THE HUNGARIAN SETTLEMENT AREA AND ETHNIC CHANGES IN THE BARANJA TRIANGLE

Abstract

This study provides a brief overview of the changes in the ethno-spatial structure of the ‘Baranja triangle’ over the past centuries, with a special focus on the changes of the Hungarian settlement area. Using the statistical method of the diversity index, we also present the changes in the ethnic composition of our study area based on census data between 1910 and 2021. We can follow the development of a once ethnically homogeneous Hungarian area towards diversity, which is now showing a re-homogenization, now to the benefit of the Croatian community. While in the 15th century, Hungarian settlements covered the entire Baranja triangle, later Hungarians were located in the southeast, Germans in the center, Croats in the northwest, and Serbs in the southwest. Our analysis using the diversity index has pointed to the areas where the most significant changes in ethnic composition have occurred over the past 110 years. After World War I, ethnic diversity decreased in the entire area, except in the municipalities of Bilje and Kneževi Vinogradi, which were the settlement areas of Hungarians. From 1920 to 1981, the diversity of the entire area increased overall, with the exceptions of the once German Petlovac, the once Croatian Draž and the traditionally Serbian Jagodnjak. Since 1981, there has been a continuous homogenization in favor of Croats in all municipalities, except for Jagodnjak, where the municipality has become increasingly heterogeneous due to the increasing presence of Croats alongside the majority Serbian community.