Veliki Gaj , in Serb Cyrillic ВеликиГај and in Hungarian Nagygáj, is a village of Serbia located in the autonomous province of Voïvodine. It belongs to the municipality of Plandište in the district of the southernmost Banat. In 2002, it counted 790 inhabitants, including 670 Serbes.

Veliki Gaj is located at approximately 70 km in the North-East of Belgrade and at approximately 1 km in the South-east of the border with the Romania.

History

The village is mentioned for the first time in 1355 under the name of Gaj. At the 17th century, it changed its name into Veliki Gaj.

At XVIe and XVIIe centuries, the village belonged to the Ottoman Empire, then, in 1716, it belonged to the possessions of the Habsburgs which encouraged the installation of Germanic populations. In 1910, Veliki Gaj counted 2.930 inhabitants, including 1.456 Serbes, 743 Hungarian and 620 Germains.

After the First World War, the village belonged to the Royaume of Serb, the Croats and the Sloveniens, who became the Royaume of Yugoslavia in 1929. During the Second world war, the village was occupied by the forces of the Axes and integrated the area of the Banat, autonomous within the occupied Serbia.

After the war, the village belonged to the socialist Federal republic of Yugoslavia and belonged to the autonomous province of Voïvodine.

In 1991, the village had 897 inhabitants, including 883 Serbes and 14 Hungarian.

Reference

External bonds

• Site on Veliki Gaj
• Veliki Gaj
• Another site on Veliki Gaj