After the Obznana proclamation of 1920, the authorities banned the activities of SKOJ, the revolutionary youth organization of the working class, which also gathered a significant number of rural young people. Despite frequent police raids and arrests, the organization was re-established in Kuman in 1923 and continued to operate illegally until the dictatorship of 1929.
In the final years before the outbreak of the Second World War, a need emerged in Novi Bečej for the establishment of a new football club that would bring together working-class and artisan youth. At that time, Football Club Zvezda already had a stable squad and was, to some extent, closed to the admission of new players from these social groups. As a result, in 1940, a group of young men—mostly of Hungarian origin—founded Sports Club Napredak.
The tenth edition of the Serbian Solo Vocal Music Festival, dedicated to the founder of Serbian art song Josif Marinković, was held from 23 to 25 May 2002 and centered on the Open Solo Singing Competition.
Hajnalka Zerebelji is the first female lawyer in Novi Bečej. After several decades of professional work, she has gained extensive experience, which she gladly shares with younger colleagues.
As the years went by, I wanted to pass on my love for nature to my older friends and join together for excursions around the surroundings of Novi Bečej and Vranjevo. However, it wasn’t easy, as, as I mentioned earlier, there were no established traditions.
Sava Baračkov was born in 1929 in Kumane, Banat, where he completed elementary school. He attended construction and architectural secondary schools in Novi Bečej, Petrovgrad, and Novi Sad. In 1955, he graduated from the Department of Scenography at the Academy of Applied Arts in Belgrade, under the mentorship of Professor Milenko Šerban.
Šandor Kiš was one of the rare true football stalwarts of his generation. A hardworking and exceptionally combative half-back, he left a strong mark with Turul, and after the Second World War he also played for Zvezda.
Miloje Čiplić was born on February 25, 1912, in Novi Bečej.
His parents, both teachers in Novi Bečej, provided conditions for their three sons—Miloje being the youngest—to prepare themselves, undisturbed in a quiet and orderly family haven, to ascend higher on the hierarchical ladder of bourgeois society than they themselves had.
Even in his youth, Bogdan Čiplić was reserved and somewhat detached from social life, although he was a good conversationalist, open as a person, and musically educated. Because of that, he could easily fit into any tavern company. But he lacked one crucial thing—a desire for such a lifestyle. Just like the expression jokingly says: "but"—what ruins a girl’s happiness. That "but" steered Bogdan Čiplić’s life.
I remember certain streets, their dusty roads in the summer and worn-out, brick-paved sidewalks, or if I think about autumn, then muddy roads and ditches full of water, so in some parts, the entire street was covered with water. I can't imagine such a street without the noise of geese, bathing and chasing each other in the water, breaking the monotony of an otherwise very quiet street.
In the photographs that tell a story of the past, we see Boško Maksić, known as "Šeboj," once a symbol of hard work and prosperity. Born in Kuman, he was a wealthy farmer and a respected member of his community. However, after World War II, his life took a tragic turn. The forced expropriation of his property by the regime completely shattered his life and stability.
Since the great storm of 1931 toppled the slender tower of the Orthodox Church in Novi Bečej, only a few photographs and postcards remain as documents of that never-forgotten, much-talked-about ornament of our church. When a new tower with a wider structure and a considerably shorter height was erected later that same year, the citizens, especially the faithful, did not look upon it with much affection.
The afternoon session of the competition brought a series of exciting races that delighted the audience at the Novi Bečej pool. The greatest interest was sparked by the women’s events, where competitors showed remarkable determination and sporting spirit.
24–27 May 2005
Invitation Composers’ Competition
The 13th edition of the event “Horizons on the Tisa” – Josif Marinković Days began on 18 May in Belgrade, when a delegation from Novi Bečej laid flowers at the graves of Josif Marinković and his grandson, Dr. Ivan Valčić. On the official opening day, 24 May, a wreath was also placed on the building of the former birthplace of the composer in Novi Bečej.
Often, especially at night when I wake up, I find myself walking in my mind through the New Bečej and Vranjevo of the past, as I left them in my youth, and how they became dear to my heart.
A decade of the festival “Horizons on the Tisa” has placed Novi Bečej among the rare towns that can proudly claim an event of high cultural importance—one that has steadily won the attention of musicians, composers, musicologists, and audiences alike.
The name of composer Josif Marinković is spoken with deep reverence by the people of Novi Bečej, especially by the residents of the Vranjevo district. And rightly so — he is the most distinguished figure ever born in this town.
Sometimes, enchanted by the magic of summer evenings, sitting on the benches of the embankment, we would decide to share our joy with those who were not with us that night. And so, we would make the decision to perform a serenade for one of our dear friends or a charming guest.
The memories of Easter and Christmas traditions are beautiful—customs that our children, especially our grandchildren, no longer know, yet they remain etched in our memories.
Before saying more about Easter traditions, I must first highlight what was difficult for us as children.
Ferenc Gomba, affectionately known by his friends and teammates as Feri or Frici, was the complete opposite in temperament to his older brother Laci. Quick, lively, and passionate, he stood out as a left winger for DMKS Turul from the very start of the 1941/42 season.
Responsibility, ambition, and dedication marked the life and career of Dr. Milorad Drobac, Doctor of Economic Sciences.
He was born on February 11, 1948, in Bočar, where he completed elementary school as the top student of his class.
May 14–15, 1993
After months of preparation and searching for the right concept and content, the first Days of Josif Marinković – “Horizons on the Tisa” were held on May 14 and 15, 1993, at the Workers’ Hall “Jovan Veselinov Žarko” in Novi Bečej.
The most difficult year for Jedinstvo was 1933. After a generational change at the end of 1932, the club faced a weakened playing squad, while the pitch itself remained flooded until mid-June. Training sessions that schoolteacher Sava Mojić had begun regularly in the autumn of 1932 and resumed in March 1933 were interrupted as early as mid-April due to the flooded ground.
Vilmoš Kujan, born in Novi Bečej, moved to Novi Sad as a boy to learn a trade, where he stayed until 1942. During his time in Novi Sad, he played football, which made him one of the top players in Novi Bečej upon his return. In DMKS Turul, during the early war years, he quickly established himself as one of the team’s most important first-team players, alongside István Berta.
The medieval settlement of Arača is located on the southern shore of Crna Bara, a watercourse within the alluvial plain of the Tisza River, about 13 kilometers east of its riverbed. The name of this settlement, also referred to in sources as Potiska Arača, is associated with the ruins of a basilica and monastery.
I do not consider myself an expert qualified to critically evaluate the literary work of Bogdan Čiplić. However, out of respect for him and from the memories of our friendship during the last ten years of his life, I will attempt to present—in the broadest terms—what I observed of his literary output.
Between 1947 and 1957, research, geodetic surveys, studies, and conceptual designs were carried out.
From 1957 to 1977, main designs were developed and the basic canal network was constructed. The works were carried out under variable conditions, and the difficulties encountered caused delays and slowed down construction.
The renowned artist and painter Tibor Nađ was born in Novi Bečej on March 23, 1952. He completed his primary education in his hometown and later graduated from the Bogdan Šuput School of Design in Novi Sad, majoring in Interior and Furniture Design.
In the "Sveska Matice srpske" (Materials and Contributions to Culture and Social History), number 6/1987, Mr. Milana Bikicki, in the article "First Steps in Musical Education of Serbs in Hungary," writes:
The defeat against Banat, which had experienced adult players, did not discourage the boys of Zvezda. On the contrary, they devoted themselves even more to training and played two away matches – the first in Bašaid and the second in Baodra. In these games, Zvezda also included a few former Jedinstvo players, which added physical strength to the team, but it came at the cost of the technical combination play that had been their trademark. Had they continued this way, Zvezda probably would not have fared better than Banat.
