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Leskovac

Leskovac (Лесковац, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Jablanica District in southern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city of Leskovac has 123,950 inhabitants.

Etymology
Leskovac was historically called Glubočica, later evolving into Dubočica. These interchangeable variants derived from the Serbian word's, "glib", meaning mud and "duboko", meaning deep. Untamed rivers would often flood the area leaving swamps that once dried would spout hazelnut trees, or "leska" in Serbian, whilst "-ovac" is a common Slavic suffix, hence Leskovac. During Ottoman rule the town was referred to in Turkish as Leskovçe or Hisar (Turkish translation; fortress).

Early period
Archeological findings on Hisar Hill, located at the rim of Leskovac valley between the Jablanica and Veternica rivers, have established continual habitation between the Bronze Age until the 19th century. Hisar served as a fortification for many centuries and its surrounding plateau are abundant in Iron Age pottery largely associated with the Brnjica culture. Other archeological findings associated with the Illyrians, Thracians, Dacians, Greeks, Romans and Celts lay within Leskovac's surrounds. The Roman Empire conquered the area in the 1st century BC and would remain the dominant power until Slavic invasion and settlement in the late 6th and early 7th centuries, with the Serbs solidifying their presence.

The area Glubočica, later Dubočica and a synonym for Leskovac was first mentioned in the 12th century as lands bestowed upon the Nemanjić dynasty by Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. The settlement of Leskovac per se was first mentioned by name in 1348 as an endowment by Serbian Emperor Dušan the Mighty to the Hilendar Monastery. The vicinity of modern-day Leskovac was contested territory during a series of conflicts fought between the Bulgarian Empire and medieval Serbian states between the 9th and 14th centuries.

The Battle of Dubočica took place on September 24, 1454, between the Serbian Despotate and the invading Ottoman Empire, and ended in a Serbian victory. Brankovic's Serbia was a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire during the 1st half of the 15th century and was repeatedly invaded, eventually becoming part of the Ottoman state.

Ottoman rule
Leskovac was annexed by the Ottomans in 1454 and allotted to the Rumelia Eyalet. The Nahija of Dubocica (later Leskovac) became part of Kruševac Sanjak with Leskovac possessing one of six kadiluks. During Ottoman rule, Leskovac was known in Turkish as Leskovçe, or more commonly Hisar (Turkish translation; fortress). The conquest in time brought Ottoman culture to Leskovac, influencing architecture, cuisine, customs, dress and language. Endowments by the ruling Ottoman aristocracy which financed the construction of mosques, tekije, madrasa, meter and Turkish baths marked the area. During this period, Leskovac was regarded for its quality horse tack, tanning, smithing and weaving. The townsfolk worked as craftsman, merchants and peri-urban farmers, residing in separate Serbian Orthodox and Muslim mahallah's whilst affluent Muslim families held prominent real estate and owned farmland. This cosmopolitan milieu was supplemented by officials, clergy, sipahi, and soldiers interlaced with Jewish, Greek, Vlach, Albanian and Ragusan traders. Leskovac was known in the wider region for its annual 15-day long fair.

Leskovac was severely damaged by fire in 1595 and again in 1690. In the Ottoman-Austrian War the towns Serbs overwhelmingly sided with Habsburg forces on arrival in 1689. Following the failed uprising many Serbs migrated north after the Ottomans recaptured Leskovac, razing the Serbian quarters as reprisals for collaboration. In 1790 Sultan Selim III administrative reforms granted Leskovac the seat of its own Eyalet governed by Şehsuvar Abdi Pasha, who was succeeded by his son Ismail Pasha in 1830, until the Leskovac Eyalet was annexed to the Niš Eyalet in 1839. The Serbian population of Leskovac (along with other south Serbian towns and villages) took part in the failed rebellion of 1841. Before the Serbian–Turkish Wars (1876–1878), the county of Leskovac had a significant Muslim population, mostly Turkish and Albanian, which comprised one-third of its overall population. In 1873, the town had 2,500 Serbian houses and 1,000 Muslim houses. The Muslims in the town were Albanian- and Turkish-speaking. In the villages of Leskovac, Albanians formed almost the entire Muslim population. A part of these Albanians belonged to tribes like the Krasniqi, Sopi, Gashi and Berisha. Historian Miloš Jagodić has estimated that of ~17,033 Muslims who lived in the Leskovac county before the war, about 16,976 were Albanians who were later expelled. These estimates are corroborated in contemporary sources like the records of Austrian diplomat Johann Georg von Hahn. J. G. H. cites an Ottoman report which claimed that 1,680 Albanians could be conscripted in case of war. Albanians in Leskovac during fought independently of the Ottoman army in small village self-defense units. In the war almost the entire Muslim civilian population of Leskovac was expelled and the advancing Serbian Army and chetas entered the town on December 24, 1877. There were 2,122 Albanian abandoned households altogether within the Leskovac county's villages. Of the about 5,000 Muslims who had previously lived in the town, 120 were still living there in 1879 in the first post-war population count. The rest had left as refugees and most settled in cities like Mitrovica, Prizren and Kumanovo in Kosovo Vilayet.

From Turkish kasaba to Serbia's Little Manchester
Leskovac became part of Serbia which received full international recognition following the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. Before the war Leskovac was part of a network of textile industry hubs from the Black Sea to the central Balkans and collaborated closely with Bulgarian textile industry. Products from Leskovac were exported duty-free to Bulgaria which exported machinery to Serbia. Independence initially had a negative impact though trade barriers, tariffs and open hostilities between Serbia and Bulgaria necessitated the acquisition and development of technology for rope and industrial hemp processing. By the mid-1880s business development, particularly the textile sector enabled Leskovac to become the third largest urban area after Belgrade and Niš at the time. The establishment of a railway line linking Leskovac with Belgrade, Skopje and Thessaloniki in 1886 also significantly contributed to the development of the town. A vocational textile school opened 1890 and in 1903 the second hydroelectric power plant in Serbia was built on the nearby Vučjanka River.

Due to the towns burgeoning industriousness in the late 19th c. Leskovac became popularity nicknamed Serbia's "Little Manchester" (Serbian Cyrillic: "Мали Манчестер") in honor of Manchester, England, a powerhouse of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. The growing customs dispute with Austria-Hungary following the May Coup precipitated protectionism throughout the 1900s which served to nourish the local economy.

World War I and Bulgarian Occupation
Following the Serbian campaign of 1915 Leskovac fell within the Bulgarian occupational zone. This period was marked by harsh repression with attempts at Bulgarisation of the local inhabitants. Numerous crimes were committed on the Leskovac citizenry with 2,000-4,000 victims being executed and a great many more massacred in the surrounding region. During the occupation Leskovac was also adversely affected by a typhus epidemic and widespread malnutrition. Bulgaria capitulation to the Entente on 30 September 1918, and Leskovac was liberated on 7 October 1918 in an offensive led by Field Marshal Petar Bojović's 1st Serbian Corps, which repelled the Austro-Hungarian 9th and German 11th Divisions. Cheering crowds gathered to welcome the Serbian Army's Dinarska and Dunavska divisions as they entered the city accompanied by French cavalry units.

The "Golden Age" of Leskovac
Following the war Leskovac continued its fast economic and social transformation. The townsfolk practised a cultural medley of both Oriental and European habits, whilst the social fabric was dominated by affluent, often competing industrialists families and greater social disparity within the community. Industrial development facilitated trade union agitation amongst an emerging urban working-class. In August 1920 Leskovac became one of the first municipalities to elect the Communist Party. Despite its victory the party was quickly suppressed by the authorities.

Despite the rise of Leskovac as a regional manufacturing centre the town still lacked basic infrastructure during the interwar period such as a running water supply, sewerage system, paved streets (with only three asphalted in 1938) and a permanent marketplace. Leskovac experienced a significant influx of largely peasant workers leading to poor housing conditions with many affected by squalor, alcoholism, a high mortality rate and labour exploitation. From 1929 to 1941, Leskovac was part of the Vardar Banovina of the renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

World War II and Allied bombing
During the capitulation of Yugoslavia in the April War Leskovac was occupied by the Germans on April 12, 1941. Despite several attempts at assassination and sabotage the town remained relatively docile throughout the Nedić administration, with the exception of the Arapova Dolina massacre of 310 mostly Romani civilians. Pockets of Partisan insurgency remain limited to the surrounding countryside which began experiencing noteworthy military engagements during the Battle of Serbia with the July–August 1944 Toplica-Jablanica Operation.

On September 6, 1944, Leskovac was targeted in a catastrophic Allied bombing campaign which left much of the town heavily damaged with approximately 2,500-4,000 casualties and a total of 1,840 demolished or damaged residential buildings and factories. The bombing also caused significant damage to infrastructure and historical landmarks. Leskovac fell to the 47th Serbian Division of the National Liberation Army (Partisans) on October 11, 1944, following a German withdrawal during the Niš Operation. The new Communist authorities proceeded to purge the town of political and ideological opponents, summarily executing 707 people.

Socialist era
The city continued to be a major textile center until the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, but due to the economic isolation of Serbia resulting from ethnic wars, its remote location, and failure to privatize the mills, the industry collapsed resulting in depression of the economy in the area. On 12 April 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia a bridge near Leskovac (Grdelička klisura) was destroyed by a NATO aircraft as a passenger train was crossing. The act was highly condemned with the bridge being struck twice (the train itself having been bombed from the first attack).

21st Century
Contemporary Leskovac has become synonymous with Serbian culinary culture, particularly the national dishes of pljeskavica and ćevapi. The annual Roštiljijada grilled meat barbecue festival held since 1989 is the cities biggest tourist attraction drawing in thousands of visitors from both Serbia and abroad.

The once thriving textile industry of Leskovac has all but collapsed with only a small number of businesses still in operation. The effects of globalisation coupled with political sanctions have led to significant economic decline. Local businesses were sluggish in transitioning from a predominantly state capitalist economy towards greater deregulation and privatisation during the 2000s. Despite a modest increase in mostly foreign capital enterprise with some government support issues of corruption, high unemployment, ageing workforce and community, unreported employment, and population decline still persist.

Geography
Leskovac is situated in the heart of the vast and fertile valley of Leskovac (50 km long and 45 km wide), the small Veternica river, at the foot of Hisar, in the central part of the Leskovac valley. Leskovac lies at an altitude of 228 meters, in a basin that covers 2250 km². Around the valley are mountains Radan and Pasjača the west, Kukavica and Čemernik in the south and Babička Gora, Seličevica and Suva Planina to the east.

Climate
Leskovac has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with continental influences, with long, hot summers and short but cold, cloudy winters.

Rivers
The largest river in the region of Leskovac is the South Morava River, which flows south to north. Tributaries of the South Morava are: the Vlasina river, which collects water from Lake Vlasina and flows through Crna Trava and Vlasotince; the Veternica river, which flows through Leskovac; the Jablanica river, which springs from the foot of Goljak and flows through Medveđa and Lebane; the Pusta (Deserted) river, which starts on Radan mountain, fills Lake Brestovačko and flows through Bojnik. The river Vučjanka, which springs from the Kukavica mountain, flows through Vučje and is a tributary of the Veternica river. Also known in the Leskovac region are Kozaračka, Predejanska, Kopašnička and Sušica rivers.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census results, there are 144,206 inhabitants in the city of Leskovac.

Ethnic groups
In 2011 the city's population was 95,784 of whom majority are Serbs. Other significant ethnic groups include Roma, Macedonians and Yugoslavs. In January 2007, there were an estimated 500 persons of Chinese origin living in Leskovac. Apart from the city proper, there are 143 populated places in the city, of which the largest are Vučje and Grdelica, classified as "urban" (town) in census, with about 3000 residents each.

The ethnic composition of the city administrative area:

Vast majority of the people are Orthodox Christians (96%). There are also 3% Muslims. The rest are atheists or follow other religions. At one time the second largest city in Serbia, today Leskovac is blighted by economic problems with many working age people migrating out of the area.

Subdivisions

There are 144 villages located within the municipality:

Roštiljijada
Roštiljijada (Barbecue week) is a grilled meat festival that has been organized in Leskovac for many years and takes place annually at the beginning of September. During the event, the main boulevard is closed for traffic for five days, and food stands are put up along the streets. The event brings visitors from all over Serbia as well as tourists. According to the TOL (Tourism Organization of Leskovac) in 2013, over 700,000 people visited the event. The organisers hold competitions, such as making the biggest burger, the Pljeskavica. The festival is the highlight of the season in Leskovac.

International Carnival
In 2009 Leskovac officially became an International Carnival city, admitted by The Association of European Carnival cities, which has over 50 members from Europe and America. The Leskovac Carnival is held at a time of Roštiljijada festival. Around 1200 people take part in the carnival, of which one-third part from abroad. The City Government considered separating this event in 2010. as a special tourist event which will be introduced as a special offer of the city.

Theater Marathon
Theater Marathon takes place every year in November and lasts 9 days. It runs performances of National Theaters from all over Serbia. This event takes place in the National Theater in Leskovac.

Leskovac International Film Festival
The first Leskovac International film festival was held in 2008. The idea of the film in the city is not that new. In 1996, a group of enthusiasts, with chairman Rade Jovic, organized the Festival which were shown films of domestic production. Today, many years later, Leskovac host an International Film Festival. The Festival presents awards in 3 categories:
 * "Golden hazelnuts" - Best Director
 * "Hazelnut leaf" - critics awards
 * "Vox populi" - Audience Award.

Cultural heritage

 * Monastery of John the Baptist, Leskovac
 * Monastery of the Presentation of the Holy Mother of God, Leskovac
 * Rudare Monastery
 * Čukljenik Monastery
 * Leskovac Cathedral
 * Odžaklija Church
 * Memorial Park to the Revolution (1971) by famed Yugoslav architect Bogdan Bogdanović

Sports
Leskovac has a proud sporting history and is home to several teams, including football club's GFK Dubočica, FK Sloga Leskovac, basketball team KK Zdravlje, and handball team RK Dubočica 54.

Economy and infrastructure
Economy of Leskovac is diverse, but it is still somewhat stagnating as a city in whole. Overall, industry has a minor growth, but its growth is safe and in the future, industry will certainly face another growth that will increase its status among Serbia's largest cities. Its main industry is light industry such as textile, household commodities and medical industries. Leskovac has mine of lead and zinc called "Leskovac Lece".

The first boom occurred after WW1 and lasted until 1941. It was "succeeded" in the late 1940s. During so called "Yugoslav economic miracle" (1950s – c.1980) Leskovac has developed into not just regional, but textile center in entire Southeast Europe. It became known as "Serbian Manchester". Leskovac Lece was constructed during that era. During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Leskovac was severely damaged like no other city in Europe at the time.

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Transportation
Leskovac is a traffic junction. International trains traveling from Europe to Skopje, Thessalonica and Athens pass through this city. Nineteen trains stop in Leskovac every day. The railway came to Leskovac in 1886. Leskovac today has one of the newest and most modern railway stations in Serbia.

Bus traffic is also very well developed, bearing in mind that Leskovac has been criss-crossed with roads. The most important is the E75 road which connects the borders of Hungary and Macedonia. Regional roads lead from Leskovac to Priština, Pirot and Bosilegrad. The distance from Leskovac to Niš is 45, to Belgrade 280, and to Sofia 155 km.

Leskovac has a regional airport, which is commonly used for sporting and agricultural flights. Also in summer the airport is used for air taxi. The nearest international airport is Niš Constantine the Great Airport located 45 km north of the city.

Environment
Leskovac was the first city in Serbia which had a sanitary landfill. Željkovac depot spreads over 80 hectares and is made by all European standards. In the landfill there is a center for atmospheric water purification, center for the selection and disposal systems for the detection of all types of pollution. Company Por Werner and Weber for Serbia, began construction of the center for collecting and recycling waste, and is the first city in the Balkans, where starting this job.

Notable residents

 * Ahmed Ademović, trumpeter and soldier.
 * Jovica Arsić, basketball coach.
 * Mihajlo Babamilkić - politician.
 * Obrad Belošević, basketball referee.
 * Jacques Confino, physician and writer.
 * Nikola Dekleva, doctor.
 * Bojan Dimitrijević, actor.
 * Sreten Dinić, educator.
 * Nenad Filipović, athlete.
 * Predrag Filipović, athlete.
 * Miodrag Gligorijević "Bure", chef.
 * Perica Hadži-Jovančić, historian.
 * Kosta Ilić "Mumdžija", industrialists.
 * Vlada Ilić - industrialist and politician.
 * Bojan Janić, volleyball player.
 * Zvonko Marić, physicist.
 * Ljubiša Marković, artist.
 * Sloboda Mićalović, actress.
 * Gojko Mitić, actor.
 * Vladimir Milošević, pianist.
 * Maja Miljković, basketball player.
 * Jovan Naumović, Yugoslav Army General
 * Gligorije "Gorča" Petrović, industrialist
 * Marko Perović, footballer.
 * Antonije "Tonka" Popović, industrialist
 * Trajko Rajković, basketball player.
 * Nikola Skobaljić, medieval nobleman and military commander.
 * Jovan Spasić, footballer.
 * Kosta Stamenković, revolutionary and Yugoslav national hero.
 * Predrag Stanković, footballer.
 * Nebojša Stefanović, ultramarathon.
 * Ljubiša Stojanović Louis, singer.
 * Momir Stojanović, Serbian revolutionary voivode.
 * Goran Stojiljković, athlete.
 * Miodrag Stojković, geneticist.
 * Ilija Strelja, Serbian revolutionary voivode.
 * Şehsuvar Abdi Pasha, Ottoman pasha
 * Dimitrije "Mita" Teokarević, industrialist
 * Toma Zdravkovic, singer.
 * Bratislav Živković, footballer.
 * Jovan Vlajčić, industrialist
 * Dragi Stamenković

Twin towns — sister cities
Leskovac is twinned with:

 * 🇧🇦 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇧🇦 Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇧🇬 Elin Pelin (town), Bulgaria
 * 🇲🇰 Kumanovo, Macedonia
 * 🇧🇬 Kyustendil, Bulgaria
 * Lanzhou, China
 * Novo Mesto, Slovenia
 * Pazin, Croatia
 * 🇧🇬 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
 * Prizren, Republic of Kosovo
 * 🇧🇬 Silistra, Bulgaria
 * 🇧🇪 Verviers, Belgium
 * 🇷🇸 Zrenjanin, Serbia

title: Leskovac


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Mladenovac

Mladenovac (Младеновац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 48,683 inhabitants, while the urban area has 22,346 inhabitants.

Name
Its name stems from word 'youth' in Serbian. According to a legend, the emergence of the name is brought in connection with a man named Mladen, who established himself after the battle on the Kosovo in 1389 with his two brothers in this desert area. The brothers separated and the place, where Mladen had established himself, was called Mladenovac.

History
In the village of Kovačevac, 4.5 km from downtown Mladenovac, there is an archaeological locality Divičmeđ. It spreads on 10 ha in the valley of the Veliki Lug river and contains remains from the prehistoric and medieval periods. Medieval settlement was located under the Brest plateau, surrounding the Divičmeđ and Bunar water springs. Excavations were conducted in 1986-1987 (headed by Milica Janković) and 1995. Oldest settlement from this period is dated to the 9th century. It had shallow dug houses, with scattered clay vessels and iron arrowheads discovered, too. This settlement disappeared in c.900, but was revived in the 10th century. Apart from pottery artifacts, also discovered were jewelry, lead beads (presumably for religious purpose), soldiers' vests and square artisan furnace, cut into the wall, with the places for sitting and laying around it.

The settlement disappeared again in the 13th century but was established again in the mid-14th century. This locality yielded fine, thin ceramics, Serbian coins and ornamental, gold plated rivets, shaped like eagle heads. The settlement died out around c.1400 and was never settled again. In total, there are 250 registered archaeological localities on the Mladenovac municipal territory, 98 of which are from the Middle Ages.

The first official data over a settlement in this area are mentioned in the Ottoman census of 1528. The day of the urban district is 2 August, when Mladenovac was given the status of a town in 1893.

In 1971, the municipality of Mladenovac, along with Lazarevac, was annexed to the city of Belgrade.

On 4 May 2023, nine people were killed and thirteen others were injured in a spree shooting in the villages of Dubona and Šepšin.

Geography
This town, situated about 47 km in the south of Belgrade, is a part of the district of the capital city of Serbia. Together with the suburban settlements Kovačevac, Koraćica, Markovac, Jagnjilo, Senaja, Granice, Velika Krsna, Dubona, Šepšin, Velika Ivanča, Rajkovac, Selo Mladenovac, Rabrovac, Amerić, Vrbica the municipality of Mladenovac extends over 339 km2 and has 53,050 inhabitants.

Features
Kosmaj with its altitude of 628 m is the highest point in this region. A monument dedicated to Serbs (Partisans) who lost their lives in World War II fights that took place in this area sits at the top of this mountain.

A medieval monastery Tresije, built in the 13th century, is located on the way from the town center to Mount Kosmaj.

Mladenovac is also a crossing point of many trading and transporting routes such as Belgrade, Kragujevac, Aranđelovac, Smederevo, Smederevska Palanka.

Neighborhoods and settlements
Suburban:

Demographics
According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has a population of 53,096 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups
The ethnic composition of the municipality (as of 2022):

Economy
Most of the inhabitants of Mladenovac are working in the industrial factories. The most prominent large companies are: Keramika, Progres, Minel trafo, Elektrošumadija, Cobest and Makovica.

There is a game hunting ground "Varovnica" in the municipality. Other touristic attractions in the municipality include the nearby Kosmaj mountain with its monasteries, monuments and excursion complexes, Selters Spa, lakes of Markovac and Rabrovac, and the ethno-village of Amerić.

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Selters Spa
The Selters Institute for Rehabilitation is located 50 km southeast from Belgrade, in the urban area of Mladenovac. The first water well with warm salty water was dug in 1893. After the water from the thermo-mineral spring was analyzed, it showed similarities with the waters from spas Bad Ems in Germany, Royat in France and Luhačovice in Bohemia, but it was most comparable to the Selters Spa in Germany, so it was named the same way. Water was awarded with medals in Brussels (1906) and London (1907). The health resort was initially developed by Dr. Naum Atanasijević, who sold his inheritance, a steam mill, and invested the money into the villa with 30 beds.

Thermal water comes from two springs. The spa continued to develop during Interbellum, when number of visitors exceeded Mladenovac's population. The modern complex was reconstructed and expanded in 1975, when state Institute for Occupational Medicine and Rehabilitation purchased the center. Rehabilitation center "Sokobanjska" was opened in 1989 in Belgrade itself, and later administratively became part of Selters.

The water is beneficial for the patients with strokes, rheumatism, orthopedic problems and cerebral palsy. The institute also provides the mud healing therapies though it has no natural healing mud. It is made from the mixture of thermal water, clay and zeolite, which matures in special pools and then is kept at 40 C. As of 2017, the complex has a floor area of 26,000 m2 with 300 beds, wellness and spa centers, a park of 14 ha and 7,000 patients yearly.

With the surrounding neighborhoods, Selters forms one of the "local communities", sub-municipal administrative units, of the town of Mladenovac. It had a population of 3,619 in 1981, 4,468 in 1991, 5,094 in 2002 and 4,601 in 2011.

Education
The biggest primary school is "Momcilo Zivojinovic" with over 2000 pupils. Second in size is "Sveti Sava" primary school. There is also a primary school "Kosta Đukić" in Mladenovac. Also in Mladenovac exist 8 primary schools and 2 secondary schools. It has a long history, educating many pupils and having many teachers work in it. Every one of them left a trace in the school's history. The primary school Kosta Đukić was founded in 1968. Its pupils have shown very good results in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. It is one of three town’s schools in Mladenovac and its nearby Selters Institute for Rehabilitation. This school has also classes in villages Međulužje, Pružatovac, Markovac, Koraćica, Vlaška and Velika Ivanča. The school in Koraćica has existed for over 150 years. The school is very successful in many fields. Its pupils in recent years have shown good results in various republic and national competitions. The school also has a lot of playgrounds for basketball, football, etc. The Grammar School in Mladenovac is very successful in Serbian and history, especially in republic competitions.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Mladenovac


text:
Nikšić

Nikšić, is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 (2011 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa Hill. It is the center of Nikšić Municipality with population of 66,725 according to 2023 census, which is the largest municipality by area and second most inhabited after Podgorica. It was also the largest municipality by area in the former Yugoslavia. It is an important industrial, cultural, and educational center.

Name
In classical antiquity, the area of Nikšić was the site of the settlement of the Illyrian tribe of the Endirudini and was known in sources of the time as Anderba or Enderon. The Roman Empire built a military camp (castrum Anderba) in the 4th century AD, which was known as the Ostrogothic fortress Anagastum (after 459. AD). After Slavic settlement in the region, Anagastum became Slavic Onogošt, which was the name of the town and župa (county) in the Middle Ages. Onogošt was renamed as Nikšić in the middle of 15th century after the Nikšići, a Montenegrin tribe.

Antiquity
The region formed one of the core areas of the Illyrian kingdom with its capital in Rhizon. It was inhabited by the Endirudini, who figure in the list of tribes which surrendered to Octavian in 33 BC. The Endirudini were one of the tribes who were included in the administrative reorganization of the tribal units in the early Roman Empire and became part of the Docleatae with Doclea as their administrative center.

Middle Ages
During the Early Middle Ages, it was located within the South Slavic (Sklavenoi) tribal provinces of Travunia or Duklja (which were under the authority of the Serbian Principality of the Vlastimirović dynasty). With the fall of the Vlastimirovići and the hinterland regions in the second half of the 10th century, Doclea was resurrected with Stefan Vojislav and his Vojislavljević dynasty, succeeded by Stefan Nemanja and his Nemanjić dynasty, at which time the Onogošt župa existed. With the fall of the Serbian Empire, Onogošt came under the rule of Kingdom of Bosnia in 1373, and was under the rule of the Kosača noble family, which held territory in Herzegovina from 1448 until Herzegovina fell to the Ottomans.

Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire took control of Onogošt in 1465, and it stayed under control of the Turks for more than four hundred years, as a part of Herzegovina Province. Onogošt was first referred to as "Nikšić" in a document titled Radonia Pribisalich de Nichsich printed in 1518. Evliya Çelebi mentioned Serbs who live in the villages around Nikšić. The name "Nikšić" was used alongside Onogošt until 1767, when the name Nikšić was officially implemented after an ayan council, a high-profile meeting of Ottoman feudal lords which was relatively common at the time. During the later years of Ottoman occupation, the town served as a significant fortified military stronghold. During the course of Ottoman rule, a total of four mosques were built in Nikšić. The first one, Donjogradska, was constructed between 1695 and 1703. A second mosque called Hadžidanuša was constructed sometime in the early 1700s by an Ottoman military captain, Hadži-Husejin Danević; it was colloquially known as the "short mosque" because it had no minarets. A third mosque, known simply as "Pasha's mosque", was the largest in Nikšić. It was said to be architecturally similar to Jashar Pasha Mosque in Pristina. A fourth mosque called Hadži-Ismail's mosque was erected in 1807, and was the only mosque to survive the departure of the Ottoman Empire from Nikšić later that century.

Under the influence of the First Serbian Uprising, in the summer of 1805, the movement of Herzegovinian Serbs wanting to start an uprising appeared in Nikšić. The people of Nikšić relied on and cooperated with the harambašas from Popovo Polje, Trebinje and Trebinje Šuma, (Требињска шума), and calculated that 19,000 Serbs could rise up in revolt, while weapons were to arrive from Russia, via Greece. The Turks reacted to that by sending 10,000 soldiers led by pasha Kauzlarić to quell the rebellion. After the suppression of the uprising by the Turks, in which local Slavic Muslims probably took part, there was no more mention of the wider rebellion in historical sources.

In 1807, armed forces led by Petar I Petrović-Njegoš along with 1,000 Russian troops attempted to take Nikšić, but Ottoman forces prevailed. On July 18, 1876, the Principality of Montenegro defeated Ottoman forces in the Battle of Vučji Do in the western edge of the municipality of Nikšić. On 27 August 1877, the rest of Nikšić was taken by the Montenegrin Army under the command of Vojvoda Mašo Vrbica after a 47-day siege against the Ottoman authorities. English archaeologist Arthur Evans witnessed the negotiations between Nicholas I of Montenegro (Nikola I) and the remaining Bosniaks (Muslims) after the siege, and subsequently wrote about them in his diary:

"Prince Nikola upon entering Nikšić directly invited representatives of Muslim citizens and informed them that whoever decides to stay is guaranteed complete personal freedom, freedom to retain homes, land, and all property, complete freedom of religion and that they will enjoy all the rights of Montenegrin citizenry, even including the right to carry arms. On the other hand, those who decide to leave will be allowed to bring any mobile goods and the Montenegrin government will issue a horse and an envoy up to the border."

Principality and Kingdom of Montenegro (1877–1918)
Nikšić was officially recognized as a part of the Principality of Montenegro in the Treaty of Berlin. The small Ottoman hamlet began to transform into a modern urban settlement. The first urban plan was adopted in 1883, commissioned by King Nikola, who appointed Croatian architect Josip Slade to develop the city planning. In addition to designing contemporary Nikšić, he also designed the monumental Carev Most nearby.

Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941)
The ousting of King Nikola and the context of the transition to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes resulted in considerable tension and even violence in Nikšić. On December 23, 1918, Nikšić was the site of a skirmish between Montenegrin Greens and Serbian troops under the command of Dragan Milutinović. The Greens had launched an attack on Nikšić during the Christmas Uprising, although Serbian forces prevailed. Even after the Christmas Uprising ended, some Montenegrin Greens continued resisting the Yugoslav government for many years. On December 28, 1923, 11 Montenegrin "Komiti" who continued guerilla activities after the Christmas Uprising were executed in Nikšić by the Serbian Gendarmery.

Nikšić saw the establishment of rail transport during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. On July 12, 1938, after thirteen years of on-and-off construction, the first train arrived from Bileća at the newly constructed railway station in Nikšić. A gate was decorated in front of the new station, on which a portrait of King Petar II was installed with "Long Live Yugoslavia!" written under the portrait. Approximately 5,000 people waited for the first train to arrive, even when its arrival was delayed by two hours on a hot day. During the delay, much of the public was reportedly impatient, with two war veterans leading a kolo dance on the railroad tracks before the train arrived.

World War II
During World War II, Nikšić was first occupied by the Italian governorate in Montenegro. The occupation resulted in several insurrections, with one of the earliest started by the Yugoslav Partisans. The first Partisan advances were violently repressed, as Nikšić became the site of a large number of public executions, including those of notable communists Ljubo Čupić and 16-year old Joka Baletić.

Over the course of April 7–8, 1944, Nikšić was bombed by the Royal Air Force, using Vickers Wellington long-range bombers. One of the Yugoslav Partisans' commanders in Montenegro, Peko Dapčević, requested to Josip Broz Tito that allied forces bomb Nikšić in order to force out the Nazi occupation. The recorded number of casualties from the bombing raid vary depending on different sources, ranging from approximately 200 to 500 killed.

SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1991)
After the end of World War II, Nikšić became the site of unprecedented industrial and political developments. On September 24, 1948, six unmarked Supermarine Spitfire aircraft landed at Kapino Polje Airport, where they were retrofitted and delivered to the Israeli Air Force in a secret operation. During the operation, the airport was quarantined from the public by Yugoslavia's State Security Administration. The unmarked aircraft were flown by pilots from the Israeli Air Force, and three of them were used in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War less than a month later.

One of the biggest changes in Nikšić were the construction of new factories, particularly the metal processing plant "Boris Kidrič", which Josip Broz Tito first visited in May 1959. Tito visited the Boris Kidrič plant again on May 12, 1969, after it was reported that the plant recorded a positive net revenue for the previous quarter-year for the first time since its establishment. During his second visit to Nikšić, Tito insisted that negative business results be addressed by modernizing machinery in the factory, as opposed to placing responsibility solely on workers. By 1985, the Boris Kidrič metal works employed over 6,500 workers, although that year two strikes took place. Chronic inflation of the Yugoslav dinar had already begun, and the metal works were dependent on imports in order to produce. This added pressure to raise prices of steel products, which in turn made them less competitive with steel from western Europe.

The city population was increased tenfold, and Nikšić became the heart of Montenegrin industrial complex. During the socialist republic era, the city flourished, as steel and iron works, bauxite mines, electricity production, brewery and wood processing industries were set up in and around the city.

During the Yugoslav Wars
With the breakup of Yugoslavia, Nikšić was hit hard with the hyperinflation of the Yugoslav dinar, international sanctions, and overall decline throughout Yugoslavia during the 1990s. Nikšić had a large amount of reservists in the Yugoslav People's Army. Between 62 and 77 JNA soldiers killed in the Yugoslav Wars were from Nikšić alone. Political tension in Nikšić was polarized between Serbian nationalist and Montenegrin secessionist groups. Although Nikšić did not experience violence from the war in neighboring Bosnia, there were some extraordinary incidents. In the fall of 1992, Vojislav Šešelj planned to hold a Serbian Radical Party rally in Nikšić. However, a local named Brano Mićunović plotted to assassinate Šešelj outside of a tunnel upon entering Nikšić, and Šešelj ultimately cancelled the meeting after hearing about the plot. In June 1993, Hadži-Ismail's mosque was destroyed during unrest.

Years of wartime tension and widespread poverty took a toll on the city. In 1996, Nikšić recorded the second-most suicides out of any city in Yugoslavia. After a period of twenty days during which six suicides and two murders took place, clergymen in Nikšić decided to start an annual public liturgy, or Litija, which was attended by tens of thousands of worshipers who walked all the way from Ostrog Monastery in May 1996.

Municipal parliament
The municipal parliament consists of 41 deputies elected directly for a four-year term.

Mayor
Mayor of Nikšić is the head of the town and municipality of Nikšić. He acts on behalf of the town, and performs an executive function in the municipality of Nikšić. Current mayor is Marko Kovačević, member of the right-wing Democratic Front.

List of Mayors since introduction of multi-party system (1990–present):
 * Milorad Drljević (DPS) (1990–2002)
 * Vera Miljanić (LSCG) (2002–2003)
 * Labud Šljukić (LSCG) (2003–2005)
 * Nebojša Radojičić (DPS) (2005–2014)
 * Veselin Grbović (DPS) (2014–2020)
 * Milutin Simović (DPS) (2020–2021)
 * Marko Kovačević (DF) (2020–present)

Geography
Nikšić is situated in north-central Montenegro. It is located at the centre of the spacious Nikšić field (Nikšićko polje), a karst plain with an area of 48 km2, and an elevation of 640 m AMSL. The plain is surrounded by inhospitable rocky mountainous terrain, a typical landscape of western Montenegro. The city itself is located at the foot of the Trebjesa hill.

Zeta river originates in the Nikšić field, and flows near the city of Nikšić, before it becomes a subterranean river south of the city. The river caused frequent flooding of the plain, until the construction of Hydroelectric power plant Perućica in 1960. The construction of the power plant resulted in creation of three large artificial lakes near the city - Krupac Lake, Slano Lake and Vrtac Lake. Today, the lakes are a popular recreation and relaxation retreats for the citizens of Nikšić.

Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, Nikšić has an oceanic climate (Cfb), which is influenced by the Mediterranean climate drying trend during summer. The average temperature in January is 1.7 °C, while in July it is 20.4 °C. Average humidity amounts to 69%. Nikšić receives 2,238 hours of sunshine per year, with warm and moderately wet summers, and cool and rainy winters. On average, there are 19 days per year with snowfall.

Cityscape
Although Nikšić area has seen human settlements since antiquity, most of the modern Nikšić is a planned city. Very little remains of the Ottoman architectural heritage, despite the long presence of Ottoman Empire in the area. The city layout visible today still follows the 1883 urban plan commissioned by King Nicholas and designed by Croatian architect Josip Slade.

According to this plan, the streets of Nikšić radiate to the north and east from the central city square (today a roundabout), locally known as Skver. The radial streets are intersected by circumferential streets and avenues, thus creating a half-spider web-like street layout.

Layers of different architectural styles and urban patterns are evident along the radial network of streets. Thus, closest to the central roundabout is the historical core of Nikšić, formed after the liberation from Ottoman Empire, and serving as a nucleus for Slade's urban plan. This area, on the foot of Trebjesa Hill, is home to King Nicholas Palace, City Park, and Freedom Square, main city square located along the central Njegoševa Street. The area is composed of mostly single or two storey row housing with basic designs, an architecture typical for late 19th and early 20th centuries Montenegro. The roundabout and the surrounding area is still the focal point of activities in the city, as bus and train stations, as well as commercial and civic services are located in the area.

Farther from the central roundabout, the historical core is encircled with a layer of mass residential blocks, built during the SFRY era. The building of the highrise residential blocks facilitated housing of the large population drawn to the city by rapid post-World War II industrialisation. The SFRY era apartment blocks are still home for the majority of residents of Nikšić.

Beyond the blocks, the city expanded in form of a suburban sprawl, that consists of detached housing. Close to the city blocks and major industrial areas, the lowrise single home suburbs are built with well executed urban plans, but farther away from the center, the city expanded in a chaotic and informal way. In addition, the rural areas south of Nikšić have merged with the city, so low density suburbs extend from the city in every direction, covering much of the Nikšić Field.

Culture
Although mostly perceived as an industrial center, Nikšić is also a city of rich cultural heritage. The most significant cultural institution in the city is Centar Za Kulturu (Cultural Center), which incorporates the city's major public cultural establishments:

 * Zavičajni Muzej (County Museum), situated in the former royal Palace of King Nikola, documents the historical development of the city.
 * Nikšić art gallery
 * Public library and Public archive
 * Nikšić theater
 * Zahumlje folk music society
 * Stari Grad Anderva art society

The most significant cultural event in the city is Septembarski Dani Kulture (September days of Culture), that is one of the most recognizable cultural happenings in Montenegro. Other annual artistic events include Pjesnik na korzu (Poet on the promenade), Međunarodni festival glumca (International actors festival), Međunarodni festival kamerne muzike (International festival of chamber music), Međunarodni festival gitare (International guitar festival). Lake Fest rock festival, held annually at Krupac lake and Bedem Fest rock festival, held at Bedem Castle are gaining ground as one of the most recognizable music festivals in the former Yugoslav region.

Nikšić is known for its distinctive cultural atmosphere and bohemian art scene, with poet Vitomir Nikolić and singers/songwriters like Miladin Šobić or Marinko Pavićević as prominent representatives of the Nikšić bohemian spirit. Živko Nikolić, a native of Nikšić, is considered the most significant Montenegrin movie director.

Media scene of Nikšić is mostly confined to public broadcasters TV Nikšić and Radio Nikšić, and a number of commercial radio stations. Riječ and Luča magazines, published by the Faculty of Philology and the Faculty of Philosophy respectively, as well as Poznanstva children magazine, are also a part of Nikšić cultural scene.

Education
Nikšić is home to 40 educational institutions. Among those are 11 nurseries, 25 elementary schools of which one is elementary music school and 4 high schools, including the Stojan Cerović Gymnasium.

Nikšić is also home to three faculties of the University of Montenegro:
 * Faculty of Philosophy - a complex educational and scientific institution which organizes undergraduate, specialist and postgraduate studies as well as doctoral studies within its main activities. Two institutes operate within the faculty:
 * Institute of philosophy and sociology and
 * Institute of geography
 * Faculty of Philology
 * Institute of language and literature
 * Faculty of sports and physical education

Sports
Nikšić is regarded as one of the centers of Montenegrin sport. The combat sports are particularly popular in Nikšić, with a strong tradition in judo, karate and boxing. Nikšić judokas have been exceptionally successful at international competitions.

Sutjeska football club is the pillar of the city soccer tradition. The club has risen to the Yugoslav First League during the SFRY era, and is one of the most successful clubs since the Montenegrin First League was established in 2006. City Stadium is the club's home field. FK Čelik is also becoming more prominent as it has reached the UEFA Europa League qualifying phase.

In basketball, not only has Nikšić produced great players (Bojan Dubljevic or Ana Pocek for example), but the local team KK Sutjeska Nikšić became champions of the Montenegrin Basketball Cup in 2013.

Other team sports, particularly handball and volleyball, are also popular in Nikšić.

Besides City Stadium, other significant sporting venue is the Nikšić Sports Center. This facility features a 3,000 seat indoor sports hall, olympic-size swimming pool, 6-lane bowling alley, sports shooting range, tennis and futsal courts, and various other facilities.

Vučje ski resort is 18 km away from the city center, making winter sports a popular recreation among the citizens of Nikšić.

Demographics
Population (city)

Nikšić is administrative centre of Nikšić Municipality, which incorporates a densely populated fertile plain called "Župa", and has a population of 66,725 (2023. census).

Nikšić Municipality can be viewed as a metropolitan area of the city of Nikšić.

Ethnicity
Source: Statistical Office of Montenegro - MONSTAT, Census 2011

Religion
Source: Statistical Office of Montenegro - MONSTAT, Census 2011

Economy
Nikšić is, alongside Podgorica, one of the biggest industrial centres of Montenegro. A steel mill (Nikšićka Željezara), bauxite mine, the Trebjesa brewery (Nikšićka Pivara), and many more are concentrated in this city.

These big industries had struggled to survive the collapse of the socialist economy, but have since recovered. The process of privatization is either finished or still in progress for some of these industries.

Today those industry giants cannot employ as many workers as they could back in the days of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the economy of Nikšić is slowly transforming into one that is more service-oriented. In 1981 Niksic's GDP per capita was 91% of the Yugoslav average.

Road
Nikšić's main road connection is E762 highway, which connects Nikšić with Podgorica to the southeast, and with Plužine and on to the Foča and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Hercegovina) to the northwest. Another recently reconstructed north/south Montenegrin road corridor passes through Nikšić, the Risan/Trebinje-Nikšić-Šavnik-Žabljak road. This road is the shortest connection Nikšić has with Bay of Kotor and Montenegrin coast. Nikšić also has the distinction of being one of the first Montenegrin towns to have a bypass road. The bypass, built during the SFRY era, has been upgraded in 2011, and now services every transit corridor of Nikšić, directing all transit traffic away from the urban core. Like many cities in the former Yugoslavia, Nikšić is the hub of multiple intercity bus companies, the largest of them being Glušica Nikšić and 4 Decembar Nikšić which operate to destinations as far as Sarajevo and Belgrade.

Rail
Nikšić is the terminus of Nikšić-Podgorica railway, which is sole rail connection of the city. This railway line connects with Belgrade-Bar and Podgorica–Shkodër lines in Podgorica.

This rail link has been used mainly to transport bauxite from Nikšić bauxite mine to Podgorica Aluminium Plant. It is currently under reconstruction and electrification, and passenger service will be reintroduced once the reconstruction is completed. Three CAF Civity EMUs have been ordered by Railways of Montenegro specifically to serve this railway, cutting the travel time between Nikšić and Podgorica to only 50 minutes. The first of the new trains will go into service on June 1, 2013.

Nikšić obtained its narrow-gauge railway connection with Bosnia and Herzegovina via Bileća and Trebinje when the railway line was extended from Bileća and opened in 1938. Not far from Trebinje, the narrow-gauge line used to branch off in three directions: towards Čapljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zelenika in Bay of Kotor in Montenegro (a dead end), and Dubrovnik in Croatia (also a dead end). After reaching Čapljina, the line used to run to the south, to the Ploče harbour in Croatia, and to the north, to the rest of the world via Mostar and Sarajevo. The narrow-gauge extension from Nikšić to Titograd (Podgorica), built by youth work brigades, was opened in 1948. That extension was converted to standard gauge in 1965. The narrow-gauge line from Nikšić to Čapljina was closed down in 1976 and dismantled soon after.

Air
Nikšić Airport is located on the western outskirts of the city. It is a small sport airport, that caters to needs of general aviation, and of local enthusiast aviation club. After significant reconstruction and expansion, the airport was chosen to be a host of 2010 FAI World Parachuting Championships. Scheduled passenger service has yet to be introduced.

Podgorica Airport is some 60 km away from Nikšić, and has regular flights to Belgrade, Sarajevo, Budapest, Zürich, Frankfurt, Ljubljana, Paris, Rome and Vienna. Both Tivat and Dubrovnik airports are some 100 km away, and offer regular services to major European destinations.

International cooperation
Nikšić is twinned with:

 * 🇷🇸 Arilje, Serbia
 * 🇧🇦 Bileća, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * Bovec, Slovenia
 * 🇮🇹 Brindisi, Italy
 * 🇨🇳 Chifeng, China
 * 🇧🇦 Foča, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇧🇦 Gacko, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * Girona, Spain
 * 🇧🇦 Gradačac, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇧🇦 Jajce, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * Koper, Slovenia
 * Koprivnica, Croatia
 * 🇲🇰 Kumanovo, North Macedonia
 * 🇷🇸 Lazarevac, Serbia
 * Murska Sobota, Slovenia
 * 🇧🇦 Nevesinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇷🇸 New Belgrade, Serbia
 * 🇲🇰 Ohrid, North Macedonia
 * 🇲🇰 Prilep, North Macedonia
 * Rab, Croatia
 * 🇷🇸 Ražanj, Serbia
 * 🇲🇰 Strumica, North Macedonia
 * 🇧🇦 Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇧🇦 Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇷🇸 Valjevo, Serbia
 * 🇷🇸 Vrbas, Serbia
 * Zadar, Croatia
 * 🇲🇰 Želino, North Macedonia

Notable individuals

 * Dragomir Bečanović, judoka, World champion
 * Andrija Delibašić, footballer
 * Bojan Dubljević, basketball player
 * Milo Đukanović, President of Montenegro
 * Grdan (fl. 1596–d. 1612), vojvoda of Nikšić and rebel leader
 * Goran Jeretin, basketball player
 * Zdravko Krivokapić, Prime Minister of Montenegro
 * Radmila Miljanić-Petrović, handball player, Olympic silver medalist and European champion
 * Milomir Miljanić, singer
 * Andrija Milošević, actor
 * Alen Muratović, handball player
 * Vitomir Nikolić, poet
 * Živko Nikolić, movie director
 * Milosava Perunović (ca. 1900 - 1945), war heroine
 * Vukan Perović, football player
 * Željko Petrović, footballer
 * Milisav Popović, fantasy author
 * Nataša Popović, basketball player
 * Silvija Popović, Serbian volleyball player, silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics, World and European champion
 * Zdravko Radulović, basketball player, silver medalist at the 1988 Summer Olympics and European champion
 * Miladin Šobić, musician
 * Željko Šturanović, former Prime Minister of Montenegro
 * Mirko Vučinić, footballer
 * Filip Vujanović, former President of Montenegro
 * Miljan Zeković, football player
 * Rajko Žižić, basketball player, three-time Olympic medalist and 1980 Olympic champion
 * Milorad Žižić, boxer
 * Vesna Zmijanac, singer

title: Nikšić


text:
Novi Pazar

Novi Pazar (Нови Пазар) is a city in Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inhabitants. The city is the cultural center of the Bosniaks in Serbia and of Sandžak. A multicultural area of Muslims and Orthodox Christians, many monuments of both religions, like the Altun-Alem Mosque and the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, are located in the region which has a total of 30 protected monuments of culture.

Name
During the 14th century under the old Serbian fortress of Stari Ras, an important market-place named Trgovište started to develop. By the middle of the 15th century, in the time of the final Ottoman Empire conquest of Old Serbia, another market-place was developing some 11 km to the east. The older place became known as Staro Trgovište (Old Trgovište, Eski Pazar) and the younger as Novo Trgovište (New Trgovište, Yeni Pazar). The latter developed into the modern city of Novi Pazar.

The name "Novi Pazar" (meaning 'New Bazaar') was derived from the Serbian name Novo Trgovište, via the Turkish name Yeni Pazar, which is itself derived from bazaar. The city is known as Pazari i Ri or Tregu i Ri in Albanian and simply Novi Pazar in Bosnian. Aside from that it is still known as Yeni Pazar in modern-day Turkey.

Geography
Novi Pazar is located in the valleys of the Jošanica, Raška, Deževska, and Ljudska rivers. It lies at an elevation of 496m, in the southeast Raška region. The city is surrounded by the Golija and Rogozna mountains, and the Pešter plateau lies to the west. The total area of the city administrative area is 742 km2. It contains 100 settlements, mostly small and spread over hills and mountains surrounding the city. The largest village is Mur, with over 3000 residents.

Climate
Novi Pazar has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfb) typical of the hilly Raška region. It is generally cooler than Serbia's other major cities, though still significantly warmer than the neighboring town of Sjenica.

History
One of the oldest monuments of the area is the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul first built in the Roman era and reconstructed in the 9th century. Over many centuries the city area of Stari Ras was a borderline contested by the First Bulgarian Empire, Serbian Principality and Byzantine Empire.

Since the late-12th century, the region of modern Novi Pazar served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division, usually under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. It was the crownland, seat or appanage of various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages, including the Serbian Kingdom (1217–1345) and the Serbian Empire (1345–1371). In 1427, the region and the remnant of Ras, as part of the Serbian Despotate, was ruled by Serbian despot Đurađ Branković. One of the markets was called "despotov trg" (Despot's square). In 1439, the region was captured by the Ottoman Empire, but was reconquered by the Serbian Despotate in 1444. In the summer of 1455, the Ottomans conquered the region again, and named the settlement of Trgovište Eski Bazar (Old Market). Novi Pazar was formally founded as a city in its own right in 1461 by Ottoman general Isa-Beg Ishaković, the Bosnian governor of the district (sanjak) who also founded Sarajevo. Ishaković decided to establish a new town on the area of Trgovište as an urban center between Raška and Jošanica, where at first he built a mosque, a public bath, a marketplace, a hostel, and a compound.

It was the chief town of the Ras province (vilayet) until its disestablishment in 1463, when it became part of the Jeleč Vilayet. The first written document which mentions Novi Pazar dates from the 15th century, and describes the decision of the Republic of Ragusa to appoint a consul there. The town was well developed by this time, being at the intersection of important routes leading to Dubrovnik, Niš, Sofia, Constantinople, Salonica, Sarajevo, Belgrade and Budapest. The town also remained the capital of the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, which continued until the 20th century as a constitutive unit of Bosnia Eyalet. The sanjak was occupied and administered by Austria-Hungary from 1878. In 1908 it was returned to the Ottoman Empire as part of the Kosovo Vilayet, but taken over by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1912, during the First Balkan War.

The area has traditionally had a large number of Albanians and Muslim Slavs with a different culture from the Orthodox Serbs. A contemporary report stated that when the Serb forces entered the Sandjak of Novi Pazar, they "pacified" the Albanians. In 1913, Novi Pazar officially became part of the Kingdom of Serbia, and as such, became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1918. From 1929 to 1941, Novi Pazar was part of the Zeta Banovina of the Yugoslavia.

In the Battle for Novi Pazar, fought at the end of 1941 during the Second World War, the Chetniks, initially supported by the Partisans, unsuccessfully tried to capture the city. Following the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević on 5 October 2000, newly elected Prime Minister of Serbia Zoran Đinđić made considerable efforts to help economically the whole area of Novi Pazar. Also, with the help of Đinđić, the International University of Novi Pazar was founded in 2002. He made close relations with the leaders of Bosniaks, as part of his wider plan to reform Serbia. Twelve years following his assassination, the Novi Pazar Assembly decided to rename one street in his name.

Demographics

According to the 2022 census, the municipality of Novi Pazar has 106,720 inhabitants, while the city itself has 71,462 inhabitants. A total of 68.47% of population live in urban area of the city. The population density is 135.32 inhabitants per square kilometer. Novi Pazar has 23,022 households with 4,36 members on average; the number of homes is 28,688.

Religion structure in the city of Novi Pazar is predominantly Muslim (82,710), with Serbian Orthodox (16,051), Atheists (71), Catholics (51), and other minority groups. Most of the population speaks either Bosnian (74,501) or Serbian (23,406).

The composition of population by sex and average age:
 * Male - 49,984 (32.90 years) and
 * Female - 50,426 (34.14 years).

A total of 33,583 citizens (older than 15 years) have secondary education (44.41%), while the 7,351 citizens have higher education (9.72%). Of those with higher education, 5,005 (6.62%) have university education.

Ethnic composition
From the 15th century to the Balkan Wars, Novi Pazar was the capital of the sanjak of Novi Pazar. Typically, like other centres of the wider area, its composition was multiethnic, with Albanians, Serbs and Slavic-speaking Muslims as the largest ethnic groups of the city. The Ottoman travel writer Evliya Çelebi noted that it was one of the most populated towns in the Balkans in the 17th century. Jews also lived in the city until World War II. The entire Jewish population of Novi Pazar - 221 individuals, were imprisoned, sent to the concentration camp Staro Sajmište and killed during the rule of Aćif Hadžiahmetović. The ethnic composition of the city administrative area:

Ethnic composition of the urban area of the city:

Settlements
Aside from the urban area of Novi Pazar (54,604), the city administrative area includes the following settlements, with population from the 2002 census:

 * Aluloviće (362)
 * Bajevica (563)
 * Banja (466)
 * Bare (36)
 * Batnjik (58)
 * Bekova (116)
 * Bele Vode (872)
 * Boturovina (218)
 * Brđani (195)
 * Brestovo (5)
 * Čašić Dolac (76)
 * Cokoviće (20)
 * Deževa (238)
 * Dojinoviće (120)
 * Dolac (87)
 * Doljani (89)
 * Dragočevo (112)
 * Dramiće (80)
 * Golice (64)
 * Gornja Tušimlja (33)
 * Goševo (50)
 * Gračane (28)
 * Građanoviće (19)
 * Grubetiće (259)
 * Hotkovo (193)
 * Ivanča (813)
 * Izbice (1,949)
 * Jablanica (27)
 * Janča (332)
 * Javor (18)
 * Jova (21)
 * Kašalj (35)
 * Koprivnica (12)
 * Kosuriće (125)
 * Kovačevo (243)
 * Kožlje (618)
 * Kruševo (486)
 * Kuzmičevo (133)
 * Leča (319)
 * Lopužnje (70)
 * Lukare (489)
 * Lukarsko Goševo (850)
 * Lukocrevo (186)
 * Miščiće (231)
 * Muhovo (545)
 * Mur (3,407)
 * Negotinac (26)
 * Odojeviće (50)
 * Oholje (179)
 * Okose (36)
 * Osaonica (284)
 * Osoje (966)
 * Paralovo (982)
 * Pasji Potok (42)
 * Pavlje (178)
 * Pilareta (26)
 * Pobrđe (2,176)
 * Polokce (117)
 * Pope (83)
 * Postenje (3,471)
 * Požega (523)
 * Požežina (251)
 * Prćenova (159)
 * Pusta Tušimlja (53)
 * Pustovlah (28)
 * Radaljica (152)
 * Rajčinoviće (537)
 * Rajčinovićka Trnava (208)
 * Rajetiće (63)
 * Rajkoviće (29)
 * Rakovac (21)
 * Rast (51)
 * Šaronje (398)
 * Šavci (247)
 * Sebečevo (897)
 * Sitniče (778)
 * Skukovo (23)
 * Slatina (297)
 * Smilov Laz (8)
 * Srednja Tušimlja (40)
 * Štitare (77)
 * Stradovo (19)
 * Sudsko Selo (87)
 * Tenkovo (89)
 * Trnava (694)
 * Tunovo (128)
 * Varevo (501)
 * Vever (18)
 * Vidovo (90)
 * Vitkoviće (30)
 * Vojkoviće (36)
 * Vojniće (115)
 * Vranovina (329)
 * Vučiniće (245)
 * Vučja Lokva (15)
 * Zabrđe (49)
 * Zlatare (12)
 * Žunjeviće (211)

Politics
Novi Pazar is governed by a city assembly composed of 47 councillors, a mayor and vice-mayor. After the last legislative election held in 2020, the local assembly is composed of the following groups:
 * SDP - European Novi Pazar - Rasim Ljajić (21)
 * SPP - Muamer Zukorlić (11)
 * SDA - Party of Democratic Action of Sandžak (9)
 * Aleksandar Vučić - SNS, SPS, SRS (6)
 * Aleksandar Vučić - SNS, SPS, SRS (6)

Economy
Lying on crossroads between numerous old and new states, Novi Pazar has always been a strong trade center. Along with the trade, the city developed manufacturing tradition. During the 20th century, it became a center of textile industry.

Paradoxically, during the turbulent 1990s and, Novi Pazar prospered, even during the UN sanctions, boosted by the strong private initiative in textile industry. Jeans of Novi Pazar, first of forged trademarks, and later on its own labels, became famous throughout the region. However, during the relative economic prosperity in Serbia of the 2000s, the Novi Pazar economy collapsed, with demise of large textile combines in mismanaged privatization, and incoming competition from the import.

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2019):
 * Economic figures

Monuments
The old Serbian Orthodox monastery of Sopoćani, the foundation of St King Uroš I, built in the second half of the 13th century and located west of Novi Pazar, is a World Heritage Site since 1979 accompanying with Stari Ras (Old Ras), a medieval capital of the Serbian great župan Stefan Nemanja.

The city also houses the oldest intact church in Serbia and one of the oldest ones in the region which dates from the 9th-century, the Church of St Peter. The church's walls were defaced with graffiti on 6 April 2008. The police have not officially concluded why the incident occurred.

On a hilltop overlooking Novi Pazar is the 12th century monastery of Đurđevi stupovi, long left in ruin, but recently restored and with a monastic community using it, with plate glass to keep out the weather and preserve the fine frescos. The main mosque of the city, the Altun-Alem Mosque, was built in the first half of the 16th century by architect Abdul Gani.

There are various other historic Ottoman buildings, such as the 17th-century Amir-agin Han, a 15th-century Hammam, and the 15th-century Turkish fortress (all gone but the walls, the site of which is now a walled park in the city centre).

Education

Novi Pazar is home to two universities, the International University of Novi Pazar and the State University of Novi Pazar.

Sport
The city's football club FK Novi Pazar was founded in 1928, under the name "FK Sandžak", which later changed to "FK Deževa". The club has played under its current name since 1962, when Deževa and another local football club, FK Ras, unified under this name. The club was a SFRJ amateur champion, and a member of the Yugoslav Second League. FK Novi Pazar qualified for a promotional play-off twice, but lost both times (to FK Sutjeska Nikšić in 1994, and to FK Sloboda Užice in 1995). FK Novi Pazar finally promoted to Serbian SuperLiga in 2011–12 season. FK Novi Pazar is the oldest second-league team in Serbia. Football is still an extremely popular sport in Novi Pazar and the city stadium is always full.

Volleyball clubs in the city are OK Novi Pazar (first league) and OK Koteks.

The Handball club is in the second league and used to have the name "Ras" but it was changed to RK Novi Pazar in 2004.

The Basketball club of the city is OKK Novi Pazar.

Famous athletes from the city include Turkish basketball national team player Mirsad Jahović Türkcan, former football player of Besiktas Sead Halilagić, handball-player Mirsad Terzić (who represents Bosnia and Herzegovina) and young football players Adem Ljajić, Ediz Bahtiyaroğlu, Armin Đerlek.

International cooperation
List of Novi Pazar's sister and twin cities:

 * 🇦🇿 Shusha, Azerbaijan
 * 🇹🇷 Bayrampaşa, Turkey
 * 🇹🇷 İnegöl, Turkey
 * 🇷🇸 Jagodina, Serbia
 * 🇹🇷 Karatay, Turkey
 * 🇹🇷 Kocaeli Province, Turkey
 * 🇧🇬 Novi Pazar, Bulgaria
 * 🇹🇷 Pendik, Turkey
 * 🇷🇸 Vranje, Serbia
 * 🇹🇷 Yalova, Turkey

Other friendships and cooperations, protocols, memorandums:

 * 🇧🇦 Goražde, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇧🇦 Ilidža, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇲🇪 Podgorica, Montenegro
 * 🇧🇦 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇷🇸 Sombor, Serbia
 * 🇪🇬 Damietta, Egypt

Notable residents

 * Tahir Efendi Jakova (1770–1850), Albanian poet
 * Aćif Hadžiahmetović (1887–1945), politician, mayor of Novi Pazar during Second World War
 * Milunka Savić (1888–1973), the most-decorated female combatant in the entire history of warfare
 * Abdulah Gegić (1924–2008), former Partizan Belgrade football coach
 * Ejup Ganić (b. 1946), engineer and politician
 * Laza Ristovski (1956–2007), Yugoslav keyboardist, member of Smak and Bijelo Dugme
 * Rasim Ljajić (b. 1964), politician
 * Muamer Zukorlić (1970–2021), politician and Islamic theologian
 * Mirsad Jahović Türkcan (b. 1976), Turkish basketball player
 * Emina Jahović (b. 1982), pop singer
 * Miljan Mutavdžić (b. 1986), football player
 * Adem Ljajić (b. 1991), football player
 * Amela Terzić (b. 1993), runner
 * Erhan Mašović (b. 1998), football player
 * Hamad Medjedovic (b. 2003), tennis player

title: Novi Pazar


text:
Obrenovac

Obrenovac (Обреновац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has a population of 68,882 inhabitants, while the urban area has 25,380 inhabitants.

The largest Serbian thermal power plant TPP Nikola Tesla is located on the outskirts of the municipality. Obrenovac was also submerged and completely evacuated during the 2014 Southeast Europe floods.

Geography
Obrenovac is situated 30 km south-west of central Belgrade near bends of the river Sava to the north. The river Kolubara flows to the east of the town on its way to join the Sava.

Total land area of the municipality of Obrenovac is 411 km2. Apart from the town, it consists of the following villages:

Some of the neighborhoods in the town are Topolice, Rojkovac, Dudovi, Rvati, Muzička kolonija, Sljivice, Belo polje, Gaj, and Stočnjak.

History
In the Middle Ages, the area was part of Serbian states. King of Srem Dragutin Nemanjić ruled it between 1282 and 1319, and established monasteries in Grabovac and Mislođin. In 1521, it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, who ruled it for the next 300 years. Subsequently, it was site of numerous battles in frequent Ottoman–Habsburg wars and often changed hands. Austrian Regent of Serbia Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg built a summer house in nearby village of Stubline (then Neudorf). During a period of Austrian rule, between 1688. and 1717, the town was called Zweibrücken ('two bridges'), and during the Turkish rule it was called Palež ('arson'), possibly as a reference to frequent looting and fires it was subjected to.

On 11 April 1815, during the Second Serbian Uprising, the town was burned to the ground by Serbian forces in a battle against Ottomans. It was restored in 1859 by prince of Serbia Miloš Obrenović, after whom it was named. The Municipality of Obrenovac was incorporated within community of Belgrade municipalities in 1957.

The Day of the Municipality is December 20, the date of the decree of Prince Miloš Obrenović by which the name of Obrenovac was instituted, and its patron day is the Holy Trinity.

Obrenovac was Serbian town which suffered the greatest damage by the unprecedented floods in May 2014. Most of the population has been evacuated to safety. Sudden surge of water from Kolubara river on May 15 devastated the town, killing at least 14 persons, with several persons still missing.

Demographics
According to the 2022 census results, the municipality of Obrenovac has a population of 68,882 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups
The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Economy
The largest Serbian thermal power plant TPP Nikola Tesla is located on the outskirts of the town; its chimney is widely visible as the surrounding area is generally flat.

Touristic facilities include the Zabran forest on the right bank of the Sava. It is located outside of the urban zone of Obrenovac, northeast of the town and west of the Kolubara's mouth into the Sava. It is also accessible by boat as it has a peer. The forest has a 1.5 km long trim trails and arranged excursion sites. The pathways and bicycle path connect Zabran and the beach Perilo on the Sava. Under the name Obrenovački Zabran, the area is protected as the natural monument. The forest is one of the rare remaining autochthonous high forests in the floodplains of the Sava and Kolubara river. It influences the microclimate and mitigates the bad aftermaths of the Obrenovac's high level of industrialization.

The area was protected on 29 November 2013 and covers 47.77 ha and is separated from Sava by the embankment (dolma) with promenade. Present forests developed after the area was cut clean in 1941 and 1942, and are mostly short-lived sprout forests of low quality. More quality groves of pedunculate oak and narrow-leafed ash, once omnipresent and dominant in the entire Sava valley, are preserved for its genetic importance. Also dwindling is the presence of other species of higher quality, like silver poplar, grey poplar, European white elm, field elm and European wild pear. Autochthonous species are threatened by the later introduced and fast spreading species, like American ash, Canadian poplar, box elder, common milkweed, common ragweed, annual fleabane and, especially invasive, desert false indigo. They are gradually being replaced with the older species.

Not far from the Zabran is the hotel "Obrenovac", located at the entry into the town from the Belgrade direction. The hotel has thermal springs, outdoor and indoor Olympic swimming pools, aqua park and sports complex. The spa with sulfuric water is active since c.1900. Two wells were drilled in the 1930s, one kilometer apart, both reaching the same spring at the depth of 469 m. One well was arranged as a spa, while the other was an unregulated water well called Cevka ("small pipe"), even used by the local farmers for their cattle. In 2017–2018 Cevka was urbanized and arranged as a proper spa, too, with pools. Spas, hotel, and health care center form one health and touristic complex spreading on 20 ha. Water is not for human consumption and has a temperature of 21 to 22 C.

In the village of Skela, in the western section of the municipality, there is a popular attraction of ethno-yard which includes the mini-zoo. Other green areas include another protected natural monument, "Group of pedunculate oaks at Jozić cabin", which are over 200 years old, Arboretum with exotic and autochthonous plants, and the Natural History Home. There is also a game hunting ground "Posavina" in the municipality.

On the location of the old landfill along the Kolubara river, an arboretum was planted on 1.4 ha. It contains over 600 plants from 40 deciduous and 20 coniferous species, both autochthonous and allochthonous (China, Japan, Korea, America), including an orchard with old, Serbian varieties. Species include paulownia, metasequoia, larch, taxodium, liquidambar, koelreuteria, sweet maple, poplar, willow, ash and oak. The arboretum was destroyed during the 2014 floods and was replanted. A Natural Exhibition Home was built, with several permanent exhibitions, including one on moths and butterflies, and the canal with a small bridge was dug. The orchard contains chestnut, almond, medlar, old varieties of apples (kolačara, budimka) and pears (karamanka).

There is a green market in the centre of the town, and also flea market (as of August 2006) to the south of the town on the Valjevo road. The most famous football club from Obrenovac is FK Radnički Obrenovac; its stadium is beside the Belgrade road. The oldest school in the town is found next to Topolice. It carries the name of Jovan Popović. The school was built by Miloš Obrenović.

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Education

 * Obrenovac High School

Public transport
Three bus lines connect Obrenovac with Belgrade: 860, 860E and 861A.

International cooperation
Obrenovac is twinned with following cities and municipalities:
 * Kumanovo, North Macedonia
 * 🇸🇰 Staré Mesto, Slovakia
 * 🇳🇴 Bergen, Norway

Notable people

 * Zoran Radojičić, former member of the National Assembly of Serbia
 * Milan Stanković

title: Obrenovac


text:
Rahovec

Rahovec (Rahoveci) or Orahovac (Ораховац), is a town and municipality located in the District of Gjakova in western Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Rahovec has 15,892 inhabitants, while the municipality has 56,208 inhabitants.

Etymology
The name of the town and municipality is of Serbian origin and is derived from the Proto-Slavic word orěhъ, meaning nux (English: nut). The name Rahovec comes from an Albanised pronunciation of Orahovac.

Geography and population
The municipality covers an area of approximately 276 km2 and contains 35 villages.

Economy
Rahovec is especially known for its vineyards and wines.

Demographics
According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Rahovec has 56,208 inhabitants.

In the municipality's total population, 98.14% are Albanians, amounting to 55,166 individuals, while the rest represent diverse minority groups in Kosovo, including Ashkali, Egyptians, Serbs, Bosniaks and various others.

Local Pidgin Language
The town was known for a language known locally as "Rahovecionshe" or "Raveqki", which is a mixture of Albanian, Serbian and Bulgarian. Its use has declined rapidly after the Kosovo War and nowadays it is nearly extinct. It is thought that this pidgin language developed as a way for Albanian grape farmers to sell their products to wine producers, who were predominately Slavic-speaking.

Notable people

 * Shkëlzen Maliqi (born 1947), Kosovo Albanian former politician, born in Rahovec.
 * Ajet Shehu (born 1990), English footballer, born in Rahovec.
 * Ukshin Hoti (1943–1999), Kosovo Albanian activist, politician, and philosopher, born in Krusha e Madhe.
 * Ali Sokoli (1921–1974), Yugoslav physician, born in Rahovec.
 * Jovan Grković-Gapon (1879–1912), Serbian Chetnik, born in Rahovec.
 * Lazar Kujundžić (1880–1905), Serbian Chetnik commander, born in Rahovec.
 * Kida (born 1997), Kosovo Albanian female singer
 * Xhevdet Bajraj (1960–2022), poet and screenwriter who resided in Mexico.

title: Rahovec


text:
Johannes Virolainen

Johannes Virolainen (born 31 January 1914 in Rural municipality of Viipuri, died 11 December 2000 in Lohja) was a Finnish politician and who served as 30th Prime Minister of Finland, helped inhabitants of Karelia, opposed the use of alcohol and created Mandatory Swedish in Finnish basic schools.

Virolainen was born near Viipuri. After the Continuation War Virolainen moved to Lohja, but he remained one of the leaders of the evacuated Karelians, and never gave up the hope that Soviet Union and later Russia would return Finnish Karelia to Finland. After World War II Virolainen became the first president of the Maaseudun Nuorten Liitto later known as Finnish Centre Youth, which has been educating dozens of ministers and hundreds of members of the Finnish Parliament.

He was also famous as a teetotaller, saying that the only circumstance where he would countenance downing a toast would be if Karelia was ceded back to Finland. He was fond of repeating the line, and it has been claimed that he said it to, among others, Nikita Khrushchev and Anastas Mikoyan on the Soviet side, to fend off needling by them for lacking the Soviet style of social graces.

A member of the Agrarian League (later the Centre Party), Virolainen was a Member of Parliament 1945–1983 and 1987–1991.

He had a long ministerial career, serving as Assistant Minister of the Interior 1950–1951; Minister at the Council of State Chancellery 1951, and 1956–1957; Minister of Education 1953, 1954, 1956–1957, and 1968–1970; Minister of Foreign Affairs 1954–1956, 1957, and 1958; Deputy Prime Minister 1957, 1958, 1962–1963, 1968–1970, and 1977–1979; Minister of Agriculture 1961–1963; Minister of Finance 1972–1975; and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry 1976–1979.

Virolainen was Prime Minister from 1964–1966, presiding over a coalition government comprising the Centre Party, National Coalition Party, Swedish People's Party, and Finnish People's Party. He also served as Speaker of the Parliament from 1966–1968 and 1979–1983. Virolainen is considered one of the strongest Centre Party leaders in the post-war era, second only to Urho Kekkonen.

Virolainen had a variable, often tense relationship with President Kekkonen, who considered him an unreliable, too frequently opinion-changing politician. Virolainen himself claimed that the two basic reasons for their tense relationship were that he had never been a member of the right-wing, nationalist Academic Karelia Society (Kekkonen had, until 1932), and that he was a teetotaller (Kekkonen drank and at times smoked). Moreover, Kekkonen was unconvinced that Virolainen always supported his official foreign policy toward the Soviet Union. In June 1979, he publicly rebuked Virolainen, who was then Speaker of Parliament, for "bearing a false testimony" about Finland's foreign policy, and for harming Finland's international relations. Shortly before this harsh accusation, Virolainen had suggested in an interview by the Suomen Kuvalehti magazine that the National Coalition Party had remained in the opposition despite its major victory in the 1979 parliamentary elections because of "general reasons" or foreign policy.

After Kekkonen resigned in October 1981, Virolainen became the Centre Party's presidential candidate, but he was handily defeated in the 1982 presidential elections by the Social Democratic candidate, Mauno Koivisto. In the 1983 parliamentary elections, Virolainen was one of the major-party deputies to lose their seats because of allegations that he had illegally received the parliamentary daily allowance for commuting between Helsinki and his official hometown. Determined to finish his parliamentary career in style, he was re-elected to Parliament in the 1987 parliamentary elections. During his last electoral term, Virolainen supported constitutional amendment proposals that reduced the President's power.

During his nine-year retirement from Parliament, Virolainen still actively followed the Finnish political affairs and sometimes gave interviews on current topics (the Finnish broadcasting corporation YLE "Living Archives" / Elävä arkisto, search words: "Johannes Virolainen"). He also wrote some volumes of political memoirs, including "A Defence of Politics" (Politiikan puolustus), "From the Path" (Polun varrelta), and "The Pictures Move" (Kuvat kulkevat).

Cabinets

 * Virolainen Cabinet

title: Johannes Virolainen


text:
Paraćin

Paraćin (Параћин, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. Located in the Velika Morava river valley, north of Kruševac and southeast of Kragujevac, the town had a population of 25,104 in 2011. It also has a civilian airport.

History
There is a Neolithic archaeological site in the village of Drenovac. Basarabi pottery from the 8th Century BC depicting a domestic rooster was discovered near the town. The Roman fort at Momčilov Grad produced a great number of coins of Byzantine Emperor Justinian (525–565).

The medieval town of Petrus was granted by Emperor Dušan to the local župan Vukoslav. Petrus was the center of the Petruš region, one of the spiritual centers of Medieval Serbia. It comprised 14 monasteries and churches, all from the 14th century, along the rivers Crnica and Grza. As of 2017, several of the monasteries are being restored while there are plans to restore the town of Petrus, too, and to establish a touristic complex which would encompass both the town and the monasteries.

Paraćin was mentioned for the first time in 1375. That year, Prince Lazar of Serbia issued a charter to the Monastery of Great Lavra by which he granted to the monastery villages in the Petruš region, and Trg Parakinov brod ("Town of Parakin's river crossing"). It is believed that the name of the town originated from Parakin, name of a ferryman who ferried the people across the Crnica river, on which the town is located. In time, the name evolved into Paraćin.

In the 19th century, with the construction of the railway and its further branching, and already being located on the most important road route, Tsarigrad Road, Paraćin became a major traffic hub. The industry followed the traffic, so Paraćin was one of the largest industrial centers of Serbia in the 19th and 20th century, and the most densely populated town in country in the late 19th century.

From 1929 to 1941, Paraćin was part of the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

In 1987, a Kosovo Albanian conscript named Aziz Kelmendi went on a shooting rampage at the Yugoslav People's Army barracks in Paraćin, killing four of his fellow soldiers and wounding five others before taking his own life. The attack led to an increase in ethnic tensions between Serbs and Albanians in Yugoslavia.

Folklore
Nickname for an inhabitant of Paraćin is Džigeran, derived from the colloquial Serbian word for liver, džigerica, and originating from the 19th century. There are couple of jovial stories how it came about and both stem from the popular local rivalry between the towns of Paraćin and Jagodina. According to one story, Serbian ruler Prince Miloš Obrenović, visited Paraćin. The hosts didn't know what to prepare for the prince, so the townsfolk from the neighboring Jagodina told them to prepare liver, as the prince adores it. Actually, it was quite the opposite, so when prince tasted the liver, which he couldn't stand, he said: Oh liver, are you meat? Oh, people of Paraćin, are you humans? Another story goes that a train hit a turkey in Jagodina (turkey is town's symbol) and dragged it all the way to Paraćin, with only liver remaining on the locomotive.

Settlements
Apart from the town of Paraćin, the municipality includes the following settlements, along with number of residents (2002 census):

Economy
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Culture
The town has a Home Museum, a library and a "Pitagora" gallery.

Tourism
The Sisevac excursion place is the most popular excursion sites in the municipality. Located in the small village with only 15 inhabitants in 2011, it is located in the structural basin on the Kučaj mountains, at an altitude of 360 m. Sisevac is surrounded by forests and is the location of the Crnica river spring. Due to the favorable microclimate and the natural springs of the mineral water, it was known as the weather spa already in the 14th century.

Another excursion site is Grza, through which the river of the same name runs through. Popular attraction is the village of Gornja Mutnica and the river Suvara. Though it runs through the village only for a length of 500 m, there are 30 bridges over it.

Notable citizens

 * Svetolik Dragačevac, retired police chief who sent a threatening letter to Adolf Hitler in March 1941
 * Ana Nikolić, Serbian pop singer
 * Bojan Krkić Sr., former Yugoslav and Serbian professional footballer
 * Ivana Sert, Serbian-Turkish TV personality, model, and fashion designer.
 * Marčelo, Serbian hip hop musician
 * Nenad Đorđević, Serbian footballer
 * Ivica Radosavljević, Serbian / Swiss basketball player
 * Andrija Radovanović, Serbian footballer
 * Zoran Kalabić, Serbian businessman, humanist and a benefactor

Twin towns — Sister cities
Paraćin is twinned with:
 * 🇬🇷 Eleftherio-Kordelio, Greece
 * 🇬🇷 Perdika, Greece
 * 🇸🇮 Murska Sobota, Slovenia
 * 🇧🇦 Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

title: Paraćin