in
1883, and the town was also the first in Serbia where women started visiting
kafanas
(pubs) on Sunday afternoons, as was
customary for men. The town prospered until the First World War
when it was occupied and devastated by
Austro-Hungarian army
and had its population halved (from
cca. 14,000 to 7,000). The World War I is also remembered for the battle on
nearby
Cer
mountain where the Serbian army under
general
StepaStepanović
won an early victory against
Austria-Hungary
in August 1914, the first Allied
victory in the war.
After the
war, Šabac was decorated with
French
War Cross with Palm
(1920),
Czechoslovak War Cross
(1925), and the
Order of the Karađorđe's Star with
Swords(1934).
Since 1918, the town is part of the
newly formed Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats and Slovenes (later
renamed to
