Bački Sokolac can be explored through specific historical landmarks: the village’s founding on the site of the former „Bioseg“ pustara, a monument in the centre and the annual celebration on May 22. Together, these topics lead from the village’s founding, through the remembrance of earlier generations, to a fixed date in the annual calendar. If you would like to give your stay a cultural focus, you can explore the village’s history or plan your trip around the celebration.
The Village’s Founding and Memorial Sites
Bački Sokolac was founded in 1921 on the site of the former „Bioseg“ pustara. The first settlers included Serbs from Lika, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as surrounding areas. The year of its founding, the former estate and the settlers’ origins complement one another: they place the village’s beginnings in time, locate it on a former estate and offer clues about the people who were among its first settlers. This makes it possible to consider the village’s origins from several specific perspectives.
A monument to the founders of the village and the Thessaloniki Volunteers was unveiled in the centre of Bački Sokolac. It features a statue of Dragutin Matić, who was given the nickname „Oko sokolovo“ during the First World War. The „Oko Sokolovo“ monument is dedicated to the ancestors who named the settlement after a peak on Kajmakčalan. The two references to the name point to different contexts: Matić’s nickname dates from the First World War, while the dedication recalls the naming of the settlement. Thus, in one place, memories of the village’s founding and the Thessaloniki Volunteers stand alongside a figure from military history.
Religious Traditions and Festival Dates
Orthodox religious tourism includes the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas of Myra. Municipal development planning offers another perspective: the 2022–2030 plan designates Bački Sokolac as a destination for rural tourism. The concept includes encounters with farming households and village life. In this way, alongside the memorial sites, village life and rural themes are also part of the village’s tourism offering.
The village slava of Saint Nicholas and Village Day are celebrated each year on May 22. The celebration includes a liturgy and a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument to the Thessaloniki Volunteers. This fixed date provides a clear reference point for planning your trip; if you are travelling for the celebration, check the specific programme in advance. The religious occasion and the commemoration of the Volunteers come together as part of the same celebration.
Banijsko prelo is also part of the village’s more recent event history. A report from 2025 described it as the third edition of a series of homecoming gatherings organised regularly since 2023. This adds another example of gatherings connected with people’s homeland and village life to the Village Day, which has a fixed date.
Location and Orientation
Bački Sokolac is located on the Telečka plateau and at an important road junction with connections to Sombor, Subotica and Novi Sad. These details help orient visitors in different ways: the plateau describes the landscape, while the road junction indicates the village’s links to the three destinations named. When planning your trip, you can therefore first decide whether the village’s history, the May 22 date or its position in the road network is most important for your stay.
Discover more destinations: Subotica, Feketić, Stara Moravica, Palić, Krivaja, Bačka Topola.
Go to the broader travel overview: Severna-Backa.
