BANATSKI   KARLOVAC

CHRONOLOGY

Karlsdorf - 1802, Karolyfalva - 1894, Nagykarolyfalva - 1911, Oca - 1912, Karlsdorf - 1922,
Banatski Karlovac - 1926.

By the Rescriptum of the War Council in September 17, 1800, a settlement for the settlers of German Raich was established in a meadow of ''Podbresce'' and ''Mali Alibunar'. In May 14, 1801, 212 families arrived. In July 25 a new settlement was named ''Karlsdorf'' after the Duke Karl (Carl) and name was approved by the War Council. An area of land called ''Oca'' was assigned to the settlement of Karlsdorf beside two mentioned meadow areas. The colonists moved into their houses in the spring of 1803. The cemetery was sacred in October 28. A priest was appointed in the settlement in the end of November 1804, and the church was built in 1806. Instead of those deceased new colonists arrived, some of them from Karasovo. There were one 190 households in 1809. According to the census, there were 616 members of the Roman Catholic Church in 1806. Population growth was enormous. There were 1 637 inhabitants in 1827. 1 615 of them were Catholics, 13 of them were Orthodox and 9 of them were Protestants. According to the census, there were 1 725 inhabitants in 1837. 1 702 of them were Catholics, 15 of them were Orthodox and 8 of them were Protestants. Population growth was low due to cholera epidemic and its rapid increase from August 21 to September 7, 1831.
A chapel place was systematized in 1834.
Karlsdorf was an integral part of the German-Banat border Regiment until 1845, when it was allocated to the Serbian-Banat Regiment and became the Company's headquarter. Craftsmen established the guild the same year.
During military interventions in 1848 Alibunar's camp of Serbian Army had its advance guard, repelled by Hungarians, 112 soldiers died.
Grasshoppers did a lot of damage to the local's economy in 1849. The neighbouring town of Vrsac was of great help in destroying grasshoppers.
According to the census, there were 2 278 inhabitants in the settlement in 1854.The total number of inhabitants in the Company was 9 430 inhabitants. The Company included Karlsdorf, Petrovo Selo and Nikolinci.
The first Pharmacy was opened by Gustav Jaros and Brickyard by Lorenz Kalitovitsch in 1869.
The postal service was arranged in 1870, telegraph in 1871 and telephone in 1893.
In 1874 the Municipality obtained a licence to organize fairs weekly and throughout the year. In 1873 Karlsdorf was connected to Timisoara committee, obtained a District Court and became its headquarter. The District Court was moved to the town of Bela Crkva in 1876.
The deed registry (Grundbuch in German) was established in 1881. The new Municipality building was built in 1890. The ''Karlsdorfer Sparcassa'' (The Monetary Office Stock Company) was founded in 1874, the ''Karlsdorfer Spar und Kreditverein'' (The Karlsdorf Savings and Credit Bank) was founded in 1882 and became a Stock Company in 1884.
Fillip Herz opened the Factory of Salami and Fat Products in 1873 and formed well organized board in 1879. An Agricultural Society was founded in 1868, Casina Restaurant in 1879, Volunteer Firemen Society in 1884, Burial Service in 1891 and Farming Society in 1901.
Fillip Herz opened a modern hotel in 1875. A part of the market was constructed in 1880.
In 1883 Johan Mattie and his wife opened a cemetery chapel dedicated to St Martin. The Roman Catholic Church Community was organized in September 1, 1885.
The Karlsdorf Railway Station was opened in 1894, on the newly constructed railway Vrsac-Kovin. An Apprentice School was founded in 1894 and School of Agriculture in 1898. In September 1, 1900, the Municipal Elementary School became a state one and the Hungarian language educational one. A new school with eight classrooms was built in 1902. The Municipality area encompassed 7 355 yokes of land in 1884. 4 330 yokes of land were arable land and 1 618 yokes were pasture grounds. 190 yokes of grounds were sowed with vines. When Filoxera (disease of plants) destroyed entire vineyards and when the regeneration began in the neighbouring Deliblatska Pescara, local residents of Karlsdorf already owned
1 186 yokes of grounds sowed with vines in 1894.
Vekerle's Colony and Mountain Municipality were established in Pescara in 1895.
The ''Karolyfayaer Wochennlau'' newspaper (The Karlsdorf Weekly) was published from 1897 to 1902. The editor was Jovan Vener, a lawyer and Doctor of Law. The newspaper was published by printing house ''Vetela and Veronica''.
The ''Karlsdorfer Sparcassa'' (The Karlsdorf Savings Bank Stock Company) moved its headquarter to Bela Crkva in 1903 and left a branch in Karlsdorf. The ''Karlsdorfer Spar und Kreditverein'' (The Karlsdorf Savings and Credit Bank) became a branch of the Pancevo National Bank in 1915.
The Sunday market was moved next to the Railway Station in 1907 and an annual fair in 1908. Therefore, ground was planned for that particular purpose and filled with earth.
Anzela Fidel died in May 11, 1908. He was a notary public since April 30, 1879. The body of deceased was moved to Orcilorf, his birth place. During many years of faithful service to the community, Fidel's work contributed enormously to the development of Karlsdorf Municipality.
A cadastral measurement of land took place in 1910 and the results were officially registered next year. This made Karlovac Municipality an eminent prototype for older and bigger municipalities.
An official counting of cattle took place in 1911. There were 587 heads of horned cattle, 646 horses, 6 donkeys, 2 132 pigs and 1 583 sheep.
A large increase in population is an adequate illustration of growth of this prosperous Municipality. According to the official counting of population, there were 2 762 local residents in 1869, 2 832 local residents in 1880, 3 378 local residents in 1890, 3 304 local residents in 1900, and 3 835 local residents in 1910.
In 1889 the Municipality property amounted to 83.493 fl. 76 kr. and tax to 9.124 fl. 07 kr. In 1908, the Municipality property amounted to 342.907 K., total tax to 64.031 K. and a tax on one's life 183 K.
In the First World War 632 local residents took part and 40 of them were killed or disappeared. Municipality contributed aid for the war purposes with 201 horse drawn vehicles, about 70 riding horses and 4 heads of horned cattle. There were 74 war-invalids. Calmness and order were maintained during the Revolution in 1918. The Serbian Army occupied Karlsdorf in November and it became an integral part of the Torontal -Timisoara District.
According to the official counting of population there were 3 604 inhabitants in 1921. 101of them were Serbians, 2 of them were Czechoslovakians, 21 of them were other Slavs, 44 of them were Romanians, an Italian, 3 360 of them were Germans and 74 of them were Hungarians.
The new Municipality government was elected in November 6, 1928 and it was constituted in November 23.
In 1915, money and wealth flowed in and encouraged enterprising and efficiency of the citizens. Suggestions about fund-raising were made and other matters have been under discussion: making preparations for building an electric power station, paving the streets, planning out a new streets system, construction of market place, and park embellishment.
The year of 1923 was very important. The Electric Power Station was built with 400 000 dinars, half of the money was provided by the Municipality. Herz's ''Factory of Salami and Fat Products'' butchered one hundred pigs per day and encouraged raising and trading in pigs. Jovan Per opened a machine factory with money provided by the state, but bankrupted in 1925. The common artesian bathing-place was opened. Herz's hotel was expanded and the facility was built as an annex with the parquet floor for the theatre, dancing and entertainment. The ''Agricola Stock Company'' started a business with a corn-drying facilities, but the factory finished operating in 1925. Leopold Polde opened a photo atelier and Matija Jeger started a furniture factory which was burnt to the ground by fire in 1927. The street led up the railway station was paved with bricks laid flat. The local police was reorganized and the number of police officers increased to seventeen. The Casina Restaurant was closed the same year. The Karlsdorf markets became so large, well supplied and well-known and began to jeopardize markets in Vrsac and Bela Crkva.
The Section of the Forest Administration of the district of Deliblatska Pescara was introduced in Karlsdorf in 1926. The first library was founded and the memorial was raised in memory of Serbs died in Revolution in 1848 the same year. Eight radio receivers were installed in the first half of 1927.

Today, Banatski Karlovac is the most intelligent and the most prosperous village of Serbian Banat.

Written by:
Felix Milleker, a museum custodian and librarian of the Public Library in Vrsac.

Pancevo, 1929