Odžaci (, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the West Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town of Odžaci has a population of 8,795 people, while the population of the municipality of Odžaci is 30,196 people (2011 census).
Name
The name Odžaci / Оџаци means "chimneys" in Serbian. Formerly, the settlement was also known as Odžak / Оџак ("chimney"). The Slavic/Serbian word "odžak" (or plural "odžaci") is a modification of the Turkish word "Ocak" (bearing the same pronunciation), meaning "fireplace".
In Croatian, the town is also known as Odžaci, in Hungarian as Hódság, and in German as Hodschag.
The old Hungarian name of the settlement was "Kéménd", first mentioned in 1522, and meaning "with chimney". Derived from the aforementioned Serbian word "Odžak" was the new Hungarian name "Hódság" (also later called "Hódsági Járás" (Hódsági district)), as well as the German name "Hodschag".
Geography
Municipality of Odžaci is located in the west part of Bačka, on the left coast of the river Danube in length of 9.5 km. The territory belongs to the West-Bačka district, AP Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia. It is surrounded by the municipalities of Apatin, Sombor, Kula, Vrbas, Bačka Palanka, Bač and on Danube is bordered with Republic of Croatia.
The territory of municipality of Odžaci covers an area of 41.115,89 hectares. It consists of 9 Cadastral municipalities: Odžaci, Bački Gračac, Bački Brestovac, Srpski Miletić, Bogojevo, Karavukovo, Deronje, Ratkovo and Lalić, which are at the same time settlements.
By size of the territory, municipality of Odžaci is one of the smallest municipalities in the scope of Vojvodina. The municipality center, settlement Odžaci, is located in the middle of the municipality's territory, whereas the other settlements are radially staggered around the municipality's center.
Relief
Odzaci municipality region is characterized by vast and wide plain land. The ground is below the sea level near the Danube whose great hydrological activity created numerous depressions and bogs. The area between Srpski Miletic and Bogojevo is made up of “slatina” or saline soil, and a certain number of protected plants have found their home on the solonetz soil. Because of its overall importance it is expected that the whole area will be proclaimed as protected.
Climate
Climate in Odzaci municipality can be described as moderate-continental. The average annual temperature is 10.9 °C. The coldest month is January with -0.3 °C, while July is the warmest with 21.4 °C. The total insolation per year is 2014 hours. Warm springs and summers provide favorable conditions for sports and recreation, including water sports and many other outdoor activities.
Hydrological features
Hydrological features of this region were created both by the activity of the Danube River and human work throughout the past and present. The part of the river that runs through Odzaci municipality is 10 km long and is its most valuable natural resource. Between the mighty Danube and a lowland forest, in the place where the river is bridged on its way towards Erdut in the neighboring Croatia, there are dozens of vacation homes. There is a small harbor with a number of river boats that can be used for sightseeing this beautiful area.
Further away from the Danube towards Bogojevo, a natural process of major flooding took place in the early twentieth century creating Strand Lake. Surrounded by tall poplars and sandy beaches, the lake is a local bathing resort and a picnic area. The formation of the lake is linked to the catastrophic flooding of 1926 when floodwater did not retreat. Smaller lakes surrounding Strand Lake do not have any affluents or offshoots that would provide clean water for swimming and recreational activities. Visitors have 2 ha of beach at their disposal.
The length of the canal network Danube-Tisa-Danube within municipal boundaries is 43 km. The canals are connected to the Danube and navigable, being especially suitable for vessels with a capacity of 10-20 passengers. Small boats allow far easier and quicker maneuvering, docking at various locations, and even relatively easy transfer over short distances, or participation in various sports and recreational events. The water of the canal network is significantly purer compared to other parts of Backa.
The wetland area called Bogojevacki Rit comprises a number of marshes, lakes and canals. One of the most beautiful is Holzer bog, surrounded by reeds, poplars and willows, a habitat of harmony and tranquility for its wealth of biodiversity. Bogojevački Rit is suitable for recreational activities, ecology and photography classes.