TOWN HISTORY
The first historical records of Bečej date from 1091. The then name Bečej referred not to a particular settlement on the today's territory of Bečej but to the fortress and the quay on the river Tisa.
The fortress was placed on the river island, 6 km away from today's Bečej. From that period on it had had a series of owners within Austria-Hungary empire until it was conquered by Turks. During the Vienna or »Moreja« war Austrians drove the Turks away and according to the Treaty of Karlovac in 1699, this territory came under Austrian rule. So the peace Treaty of Karlovac »condemned« this powerful fortress to demolition.
In the same year on the demolition of the fortress a new settlement rose on the territory of today's Bečej, with the same name. Habsburgs, in order to protect themselves from the Turkish raids from Banat in 1702 and 1703, formed »Potiska« (west of the river Tisa) military frontier. Bečej became its seat with the crew of 300 border guards. Its name then was the Moat Bečej and in 1774 it got the name Old (Stari) Bečej. When the Turks were expelled from Banat, the military border was abolished in 1749. By this act the »Potiski« Crown District was formed in 1751, its seat being Old Bečej. This contributed to the more rapid economic development of Bečej, as well as the increase of population. The District existed until 1848 when it was abolished and it was after the revolution that a new administrative division was carried out so that Bečej became a shire. In the second half of the XIX century the development of agriculture, trade, craftsmanship and industry took place. This placed Bečej with its 19,000 inhanitants among the most prosperous places in Vojvodina.
After the First World war had ended and the Austria-Hungary broke up in 1918, Bečej as a shire became a strong economic centre in the newly founded Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and later in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. From 1921 this rich shire belonged to the Belgrade area. In 1929 »banovine« (regions with civil governors) were formed in the kingdom and Bečej became part of Danube »banovina« where it remained a shire until 1955 when the communal system was introduced. The new reorganization lasted until 1959 and finally in 1960 the administrative division that is still valid took place and Bečej became a municipality.
