Torak (; ; ), formerly known as Begejci (; ), is a village located in the Žitište municipality, Central Banat District, Vojvodina, Serbia. The village has a population of 1,916 people (2022 census).

Name

Historically, present-day Torak is formed from the union of two settlements – one named Mali Torak (, , , , "little Torak"), and another named Veliki Torak (, , , , "great Torak"). The road leading to the bridge over the Bega canal constituted the border between the two towns.

In 1946 the two parts were united under the common name Torak (Torac). The following year, 1947, the name was officially changed to Begejci (as Begheiți in Romanian).

The town was renamed Torak (Torac) in 2001.Libertatea (Pančevo), June 2001.

History Early period to mid-16th century Documents regarding the existence of the old site near where the current village stands today date from the first half of the 14th century. In the years 1332–1337, the town is mentioned under the Tarnuk-Tharnuk toponymTivadar [Theodorus] Ortvay, ed. Magyarország egyházi földleirása a XIV. század elején a pápai tizedjegyzékek alapján feltüntetve. A vatikáni okirattár-bizottság rendeletére. [Geographia ecclesiastica Hungariae ineunte saeculo XIV° e tabulis rationes collectorum pontificiorum a. 1281–1375 referentibus eruta digesta illustrata. Curante societate edendis monumentis Vaticano-Hungaricis praeposita.] Elsö fele [pars prima] (Budapest, 1891), 435. in the register of the papal tithes which priests were paying to the pope in Rome.Doc. 56, "1332–1337: Socotelile lui Iacob al lui Berengariu și Raimund de Bonofato, strângătorii dijmelor pe șase ani din Regatul Ungariei," in Documente privind istoria Romîniei, veacul XIV, C. Transilvania, Vol. III (1331–1340) (București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, 1954), 41-253 [on Tarnuk and derivatives 226, 235, 238]. The editors note that the village of Tarnuk disappeared, although most of the rest of the villages on the register for the Torontal county are identified with the villages neighboring present-day Torak! The register of papal tithes of the Catholic diocese archives are kept at Cenad (present-day Romania).Silviu Dragomir, "Vechimea elementului românesc și colonizările străine în Banat," Anuarul Institutului de istorie al Universității din Cluj, vol. III (1924–1925): 245–291.

Under the Ottoman Empire: 1552–1718

Under Habsburg monarchy: 1718–1867 With the signing of the Treaty of Passarowitz (Požarevac; Pojarevaț) on 21 July 1718, the Habsburg war with the Ottoman Empire came to a close. Following the expulsion of the Turks, the regions north of the Danube became part of the Habsburg Empire. In fact, the area between Mureș, Tisa, Danube, and the Carpathians received the name Banat, becoming an Austrian province.

In 1751, the Court in Vienna transferred the Banat from a military to a civilian government. This year was also the beginning of a policy of colonization of thousands of Germans and other groups from the territories of the Holy Roman Empire into the territories conquered from the Turks, including the Banat region.

Colonizations of 1765–1767

Between 1765 and 1767, the Vienna Court forcibly colonized Romanians from one area of the Banat to another, in order to make room for colonists from other parts of the Holy Roman Empire. Thus, Romanians from Szakálháza or Săcălaz near Timișoara and Mândruloc (not far from the Mureș river, near Arad), were colonized by force to the area of present-day Torac. Once on the new territory of Torac, these colonists gave the old names to their new settlements, that is, Săcălaz (Toracul Mare) and Sefdin (Toracul Mic).Felix Milleker, "Din istoria Toracului-Mic," Calendarul "Nădejdei", 1930 (Vârșeț: Editura ziarului "Nădejdea", ): 90.

The settlements in the last quarter of the 18th century

On 13 August 1776, the Bishop of Timișoara Moise Putnic, consecrated the Toracul Mare church dedicated to St. George, its patron saint. The church has an Antimis of historical value, which has been given by the Patriarch of Ipek, bearing an inscription in old Slavonic, and brought by Bishop Moise Putnic on this special day.Ciobanu, "Din cronica satului," în CICRV, 2: 124; Pr. Ioan Sfera, "Parohiile noastre: Toracul Mare," Calendarul bisericesc pe anul comun 1981 (Vršac): 30.

In 1779, the Court in Vienna decided to place the Banat under the administration of Hungary. In this state reorganization, the Torontal county (comitat) is established. In this context, there is a return to the old toponyms, that is Săcălaz (Szakálház) became Nagy Torák (Toracul Mare), and Mândruloc acquired the name Kiss Torák (Toracul Mic), and both settlements became part of the Nagy Becskerek (Becicherecul-Mare) administrative circle.Felix Milleker, "Din istoria Toracului-Mic," Calendarul "Nădejdei", 1930 (Vârșeț: Editura ziarului "Nădejdea", ) 90-91; Ciobanu, "Din cronica satului," în CICRV, 2: 124; Kosta Rošu and Pavel Filip, Begejci (Torak): juče i danas (Begejci: Mesna konferencija SSRNV, 1979), 133.

There is an apocryphal story contained in several sources that the Habsburg ruler Joseph II (r. 1765–1790), on his visits to the southern parts of the empire and to the city of Timișoara, passed through Torac. Such a claim is not substantiated in the emperor's journal on these visits!

On 4 September 1782, the inhabitants of Itebei (Ittebe), Toracul Mare (Nagytorak), Toracul Mic (Kistorak), and Sângiura (Begei St. György) revolted, refusing to submit to the new owner of their villages, the Hungarian nobleman Izsák Kiss. To ameliorate the situation, the government sent a delegation and military assistance.Grigore Popiți, Date și documente bănățene (1728–1887) (Timișoara: Tipografia "Națională", 1939), 77.

Serb historian Borislav Jankulov asserted (erroneously as it turns out) that in 1800 owner Izsák Kiss colonized German settlers in Torac and neighboring village of Sângiura [Begei St. György].Borislav Jankulov, Pregled kolonizacije Vojvodine u XVIII i XIX veku (Novi Sad: Matica Srpska, 1961), 83. While there were Germans in both Toracul Mare and Toracul Mic over the course of time, it appears that the village in question at this time, 1800, was Klek (Begaföröl) and not Torac, according to the work of Antal Bodor, whose work is quoted as a source.Antal Bodor, Délmagyarországi telepitések története és hatása a mai közállapotokra (Budapest: Stephaneum Nyomda R. T., 1914), 26.

In 1807, Toracul Mare and Toracul Mic became the domain of Antal Kiss,Felix Milleker, "Din istoria Toracului-Mic," Calendarul "Nădejdei", 1930 (Vârșeț: Editura ziarului "Nădejdea", ), 91. in whose possession they will remain until 1840.Costa Roșu and Pavel P. Filip, Begheiți (Torac)--pagini din trecut și de azi (Begheiți: Conferința locală a U.S.P.M.V., 1976), 30. With the death of Kiss Antal in 1840, Toracul Mare and Toracul Mic are managed by one of the members of the Kiss family, Ernö Kiss, who was shot in the city of Arad during the 1848–1849 revolution in the Habsburg Monarchy.

In spite of the gains made during this time, such as the abolition of serfdom, instead of a confiscation and distribution of the noblemen's land to the poor and needy inhabitants, the Court at Vienna sold the land to noblemen, such as Count Dukai Csekonics in the case of Toracul Mare and Toracul Mic. This situation will remain until the First World War.

The Dual Monarchy period: 1867–1914

Cultural and Religious Life

Torac and the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War (The War For Romanian's Independence)

Romanians in Austria-Hungary followed with great interest and pride the participation of the Romanian Army in the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War, which was also Romania's war for independence. The Budapest government forbade the formation of Romanian committees of assistance for the wounded Romanian soldiers, instead allowing only individual collection drives. Presented with this situation, Romanians in the Dual Monarchy responded by engaging in such individual efforts of raising funds and especially medical supplies. Iudita Măcelariu from Sibiu, Transylvania, launched the first individual drive for medical aid to the wounded Romanian soldiers. Women in the Banat, as well as the Arad region, took up the cause and had undertaken their own individual drives.I. D. Suciu, Unitatea poporului român. Contribuții istorice bănățene (Timișoara: Editura Facla, 1980), 117.

Romanian press in Austria-Hungary routinely published letters and lists of donors from the individuals who have collected contributions for the wounded Romanian soldiers. Among these letters, Gazeta Transilvaniei from Brașov, in its 5/17 March issue, published the letter from Ana Fizeșanu, born Crețiunescu, the wife of the priest Pavel [Paul] Fizeșianu from Toracul Mic. Her list contained 52 names, the majority being from Toracul Mic, but also from Toracul Mare, who have donated a total of 19 forints, as well as lint supplies for dressing wounds.Gazeta Transilvaniei (Brașov), anul XLI, nr. 18 (Dumineca, 5/17 martie 1878): 4. The following names were on the published list [maintaining the orthography of the time]: An'a Fizesianu (colectanta) 1 fl., 42 deca scame si 10 fasii; Paulu Fizesianu, parochu 1 fl., 72 cr., George Serbu, docinte 1 fl., Flóre Serbu 50 cr., Iulian'a Miulescu 1 fl., Victoru Miulescu 1 fl., Constantinu Dragoiu, adj. adv. din Toraculu-Mare 1 fl., Nicolae Fizesianu, studinte 50 cr., Antoniu Danu, negutiatoriu 1 fl., Rosali'a Danu 1 fl., Stefanu Petroviciu 20 cr., Pavelu Getii 20 cr., Rist'a Getii 20 cr., Andreiu Damianu 30 cr., Todoru Milutinu 20 cr., Vichente Chitarescu 20 cr., Tadi'a Crisianu 20 cr., Mitru Ocolisianu 40 cr., Ioanu Checi 20 cr., Pantea Iancu 50 cr., George Popi 20 cr., Todoru Bucuru 30 cr., Vichente Popescu 10 cr., Teodoru Bucuru 10 cr., Pavelu Iancu 20 cr., Mari'a Iancu 30 cr., Ancuti'a Bucuru 10 cr., Pavelu Milutinu 10 cr., Nic'a Cina 20 cr., Nicolae Iurca (maistoru) 30 cr., Ancuti'a Iurca 10 cr., Tom'a Popi 10 cr., Vichente Giuchiciu 10 cr., Teodoru Fluture 10 cr., Teodoru Petroviciu 10 cr., Filipu Balosiu 8 cr., Michaiu Martinu 10 cr., Marcu Serbu 60 cr., Flóre Serbu 40 cr., Ioanu Stoitiu 10 cr., Ev'a Grozescu 20 cr., George Grozescu 30 cr., George Petru 10 cr., Rancu Balosiu 10 cr., Teodoru Balosiu 10 cr., Iosifu Popescu 10 cr., Vichente Balosiu 1 fl., Stefanu Nedelcu 20 cr., Sim'a Cina 20 cr., Lenc'a Cina 20 cr., Vichente Avramu 20 cr.

Emigration

During the last decade of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the war in 1914, Austria-Hungary experienced a large drain of ethnic population, the majority going to North America, especially the United States and its industrial cities in the north, in pursuit of economic opportunities. Torac also experienced a loss of population, its inhabitants pursuing economic opportunities in many parts of the world. In the United States of America, Romanians settled relatively late. For example, in 1904 there were 12 Romanians in the city of South St. Paul, the state of Minnesota. According to the evidence presented by John Stefan, almost all of these Romanians were from Toracul Mare, Torontal county. Among the first Romanians settled in South St. Paul were Stefan Rosu, Pavel Alasu, Ioan Musteti, Andrei Musteti, Theodore Cinezan, Pavel Motoc, and Pavel Anuica.John Stefan, "The Romanians in So. St. Paul, Minn.," The New Pioneer, January 1945 (Cleveland, Ohio): 42. This trend in emigration from Torac (and other towns in the Banat region) continued over the course of history during periods of hard economic times and political instability.

The Bega Canal and Torac