the state in 1948 with some of the old and rare books from the monastery library.<ref name=franjevci/>
<gallery>
File:Srpska Pravoslavna crkva - panoramio.jpg|Orthodox Church of Saint John in Bač
File:Saint Paul's Church in Bač (Bács).jpg|[[St Paul's Church, Bač|Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church]]
File:Mali_Bač_Orthodox_church.jpg|The new Orthodox Church in [[Mali Bač]]
File:Wiki.Vojvodina V Franciscan churches in Bač 289.jpg|The Franciscan Monastery
</gallery>
== International relations ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Serbia}}
=== Twin towns — Sister cities ===
Bač is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|NED}} '''[[Vlist]]''', Netherlands
*{{flagicon|CRO}} '''[[Vukovar]]''', Croatia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skgo.org/php/opstine/detalji.php?Id=28&IdSvojstva=MO |title=Bač |publisher=Skgo.org |access-date=2010-03-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927021354/http://www.skgo.org/php/opstine/detalji.php?Id=28&IdSvojstva=MO |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|SVK}} '''[[Senica]]''', Slovakia
== See also ==
*[[Municipalities of Serbia]]
*[[List of places in Serbia]]
*[[List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina]]
*[[Bačka]]
==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
=== Bibliography ===
* Slobodan Ćurčić, ''Broj stanovnika Vojvodine'', Novi Sad, 1996.<!-- publishing info needed: ISSN/ISBN, page(s) -->
== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110518153332/http://www.bacfun.com/ www.bacfun.com - News/Multimedia - Official site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120624182624/http://www.turizambac.org/ www.turizambac.org - web site of Turistic organization Bac ]
{{South Bačka District}}
{{Municipalities of Serbia}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bac (Serbia)}}
[[Category:Bač, Serbia| ]]
[[Category:Places in Bačka]]
[[Category:Populated places in South Bačka District]]
[[Category:Municipalities and cities of Vojvodina]]
[[Category:Towns in Serbia]]
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