Subotica

Subotica (Serbian Cyrillic: Суботица, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}pronounced [sǔbotitsa] ⓘ; Hungarian: Szabadka, Rusyn: Суботица) 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 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 94,228, and the population of metro area (the administrative area of the city) stands at 123,952 people.[1] The name of the city has changed frequently over time.[2] The earliest known written name of the city was Zabotka[3] or Zabatka,[4] which dates from 1391. It is the origin of the current Hungarian name for the city "Szabadka".[4] Other sources claim, that the name "Szabadka" comes from the adjective szabad, which derived from the Slavic word for "free" – svobod, referring to the status of the colonists settled in this zone by the Habsburg after the Battle of Zenta.[5] The town was named in the 1740s after 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.[2]