| Native Name: | German: Großbetschkekerer Distrikt, |
| Conventional Long Name: | Großbetschkerek District |
| Common Name: | Großbetschkerek District |
| Subdivision: | district |
| Nation: | the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar |
| P1: | Batschka-Torontal District |
| Flag P1: | Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg |
| S1: | Torontal County |
| Flag S1: | Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg |
| Year Start: | 1850 |
| Year End: | 1860 |
| Image Map Caption: | Districts of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar; Großbetschkerek District is shown in green |
| Capital: | Großbetschkerek (Serbian:) |
| Today: | Serbia, Romania, Hungary |
Großbetschkerek District (Serbian: script=Latn|Okrug Veliki Bečkerek or Serbian: Округ Велики Бечкерек; German: Großbetschkekerer Distrikt, German: Kreis Großbetschkerek from 1853 (contemporary German: Groß-Becskereker District, German: Kreis Gross-Becskerek); Hungarian: Nagybecskereki körzet; Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Districtul Becicherecul Mare) was one of five administrative districts (originally German: Districte, modern spelling German: Distrikte; German: [[Kreis (Habsburg monarchy)|Kreise]],, from 1853) of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar (a crown land within the Austrian Empire) from 1850 to 1860. Its administrative center was Großbetschkerek (Serbian:).
The crown land Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar was formed in 1849 and was initially divided into two districts: Batschka-Torontal and Temeschwar-Karasch. In 1850, crown land was divided into five districts and the territory of Batschka-Torontal District was divided among Neusatz District, Zombor District and Großbetschkerek District.
In German the original term used for these subdivisions was German: Districte (modern spelling German: Distrikte). In 1851 they were divided into subdivisions called German: [[Districts of Austria|(politische) Bezirke]], usually translated as '(political) districts'.
In Bach's reforms from 1853 the German: Districte became German: [[Kreis (Habsburg monarchy)|Kreise]],[1] a form of administrative division already in use across much of the non-Hungarian part of the Empire since the 18th century. The term German: Kreis, literally 'circle', is also often translated as 'district'. The subdivisions of the German: Kreise were also called German: Bezirke in German, or German: {{ill|Amtsbezirk (Austrian Empire)|lt=Amtsbezirke|de|Amtsbezirk (Habsburgermonarchie) ('office districts', in reference to the German: Bezirks[[amt|ämter]] or 'district offices' which ran them) to distinguish them from other types of German: [[Bezirk]]. The change of name was not superficial – different political, administrative and judicial structures were used in each subdivision type. (See also .)
In 1860, the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar and its five districts were abolished and the territory of the Großbetschkerek District was administratively included into the Torontal County (part of the Austrian Kingdom of Hungary).
The Großbetschkerek District included north-western parts of Banat. It shared borders with the Zombor District and Neusatz District in the west, Temeschwar District in the east, Austrian Military Frontier in the south-west, and Austrian Kingdom of Hungary in the north.
According to 1850 census, the population of the district numbered 388,704 residents, including:[2]
In 1851 Großbetschkerek District was subdivided into 6 political districts (German: politische Bezirke), which were structurally akin to the modern districts of Austria (names as defined, modern German in parentheses):[3]
The city of Großbetschkerek (Zrenjanin) was separate from the political districts; the Becskerek district covered the area around the city, which acted as its seat/capital (i.e. it was a statutory city).
In 1854 Großbetschkerek District (now a German: [[Kreis (Habsburg monarchy)|Kreis]]) was subdivided into 8 'office districts' (German: {{ill|Amtsbezirk (Austrian Empire)|lt=Amtsbezirke|de|Amtsbezirk (Habsburgermonarchie)) (names as defined, modern German in parentheses):[4]
Main cities and towns in the district were:
Most of the mentioned cities and towns are today in Serbia, while towns of Groß Sankt Nikolaus (Sânnicolau Mare), Perjamosch (Periam), Hatzfeld (Jimbolia) and Tschene (Cenei) are today in Romania.
