Banat wine region: the place that Maria Theresa wanted
The mixture of cultures and ethnic diversity is one of the greatest attractions of Banat. Today's image of the region has been shaped by Hungarians, Serbs, Romanians, Turks and Austrians, so it has an impressive history, and the Banat wine region is home to excellent wines.
The winery in Serbia
Let's fly back a little in time. In terms of viticulture, Serbia has a long but uncertain history. Viticulture here has ancient roots, however, the expansion of the Ottoman Empire to Central Europe put an end to winemaking in the area, mainly due to religious laws. As the Ottoman Empire declined, wine production slowly resumed. Serbia fought for its independence in the late 19th century, and after the Second World War, wine production in the country increased significantly as part of Yugoslavia. At the end of the 20th century, long before its disintegration, Yugoslavia boasted 500 hectares of vineyards. Today, vineyards make up about ten percent of this in Serbia. For much of the late 000th century, winemaking followed a state-subsidized, collectivized, cooperative model. By the beginning of the 20st century, production had become significantly more localized, and in the 21s, Serbian winemaking not only began to flourish, but took a sharp and decisive turn toward quality and variety. High-quality wines account for about 2000 percent of production, some of which is made in the Banat wine region.
A little history
It is named after Banat, from the Banat Plain. As such, the wider Banat covers not only the north-eastern part of Serbia, but also Western Romania and, geographically, a small area of southern Hungary in the southern part of Csongrád-Csanád county. Before the Roman Empire AD. In 106 it invaded the Banat region, the country was inhabited by Dacians. The southern part of the medieval Hungarian kingdom was gradually occupied by the Turks during the Ottoman period, while in the early 18th century it was part of the Habsburg Empire. Maria Theresa was very interested in Banat and filled the region with German Catholic peasants. North Banat, Central and South Banat have been located in Vojvodina since the First World War, the eastern part of Romania and the northwestern part of Hungary.
Excellent terrain for viticulture
Serbia’s geographical location and weather conditions allow it to grow grapes in almost every part of the country, and there are about 700 types of wine. The topography of the Banat varies between 100 and 500 meters and is covered by both hills and plains. Gravelly eroded, rich soils rich in iron and microelements, chernozem and loess mud can all be found here. The vineyards are located in the south, southwest or southeast, most of them located on a plateau. Due to the geographical location of Vojvodina, it is a suitable terrain for viticulture. The climate of the province is moderately continental, with hot summers, cold winters and little rainfall. South Banat is the second largest wine-growing region in Vojvodina, comprising about 4200 hectares of vineyards around the towns of Vršac and Bela Crkva, north of the Danube and east of Belgrade on the Romanian border. The landscape here is a bit more undulating compared to the more northerly plains, the Vršac Mountains being the backdrop for many vineyards. The grapes from the Banat grapes are muscat ottonel, chardonnay, pinot grigio, Rhine and Welsh and Banat Riesling, smederevka, župljanka and kreaca.
What to see in Banat?
There are plenty of sights in Banat, we list some without claiming to be exhaustive.
The Roman Catholic Church, designed by Frigyes Schulek in Versec (Vršac) and the city museum, which boasts 300.000 exhibits, are a must-see.
The pride of Kikinda (Kikinda) A rarity in agricultural history at European level is the dry mill, built in 1899 and still operating today.
The town hall of Zrenjanin should be highlighted, the plans were made by architect József Fischer. The Baroque building was built in 1820. Based on the plans of architects Gyula Pártos and Ödön Lechner, the building was rebuilt and expanded with two side wings. The neo-Romanesque Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John of Nepomuk, built between 1864 and 1868, is also worth a visit.
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