Beli Manastir

Sister cities

• Lánycsók
• Dunaszekcső
• Mohács

History

In the 9th century, this area was part of the Slavic Principality of Lower Pannonia and a Slavic monastery was situated here. The monastery was founded during the visit of Cyril and Methodius, who spread Christianity among Slavs. After Methodius died, his students were expelled and the monastery was razed. After the arrival of the Hungarians in the 10th century, this area was included in the newly founded Hungarian state and the settlement was built at this locality. The town was first mentioned in 1212 under name Pél. During Hungarian administration, another monastery was built here (in the 13th century), but it was destroyed by the Mongols in 1241. It was later rebuilt, but was again destroyed during the Ottoman conquest in the 16th century. Between 11th and 16th centuries, the area administratively belonged to the Baranya county. In the 16th–17th century, the area was part of the Ottoman Empire and administratively belonged to the Sanjak of Mohaç. Since the end of the 17th century, the area was part of the Habsburg monarchy and administratively belonged to the Baranya county, which was part of the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. Until the end of World War II, the inhabitants were Danube Swabians, also called locally as Stifolder, because their ancestors arrived around 1720 from Fulda (district). Most of the former German settlers were expelled to Allied-occupied Germany and Allied-occupied Austria in 1945-1948, consequent to the Potsdam Agreement. Since 1918, the town was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed to Yugoslavia). From 1918 to 1922, it was part of the Novi Sad county, from 1922 to 1929 part of the Bačka Oblast, and from 1929 to 1941 part of the Danube Banovina. From 1941 to 1944, it returned to Hungary and was administratively…

Geography

The Town of Beli Manastir is composed of 4 settlements: *Beli Manastir, population 8,049 * Branjin Vrh, population 993 * Šećerana, population 540 * Šumarina, population 486