| West Bačka District | |
| Native Name: | Zapadnobački okrug Западнобачки округ |
| Native Name Lang: | sr |
| Settlement Type: | District of Serbia |
| Mapsize: | 200px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Serbia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Seat Type: | Administrative center |
| Seat: | Sombor |
| Leader Title: | Commissioner |
| Leader Name: | Goran Nonković |
| Total Type: | Total |
| Area Total Km2: | 2,420 |
| Population Total: | 154,491 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Municipalities |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 3 and 1 city |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Settlements |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 37 |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | - Cities and towns |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | 5 |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | - Villages |
| Blank3 Info Sec1: | 32 |
| Iso Code: | RS-05 |
The West Bačka District (Serbian: Западнобачки округ|Zapadnobački okrug, pronounced as /zâːpadnobâːtʃkiː ôkruːɡ/; Hungarian: Nyugat-bácskai körzet) is one of seven administrative districts of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It lies in the geographical region of Bačka. It has a population of 154,491 inhabitants. The administrative seat of the district is the city of Sombor.
In Serbian, the district is known as Serbian: Zapadnobački okrug or Serbian: Западнобачки округ, in Croatian as, in Bunjevac as Zapadnobački okrug, in Hungarian as Hungarian: Nyugat-bácskai körzet, in Slovak as Slovak: Západnobáčsky okres, in Rusyn as Заходнобачки окрух, and in Romanian as Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Districtul Bacica de Vest.
In the 9th century, the area was ruled by the Bulgarian-Slavic duke Salan. From 11th to 16th century, during the administration of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, the area was divided between the Bodrogiensis County, Bacsensis County, and Csongradiensis County. In 1526–1527, the area was ruled by the independent Serb ruler, emperor Jovan Nenad, while during Ottoman administration (16th-17th century), it was part of the Sanjak of Segedin.
During Habsburg administration (18th century), the area was divided between the Batsch County, Bodrog County and the Military Frontier. The two counties were joined into single Batsch-Bodrog County in the 18th century. Since the abolishment of the Theiß-Marosch section of the Military Frontier in 1751, part of that territory was also included into Batsch-Bodrog County. In the 1850s, the area was mostly part of the Sombor District, with some parts in the Novi Sad District. After 1860, the area was again included into Batsch-Bodrog County.
During the royal Serb-Croat-Slovene (Yugoslav) administration (1918–1941), the area was part of the Novi Sad County (1918–1922), Bačka Oblast (1922–1929), and Danube Banovina (1929–1941).
During the Hungarian-German Axis occupation (1941–1944), the area was included into Bács-Bodrog County. Since 1944, the area was part of autonomous Yugoslav Vojvodina (which was part of new socialist Yugoslav Serbia since 1945). The present-day districts of Serbia (including West Bačka District) were defined by the Government of Serbia's Enactment of 29 January 1992.
It encompasses the municipalities of:
According to the last official census done in 2011, the West Bačka has 188,087 inhabitants.
| Ethnic group | census 2002 | census 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | |
| Serbs | 134,644 | 62.92% | 122,848 | 65.31% |
| 21,825 | 10.2% | 17,576 | 9.34% | |
| 12,960 | 6.06% | 10,879 | 5.78% | |
| 9,182 | 4.29% | 5,070 | 2.70% | |
| 5,535 | 2.59% | 4,718 | 2.51% | |
| 1,941 | 0.91% | 3,018 | 1.60% | |
| Bunjevci | 2,806 | 1.31% | 2,162 | 1.15% |
| Ukrainians | 1,508 | 0.71% | 1,344 | 0.71% |
| Romanians | 1,620 | 0.76% | 1,340 | 0.71% |
| Yugoslavs | 6,870 | 3.21% | 1,274 | 0.68% |
| Slovaks | 1,264 | 0.59% | 1,096 | 0.58% |
| Total | 214,011 | 188,087 | ||
Sombor is a town of rich cultural tradition with numerous buildings of significance including: Prefecture Hall (Županija), City Hall (Gradska Kuća), Milan Konjović Gallery, Serbian Orthodox Church of St George, Roman Catholic Church of Holy Trinity.[1] The iconostasis of the Serbian Orthodox church in Stapar was painted by Jakov Orfelin in the late 18th century. It is a protected monument registered as cultural heritage, bearing witness to the long history of this town.[2]