Flood protection, or the management of external waters, is achieved by improving the defense conditions on the watercourses that cross the state border, specifically those coming from Romania. These watercourses include the Zlatica, Begej, Tamiš, and others, which have embankments built along them and, before the construction of the Main Canals, faced serious problems with flood defense.
According to Radnički list, Ljubomir Čolić, president of the Local Party Organization in Kumane, was elected as a delegate to the Second Congress of the Party, held from June 20 to 25, 1920, in Vukovar. In June, a local party conference was held at which seven delegates were elected for the Second Party and Trade Union Congress.
We have no data on how the social life of Jews in Novi Bečej and Vranjevo was organized. However, there remains a general impression among those who remembered that time that the main strength that united them was their religious community, which followed the development of the community and sought to organize assistance whenever a family faced difficulties.
In the years leading up to World War II, the Jewish community of Novi Bečej lived much like the rest of the town’s population. They did not perceive the rise of fascist movements across Europe as an immediate threat to their survival, believing that, if war broke out, they would manage like everyone else. This belief was perhaps reinforced by the fact that there were very few ethnic Germans in Novi Bečej, and anti-Semitism was not openly felt.
Mihalj Mesaroš was born in Novi Bečej in 1935, in an era when dreams were shaped on dusty football pitches and the game itself was played more with the heart than for reward. His first steps toward the wider world were taken in Zrenjanin, from where, at only eighteen years of age, his exceptional talent carried him further than he could have imagined — straight into the ranks of FK Partizan.
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.
On August 2, 1921, the Assembly adopted the Law on the Protection of Public Security and Order in the State, tightening measures against communists. This law prescribed harsh punishments for any communist activity, including the death penalty.
A master of watercolor and a guitar virtuoso, Branislav Stojančev—affectionately known to the people of Novi Bečej as Paša—was born in 1952. A lover of art, nature, and the Tisa River, he began his watercolor journey in 2001, dedicating himself to this delicate yet demanding painting technique. Since then, he has embraced its challenges with great success, finding in watercolor a source of peace, inspiration, and inner balance.
After drainage, water supply has taken the most significant place. Future water consumption from the Basic Canal Network (OKM) and the spatial distribution of water demand have been considered. The characteristics of the OKM's water intake points on the Danube and Tisa Rivers have been studied, with attention to technical reliability and cost-effectiveness of water supply.
Stevan Davidović was born on October 6, 1949, in Novi Bečej. He completed his primary and secondary education in his hometown, where he also graduated from the local Grammar School. He went on to earn a degree from the Higher Pedagogical School in Zrenjanin, majoring in Serbo-Croatian language and the history of Yugoslav literatures.
The competition began in the morning at 10 o’clock with a ceremonial parade of all participants in front of the stands by the Tisa River, which were filled to the last seat. After the presentation of plaques and commemorative awards, the start of the event was officially announced. The jury consisted of the leader of the Belgrade club Bob, Đorđe Paljić, and the event organizers Brana Kiselički and Vasa Nićin.
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.
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.
Zdravko Gavrić lived in Novi Bečej under an assumed name, Zdravko Radosavljević, as he had escaped arrest by the Hungarian authorities in Stari Bečej, which was under Hungarian occupation at the time.
Poverty and harsh working conditions forced the rural poor and proletariat to organize and fight through strikes. Although there were strikes in previous years, those in 1897 were the most massive. The center of the struggle was in Elemir, and the most significant battle took place in Potisje, in the former District, where the strike gained the most momentum in Turski Bečej, Kuman, Melenac, and especially in the Torda municipality.
In Novi Bečej, even before the establishment of the Yugoslav Bowling Federation in Belgrade, there was already a very active bowling section. There is no written record of when the bowling section was originally formed, but based on documentation preserved and made available by the well-known collector from Novi Bečej, Andre Karolj, it is evident that since 1948, within the Unified Physical Culture Society “Zvezda,” in Vološinovo (the post-war name for Novi Bečej), alongside football, basketball, table tennis, swimming, and chess sections, there was also a very active bowling section.
The general characteristic of this era was the strong development of industrialization, modernization of transportation, with a marked preference for railroads. Novi Bečej, in such conditions, had nothing to offer. In fact, it lost its previous advantage, and this was the cause of its increasing lag behind Veliki Bečkerek and Velika Kikinda, which gained new momentum.
The children’s football clubs Zvezda and Banat in Novi Bečej effectively existed as early as 1932, rather than 1931 as later stated on Zvezda’s official memorandum. It should also be noted that during its first two years, Banat competed under the name Orao.
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.
In the area of today's municipality of Novi Bečej, several water cooperatives existed, starting from 1845, which were either dissolved or reorganized into different forms by 1945:
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 total length of navigable canals currently amounts to:
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.
May 11–13, 1994
The successful organization of the first “Horizons on the Tisa” festival did not go unnoticed in the musical circles of Serbia.
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.
During 1927 and 1928, the Local Party Committee in Kumane developed extensive political activity not only within the village itself but also by assisting Party organizations in neighboring communities, including Zrenjanin, Velike Livade, Novi Bečej, and Melenci. During election campaigns, it helped organize political gatherings and distribute propaganda materials.
Drinking in front of stores in Serbia is not just a custom – it’s an institution! It dates back to the first store and the first bottle of rakija – essentially, since the dawn of time. Even the old craftsmen in the Ottoman period would take a “merak break,” drinking in front of shops while debating if it would rain.
After the war, in 1948, Bogdan Čiplić wrote a new play titled Nad popom popa ("A Higher Priest than the Priest"). It was performed around ten times at the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad.
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 two-story building of the former Tursko-Bečejska Savings Bank is located at 3 Marshal Tito Street, extending from the Schlesinger Palace, at the corner with Gimnazijska Street. According to documentation from the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Zrenjanin, written by art historian Vesna Majstorović, the following details about the building are known:
