The land is very flat (Panonian plane), and all the streets are typically gridded. Slovak part is more squared consisting of 3 main streets: the 1st, the 2nd and the 3rd, where the official name of the first is Maršala Tita, while the Serbian part is more long and narrow. See map:
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Slovak population seems to be more hermetic as they are minority and are trying to preserve their cultural distinction (maybe?). They have their own evangeist church (while serbian are more ortodox), and the church might play important roll in their comunity. Mixed marriages are becoming more habitual since the 80ies.
Different styles could be seen on house facades, where slovak ones are painted or covered with tails in prominent bright colors, and serbian in more neutral colors. There is a special blue color very much used, locally known as slovak blue.
We were guests of two households: first of Ana and then of Dalibor and Vesna. Ana is a mother of Žeks (Branko's friend) used to work in Jugoremedija, the factory of pharmaceutics, a famous case in privatization of state companies going on in 90ies and two thousands in Serbia, where workers managed to stop the privatization proccess, take the company and put it back in production. heir efforts found lots of obstacles and the production didn't lastlong. Nevertheless this case stayed as remarkable achievement. She has lots of stories as she took part in workers strike and in all of the process.. But she is nowadays retired, she produces great sunflower honey, rakia, cookies and also she does or was doing some embroidering. The conversation about Jugoremedia initiated as she showed one of the embroideries, commenting - This one I made during the strike and the time when two of the workers died (in some accident) - this was the most colorful of all embroideries. Afterwards we learned that she is of slovak origin, while her husband is serbian. She showed us old and new embroideries all done in cross stitch with motif of roses. At the end she took out one embroidery that was different, as she said it was slovak style decorative towel. It was made on damast with silk thread, filled technique.
Next we visited Dalibor and his wife Vesna, he is a musician, played and still plays in some well known local bends (Gluve kucke, itd.). He runs a household with lots of animals (dogs, cats, goats, etc..) and lots of land, old fruit trees, etc. He is very much in traditional agriculture, there is very laid back and friendly atmosphere. From him we knew that there was very organized resistance movement in the IIWW in the village. His grandfather joined partisans from the beginning of the war (1941), and at some point his unit found themself in the ambush between četniks and germans. In this situation they decided to surrender to the germans (not četniks) and they were sent to the jail in Germany. He also brought to show some embroideries of his grandmother. They were different in style from Ana's, combination of some domestic and more urban viennese secessionist style from the first quarter of XXc., white embroidery (beli vez), lots of improvisations.
As well more recently there was a big fled of Roma migrants, who settled in the old houses made of mud. Currently they make 1/4 the population. But we haven't visited this area yet.
There is plenty of interesting stories related to their life - Ivana said. She explained that she heard a story of a young man of about 25, who had changed his personal name for three times escaping from the low. As the low prescribes this is the maximum times the name could be changed, he got married in order to take the woman's last name and be able to create a new passport. He payed 50 euros to the woman for this service.
