[7] 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.

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.

[4] It is located in the Pannonian Basin at 46.07° North, 19.68° East, at the altitude of 109m, about 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the border with Hungary, and is the northernmost city in Serbia.

[9][10] Sand dunes area Subotička Peščara is located north of the city, along the Hungarian border.

[11] Subotica has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) that is uncommon in Serbia except at higher elevations, Kingdom of Hungary c. 1301–1526 Ottoman Empire 1542–1686 Habsburg monarchy 1686–1804 Austrian Empire 1804–1867 Austro-Hungarian Empire 1867–1918 Kingdom of Serbia 1918 Kingdom of Yugoslavia[13] 1918–1941 Hungarian occupation of Yugoslavia 1941–1944 SFR Yugoslavia[14] 1944–1992 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1992−2003 Serbia and Montenegro 2003–2006 Republic of Serbia 2006–present In the Neolithic and Eneolithic periods, several important archaeological cultures flourished in this area, including the Starčevo culture,[15] the Vinča culture,[16] and the Tiszapolgár culture.

Before the Iazyge conquest in the 1st century BC, Indo-European peoples of Illyrian, Celtic and Dacian descent inhabited this area.

[21] In the Early Middle Ages various Indo-European and Turkic peoples and states ruled in the area of Subotica.

The first Slavic states that ruled over this region included the Principality of Lower Pannonia (846-875), Great Moravia (833–c.

King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary gave the town to one of his relatives, János Pongrác Dengelegi, who, fearing an invasion by the Ottoman Empire, fortified the castle of Subotica, erecting a fortress in 1470.

During the military and political havoc following the defeat at Mohács, Subotica came under the control of Serbian mercenaries recruited in Banat.

[24] The leader of these mercenaries, Jovan Nenad, established in 1526–27 his rule in Bačka, northern Banat and a small part of Syrmia and created an independent entity, with Subotica as its administrative centre.

He named Radoslav Čelnik as the general commander of his army, while his treasurer and palatine was Subota Vrlić, a Serbian noble from Jagodina.

When Bálint Török returned and recaptured Subotica from the Serbs, Jovan Nenad moved the administrative centre to Szeged.

After the decisive battle against the Ottomans at Senta led by Prince Eugene of Savoy on 11 September 1697, Subotica became part of the military border zone Theiss-Mieresch established by the Habsburg monarchy.

Rác was a designation for the South Slavic people (mostly Serbs and Bunjevci) and they often were referred to as rácok in the Kingdom of Hungary.

The majority left the town in protest and some of them founded a new settlement just outside 18th century Subotica in Aleksandrovo, while others emigrated to Russia.

During the 1848–49 Revolution, the proclaimed borders of autonomous Serbian Vojvodina included Subotica, but Serb troops could not establish control in the region.

As a result, Subotica became a border-town in Yugoslavia and did not, for a time, experience again the same dynamic prosperity it had enjoyed prior to World War I.

In 1941, Yugoslavia was invaded and partitioned by the Axis Powers, and its northern parts, including Subotica, were annexed by Hungary.

During the 1944–45 period, about 8,000 citizens [failed verification] (mainly Hungarians) were killed by Partisans while re-taking the city as a retribution for supporting Axis Hungary.

Subotica boasts a remarkable collection of buildings built in the Hungarian Secession style, a distinct variant of Art Nouveau.

It found its architectural expression in Subotica in the works of Marcell Komor, Dezső Jakab and Ferenc Raichle.

[citation needed] Iconic buildings like the Subotica Synagogue and the Reichel Palace, are recognized as some of the finest examples of this architectural style in Europe.

Church buildings include the Cathedral of St. Theresa of Avila dating from 1797, the Franciscan friary dating from 1723, the Eastern Orthodox churches also from the 18th century, and the Hungarian Art Nouveau Subotica Synagogue from the early 20th century that reopened after a major renovation in 2018.

[citation needed] Among other Christian communities, the members of the Serbian Orthodox Church are the most numerous with almost third of city's population.

Results of 2024 local elections in Subotica:[44] The original coat of arms and current medium coat of arms have an outlining Latin inscription of Civitatis Maria Theresiopolis, Sigillum Liberæque Et Regiæ, translated as Seal of the Free and Royal City of Maria Theresiopolis.

[46] The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2022):[47] Tutoring of teachers in Subotica dates back to the late 18th century.

Newspapers and magazines published in Subotica: A1 motorway connects the city with Novi Sad and Belgrade to the south and, across the border with Hungary, with Szeged to the north.

While neighbouring cities' trams at this date were often still horse-drawn, this gave the Subotica system an advantage over other municipalities including Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zagreb, and Szeged.

The city is served by Subotica Airport; its runway is too short for airliners, limiting usage to mostly recreational aviation.