Szabadka

Subotica Суботица Szabadka
City
City of Subotica
Subotica photomontage
Flag Coat of arms
Location of the city of Subotica within Serbia
Coordinates: 46°06′01″N 19°39′56″E / 46.10028°N 19.66556°E / 46.10028; 19.66556Coordinates: 46°06′01″N 19°39′56″E / 46.10028°N 19.66556°E / 46.10028; 19.66556
Country	Serbia
Province	Vojvodina
District	North Bačka
Settlements	19
Government
• Mayor	Bogdan Laban (SNS)
• Ruling parties	SNS/SVM
Area
• Land	1,008 km2 (389 sq mi)
Area rank	13th
Elevation	109 m (358 ft)
Population (2011)
• City	97,910
• Rank	6th
• Urban	105,681
• Metro	141,554
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	24000
Area code(s)	(+381) 24
Vehicle registration	SU
Website	Official website

Subotica (Serbian Cyrillic: Суботица [sǔbɔtit͡sa], Hungarian: Szabadka) is a city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Subotica is now the second largest city in the province, following the city of Novi Sad. According to the 2011 census, the city itself has a population of 97,910, while the urban area of Subotica (with adjacent urban settlement of Palić included) has 105,681 inhabitants, and the population of metro area (the administrative area of the city) stands at 141,554 people.

The earliest known written name of the city was Zabotka or Zabatka, which dates from 1391. It is the origin of the current Hungarian name for the city "Szabadka".

According to one opinion, the Name "Szabadka" comes from the adjective szabad, which derived from the Slavic word for "free" – svobod. According to this view, Subotica's earliest designation would mean, therefore, something like a "free place".

The origin of the earliest form of the name (Zabotka or Zabatka) is obscure. However, according to a local Bunjevci newspaper, Zabatka could have derived from the South Slavic word "zabat" (Gable), which describe parts of Pannonian Slavic houses.

The town was named in the 1740s for Maria Theresa of Austria, Archduchess of Austria. It was officially called Sent-Maria in 1743, but was renamed in 1779 as Maria-Theresiapolis. These two official names were also spelled in several different ways (most commonly the German Maria-Theresiopel or Theresiopel), and were used in different languages.

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Wikipedia