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Gornji Milanovac

Gornji Milanovac (Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data).

The town was founded in 1853. Before 1859 the original name of the town was Despotovica (Деспотовица), after the Despotovica river passing by the town. In 1859 the name was changed to Gornji Milanovac at the request of the Prince of Serbia Miloš Obrenović. Its name means Upper Milanovac (there is a Lower Milanovac as well, while Milanovac stems from the name Milan in Serbian).

History
Initially, the settlement that was to become Gornji Milanovac (before 1853) was situated in the area of today's village Brusnica. There was some discussion about the suitability of the site for a settlement. The new municipality was to be called Despotovac after the river Despotovica which passes through this municipality (the river name originates from the Serbian despot, Đurađ Branković). On the 22nd of April 1852, Despotovac (later Gornji Milanovac) was then relocated to a place called Divlje Polje. This decision was taken by Mladen Žujović, Trivun Novaković, Stevan Knićanin, and Gaja Riznić. Notable buildings and roads (for example: "Zgrada starog suda – Old Court building") are the work of German engineer Indižir Schultz from Pančevo. Today's name Gornji Milanovac was formalized by the warrant of Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia, in 1859, after his brother Milan Obrenović. The location of Gornji Milanovac confirms that this area was settled in prehistory and we can find settlements of Illyrians, Thracians, Dacians, small groups of Celts and Goths and bigger settlements of the Romans. On the mountain Rudnik, besides older miners grove there are remains of a Roman temple dedicated to the Terra Mater ("Mother Earth"). There is little information about Slavs and their settlements.

Even in the Middle Ages and the time of the Roman Empire, the area around Gornji Milanovac was significant in economic, agronomy, infrastructure, and military sense. There are sites from the Neolithic period (in the village Gojna Gora) and pre/post-Roman governance period (Rudnik), also ruins and sites from Byzantine administration, Medieval Serbian Principality/Kingdom, Serbian Empire and Ottoman Empire (on mountain Rudnik, in villages Brusnica, mountain Treska, Jablanica, and Gornji Milanovac parts of the mountain Vujan ).

This town was significant during the First Serbian Uprising against Ottoman Empire rule, but more so during the Second Serbian Uprising. In 1814, Takovo had reached a historical agreement about the Second Serbian Uprising. In front of the family house of Obrenović in the village Gornja Crnuća, he raised a flag (red Greek cross on the white background) and said:

"Evo mene, a eto Vama rata s Turcima ( Here I am, You have a war with the Turks)"

In the World War I occupation, the population in Gornji Milanovac was subjected to war terror and crimes by the forces of Austria-Hungary, Kaiser's Germany and Bulkaria, while during World War II the infrastructure was destroyed and the population of this town suffered as before. At the time of sanctions and breakup of Yugoslavia, the industry of municipality exported their products to the Western and Eastern markets through offshore companies. In 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Gornji Milanovac was bombed once (only television repeater was damaged). People from nearby towns and municipalities in-joke said, that when NATO planned which town to bomb, they put a cup of coffee at the Gornji Milanovac location on the map.

Important years and dates:
 * 1814– The beginning of the Second Serbian Uprising was agreed in Takovo village
 * 1852– Gornji Milanovac (in that time Despotovica) becomes the first town in Serbia with a completed map of the city and with the streets at an angle of 90°;
 * 1853– establishment municipality of Despotovica;
 * 1857– the establishment of the first men's and girls' primary school and the first library;
 * 1859– changing the name of the municipality in Gornji Milanovac;
 * 1879– the establishment of the First High School;
 * 1890– first printing company start to work;
 * 1892– the establishment of county hospital;
 * 1912– commencement of construction of narrow-gauge railway;
 * 1914– during the First World War in this town was settled headquarters of Živojin Mišić;
 * 1921– finished electrification and construction of low voltage network;
 * 1922– started with work of the narrow gauge railway and establishment of the first conditory company "Rudnik";
 * 1923– first coal power plant;
 * 1927– first X-ray machine;
 * 1928– started with work of the first cinema in a municipality;
 * 1933– HRH King Alexander I of Yugoslavia opens first mixed primary school;
 * 1937– The establishment of the second factory of conditory products "Sumadija";
 * 1941– Yugoslav Partisans and Yugoslav army in homeland (known as Chetniks) in joint action release Gornji Milanovac from the Nazi- German occupation. Gornji Milanovac was merged with the other released towns in occupied Kingdom of Yugoslavia and formed short-lived Republic of Užice. At the head of that joint action was Zvonimir Vučković. During that battle two German tanks were trapped and now one of those is a monument on the exit from the town in village Nevade, while the other is a monument in Užice (Hotchkiss H35);
 * 1945– Gornji Milanovac was released from Nazi-German occupation and began industrialization
 * 1965– two municipalities Pranjani and Rudnik merged to Gornji Milanovac.

Cultural monuments
Cultural Monuments of Great Importance in Gornji Milanovac are:
 * Church of the Holy Trinity.
 * Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Brusnica and the family tomb of Obrenović dynasty.
 * District Building ("The Old Court building").
 * Monuments in the center of the municipality.
 * "Hill of Peace" (Brdo mira) Memorial Park.
 * Tank as a monument of liberation in Nevade from the Second World War (Sherman Firefly).
 * Orthodox Christian monasteries of Vraćevšnica, Šilopaj and Vujan.
 * Takovo complex devoted to the heroes from Second Serbian Uprising.
 * Ruins of Orthodox monasteries "Ješevac", Catholic church "Misa" (later mosque) on Rudnik.
 * Ruins of Irene Kantakouzene on Treska Hill.
 * Family house of Miloš Obrenović in Gornja Crnuća.
 * Family house of national hero Dragan Jeftić-Škepo.
 * Family house of the Lunjevica family (Revolutionary Nikola, politician Panta and Queen consort Draga Obrenović).
 * Family house of Djordjevic built in old Serbian architectural style.
 * Family house and inheritance of Archibald Reiss's son- "Dobro polje II".
 * Monument on city cemetery of fallen soldiers of Austro-Hungary and Serbian Army in World War I.
 * Monument for the participants in Operation Halyard and the other monuments in the rest of municipality.

Culture institutions
The first library in Gornji Milanovac was established in 1857 and is called "Braća Nastasijević" (English: "Brothers Nastasijević"). Headquarters is in the building of Old District Administration. It has separate classes in Rudnik (the oldest), Pranjani, Brdjani, and Vraćešnica. Librarian fond has over 100,000 books. Also "Braća Nastasijević" library is engaged in the publishing business.

The main theater in this municipality is "Milanovačko amatersko pozorište (Milanovac amateur theater)". Milanovac amateur theater, GM cinema, art gallery and administrative center of all settlements cultural clubs has headquarters in the center of municipality witch satisfy modern standards for one cultural institution. In the area of photography and cinema, Gornji Milanovac is represented with a big number of art members of the Photo-cinema club Gornji Milanovac.

The Museum of Rudnik and Takovo area is a subsidiary of the culture center of Gornji Milanovac. It has established the Gallerie of Arts in 2008, and a modern gallery in the building of old district administration.

Music and folklore
In this municipality there are two folklore groups: "Tipoplastika"-Folklore ensemble and Culture-Arts Community "Šumadija". There are also rock bends that were established in this town, like: "Bjesovi", "An Fas", ″Pastir Pan″, "GM Undergrounders", "Skarlet" and "Čudna Šuma". As for punk-rock bands in '90s and 80's there are: "Trula koalicija", In '00s there were established new rock and reggae music bands and groups: "Plišani mališan", "Morbid Cow", "Parnasus", "Strah od Džeki Čena ", IMT 666 (Featuring Bjesovi band's singers child, Stevan Marinkovic), etc.

Tourism, ecology and events
Whilst part of Yugoslavia, Gornji Milanovac was known as the "economic miracle" and "Beli Labud" (English: "White Swan") as the ecologically cleanest city. There is great potential for further rural and spa (Svračkovci, Brđani, Mlakovac and Savinac) tourism progress in future times. Today's Gornji Milanovac on its territory has a lot of small, categorized rural hotels, one hostel and motels. Close to Gornji Milanovac is a spa and resort "Atomska Banja" Donja Trepča. Major Hotels in this town are newly opened hotel "IG Hotel" (4 stars) and "MD Neda" (3 stars) in the settlement Rudnik. In the past, there was one of the biggest hotels "Šumadija" (3 stars) bankrupted in 2004. Gornji Milanovac was a pioneer in the application of sorting waste, recycling and water purification in Serbia and previously in Yugoslavia. Also, Gornji Milanovac is a great antagonist of GM food why it has adopted declaration and municipality statute about prohibition of this type of food.

Tourists from around the world visit this municipality for its clean air, small and quiet places, inner and family vacations. Gornji Milanovac every other year is the host of International Biennial of miniature Art, founded in 1989. In village Takovo is the host of the World Music Festival, every May, June or July. Known trip places are: Takovo, Grabovica (peak of Ždreban), Savinac and Rudnik. These places are popular during the celebration of the May 1st or world-known International Workers' Day as a collegial picnic in union organization. Other significant cultural and tourism events on its territory are World Testicle Cooking Championship, the "Milanovac bowl tournament" (Fish soup cooking) and the Goulash tournament ("Gulašijada"). In some settlements are held various art colonies. Also, there are held and village gymnastic competition in some disciplines during the celebration of some patron day of that village.

Gornji Milanovac is a touristic sense has to offer to the lovers of bright starry nights (in December–January and May–June) and beautiful sunrises, various monuments, clean air, healing water resources and much more. It has a reputation for offering a vibrant nightlife which is also developed and safer than in the rest of Serbia. On the January, 7th ( Orthodox Christmas) Gornji Milanovas Tourist organization and its citizens (transport operators companies, local company owners, farmworkers, musician and orchestra artist, motorcycle and ATV clubs, taxi drivers, firefighters, police and military) every year organize the one-day festival, because it's believed that if they start something on that holiday they will succeed in all days in that year.

Also in Gornji Milanovac are 3 fairs per year, on May 22, August 2 and October 15. After 70 years Gornji Milanovac as municipality celebrates its Patron day. It is Trinity, where on that day is being held pageant. Locals are advocating to build a mini cable car system for Rudnik and biathlon stadium on the Ravna Gora, given that project had failed during the 90's economical and international political problems of Yugoslavia and Serbia as a federal republic.

Geography and infrastructure
Gornji Milanovac lies between mountains Rudnik to the north and Vujan to the south. Relief of this area is hilly and mountainous. Gornji Milanovac with all his territory is located between these mountains: Rudnik (1,132 m), Maljen (970 m), Jesevac (902 m), Suvobor (866 m), Rajac (848 m) and Vujan (845 m). Gornji Milanovac boundaries with: Ljig (on the North) and Mionica (on North-West), Topola and Aranđelovac (both on the North-East) Čačak (on the South) and Lučani (on the South West), Požega, Serbia (on the West), Kragujevac (on the East) and Knić (on theSouth-East).

The center of the city is situated along the western side of European route E763 (motorway), between the cities Ljig to the north and Čačak to the south and the villages Majdan to the north and Preljina to the south.

Main city crossroad branches:
 * To the North, onto road Gornji Milanovac-Kragujevac (see Kragujevac) that crosses with E763 and turns East; the nearest village on the road is Donja Vrbava.
 * To the East, turns South then East through the city, crosses E763 and then goes south through the village of Donja Trepča onto the route 23.
 * To the South, towards E763.
 * To the West, quickly turns North and after 5 km branches into road Gornji Milanovac-Čestobrodica (see Čestobrodica) to the West; the nearest village on the road is Takovo, where Takovo Uprising begun; and into Road Gornji Milanovac – Donji Banjani (see Gornji Banjani) to the North; the nearest village on the road is Kalimanići;
 * South of Milanovac, villages Brdjani to the West and Prislonica to the East are connected to E763 with local roads
 * On the West and Southside of municipalities is situated A2 highway (Corridor XI), opened for traffic in 2016; this is the most primary project on the field of transport and tourism in the future, providing Gornji Milanovac good connection to the coast of Adriatic Sea and Belgrade.

Rivers that flow through Gornji Milanovac are: Despotovica, Gruza, Dičina, Čemernica, and Kamenica. There is a variety of groundwater sources and thermo-mineral water sources like in village areas, like in: Svrackovci, Brdjani, Mlakovac, Trepca, and Savinac.

Gornji Milanovac is instructed to use civil and military airport in nearby Morava Airport-Lajdevci, Kraljevo 36 km, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport 134 km and Užice-Ponikve Airport 98.6 km. Also, in September 2018, Swisslion-Takovo Concern established Heliport for business and civilian purpose. Gornji Milanovac does not have conditions for development of water traffic transportation. In 1969 narrow and regional railway Čačak-Gornji Milanovac – Topola was abolished because it was unprofitable. In 2014, Government of Serbia will consider the spatial plan of new electrified railways line Belgrade–Sarajevo, where Gornji Milanovac could be one of regional centers.

Climate
Gornji Milanovac has Humid continental climate. Mildest parts (Sub-Humid) of Gornji Milanovac are Brdjani, Trudelj and Dragolj. The coldest parts (humid) are peaks of Rudnik, Rajac, parts of villages Majdan, Svrackovci, Gojna Gora, Gornji Branetici, Brajic, Polom and in the north-west part of village Bogdanica. Moderately humid parts of the municipality are in parts of Majdan and the rest parts of mountain Rudnik, Rajac, and peaks of Suvobor.

The average annual temperature of air are in range of 8 °C in the parts of Rudnik and Suvobor and 11 °C at 250 m. Average daily (in %) humidity 78.5% during the year, in winter 85%, in summer periods 75% (excluding Rudnik mountain where it is 65%, which is good for relaxation and vacation). The hottest month of the year is July, and the coldest is January. Autumn is warmer than the spring for 1 °C.

The average annual precipitation height are in the range of 788 - 985 mm. Minimum mean wind speed is 1.7–2.6 m/s (3.11–5.05 knots) and maximum 13.8–20.7 m/s (26.83–40.24 knots). This maximum speed occurs in the southeastern, southwestern and southern winds. On the territory of Gornji Milanovac prevails southeastern, northern and eastern winds.

Vegetation period lasts 220–260 days. During these period precipitation rate is 55% which is favorable for plants.

According to the last measuring of Air quality in 2019, the result was satisfying, because they showed an average of 35 US AQI to moderate quality 70 US AQI in the winter periods.

Annual average daily global sun radiation energy on a horizontal surface on territory of municipality Gornji Milanovac is between 3.8–4.0 kWh/m2 (0.33–0.35 BTU/ft 2). Daily mean values of the ambient dose rate ( background radiation) on the area around this municipality are ≈ 100 nSv/h.

Geology and vegetation
On the territory of Gornji Milanovac there is represented the following type of soil:
 * Brown acid soil-which is widespread in areas like Rudnik, from the west of Gruza river to Boljkovci;
 * Brown earth on serpentine-at Vujan, Suvobor and Maljen mountains;
 * Cambisol-in region of Lipovac, Prnjavor, Donja Crnuca, Belo Polje;
 * Brown earth on limestone- in area of Ravna Gora;
 * Brown earth on diabase-in region of Belo Polje, Gornja Vrbava, Donja Vrbava, Grabovica, Jablanica, in some village area like Brezovica, Rudnik, Zagradje, Gornji Branetici, Donji Branetici, and Ozrem.

According to Serbian Geology Institute, on Gornji Milanovac territory has solid reserves of Antimony, Mercury, Copper, Lead, Zinc and Gold (in small amounts).

Gornji Milanovac and the villages of Varnice, Zagradje, Dragolj and Trudelj are dominated by the Ostrvica Massif. The elevation of Ostrvica is 758 m. Ostrvica is actually the remains of a destroyed volcanic cone. In May 2009, Ostrvica was declared a natural monument. In the middle of the last century, this massif was significant for its military fortifications and watchtower.

Land that is not cultivated makes 14.6%, arable land 47%, barren land makes 4.4%. The erosion process was active in the past, which is why today some parts of the territory have barren land. These processes have caused the degradation of the land. According to the Republic Seismological Institution of Serbia, Gornji Milanovac is on the scale 8°-8.9° magnitude of an earthquake and the probability that this can happen once in 50–1000 years is 63%. In the major territory there is good protection from erosion process and solid protection from floods. The population doesn't have good protection from wind storms and radiation, but new standards in house and building construction stipulates even that. Most of the population has good thermal insulation in their homes and companies.

Forest vegetation is various: willow, poplar, oak, ash, etc. Forest plantations make 10% of his territory and 90% are natural wood. Meadow grass vegetation occupies 26,656 hectares (11,960 ft2) which is 32%, meadows 15% and grasslands 17%.

Terrain
The terrain of Gornji Milanovac is highland. Total terrain is divided by rivers Kamenica, Čemernica, Gruža, and Despotovica. It is of volcanic origin. Today the terrain is a result of the combined effects of tectonic movements and fluvial erosion processes in the past.

Morphological traits of municipalities, we can distinguish two different zones:
 * 1) Mountain rims of the south piedmonts on Maljen, Suvobor and south-western on Rudnik,
 * 2) Central-valley basin is characteristic of north-western parts and north of Ješevac and Vujan.

Dominant position in the municipality and Šumadija have mountain Rudnik. As the specific shape of terrain have Ostrvica which has a conical shape and it is positioned north-western from mountain and settlement Rudnik. Mountain massif Ješevac is positioned on the east side of the municipality. Mountain Vujan is lying southwards from river Despotovica to Brdjani pit. Western parts of the area covers Rajac, Suvobor and Maljen. Westernmost parts include Pranjani pit.

Demographics
According to the last official census done in 2011, the Municipality of Gornji Milanovac has 44,406 inhabitants. Population density on the territory of the municipality is 53.1 inhabitants per square kilometer. Since the census of 1981 when the total population was 50,651 people, there is a population decline due to the bad economic conditions in Serbia, negative natural increase rate and the majority of the older population. As of 2011, in Gornji Milanovac there are 637 migrants.

Estimated composition of population by sex and average age are:
 * Male- 21,802 (42.4 years) and
 * Female- 22,604 (43.7 years).

Ethnic groups
Ethnic composition of the municipality:

Religion structure of Gornji Milanovac as it follows in the table:

Mother tongue structure of Gornji Milanovac is displayed by the following table:

Economy and industry
1890 was significant as journalism began in this area. After World War I, Gornji Milanovac was connected with the other and important areas and cities in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes thanks to the narrow gauge railway. Before World War II the population was involved in mining, agronomy and with a few industrial workers (conditory and graphic-printing industry). During the World War II Gornji Milanovac was destroyed, but in the 1950s Gornji Milanovac begin with rapid progress, the rest of SFR Yugoslavia called this area an economic miracle.

In that time there were established two industrial zones (in the South and South-West parts). Companies and corporations that were established in these zones were: Zvezda (now known as Zvezda-Helios), Metalac, PIK Takovo (now known as Swisslion-Takovo), MK Rudnik (Fashion Stationery), FAD (automotive parts for all European cars), Tipoplastika (plastics, paper production), Metal Seko (now known as Mersteel), GRO Graditelj (construction company), Minos (railway equipment), Rudnik Flotation (mining production), Dečje novine (popular youth newspaper and publisher in SFR Yugoslavia), Proleter (department store), Kablar (cooperative agronomy company), Sigma (cardboard producer), Šipad Sarajevo-Gornji Milanovac (construction carpentry), Imlek (dairy products; subsidiary), Mlinsko-Pekarska Industrija Beograd (food industry; subsidiary), JTv Gornji Milanovac (local broadcasting company), KDS "Despotovica" (cable TV distribution systems).

Gornji Milanovac in the '80s and '90s was a real "nursery" of a mixed economy. Despite the 90's break up of SFR Yugoslavia and UN sanctions, Gornji Milanovac was the only city in that time in newly formed FR Yugoslavia whose companies were operated with a profit. New date companies are: "9. Septembar", "Tetra Pak", "Papir Print", "Spektar", "Flint Group Balkan", "Planeta računari", "FOKA", "S-group", "Semix Techno", "Interplet Gradnja", "Rapid", "AzVirt", "Rolopast", "RM Pak", "RGM Pak", "Apex", "MetalMont","Kej komerc", "Neven","Agrouniverzal", DAM 93", "RP Štamparija", "PCM Graf", "CIS Ecopoint", "Maksimil", "Jomla Group","Digitel", "Alfa Support", etc.

After 2001 and 2002, most workers organizations (that was the name for companies who were state and/or workers owned) from a period of 1950–1990 (mentioned above) were privatized. Only a few bankrupted: GRO Graditelj, Mlinsko-Pekarska Industrija Beograd (subsidiary), Imlek (subsidiary), Dečje novine, Minos and JTv Gornji Milanovac.

Here department stores, two mini-supermarkets, elegant boutiques, and restaurants can be found. Also, there is 1 flea markets, where local farmers are selling vegetables, products and 1 market of farm animals.

Today Gornji Milanovac valid for the biggest exporter of goods, services and products in the Republic of Serbia and one of the few cities and municipalities with the budget surplus. During the period of June 2014 unemployment rate in Gornji Milanovac was 25.28%. Most of municipality economy relies on:
 * 329 Small business,
 * 22 Medium size business,
 * 9 Big business.

Human Poverty Index (HPI) in Gornji Milanovac, according to the 2011 Census of the Republic of Serbia and World Bank is 24.00%, while GINI ratio is 0.336 and Poverty gap index is 0.039.

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

Education

Gornji Milanovac has four primary schools: OŠ "Sveti Sava", OŠ Desanka Maksimović, OŠ "Kralj Aleksandar I" (before "Takovski-Partizanski bataljon") and OŠ "Momčilo Nastasijević". Also it has one high school: Gimnazija "Takovski ustanak. Two professional schools (four or three-year): ETŠ "Knjaz Miloš" and TŠ "Jovan Žujović". As regard as kindergarten and nurseries in this municipality there is three of these.

Gornji Milanovac had one department for higher education from Novi Sad, which was private owned and this department dissolved. In future periods was planned to open new departments of University of Kragujevac Faculty of Economics for business administration, taxes and accounting. Also and Faculty of Architecture University of Belgrade had negotiations about opening new departments for local students.

Health protection
Health protection in Gornji Milanovac is widespread on all territory. Citizens can reach basic health protection even in rural parts of municipality. Health care is organized like: General Hospital, Neurology Hospital, Gynaecology department, Intensive care unit, Labour health protection unit (there are departmans and units in two industrial zones), Surgical and physiatrically department, Dentistry, Dermatology, Psychiatric ward, Rehabilitation services, Village Health Protection Units and Physical therapy. Common support units include a dispensary, pathology, and radiology, and on the non-medical side, there are medical records departments, release of information departments, financial and HR department, Patient lawyers, Clinical Engineering, Facilities Management, Dining Services and Security Departments. There is an emergency service in place. On the property of Gornji Milanovac Hospital, there is built infrastructure for mini spa and rehabilitation center for skin and musculoskeletal diseases from watter resources, mentioned above (see section Geography and Infrastructure). As for health protection of animals, Gornji Milanovac has several privately owned veterinary stations.

Media broadcasting
"Dečje novine" was the famous and largest publishing house of books, comics, magazines and sticker albums in former Yugoslavia, based in this municipality. They had exclusive copyrights to publish comics of Walt Disney, Marvel and DC Comics. This publisher bankrupted in the 90's and then the remains of company assets were divided among creditors. Creditors established new companies in the sector of publishing books, newspapers, design and art, graphical services and enigmatic-revival editions. But these independent companies did not have the same success as "Dečje novine" had.

This town had 3 private owned radio stations and 1 local broadcasting station. In the '80s at Gornji Milanovac was established experimental radio station for travelers highway information services and among the first cable television systems in Yugoslavia, called Cable Distributive Systems "Despotovica". Due to the technological advancements, this radio station was called off during 1990. At the time of NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (during 1999), former JTv Gornji Milanovac broadcast television and radio signal to the world (because Radio Television of Serbia was bombed and destroyed on April 23, 1999.) for the short time until NATO air force bombed radio and television repeater at mountain Rudnik and nearby Kablar. Now Gornji Milanovac has 2 radio stations, "Gogi" and "Stari Milanovac" radio local broadcasting company, which both broadcasts folk music, information, and news in the Serbian language. Meanwhile, the radio station "Stari Milanovac" bankrupted.

Until 2014, Gornji Milanovac did not have television broadcasting, after series of unsuccessful privatization of former JTv Gornji Milanovac. Now, this municipality has regional television and cable television broadcasting company "Telemark Systems". Telemark bought old cable television KDS Despotovica. This television company provides: cable television, regional television broadcasting for several municipalities ( besides Gornji Milanovac there are providing in Čačak, Lučani, Arilje, Požega, Kosjerić and Kraljevo), broadband internet, IT services, advertising services, fixed telephony, MMDS, dealership of digital and cable TV equipment and other services. Also, Gornji Milanovac has newspaper company "Takovske Novine", while "GM Press" bankrupted. In 2019, Telekom Srbija bought Telemark Systems and municipality Gornji Milanovac wanted new business partners for joint ventures in the media area. In August 2019, license for television media coverage is given to newly formed RTV GM Info Group.

Territorial organisation
There is one police station, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia administration unit, Military post, Post office, branch of FedEx for Serbia, Customs substation and Fire-Rescuers department. The settlements are organized as Council of Settlements and Gornji Milanovac is divided into 63 settlements. Each of them has responsibility (infrastructure, election/referendum, and legal obligations) for that part of the territory.

Settlements
Aside from the town of Gornji Milanovac, the municipality of Gornji Milanovac includes the following 60 settlements and 3 smaller towns :

 * Belo Polje
 * Beršići
 * Bogdanica
 * Boljkovci
 * Brajići
 * Brdjani
 * Brezna
 * Brezovica
 * Brusnica
 * Varnice
 * Velereč
 * Vrnčani
 * Gojna Gora
 * Gornja Vrbava
 * Gornja Crnuća
 * Gornji Banjani
 * Gornji Branetići
 * Grabovica
 * Davidovica
 * Donja Vrbava
 * Donja Crnuća
 * Donji Branetići
 * Dragolj
 * Drenova
 * Družetići
 * Zagradje
 * Jablanica
 * Kalimanići
 * Kamenica
 * Klatičevo
 * Koštunići
 * Kriva Reka
 * Leušići
 * Lipovac
 * Lozanj
 * Ločevci
 * Lunjevica
 * Ljevaja
 * Ljutovnica
 * Majdan
 * Mutanj
 * Nakucani
 * Nevade
 * Ozrem
 * Polom
 * Pranjani
 * Prnjavor
 * Reljinci
 * Rudnik
 * Ručići
 * Svračkovci
 * Semedraž
 * Sinoševići
 * Srezojevci
 * Takovo
 * Teočin
 * Trudelj
 * Ugrinovci
 * Cerova
 * Šarani
 * Šilopaj

Judicial system and safety
Gornji Milanovac from its establishment had modern district court. Today it has Basic People Court and Magistrates Court. Also, it is among the safest municipalities in Serbia. According to National Statistical Institute of Serbia in 2013 Gornji Milanovac had 148 convicted adults and 16 juvenile. Safety index of this municipality is among the highest than in other municipalities in Serbia 98.63%.

Politics
According to the Law on Local Self-Government head of municipality (for this status they need population 10,000–99,000 citizens) is called "president" and for larger cities (100,000 and above population), they are called "mayors". Gornji Milanovac has/had 29 presidents in his history. In the following table are named presidents and not precise dates of their mandate:

Flag, Motto, and Coat of Arms
First adopted representative solution for Gornji Milanovac was at the beginning of the '60s, with gray flag and complex emblem which consist of green and white colors. Symbols and colors are :
 * Green and white was supposed to represent a clean environment with butterfly in the center of emblem,
 * In the circle was put Serbian Cyrillic letter "Г (G)", which stands for first initial for "Gornji" and outside is also Serbian Cyrillic letter "M" which stands for the second initial of "Milanovac",
 * Gear wheel with number 1853 (which symbolized year of foundation) at the bottom, which supposed to symbolized economical-financial and overall progress of Gornji Milanovac and his people:

The second adopted solution was adopted after the 2000s. This Coat of Arms and Flag was a political and heraldic problem between Socialists Party of Serbia on one side and other political organizations in this municipality on the other side. It was adopted three times: 2000–2004 (municipality government led by DOS), last quarter of 2004–2008 (municipality government led by DSS, SRS, NS, SPO, G17+, DS, LDP) and 2016–present (municipality government led by SNS, NS, PUPS, PS, SDPS and ZS). This coat of arms consists of two lions (red who is holding Serbian civil flag and yellow who is holding the flag of the municipality) with crowns and swords which represented royalty through history and courage of the citizens. In the center of the coat of arms it is positioned heater shield with golden oak and red cross in the middle of the shield. The purpose of these two symbols is to represent ancestors on this lands and red cross to represent rebellion flag from the Second Serbian Uprising and " Zapis" or literally inscription who were there in the moment of gathering all rebellions in that time. Above the heater shield is a stone crown which represents forts and the city history. The flag is a blue background with a wreath of willow flowers and nettle leaves which symbolizes Palm Sunday (on that holiday April 24, 1815, Serbian rebels gathered and begin the Second Serbian Uprising) and Serbian custom of knitting wreaths for health, luck and love purpose. In the center of the flag is a white background with red Greek Orthodox Cross which symbolizes above mentioned Second Serbian Uprising flag. The motto is positioned on the bottom of this coat of arms: "Време и моје право (Time and my right)".

The third adopted solution is now replaced emblem and flag of Gornji Milanovac. It is also and the flag of a political coalition called "Pokret za opštinu Gornji Milanovac-POGM (Movement for Municipality of Gornji Milanovac)". The flag is white with some form of inverted Iberian shield. In the shield there are territorial map of municipality as treetop (positioned with blue background which represents sky), in the middle is oak stump which also symbolizes Zapis and Second Serbian Uprising (positioned with green background which represents grass and clean environment) and on the bottom of this emblem, there is inscription "Општина Горњи Милановац (Municipality of Gornji Milanovac)" (positioned in brown background, which represent fertile soil. First flag version of the municipality, in the period of 2004–2008 was a horizontally oriented flag with red, blue and gold colors. In the center of this first solution flag was wreath and Paja Jovanović's painting of Second Serbian Uprising in the center of it. This first solution was abolished and replaced with the second version and also the flag of a political movement. First version was approved for ceremonial purpose. The motto of the municipality was:,, Усудити се, то је цена успеха (Venture is the price of success)".

In the November 2016, new municipality authorities adopted Statute of Municipality Gornji Milanovac with previous, second solution. Problems about flag, motto and coat of arms is in political nature. Above mention political Movement of Municipality Gornji Milanovac is adopting the third solution (now previous emblem). In the 2008 opposition parties suggest referendum about Municipality Statute, but referendum never held. Litigation continues even today and remains to see the next composition of municipality authorities.

Twin towns — sister cities
Gornji Milanovac is twinned with:

 * 🇧🇬 Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
 * 🇬🇷 Edessa, Greece
 * 🇲🇰 Kavadarci, North Macedonia
 * 🇲🇰 Kumanovo, North Macedonia
 * 🇵🇱 Nowogard, Poland
 * 🇧🇬 Pleven, Bulgaria
 * Slavonska Požega, Croatia
 * 🇸🇮 Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia
 * 🇲🇰 Staro Nagoričane, North Macedonia
 * 🇷🇺 Starodub, Russia
 * 🇸🇮 Starše, Slovenia
 * 🇧🇦 Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇳🇴 Vefsn, Norway
 * 🇧🇦 Vlasenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sport
The most popular sport in the city, besides Basketball, Handball and Volleyball, is definitely football (soccer). The governing body for the sport is Sportski Savez Opštine Gornji Milanovac (engl. Sport Union of Municipality Gornji Milanovac-SSOGM). Besides New Metalac Stadium, Gornji Milanovac have: Sport Hall "Breza" (multi-purpose); Indoors Sport Swimming pool "Tipoplastika" (currently under reconstruction); Sport and recreative centers for workers, students and public in industry zones of Tipoplastika, Autoprevoz and Swisslion-Takovo companies; Outdoors Olympic pool; two sport halls in Pranjani and at Rudnik; Sport Hall in Primary schools at Gornji Milanovac; two bowling hall (one at Metalac Stadium and one in area of professional school "Jovan Žujović"); one beach soccer (football) and volleyball ground; Ice skating rink and one outdoors gym (nearby Sport Hall "Breza"); and "Takovo" Stadium (multipurpose).

Notable sport society from Gornji Milanovac are shown in following table: Also there are multisport activities and organizations in this municipality. Such as: DTV Partizan (physical training club for children/school children and workers) and four junior football (soccer) clubs: "Poletarac", "Junior soccer", "Srpski orlovi" and "Sportic". As far as municipality association football (soccer) league, Gornji Milanovac has 12 members: Majdan, Jablanica, Šumadija, Ozrem PMH, Šilopaj, Velereč '94, Ozremica, Mladi Rudar, Mladost '09, Takovski ustanak, Brezak, Sparta Grabovica and Omladinac. Every municipality football senior game is well covered by local residents. In Morava District league (5th level in Serbian Football league system) there are some Gornji Milanovac clubs, as: FK Napredak Svračkovci, FK Backovac United, FK Donja Vrbava and FK Lunjevica.

Notable people
This municipality has numerous of deserving citizens who have contributed to the progress of Serbia and Yugoslavia.

 * Hadži-Prodan Gligorijević, Serbian military commander in First Serbian Uprising
 * Jovan Žujović, anthropologist, a founder of geology in Serbia
 * Mija Aleksić, Serbian actor
 * Momčilo Nastasijević, a Serbian poet and novelist
 * Uroš Petrović, literate
 * Bjesovi, alternative rock band
 * Snežana Đurišić, Serbian and Yugoslavian folk singer
 * Čedomir Mirković, Serbian writer and editor
 * Draga Mašin, queen and wife of King Aleksandar Obrenović of the Kingdom of Serbia
 * Ljubica Vukomanović, Princess consort of the Principality of Serbia, wife of Miloš Obrenović
 * Jelena Abbou, née Jelena Djordjevic Fitness and figure competition
 * Dragan Todorović, Serbian politician and president of political party "Istočna alternativa (East Alternative)"
 * Milomir Marić, Serbian journalist, writer, and television presenter
 * Bojan Dimitrijević, Serbian politician and ex-minister of Trade, Tourism, and Services in the Serbian government
 * Dragiša Vasić, Serbian and Yugoslavian lawyer, writer, publicist, soldier
 * Arsenije Loma, Serbian duke during the First and Second Serbian Uprising of the Serbian revolution
 * Ljubica Otašević, Serbian and Yugoslavian actor and women basketball player
 * Čedomir Mirković, writer and critic
 * Uroš Petrović, poet
 * Dobrica Matković, chief of the Royal Department for State Protection and Ban of Danube

title: Gornji Milanovac


text:
Inđija

Inđija (Инђија, ; India) is a town and a municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2024, the town has total population of 28,450, while the municipality has 47,433 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical region of Syrmia.

Name
According to the legend, the name of the town comes from Turkish word "ikindia" – meaning evening prayer and is related to the time after 1699 when the town fell under Turkish rule. On the other hand, there is the claim that the town was named after the name of Orthodox women – Inđija. Newest researches states that name of the city is taken from Latin word "Indigena" meaning "indigenous". This theory is most relevant, due to presence of ancient Illyrian, Celtic and Roman settlements in neighbourhood of modern Inđija. In Serbo-Croatian, the town is known as Inđija (Инђија), in Hungarian as Ingyia, in German as India, in Slovak as India or Indjija, and in Rusyn as Индїя.

History
The first verifiable evidence of Inđija's existence is in the Charter of Despot Jovan Branković from 1496, but it may have existed as early as 1455 as possession of Hungarian noble family Sulyok. During the Ottoman administration (16th-18th centuries), Inđija was mostly populated by ethnic Serbs, and was part of the Ottoman Sanjak of Syrmia.

Since 1717, Inđija was part of the Habsburg monarchy, and became a feudal domain of Count Marko Pejačević of the Pejačević family that originated from Chiprovtsi, Bulgaria. The old medieval Inđija was placed a little bit to the north than today town. The present-day Inđija was founded by the Serb settlers from Beška and Patka in 1746. According to the description from 1746 it had 60 households, while in 1791 it has already grown to 122 households with 1,054 residents. In the second half of the 18th century, this new settlement was mostly populated by ethnic Serbs. Germans and Czechs start settling in Inđija at the beginning of the 19th century, while Hungarians migrated there towards the end of the century. During the time, Germans became dominant population in the town.

In the middle of the 18th century, Inđija became part of the Syrmia County of the Kingdom of Slavonia, which also was part of the Habsburg Kingdom of Croatia and of the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. In 1848-1849, it was part of autonomous Serbian Vojvodina, while from 1849 to 1860 it was part of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar. Since 1860 Inđija was again part of the Kingdom of Slavonia, which in this time was a completely separate Habsburg crownland. Kingdom of Slavonia was subsequently (in 1868) joined with the Kingdom of Croatia into newly formed Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, which, following the 1868 Croatian–Hungarian Settlement, became an autonomous kingdom within the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary and Austria-Hungary.

First fairs started to take place in Inđija at the beginning of the 19th century, when the state's postal service was established. Telegraph became operational in Inđija in 1850, while postal money transfers commenced in 1886. The first bank was established in 1897, and the first trade school in 1897. The first electric plant in Inđija started with its operations in 1911.

The industrial progress in Inđija was initiated with the establishment of mills in the mid 19th century, and the first larger steam operating mill, with a capacity of 10 cars of wheat per day, was built by a company from Budapest in 1890. After the mills, the brick factories followed, while the carpentry tradition and furniture production started in 1876. At the beginning of the 20th century, a famous fur factory was established, while the spirits factory was built in 1912.

Industrial development of Inđija is largely related to the development of railroad infrastructure. The railroad reached Inđija in 1883, from two directions: from Subotica and Zagreb in the north and west respectively, continuing towards Belgrade. This has practically positioned Inđija on the crossroads of two key Balkan railroad directions.

Since 1918, Inđija was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929). After the World War I, first factories were established producing anything from strollers for children, nails, jam, powdered eggs, and parachutes, to textiles and metal processing industry right after the World War II. In the first half of the 20th century Inđija became a traditional trading destination and headquarters of successful trade companies. The first modern road in Serbia the so-called "International Road" (Novi Sad–Beograd) passed through Inđija in 1939.

Prior to World War II, 5,900 of the total population of 7,900 was composed of ethnic Germans. The town was at the time one of the most developed settlements in Vojvodina, and a spiritual and cultural center of Germans in the Syrmia region.

During the World War II (1941–1944), the town belonged to the Independent State of Croatia. After the defeat of Axis Powers, in 1944, the German army was expelled and most of the Yugoslav Germans were forcibly removed from the country. Those who remained in Yugoslavia were sent to prison camps. After camps were abolished (in 1948), most of the remaining Yugoslav Germans were expulsed to Germany. After 1944, new migratory patterns intensified and, according to 1953 census, Inđija was mainly populated by Serbs. Population of the town increased from 7,758 in 1948 to 26,247 in 2002.

As of the 2002 census, 87.61% of the town population are Serbs. Inđija is also one of the economically most advanced Serbian municipalities, and a premium investment destination.

Inhabited places
Inđija municipality includes the town of Inđija and the following villages:

 * Beška
 * Jarkovci
 * Krčedin
 * Ljukovo
 * Maradik
 * Novi Karlovci
 * Novi Slankamen
 * Slankamenački Vinogradi
 * Stari Slankamen
 * Čortanovci

Demographics

According to the 2011 census results, the municipality of Inđija has 47,433 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups
Most of the settlements in the municipality have an ethnic Serb majority. The settlement with a Slovak ethnic majority is Slankamenački Vinogradi.

The ethnic composition of the municipality:

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
Numerous cultural historical monuments, modern and prehistoric, are testify to the turbulent history of this region. Remains of Roman and medieval fortress and a monument to the Battle of Slankamen talk about the strategic importance of this area of the Danube, which was the border of various empires through history.

Urban core Indjija dates from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, from the period of industrial development and the period of German nationality residents settling when building of Municipal Administration, house of Vojnovics, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter, the building of the presbytery and townhouses with frontage eclectically designed with elements Baroque, Classical, Renaissance and Art Nouveau were built. Somewhat earlier Church "Vavedenja presvete Bogorodice" was formed, which by its proportions, is one of the most beautiful and most suitable buildings in Srem preserved from the eighteenth century.

With its new pedestrian zone with a monumental square, modern building of the Cultural Center floral arrangements and street furniture, Indjija builds an image of the European city tailored for a modern man.

On June 26, 2007 there was a concert of The Red Hot Chili Peppers held in Inđija. The concert lasted for about 1 hour and 20 minutes and was a part of Green Fest. Around 90,000 to 100,000 people, many of them from neighbouring countries, came to see one of today's most popular bands.

Sport
Inđija has a football club FK Inđija competed in the Serbian First League and an American football club Inđija Indians competing in the SAAF league. Woman handball club ŽRK Železničar Inđija finished sixth in Handball Super League of Serbia for Woman. Basketball club named Železničar is currently playing in third division, but has participated in Basketball League of Serbia in 2011-12 season.

Indjija was elected as one of the hosts of the 2009 Summer Universiade, which was held in Serbia in July 2009.

Education
Indjija has 10 elementary school, 3 middle schools and Faculty of Technical Sciences(Novi Sad) Department for Software Engineering

 * Elementary schools
 * Dušan Jerković
 * Petar Kočić
 * Jovan Popović
 * Braća Grulović - Beška
 * Branko Radičević - Maradik
 * Dr Đorđe Natošević - Novi Slankamen
 * Ruža Đurđević Crna, Čortanovci
 * Slobodan Bajić Paja, Novi Karlovci
 * 22. jul, Krčedin
 * Petar Kočić - Ljukovo

 * Middle Schools
 * Technical School Mihajlo Pupin
 * Đorđe Natošević School
 * Gymnasium (Gimnazija) Indjija

Religion
Inđija has two main churches: Serbian Orthodox Church (from 1756) and Roman Catholic Church (from 1867−1872). There is also a new Orthodox church. Smaller, home-based, Protestant congregations also exist.

Notable people

 * Arsenije Sremac, the second Archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church
 * Nenad Bogdanović, Mayor of Belgrade
 * George Seitz, Australian politician
 * Zoran Janković, Bulgarian football player
 * Slobodan Popović, middle distance runner, Universiade champion
 * Miroslav Raduljica, basketball player, silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIBA World Cup
 * Bojan Banjac, football player for Lille OSC
 * Milan Bubalo, football player
 * Dejan Georgijević, football player
 * Srđan Dimitrov, football player
 * Darko Lemajić, football player
 * Bojan Dubajić, football player
 * Vladimir Tintor, football player

Twin towns - sister cities
Inđija is twinned with:

 * Gevgelija, North Macedonia
 * 🇧🇦 Jablanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * Ohrid, North Macedonia
 * 🇮🇹 Paderno Dugnano, Italy
 * 🇱🇹 Elektrėnai, Lithuania
 * 🇯🇴 Al-Salt, Jordan

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

title: Inđija


text:
Jagodina

Jagodina (Јагодина, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica River, in the geographical region of Šumadija. The city itself has a population of 34,892 inhabitants, while its administrative area comprises 64,644 inhabitants.

Name
The town was first mentioned in 1399 as "Jagodna", derived from the Serbian word for 'strawberry' - Jagoda. From 1946 to 1992 the town was renamed Svetozarevo (Светозарево, ) after the 19th-century Serbian socialist Svetozar Marković.

Early history
In the early Neolithic settlement, the world's largest collection of prehistoric artefacts was found, with nearly a 100 manlike figures made of stone, bones and clay, about 8000 years old. Geophysical research in 2012 in the area of Belica uncovered a prehistoric settlement, surrounded by a circular trench that has a 75 m diameter. Inside that circle, triangular, trapezoid and circular shaped foundations of monumental structures were found, unlike any found in other early Neolithic settlements.

Gold bracelets similar to ones found on the nearby Juhor mountain dating to the Middle Bronze Age have been found in Trućevac. In addition, Bronze Age settlement has been discovered in a part of town called Sarina Međa. In the village of Belica, near Jagodina, Europe's oldest sanctuary is found.

Ancient times
On top of Juhor mountain there was a Celtic oppidum, and in the village of Novo Lanište a Triballi settlement. With the Roman conquest of 74 BCE, the territory of today's Jagodina fell under the Roman authority. Romans had a castle on the hill known as Đurđevo Brdo, and a settlement beneath it. Ad Octavium was a spot on the military road upon which the village Dražmirovac stands today.

Мedieval history
Coins of Emperor Phokas and Constantine IV from 643/4 and fibulae have been found in the region, as well as Early Slavic pottery dating to the 6th century. In 1183 Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja liberated the areas of Belica, Levač and Lepenica from the rule of Byzantine Empire. Jagodina was situated in the Belica county. Jagodina was first mentioned in 1399 in a letter to Princess Milica (the wife of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović). Its second recorded mention was in 1411, when the Parliament was held there. After the year 1458, Jagodina falls into the hands of the Ottoman Empire. During the second half of the 15th century, in the Ottoman Empire's tax registers, a certain Miloš Belmužević is mentioned as the landlord of Jagodina. He later fled to Hungary.

Ottoman period
During the middle of the 16th century Jagodina becomes a feud of a Dervish-bey Jahjapašić. A large mosque is built there in 1555, and sometime later, another one. Jagodina had two caravan stations and a public bathroom. In Jagodina, by the command of Dervish-bey, certain German clockmaker built a clock tower, which was a rarity in Ottoman Empire at the time. In 1553-1557 the travelers refer to Jagodina as a beautiful settlement with 4 caravan stations and two mosques. In it lived more of sipahis and Ottoman soldiers, and less Christian Serbs. It had a Turkish school. With the status of a palanka (small town), Jagodina is mentioned in 1620, as a small stop on the road to Istanbul. In the year 1660, a traveler named Evlija Čelebija states that the town has 1500 houses and that the entire population is made of Christians that were converted to Islam. In the middle of the 17th century Jagodina gets its own bedesten. After the Austrian-Turkish war (1716–1718), Jagodina becomes the capital of the District of Jagodina. According to Austrian register in 1721. Jagodina had 162 families living in it. After the new Austrian-Turkish war (1737–1739), Serbia is back under the Ottoman rule.

Modern history
During the Serbian Revolution (1804–1815), when Serbs began their uprising against the centuries-long Ottoman rule, Jagodina was a scene of numerous battles, given the town's strategic importance within Serbia proper. Following the Ottoman defeat and re-establishment of the Kingdom of Serbia, Jagodina experienced a period of relative industrial and civic development. From 1929 to 1941, Jagodina was part of the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Jagodina was heavily industrialized and underwent a period of planned expansion and growth within communist Yugoslavia.

Jagodina was given the status of a city in December 2007.

Settlements
The City of Jagodina includes the following settlements:

 * Jagodina (proper)
 * Bagrdan
 * Belica
 * Bresje
 * Bukovče
 * Bunar
 * Vinorača
 * Voljavče
 * Vranovac
 * Vrba
 * Glavinci
 * Glogovac
 * Gornje Štiplje
 * Gornji Račnik
 * Deonica
 * Dobra Voda
 * Donje Štiplje
 * Donji Račnik
 * Dragocvet
 * Dragoševac
 * Dražmirovac
 * Duboka
 * Ivkovački Prnjavor
 * Jošanički Prnjavor
 * Kalenovac
 * Kovačevac
 * Kolare
 * Končarevo
 * Kočino Selo
 * Lovci
 * Lozovik (Jagodina)
 * Lukar
 * Majur
 * Mali Popović
 * Medojevac
 * Međureč
 * Miloševo
 * Mišević
 * Novo Lanište
 * Rajkinac
 * Rakitovo
 * Ribare
 * Ribnik
 * Siokovac
 * Slatina
 * Staro Lanište
 * Staro Selo
 * Strižilo
 * Topola
 * Trnava
 * Crnče
 * Šantarovac
 * Šuljkovac

Demographics
By 1837, Jagodina had 5,220 inhabitants, while Serbia proper had a population of 41,374. In the 1866 census, there were 4,429 inhabitants. Even until 1876, Jagodina was still an agricultural town with 91.88% of the population being in some way associated with agriculture.

By the 1930s Jagodina had 6,950 citizens, and by 1961 the town had 19,769 inhabitants. By 1971 the number grew to 27,500 and by 1991 it rose to 36,000, while the municipal area had 77,000 citizens.

Jagodina obtained city rights in December 2007. As of 2011, the city of Jagodina has a population of 71,852 inhabitants, while the urban area has 43,311 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups
The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Administration
Ratko Stevanović, vice president of United Serbia party, is the mayor of Jagodina. He was elected in May 2012. The President of City Assembly is Dragan Marković Palma, who was the mayor of Jagodina from 2004 to 2012.

Festivals

 * Days of comedy
 * Musical fall (Jagodina)
 * Meeting of the village
 * Etno fest

Theatres

 * National theatre Jagodina
 * Amateur theatre Jagodina
 * Children's theatre Jagodina

Museums

 * Museum of Jagodina
 * Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art
 * Wax Museum

Cinemas
Jagodina has one cinema also serving as a theatre with some 400 seats.

Tourism
When the Aqua Park and Zoo opened, the tourism rate in Jagodina started to rise exponentially. More attractions were added in order to increase tourism. In April 2015, a new artificial waterfall was opened in the park "Potok". It was constructed in only twelve days, spanning the height of twelve meters. It is one of the longest waterfalls in Serbia, and it cost around 7 million dinars to complete. Jagodina attracted around 500,000 people in 2014 and 2015, and that number is expected to increase in the future. Besides those attractions, the city has a stadium and a sport centre, which provide space for sporting events.

Tourist attractions
Jagodina built the largest artificial waterfall in the Balkans in 2014-2015. It is 8 meters high, and 12 meters wide, and at night the colors on the water change to different hues. The waterfall is in the city park where outdoor performances are held in the summer; it is part of a larger plan of reconstruction of the city. In the decade of 2005-2015, the city has progressed as a tourist destination. Plans have been made to reconstruct all of the parks in the city and the city center.
 * Artificial waterfall

Jagodina recently opened an Aqua Park on July 24, 2007. Its opening attracted many people from Belgrade and other larger cities. Musical performers attend the opening.
 * Aqua Park

Vivo shopping park, opened 19 September 2014, spreads across 25,000 square meters, while the buildings themselves occupy 10,000 square meters. They contain around 33 stores which sell international and domestic products. Vivo shopping park attracts people not only from the local region, but from several other cities as well, including Belgrade.
 * Vivo shopping park

Jagodina opened its zoo on July 10, 2006, at a cost of 30 million Serbian dinars. The city invested 40% and donors provided 60% of the costs while the biggest donor was the Belgrade Zoo. The zoo is located in the complex of the city park "Đurđevo brdo", a designated nature park, with an area of 20,074 square meters. It has pedestrian zones for children, the old and disabled persons, and generally a high-quality infrastructure.
 * Zoo

The Jagodina Zoo is the third largest in Serbia, next to Belgrade and Palić. It currently houses some 100 different species of animals.

Education
The first primary school in Jagodina was opened in 1808. Today, there are 11 primary schools in Jagodina of which 6 are in the city and five are in the rural area, with 36 regional offices. There are also 4 secondary schools and two universities, one public (founded in 1898) and one private (Megatrend University).

Economy and industry
Jagodina was heavily industrialized following World War II. The biggest factory in Jagodina is the cable factory. The Cable Factory Jagodina (FKS) was founded in 1947 and regular production began in 1955. In addition to cables, FKS produces connectors and similar cable products. FKS employs about 8,000 workers, and it is the biggest Serbian cable factory: 50% of Serbian cable is produced in Jagodina. About ⅔ of its production is placed on the foreign market, representing more than 60% of the total exports of the Serbian cable industry.

Other bigger factories include:
 * FKS Cable factory
 * Jagodina Brewery (since 1852)
 * "Juhor" meat industry
 * FEMAN - Cable accessories factory
 * Metalka Majur - Cable accessories factory
 * Biro inzenjering - Construction company
 * Confezioni Andrea - Car cover factory

In the village of Lozovik there is an onyx mine, which is currently not functional.

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

Roads
The total length of roads in the city of Jagodina is 248 km. There are 5 regional roads, 86 km long and 32 local roads, 162 km long. Except for the international highway A1 motorway (E-75; section Belgrade - Niš), which goes by the city for about 30 km, there are no other major highways. As for the roads of regional significance, the following pass through the city:
 * R.108 Ćuprija - Svilajnac
 * R.110 Kragujevac - Svilajnac
 * R.214 Kruševac - Paraćin - Lapovo (the old route of "Istanbul Road")
 * R.217 from Gilja to Varvarin and Kruševac
 * R.218 from regional road R.214 towards Rekovac

Railway
An electric double-track railway goes through Jagodina which connects Central Europe with Southern Europe and Asia.Total length of railway network in the city is 34 km, of which 28 km are electric. Railway stations in Jagodina are:
 * Miloševo
 * Bagrdan
 * Novo Lanište
 * Bukovče (Jagodina)
 * Jagodina (city)
 * Gilje

Airport
Jagodina Airport is situated in the close vicinity of Jagodina, about 5 km northwest of town centre. Jagodina Mayor Dragan Markovic Palma said on 16 January 2015 that Jagodina will get a new airport and it will finish in 3 years.

Important dates in Jagodina

 * 1399 - The first mention of Jagodina
 * 1737 - Declaration of war against the Turks take place in Jagodina
 * 1808 - First primary school opened in Jagodina
 * 1846 - Glass factory opened in Jagodina called "Avramovac". It was the first glass factory in Serbia.
 * 1884 - First railway station built in Jagodina.
 * 1999 - Jagodina bombed by NATO forces

Twin towns — Sister cities
Jagodina is twinned with:
 * Corinth, Greece
 * Chrysoupoli, Greece
 * Dubica, Bosnia-Herzegovina
 * Delčevo, North Macedonia
 * 🇪🇬 Marsa Alam, Egypt
 * 🇷🇸 Novi Pazar, Serbia
 * 🇮🇹 Verona, Italy
 * 🇭🇺 Csepel, Hungary

Sport

 * The association football team FK Jagodina play at the Jagodina City Stadium.
 * Motorcycle speedway existed in the city during the 1960s, the Stadion Automoto Drustvo Svetozarevo (location unknown) held qualifying rounds of the 1964 Speedway World Team Cup and the 1968 Individual Speedway World Championship.

Notable people

 * Stevča Mihailović, Prime Minister of Serbia
 * Milan Piroćanac, Prime Minister of Serbia
 * Momčilo Ninčić, Minister, diplomat, politician, president of League of Nations
 * Petar Gračanin, President of the Presidency of SR Serbia
 * Živorad Kovačević, diplomat, politician, NGO activist, academic and writer, Mayor of Belgrade
 * Dušan A. Popović, Serbian politician
 * Bata Živojinović, Serbian actor
 * Goran Maksimović, Serbian sports shooter and 1988 Olympic champion
 * Duda Yankovich Former boxing light welterweight world champion.
 * Ivan Maksimović, guitarist and composer
 * Mir-Jam, Serbian writer
 * Milan Nikolić, musician and accordionist who represented Serbia with Marko Kon in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
 * Zvonko Milojević, football player
 * Miloš Radojević, football player
 * Živan Vulić, painter
 * Stefana Veljković, professional volleyball player, World and European champion, silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics

title: Jagodina


text:
Orderic Vitalis

Orderic Vitalis (Ordericus Vitalis; 16 February 1075 – c. 1142) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. Working out of the Abbey of Saint-Evroul, he is credited with writing the Historia Ecclesiatica, a work detailing the history of Europe and the Mediterranean from the birth of Jesus Christ into his own age. The son of a cleric, he was born into a noble family, claiming both English and Norman heritage. While he is known primarily for the Historia Ecclesiastica, he also was able to ascend to various positions within the church including that script master, librarian, and cantor. A prolific writer, he spoke on various topics in his writings both religious and secular. Modern historians view him as a reliable source.

Early life
Orderic was born on 16 February 1075 in Atcham, Shropshire, England, the eldest son of a French priest, Odelerius of Orléans. He was followed by his two younger brothers Benedict and Everard.  Odelerius had entered the service of Roger de Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, and had received from his patron a chapel there in 1082.

Clerical marriage during the 11th century was slowly being restricted throughout Europe and resistance officials in Rouen faced from the clerical community in 1072 caused the Archbishop of Canterbury to take a more cautious approach. This led to a policy announced in 1076 by the Council of Winchester wherein clerics who were already married were allowed to keep their wives while forbidding marriage for future clerics. As a result, Odelerius was able to retain his family. Orderic was one of the few monks who were of mixed parentage as his mother was of English heritage. Although the exact identity of his mother is unknown, it is known that she was English and Orderic adopted this heritage into his identity. Despite this, historians such as Marjorie Chibnall have noted his animosity towards his mother through her omission in his writings whereas he admired his father in his writings'''. '''

When Orderic was five, his parents sent him to an English monk, Siward by name, who kept a school in the Abbey of SS Peter and Paul at Shrewsbury. Orderic received from Siward a basic education in reading and writing as well as the histories of the English people.  At the age of ten, Orderic was entrusted as an oblate to the Abbey of Saint-Evroul in the Duchy of Normandy, which Montgomery had formerly despoiled but, in his later years, was loading with gifts. The parents paid thirty marks for their son's admission; he expresses the conviction that they imposed this exile upon him from an earnest desire for his welfare. Odelerius's respect for the monastic life is attested to by his own entry, a few years later, into a monastery which the earl had founded at his persuasion. Orderic, on the other hand, felt for some time, as he asserts, like Joseph in a strange land. He did not know a word of French when he reached Normandy. His book, though written many years later, shows that he never lost his English cast of mind or his attachment to the country of his birth.

Monastic life
When Orderic reached the legal age for profession as a monk, his monastic superiors gave him the religious name of "Vitalis" (after a member of the legendary Theban Legion of Christian martyrs) because they found it difficult to pronounce his English baptismal name of Orderic, a name he says was the same as the priest who baptised him. In the title of his great chronicle, he prefixes the old to the new name and proudly adds the epithet Angligena ("English-born").

Orderic became a deacon in 1093, and a priest in 1107. He left his cloister on several occasions, speaking of having visited Croyland, Worcester, Cambrai (1105) and Cluny Abbey (1132). He turned his attention at an early date to literature, and for many years appears to have spent his summers in the scriptorium. Eventually Orderic earned the position of master scribe, copying numerous works while also overseeing and working with other scribes at the monastery. According to Charles Rozier, Orderic also served as librarian and cantor for the abbey. As librarian he catalogued the large collection of works at Saint-Evroul's library and provided edits to some of the works himself. His role as cantor included overseeing daily liturgy and duties of officials during mass at the abbey.

Orderic's first literary efforts were a continuation and revision of William of Jumièges' Gesta normannorum ducum, a broad history of the Normans and their dukes from the founding of Normandy, which Orderic carried forward into the early twelfth century. He also added information about earlier periods from other sources, for example William of Poitiers' Gesta Guillelmi, and included information not found elsewhere. As Orderic used Norman sources but wrote from an English perspective, his account of the Norman Conquest is balanced, he is sympathetic to both sides. This attitude persists in his Historia Ecclesiastica.

At some time between 1110 and 1115, Orderic's superiors ordered him to write the history of Saint-Evroul. The work, the Historia Ecclesiastica (Ecclesiastical History), grew under his hands until it became a general history of his own age. Saint-Evroul was a house of wealth and distinction. War-worn knights chose it as a resting place for their last years. It was constantly entertaining visitors from southern Italy, where it had established new foundations, and from England, where it had extensive possessions. Thus Orderic, though he witnessed no great events, was well-informed about them. Orderic is a vivid narrator; his character sketches are admirable as summaries of current estimates. His narrative is full of digressions that surprise readers who are looking for a strictly chronological ordering of events, but it has been argued that the digressions reflect Orderic's sense of the connections between events (between the foundation of Saint-Evroul and the Norman Conquest of Southern Italy, for example) and his desire to include as much of this monastic colleagues' memories in his History as possible. It would thus be a truly collective work. Orderic relays much invaluable information not provided by more methodical chroniclers. He throws a flood of light upon the manners and ideas of his own age, and he sometimes comments with shrewdness upon the broader aspects and tendencies of history. His narrative breaks off in the middle of 1141, though he added some finishing touches in 1142. He reports that he was then old and infirm (that year he would have reached the age of 67 years); he probably did not long survive the completion of his great work.

The Historia Ecclesiastica
The Historia Ecclesiastica, described as the greatest English social history of the Middle Ages, falls into three sections:

 * 1) Books i and ii give the history of Christianity from the birth of Christ. After 855 this becomes a bare catalogue of popes, ending with the name of Innocent I. These books Orderic added in 1136–1141 as an afterthought to the original scheme.

 * 1) Books iii through vi form a history of Saint-Evroul, the original nucleus of the work. Planned before 1122, they were mainly composed in the years 1123–1131. The fourth and fifth books contain long digressions on the deeds of William the Conqueror in Normandy and England. Before 1067 these are chiefly derived from two extant sources: William of Jumieges' Gesta Normannorum Ducum and William of Poitiers' Gesta Guillelmi. For the years 1067–1071 Orderic follows the lost portion of the Gesta Guillelmi, and is therefore of the first importance. From 1071, he begins to be an independent authority. Notices of political events in this part of his work are far less copious than in the later books.

 * 1) Books vii through xiii relegate ecclesiastical affairs to the background. In this section, after sketching the history of France under the Carolingian and early Capet dynasties, Orderic takes up the events of his own times, starting from about 1082. He has much to say concerning the Empire, the papacy, the Normans in Sicily and Apulia and the First Crusade (for which he follows Fulcher of Chartres and Baudri of Bourgueil, but with notable alterations ). But his chief interest is in the histories of the three brothers: Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, William Rufus and Henry I of England. He continues his work, in the form of annals, up to the defeat and capture of Stephen of England at Lincoln in 1141.

The historian Marjorie Chibnall states that Orderic used now-lost pancartes (cartularies or collections of charters) of various Norman monastic houses as sources for his historical writings.

Orderic addressed both contemporaries and future generations, intending for his work to be studied by monks and novices learning about the history of the monastery and its benefactors. The work as a whole was not widely read in the Middle Ages, though individual parts of it were popular and circulated.

The Historia Ecclesiastica is usually cited by abbreviation of the author's name rather than the title; that is, either as Ord. Vitalis or Ord. Vit. followed by volume and page numbers.

Secular commentary
Throughout his writings, Orderic spoke on a great deal of secular topics ranging from the violence of Norman conquest, the right to rule and inheritance, the strength of government, the make up of various courts and their military structure. Most of these writings were produced during the reign of King Henry I. Much of Orderic's intended audience included knights and nobility who would have had a vested interest in these topics. Knights that frequented the Abbey of Saint-Evroul often were waiting for their inheritance to come about or others who hoped to increase their standing through their service to a household. This would explain why we see the subject of inheritance and right to rule in his works. Orderic echoed the reasoning of William's conquest while still taking issue with several aspects of the conquest. Specifically, he spoke on the acquisitions of English lands by Norman lords, describing the acquisitions as plunder. On the subject of plunder, Orderic stands out amongst his peers for his critique of Bohemond I of Antioch whom he believed to have used the mission of the crusades as an excuse to gain power for himself. He also spoke on the role of clerics in the battlefield. He emphasized his reasoning for only contributing to violence on behalf of the king, laymen, or other clerics.

Orderic's thoughts on marriage permeated into his writing, probably from the experience he had with his father's clerical marriage and the absence of his mother. One example of his marriage views come from the arrangement of Bertrade of Montfort. When her uncle, William, Count of Éverux, arranged for Bertrade to marry Fulk of Anjou, Orderic wrote disparagingly of Fulk's character in recognition of how she was being used for the sake of power. When Bertrade eloped with the already married King Philip I of France, he changed his tone and admonished them all, describing Bertrade as a concubine and Fulk and Philip I both as adulterers.

title: Orderic Vitalis


text:
Johann Christoph Denner

Johann Christoph Denner (13 August 1655 – 26 April 1707) was a German woodwind instrument maker of the Baroque era, to whom the invention of the clarinet is attributed.

Denner was born in Leipzig to a family of horn-tuners. With his father, Heinrich Denner, a maker of game whistles and hunting horns, he moved to Nuremberg in 1666. J. C. Denner went into business as an instrument maker in 1678 and was granted rights for the “manufacture of French musical instruments consisting chiefly of oboes and recorders [flandadois]” in 1697. Two of his sons, Jacob and Johann David, also became instrument builders. At least sixty-eight instruments attributed to J. C. Denner have survived to the present day, although the surviving instruments with his name are believed to have come from his sons' workshops. Denner died in 1707 and was buried in Nuremberg.

In 1730, Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr wrote of Denner:

 * At the beginning of the current century, he invented a new kind of pipe-work, the so-called clarinet... and at length presented an improved chalumeau.

On the basis of this passage, Denner has been credited by many with the improvement of the chalumeau and the invention of the clarinet. Despite the words "At the beginning of the current century" he is often said to have developed the clarinet in 1690; there is no evidence for this. In fact, J. C. Denner may have built no clarinets at all. Only one extant clarinet, owned by the University of California, Berkeley has been attributed to him, and this attribution has been challenged. Another instrument possibly made by Denner was destroyed in World War II. The earliest known reference to the clarinet is an invoice from Jacob Denner dated 1710, three years after J. C. Denner's death.

title: Johann Christoph Denner


text:
Kaluđerica

Kaluđerica (Калуђерица, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Grocka.

Location
Kaluđerica is the westernmost settlement in the municipality of Grocka. It is located 6 kilometers east of central Belgrade and stretches in two fork-like urban formations between the road of Smederevski put to the north and the Belgrade-Niš highway to the south. The settlement is built in the hollow (micro valley of the Kaluđerički potok creek), with a specific microclimate, so out of all parts of Belgrade Kaluđerica is often the foggiest and the first one to have snow in winter.

History
Kaluđerica originated during the Ottoman rule of Serbia. A group of refugees who fled the Turks, settled at the bottom of the valley between two major roads. They cleared the thick woods around the creek and up to the 1950s, the settlement was predominantly agrarian, with most of the inhabitants working in agriculture and cattle breeding.

There was a spring of mineral water in the village. It was a spring of warm, sulfur water, up to 25 C. The spring was recorded in the 1892 papers published by the state government.

Name
Nearby Bubanj Potok was the location of a monastery which owned land in the present Kaluđerica, so the name was derived from the word kaluđer which means a monk (kaluđerica - a monk's place), though in modern Serbian, word kaluđerica means a nun. Monastery was demolished in fire after the World War II.

Characteristics
As the significant part of the settlement is built without permits and plans, none of the communal problems are even remotely solved. Kaluđerica is notorious for its lack of sewage, which during strong rains spills over in the streets, and smells during the summer.

Situation is not better with the waterworks and electricity (which are, by the largest number, illegally conducted from the public lines) or transportation (short and bending streets, with only one straight street in the settlement, and only one daily bus line of the public transportation, 309). Kaluđerica probably has some of the worst conditions of any other neighborhoods in the City of Belgrade territory, excluding the informal settlements. With a total lack of control in the settlements expansion, in few cases it even happened that people would build houses in the middle of the street, disconnecting it.

Kaluđerica, in urban sense, grew with Belgrade’s most eastern part Mali Mokri Lug on the north, along the Smederevski put, and Veliki Mokri Lug to the south, divided from Kaluđerica (that is, from Kaluđerica's section of Klenak) by the highway.

Architects and urbanists describe Kaluđerica as an “undefined conglomerate of residential objects built against the law” or as an “example of deurbanisation which went beyond hope”.

In the expansion of the population of jackals in the outskirts of Belgrade since the 2000s, the animals were spotted in Kaluđerica by the spring of 2022.

Population
For several decades Kaluđerica was among the fastest growing settlements in Serbia. According to the latest census of the population, Kaluđerica had a population of 26,904 in 2011. It is three times more populous than its municipal seat, Grocka (population of 8,441 in 2011). However, most of the houses are built without the necessary building permits, so population is presumably much higher, especially after the wars in former Yugoslavia and the influx of the refugees from Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia and Kosovo and Metohija (journalists often nickname Kaluđerica the largest illegal settlement in Europe). Belgrade's City Public Transportation Company (GSP), Telekom Srbija and police, based on the number of people using their services, estimate the population between 45,000 and 50,000.

Neighborhoods
As Kaluđerica rapidly developed, several distinct sub-neighborhoods within the settlement were formed. Those to the north, along the Smederevski put, are mostly named after the kafanas which had been the only features on the road before the settlement expanded.

 * Čardak; easternmost extension of Kaluđerica, which extends from the neighborhood Tri Tiganja to the west and continues into the settlement of Leštane to the east and Radmilovac, across the road. Along and above the Smederevski put, it was named after kafana of the same name (çardak, meaning "summerhouse").
 * Donja Kaluđerica; largest part of Kaluđerica. It has two elementary schools, IDEA and Maxi shops, modern community health center, kindergarten and police station.
 * Klenak; western extension. It is the highest part of the settlement, on the hill above, with a beautiful view on the rest of Kaluđerica. Klenak extends from Stara Kaluđerica, settlements old core to the east and stretches along the highway, with its western part in Zvezdara municipality, as the extension of Mali Mokri Lug. A bridge over the highway connects Klenak and Mali Mokri Lug with Veliki Mokri Lug, which expanded on the other side of the highway.
 * Moravac; north-west extension, the closest part to Belgrade. Northern sections of the neighborhood, along the Smederevski put, are administratively part of the municipality of Zvezdara. It extends into the neighborhood of Mali Mokri Lug to the west, Novo Naselje to the east and Stara Kaluđerica to the south. Named after kafana of the same name (meaning "man from Morava").
 * Novo Naselje; as the name suggests ("new settlement") is a new, rapidly developing and mostly commercial zone along the Smederevski put. It is located between the neighborhoods of Moravac (to the west), Tri Tiganja (to the east) and Stara Kaluđerica (to the south).
 * Stara Kaluđerica (old Kaluđerica), the oldest core of the settlement, further to the south from the main road. Mostly located along the Vojvode Stepe Stepanovića street.
 * Tri Tiganja; north-central section. It is an area where road which leads to the Belgrade city dump and the Nuclear Institute "Vinča" separates from the Smederevski put. There is a developing commercial zone along the road and the crossroads. It was named after kafana of the same name (meaning "three frying pans").

Notable people
Folk singers Mira Škorić and Sandra Afrika grew up in Kaluđerica.

title: Kaluđerica