Ruma, Serbia

Capital City

This Serbian town is no postcard paradise. With a population of just 27,747, Ruma is a sleepy outpost in the Srem District, home to a mix of Serbs, Germans, Hungarians, and Croats. The bureaucracy can be a persistent headache, and the town's World War II history casts a long shadow - in 1944, over 1,000 ethnic German residents were executed by partisans. While the municipality has grown to 48,621 people, the economy remains heavily agricultural, with a large portion employed in manufacturing and construction. Overall, Ruma offers a quiet, provincial life, but one with a heavy dose of lingering wartime trauma.