Ludwigsdorf (German) – Nagylajosfalva (Hungarian) – Lájosfalva (Hungarian) – Padina, Serbia (Official)
South Banat District Vojvodina – NE District of Serbia
A village in Serbia in the municipality of Kovačica. Majority of the population are Slovaks (96.78%).
Padina lies in the middle of South Banat, at the border of Deliblato’s shoal, on 52.75 km2, and in a southeast-northwest course. Geographical width of village is 45°7′ N and 20°44′ E. Altitude is between 105 and 120 meters above sea level (the church is on 111 m). Its name means slope or downhill. Padina covers 13% of Kovačica municipality, that is parting of the ways of roads to Belgrade, Zrenjanin, Novi Sad and Vršac.
The settlement was initiated by Archduke Ludwig to strengthen the Military Border between Austrian and Ottoman Empires. The official name was related to the initiator – Ludwigsdorf in German or Lájosfalva in Hungarian (both meaning Ludwig’s village). The inhabitants, however, kept calling it Padina.
In the beginning, the settlers had problem with drinkable water, as it is being found deep underground and the soil is unstable. The archduke promised them to build wells, which unfortunately took many years (until 1817) to fulfill. Thus in the first years of settlement, the settlers were depending on wells in Kovačica several kilometers away.
Last updated: 07/01/2025