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Kikinda

Kikinda (Кикинда, ; Nagykikinda) is a city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia. The city's urban area has 32,084 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 49,326 inhabitants.

The city was founded in the 18th century. From 1774 to 1874 Kikinda was the seat of the District of Velika Kikinda, an autonomous administrative unit of Habsburg monarchy. In 1893, Kikinda was granted the status of a city. The city became part of the Kingdom of Serbia (and Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) in 1918, and it lost the city status. The status was re-granted in 2016.

In 1996, the well-preserved archaeological remnants of a half a million-year-old mammoth were excavated on the outer edge of the town area. The mammoth called "Kika" has become one of the symbols of the town. Today it is exhibited in the National Museum of Kikinda. Other attractions of the city are the Suvača – a unique horse-powered dry mill, the annual Pumpkin Days and the International Symposium of Sculpture "Terra". The winter roosts of long-eared owl, with a large number of individuals, are easily accessible as they are situated in town parks and attract birdwatchers both from this country and abroad.

Name
In Serbian, the city is known as Kikinda (Кикинда), while in other languages it is called Great Kikinda: in Hungarian as Nagykikinda, in German as Gross Kikinda or Großkikinda, in Latin as Magna Kikinda, in Romanian as Chichinda Mare, in Slovak as Kikinda, in Rusyn as Кикинда, and in Croatian as Kikinda. Until 1947 it was also known in Serbian as Great Kikinda — Velika Kikinda (Велика Кикинда).

The name of Kikinda is first found recorded at the beginning of the 15th century as Kokenyd, and most probably denoted, together with the name Ecehida, a number of small settlements, i.e. estates, firstly belonging to Hungarian and later to Serb local rulers. The name of the town first appears on a map of 1718 as Gross Kikinda, indicating an uninhabited area or a wasteland and not a settlement. The adjective Gross, Nagy or Velika (Great) in German, Hungarian and Serbian versions respectively, was in official use as the name of the town until the end of 1947.

Coat of arms
The official coat of arms of the city dates back to the Austrian rule and the 18th century. It is derived from the coat of arms of the District of Velika Kikinda which was issued by Maria Theresa of Austria on 12 November 1774. The Coat of Arms represents a hand holding a sabre on which an Ottoman Turkish head is impaled. It symbolizes the fight of Serbs and the majority ethnic Hungarians at that time, against the Turks during the Military Frontier period and the military contributions of the population of Kikinda during the Austro-Ottoman Wars.

In 2007, Branislav Blažić, then president of the municipality of Kikinda, asked for the change of the coat of arms, criticizing it for being "morbid". The idea proved very controversial, and ultimately the coat was not changed. Most critics of Blažić stated that the coat of arms is a part of the history and tradition of Kikinda and so an important factor of the city identity.

The severed head of a Turk is also one of the common symbols in Austrian and Hungarian heraldry. It symbolizes the struggle of Serb soldiers of the Habsburg Empire (Austrian Empire) against the Ottoman Empire during the Austro-Ottoman Wars.

History
The city of Kikinda is located on a territory rich in remains of old and bygone cultures. Numerous archeological findings are the testimony of people who lived here more than seven thousand years ago. However, the continuity of that duration was often broken. People arrived and departed, lived and disappeared, depending on various historical circumstances.

Medieval history
Two important medieval settlements existed near the location of modern Kikinda. The names of these settlements were Galad and Hološ. Galad was one of the oldest Slavic settlements in northern Banat and was built by Slavic duke Glad in the ninth century. In 1337, Galad was recorded as settlement populated almost exclusively by Serbs. This settlement was destroyed during the Austro-Ottoman wars at the end of 17th and beginning of the 18th century.

Another settlement, Hološ (also known as Velika Holuša), was a local administrative centre in the 17th century, during the Ottoman administration. This settlement was also destroyed at the end of the 17th century.

According to some sources, an older settlement named Kekenj (Kekend, Keken) existed at this location. In 1423 it was mentioned as the domain of Hungarian kings, under the name of Kokenyd, and as a property of the Hungarian king Sigismund. In 1558, this settlement was populated by Serbs. It was deserted after the Banat Uprising in 1594.

Modern history
The history of modern Kikinda can be traced back for 250 years; by 1751–1752, when the area where the city is presently located began to be repopulated. The Serbs settled in two waves. The first settlers were Serbs who served in border patrols of the Habsburg military. They were tasked with protecting the borders against the Ottomans along the rivers of the Moriš and the Tisa. After the Požarevac peace treaty, where an agreement between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire was reached, the Ottomans lost the territory of Banat, which led to huge job losses among the Serb population. As a result, they founded a new settlement in an effort to make a living from agriculture. Some decades later, along with the Serbs, Germans (Banat Swabians), Hungarians, French and Jews also settled the area.

About twenty years after the establishment of the settlement, on 12 November 1774, the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, by way of a special charter, formed the Velikokikindski privileged district – Regio-privilegiatus Districtus Magnokikindiensis, as a distinct feudal governmental administrative unit with headquarters in Kikinda. Beside Kikinda, the district included another nine settlements of the Serb border military establishments in North and Central Banat: Srpski Krstur, Jozefovo (today part of Novi Kneževac), Mokrin, Karlovo (today part of Novo Miloševo), Bašaid, Vranjevo (today part of Novi Bečej), Melenci, Kumane and Taraš. During that period, the inhabitants of these places had substantial economic and even political privileges within the Habsburg monarchy. The District functioned, with some interruptions, until 1876 when it was abolished, and Kikinda was allocated both organizationally and administratively to the direct authority of the Torontal County with its headquarters in Veliki Bečkerek (today Zrenjanin), which covered most of the territory of present-day Serbian Banat.

In 1848/1849, the famous uprising of the Serbs in Vojvodina took place. Initially, Kikinda's citizens expressed, almost unanimously, social revolt, while later the uprising turned into a national one, and Kikinda became part of the Serbian Voivodship, a Serb autonomous region within the Austrian Empire. During the war, control over the city changed hands between the Serbian and Hungarian governments at the expense of great conflicts, which resulted in suffering and destruction. It was one of the most difficult and most complex periods in the history of Kikinda. Between 1849 and 1860 Kikinda was part of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat, a separate Austrian crown land. In 1860, this crown land was abolished, and Kikinda was incorporated into Torontal county, in the Kingdom of Hungary after the compromise of 1867.

A railway connecting Szeged, Kikinda and Timișoara was built in 1857 and is the oldest railway on the territory of present-day Serbia and the entire southeast Europe, predating Belgrade by 27 years. Kikinda had 15,000 inhabitants at the time. The first train arrived on 15 November at 15:00 at the still unfinished railway station. The railway itself was part of a 700 km long railway Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest-Timișoara-Baziaș, a spa town and port on the Danube. Days before the first train arrived, public drummers were announcing the event and huge crowds gathered at the arrival ceremony. But some complained. Farmers whose land was appropriated by the state for the route of the railway were not satisfied with the compensation they received. Others spread stories that the fumes from the locomotive are toxic, that sparks from the wheels will set grain fields on fire or that the sound of locomotive will scare the cattle. However, the railway brought an economic boom to Kikinda, as in the next five years industry began to develop, including steam mills and brickyards. When at the end of 19th century Veliki Bečkerek was linked directly to Szeged, bypassing Kikinda, the economy slowed down. In 1953 the connection with Szeged was cut as the bridge over the river Tisza was demolished. The connection to Timișoara was operational via railbuses until 2015. The Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I visited Kikinda in 1872 arriving by this railway and it was also used for the original Orient Express route. As of 2017, trains operate only as far as Subotica and Zrenjanin.

In 1893, Kikinda was declared a royal free city. At the end of the 19th century Kikinda was the most densely inhabited place in Torontál County, with 22,000 inhabitants. After the declaration of a free city, period from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the World War I was a peaceful and fruitful one in the history of Kikinda and was marked by a strong economic and urban development of the city. Moreover, the core of the city was formed, and the city received a defined local government in 1895 (statute, senate, town representative, mayor (Karlo Radovan), etc.). According to the 1910 census, the population of Kikinda numbered 26,795 inhabitants, of whom 14,214 (53.00%) spoke Serbian, 5,968 (22.27%) Hungarian, and 5,855 (21.85%) German.

A date around the end of the First World War (20 November 1918) denotes one of the most crucial moments in the modern history of Kikinda. The entry of the Serbian army into the city represented the achievement of the Serbs of Kikinda in striving to unite with Serbia. From 1 December 1918, the city was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed Yugoslavia in 1929). However, the city suffered greatly in the economic realm, as it was located in the hinterland, between two borders, with lines of communication disconnected. The period between the two world wars was not a one of economic prosperity for the city. In 1921, the population of Kikinda numbered 25,774 people and included 15,000 (58%) Serbs and Croats, 5,500 (21%) Germans (Banat Swabians), 4,000 (16%) Hungarians, and 5% Romanians. Between 1918 and 1922, Kikinda was part of Banat county, Between 1922 and 1929 it was part of Belgrade oblast, and between 1929 and 1941 it was part of Danube Banovina.

During the Interbellum, numerous public buildings were built. While the Historical Archive and the People's Museum moved into the old district building in 1876, new buildings were constructed for the city administration, other museums, a library, etc. Clergy House was built in 1939. After only twenty years of peace, in 1941 Kikinda entered the stormy period of World War II, during which it was occupied by German troops. The Banat region, which Kikinda belonged to, was made an autonomous region within Serbia and was placed under the control of the region's German minority. The city was liberated on 6 October 1944, and since 1945, it has been part of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina within the new Socialist Yugoslavia.

During and after the war, the city's economic and political organizational structure significantly changed. In addition, there were major changes in the ethnic structure of the city. The German (about 22%) and Jewish (about 2%) populations vanished. In 1940, there were about 500 Jews in the town. In August 1941, they were deported to the Sajmište death camp near Belgrade and murdered. In 1944, one part of the German population fled the region, together with the defeated German army. Between 1944 and 1948, those who remained were detained in work camps. After the abolition of the camps, most of the remaining German population left for Austria and Germany in search of better living conditions. In 1948, shortly after the end of World War II, Kikinda had a population of 28,070. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, the city saw continuous economic and cultural development: new factories and production plants, new blocks of flats and residential neighbourhoods, various objects of general social interest, and paved streets definitely stressed and formed the urban dimension of Kikinda. In 1971 the city had a population of 37,487.

In March 2016, Kikinda was again granted city status.

Greater Kikinda area

The City of Kikinda comprises the town of Kikinda, nine villages and two hamlets. The nine villages are:
 * Banatska Topola
 * Banatsko Veliko Selo
 * Bašaid
 * Iđoš
 * Mokrin
 * Nakovo
 * Novi Kozarci
 * Rusko Selo
 * Sajan (Szaján)

The two hamlets are:
 * Bikač, officially part of Bašaid
 * Vincaid, officially part of Banatska Topola

Note: for settlements with a Hungarian majority, the name is also given in Hungarian.

The city belongs to the group of so-called planned organized settlements. Plans of streets and crossroads were completed in the second half of the 18th century according to the standard city plans of the time used for the construction of new settlements in Banat. Those plans defined settlements with regularly lined and wide streets intersecting at right angles, with a central town square, market place, church, city hall, school, inn, etc.

Demographics
According to the last official census done in 2011, the city of Kikinda has 59,453 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups
Most of the settlements in the city have an ethnic Serb majority, while one settlement has a Hungarian ethnic majority: Sajan (Hungarian: Szaján). Two others have over 20% of ethnic Hungarian population: Banatska Topola and Rusko Selo.

The ethnic composition of city administrative area:

Economy
The principal branch of the city's economy is agriculture, with its 598.17 km2 of arable land. The annual production of wheat is about 60,000 tons, 114,670 tons of sunflower seeds. Soy, sugar beet and other fruits and vegetables are also produced.

Industrial production includes the production of oil derivatives by the "Naftagas" branch in Kikinda, metal processing, machine tools, special tools, car parts and flexible technologies by the former "Livnica Kikinda" (metal foundry) and IDA-Opel (now owned by Slovenian Cimos Koper), roof tile and brick production by "Toza Marković", the production of chemicals by "MSK" and "Hemik" and the processing of agricultural products by a number of factories.

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

Transport
Rail line Banatsko Aranđelovo – Kikinda – Romanian border at Jimbolia, part of the former Szeged – Timișoara railway is the second oldest railway in present-day Serbia. The city is also connected by railway to Subotica and to Belgrade via Zrenjanin.

Regional roads connect Kikinda with all the neighbouring cities and villages. Buses operate regularly to the surrounding villages and major domestic and some European cities.

The only transport waterway in the city is the Danube-Tisa-Danube Canal. There is a dock which is used for industrial transport.

There is also the Kikinda Airfield, a recreational aerodrome near the city. The local flying club organizes lessons in parachuting, aviation and space-modeling. "Cropduster" planes are also flown from this airstrip to spray agricultural fields.

Education
There are eight primary schools in the city:
 * Primary schools
 * Đura Jakšić Primary School . Language of instruction: Serbian.
 * Feješ Klara Primary School. Language of instruction: Serbian and Hungarian.
 * Jovan Popović Primary School. Language of instruction: Serbian.
 * Sveti Sava Primary School . Languages of instruction: Serbian and Hungarian.
 * Vuk Karadžić Primary School. Language of instruction: Serbian.
 * Žarko Zrenjanin Primary School. Language of instruction: Serbian.
 * 6 October Special Primary School. School for children with special needs. Language of instruction: Serbian.
 * Slobodan Malbaški Primary Music school. Language of instruction: Serbian.

All secondary schools in Kikinda use Serbian as the language of instruction:
 * Secondary schools
 * Dušan Vasiljev Gymnasium, founded in 1858. Students can choose between four main courses: socio-linguistic, mathematics and natural sciences, informatics and general.
 * Technical School
 * Economics and Trade Secondary School
 * Miloš Crnjanski Secondary Vocational School. The school offers courses in food processing, building, and health sciences.
 * Higher School for the Education of Teachers

 * Free schools
 * Pionir free school . Integral education. Students learn about technology, ethics and digital humanities. Language of instruction: Serbian and English

Cultural institutions
Situated in the city square, the building of the National Museum of Kikinda was built in 1839. In the beginning, the building served as the city curia and the seat of the District of Velika Kikinda until its abolishment in 1876. In 1946, the National Museum of Kikinda and the City Archive were founded and housed in the building. The Museum boasts numerous artifacts which are displayed in its four sections: archeological, historical, ethnological and naturalist. As of recently, it also possesses a mammoth skeleton which was excavated on the grounds of the "Toza Marković" brick factory in 1996.

The Jovan Popović National Library was founded in 1845 as Čitaonica Srbska (Serbian Reading Room). It was renamed in 1952 to Jovan Popović in honor of a prominent poet from Kikinda. Besides serving its primary function of loaning books, the library also organizes literary meetings, book promotions, seminars, lectures, exhibitions, and has published several works.

Although the National Theater in Kikinda was founded only 50 years ago, Kikinda has a long theatrical tradition. Kikinda witnessed its first theatrical play in 1796 in German. The first play in Serbian was performed in 1834. The theater has a continuous program all year round, including the summer when the stage is set up outside, in the yard of the theater.

The most famous band is Downstroy formed in 2004. In 2007, the group was the first in the history of the ex-YU to perform at one of the biggest heavy metal festivals in the world - Wacken Open Air. In 2022, Downstroy received an invitation to perform on the main stage of the EXIT festival, which was the first time a performer from Kikinda had succeeded.

Manifestations
The Pumpkin Days (Дани лудаје/Dani ludaje in Serbian) are an annual manifestation that takes place in mid-October. Every year people from all over the region gather in Kikinda to take part in a competition of who has the largest pumpkin and longest gourd. The term ludaja is specific to the Kikinda region, while the common Serbian word for pumpkin is bundeva. Kikinda has a special relationship with this plant because throughout its history, the locals used to say that one had to stand on a pumpkin while working in the fields in order to get a clear view of the whole city. This exaggeration is supposed to depict the flatness of the city's territory and symbolize the joy of finding way back home. A local man standing on a pumpkin, dressed in a traditional attire, and with his hand blocking the sun so that he can see into the distance, thus became the symbol of the region. A group of local enthusiasts started the Pumpkin Days celebration in 1986 and it quickly started attracting pumpkin and gourd lovers from all over the country. The three-day event also includes lectures and seminars on the advancement of pumpkin and gourd cultivation, a culinary competition in preparing meals from pumpkins and gourds, children's competitions in creating masks and sculptures, and various concerts and exhibitions. Over the past few years this event has gained prominence and has drawn visitors from Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslav republics. In 2006 the event celebrated its 20th anniversary and had the largest number of visitors so far, as well as a richer program. A tamburitza festival was included in the event, contributing to the authentic Banat experience.

In 2019, records in both categories were set - the largest pumpkin weighed 639.5 kg, while the longest gourd was 366 cm in length. However, in 2022, a pumpkin with 716.5 kg was measured.

Every year, since 1982, 6 to 8 world-renowned sculptors are invited to Kikinda, to the premises of an old production plant of the "Toza Marković" brick factory, to take part at the international symposium of sculpture "Terra". Work area has 600 m2 and a 2.5 m tall furnace for baking sculptures. The symposium takes place throughout the month of July. Over the years, "Terra" has hosted sculptors from all corners of the world who are drawn by the unique and peaceful ambience of the studio. All sculptures are done in terracotta and some have appeared at the Venice Biennale. Over 300 sculptors have so far participated at the symposium and together have produced more than 500 sculptures. The "Terra" museum was opened on 5 December 2017. A building of the old riding hall (manjež), built in 1871, was converted into a museum by sculptor Slobodan Kojić. When built, manjež served for the horse training of the Austro-Hungarian army and was the second largest such facility in the empire, after the one in Vienna. The exhibits, works of over 300 artists from all over the world since 1982, belong both to large and gallery format sculptures. The "Terra" exhibition is the largest collection of large size terracotta sculptures in the world and the first new museum of the contemporary art in Serbia since 1967. Previously proposed locations were within the brickyard complex, old brickyard II and old drier, but the adaptation of manjež began in 2012. There are over 1,000 sculptures in the exhibition space of 2100 m2. Previously, the collection was shown in Venice, Paris, Ljubljana and Belgrade. Several sculptures are permanently exhibited in the parks of Kikinda and Belgrade, while 5 monumental ones were donated to Venice after the 1999 Venice Biennale.

Media

 * Newspapers
 * Nove Kikindske Novine, weekly newspaper. Printed in Serbian, using the Cyrillic alphabet, with a supplement in Hungarian.

 * TV stations
 * TV VK, independent TV station, ceased broadcasting in November 2016.
 * TV Kikinda (ex TV Rubin), TV station favoring the local government.

 * Radio stations
 * VK Radio (frequency: 98.3 MHz), independent regional radio station, ceased broadcasting in November 2016.
 * Radio Kikinda (frequency: 93.3 МHz, ceased broadcasting in January 2016.), state-owned local station, which broadcast programs in both Serbian and Hungarian
 * Radio Ami (frequency: 89.7 МHz), local commercial pop music radio station

Tourism
Before the break-up of former Yugoslavia, hunting tourism was widespread in Kikinda. There are a number of hunting grounds in the city covering an area of 300 km2, mostly around the banks of the Danube-Tisa-Danube Canal, where rabbits, pheasants and deer are hunted.

On the location of the former clay pit of the "Toza Marković" company, an artificial lake was created. Located at the southern entrance into the town, it was named Plava banja ("Blue Spa"). Though it is not officially classified as a spa, the water is highly mineralized, microbiologically suitable for swimming and chemically has an elevated levels of sulfates and chlorides, so as higher electroconductivity and pH values. That means the water may be beneficial for the skin and some skin diseases, like the eczema. Until the early 2000s, the lake was arranged with numerous recreational activities and was visited by several thousand people daily. It was busy in the evenings as the lake was place for many concerts and other artistic and entertaining happenings. As the lake is on the lot of "Toza Marković", new owners stopped all that and by 2017 the lake was neglected and without even the basic infrastructure (showers, toilets, etc.). However, the locals still visit the lake, though on a much smaller scale. In the summer of 2017, the lake shores were cleaned from garbage and vegetation.

There is another lake, Staro jezero ("Old Lake"), in the town itself. It is a remnant of the former river Galacka, part of the Mureș river system. The river was diverted at a time, partially channeled and conducted underground, so there is no river in Kikinda today. In the city, there is a park called Blandaš, which was declared a natural monument. The tree line along the 2 km long Generala Drapšina Sreet is made up of 400 trees, and the street was declared the 22nd most beautiful street in the world by the Architecture and Design magazine. The tree line was planted after the World War II, even before the war ended in the rest of Europe and Yugoslavia. It is believed that the seedlings were a gift from the U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt, due to his friendship with Mihajlo Pupin.

In the vicinity of Kikinda is the Copper Age kurgan of Kinđa, which possibly gave name to the city.

Main sights

The Suvača is a horse-powered dry mill. Kikinda has one of the three remaining such mills in Europe (the other two being in Szarvas, Hungary and Otok). There were many mills like this in the city: 17 in 1781, 32 in 1801, with the largest recorded number being 51 in 1847. The only remaining mill was built in 1899 and was operational until 1945.

Located in the center of the square, the Serbian Orthodox church was built in 1769. The icons of the iconostasis were done by Jakov Orfelin (nephew of Zacharius Orfelin) in 1773. Teodor Ilić Češljar is the author of the two large wall paintings "The Last Supper" and "Ascension of Jesus Christ" (1790). Both, the late baroque iconostasis and the wall paintings show significant influence of western European art of the period. New church bells were installed in 1899.

The small Vodice church was built in 1865. On an elevated plateau above it, four water wells were dug. The complex was declared a cultural monument. The Serbian Orthodox Holy Trinity monastery is located in the southern outskirts of the city. It was built between 1885 and 1887 as a foundation of Melanija Nikolić-Gajčić. The construction of the Roman Catholic Church in Kikinda was started in 1808 and completed in 1811.

According to a popular belief, the treasure of Attila the Hun is buried somewhere on the territory of the city of Kikinda.

Fossil remains of a mammoth, named Kika, were discovered in 1996 in the clay pit of the "Toza Marković" company. Kika was a female, 4.7 m tall, 7 m long with an estimated weight of 7 t. The tusks are 3.5 m long. That makes Kika one of the largest mammoth specimens ever discovered. It is still not determined to which mammoth species it belongs.

Among the birdwatchers Kikinda is known as the prime hotspot for observing winter roosts of long-eared owl with large number of individuals. Kikinda has been nicknamed the Serbian owl capital. The roosts are situated in city parks so they are easily accessible. In November 2017, 238 owls were numbered while the record was set in 2009 when 743 birds were counted in the town. At one point, 145 owls were counted on only one tree. The BBC crews visited Kikinda in 2015 and 2018, filming documentaries about the wild animals in urban areas and focusing on the owls.

Notable citizens

 * Miroslav Mika Antić, poet
 * Radivoj Berbakov, painter
 * Albert Bogen (Albert Bógathy; 1882–1961), Kikinda-born Austrian Olympic silver medalist saber fencer
 * Predrag Bubalo, politician, former Government minister
 * Dajana Butulija, professional basketball player, Olympic bronze medalist and European champion
 * Branimir Brstina, actor, from nearby Banatsko Novo Selo
 * Vesna Čipčić, actress, was raised and schooled in Kikinda
 * Jovan Ćirilov, dramaturge, poet, writer
 * Dimitrije Injac, professional football player
 * Đura Jakšić, poet and painter, lived in Kikinda for some time
 * Milivoj Jugin, aeronautical enginner
 * Mladen Krstajić, former football player of football club Partizan Belgrade
 * Peđa Krstin, professional tennis player
 * Maja Latinović, supermodel
 * Jovan Popović, poet
 * Srđan Srdić, writer
 * Vasa Stajić, writer and philosopher (from nearby Mokrin)
 * Aleksandra Stanaćev, basketball player, born in Kikinda
 * Srđan V. Tešin, writer and journalist
 * Dušan Vasiljev, poet
 * Goran Živkov, politician

Twin towns – sister cities
Kikinda is twinned with:

Awards
In 2003, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Mission to Serbia awarded the Municipality of Kikinda the Municipal Award for Tolerance.

Climate
Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa" (Humid subtropical climate).

General references

 * Brane Marijanović et al. Kikinda: istorija, kultura, sela, privreda, sport, turizam, Novi Sad: Prometej, 2002.
 * Jovan M. Pejin, Iz prošlosti Kikinde, Kikinda: Istorijski arhiv & Komuna, 2000.
 * Milivoj Rajkov, Istorija grada Kikinde do 1918. godine, Kikinda, 2003.
 * Dr Slobodan Ćurčić, Naselja Banata – geografske karakteristike, Novi Sad, 2004.

title: Kikinda


text:
Kosovo Polje

Kosovo Polje (Косово Поље, "Kosovo Field") or Fushë Kosova (Albanian indefinite form: Fushë Kosovë), is a town and municipality located in the District of Pristina in Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Kosovo Polje has 12,919 inhabitants, while the municipality has 33,977 inhabitants.

Geography
Kosovo Polje is a municipality that lies in the center of the Kosovo Plain, with an area of 84 km2 and an altitude of 540 m above sea level. The city is situated between Pristina in the east, Obiliq in the north, Gračanica in the south and Drenas in the west. It consists of 16 settlements. It is located in the area of the intersection of roads important for transport, such as the railway connecting Kosovo Polje with Skopje and Mitrovica, which then connects to international roads. Also, it is located at the intersection of important highways. The Prishtina International Airport is also located on its territory.

Climate
Kosovo Polje has a medium continental climate. It is located in the Kosovo field, which is in the Ibri plain in the north and in the Llapi plain, in the north-east, open to northern continental climatic influences. Winter is cold, while summer is warm and dry. The Kosovo field, due to limitations with high mountains in the south and west, are deprived of the air masses of the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea. The coldest month is January while the warmest is August.

History
Kosovo Polje was named after the Kosovo Field of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo. The settlement of Kosovo Polje was established in 1921 during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (see Colonisation of Kosovo).

In the city suburbs there is the Multinational Specialized Unit base. Part of KFOR, the unit is composed entirely by Italian Carabinieri.

Economy
There are two magnesium mines operating on the territory of Kosovo Polje: Goleš and Strezovce.

Demographics
Prior to the 1999 Kosovo War, the town of Kosovo Polje had, according to the figures of the Federal Statistical Office in Belgrade from March 1991, a total population of 35,570 inhabitants, while the ethnic makeup was 56.6% Albanian, 23.7% Serb and 19.6% from other communities.

According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Kosovo Polje has 34,827 inhabitants.

It is estimated by the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, that by the end of December 2020, the population of the municipality has grown to 39,948 inhabitants.

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

title: Kosovo Polje


text:
Mitrovica, Kosovo

Mitrovica (Albanian indefinite form: Mitrovicë; Митровица), also referred as Kosovska Mitrovica (Mitrovica e Kosovës; Косовска Митровица), is a city in northern Kosovo and administrative center of the District of Mitrovica. In 2013, the city was split into two municipalities, South Mitrovica and North Mitrovica. Settled 10 km from Ujmani/Gazivoda Lake, on the confluence of the rivers Ibar, Sitnica, Lushta, and Trepça, the city is surrounded by the mountains of Kopaonik, Rogozna, Mokna, and Çyçavica. According to the 2011 Census, the two municipalities had 97,686 inhabitants of which 85,360 reside in south and 12,326 in north.

The history of Mitrovica is rooted in antiquity, with evidence of early settlements of neolithic and Roman-era artifacts discovered in the region. During the Middle Ages, the area played an important role in the Byzantine and Serbian Empires, while the modern city was founded during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, being first mentioned in the 17th century. Its strategic location along trade routes made it an important center for commerce and cultural exchange during this time. The complex historical context of these foreign influences contributed to the diverse heritage and cultural mosaic of Mitrovica, which continues to be a notable aspect of the city's identity.

In the modern era, Mitrovica's history has been marked by various events, including the industrial development of Trepça Mines during the Yugoslav period, the Kosovo War and the ethnic divisions that emerged in its aftermath in 1999. In 2013, following the North Kosovo crisis, the city was divided by the Ibar River into two separate municipalities, South Mitrovica with an ethnic Albanian majority and North Mitrovica with an ethnic Serb majority.

Rich in minerals such as lead, zinc ore and other minerals, during Yugoslavian period, Mitrovica was an industrial city with a significant mining industry, as the Trepča Mines, a major mining and metallurgy complex, is located in the region. Following the Kosovo War in 1999 and the city’s ethnic division, Mitrovica suffered economic collapse, turning from the economic center of Kosovo before 1999,to the poorest region in Kosovo after. According to the Kosovo Statistics Agency, of all urban municipalities in Kosovo, Mitrovica has the highest unemployment rate and the highest number of dependents from state transfers.

Mitrovica is also an important university center with the University of Mitrovica “Isa Boletini” in the south, the faculties of the parallel institution of University of Pristina in the north and several private universities. The city is known for music and has Mitrovica Rock School. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as Green Fest, Mitrovica Jazz Days Festival, MittrixFest, Mitrovica Guitar Days, ArtFest, Nomad Fest, North Jazz Festival, and others. Mitrovica has the City Museum, the Museum of Crystals, the Cultural Center, City Library, City Theater, ensembles, several galleries, and social/cultural spaces. Additionally, it is home to many sports clubs and venues, including the Adem Jashari Olympic Stadium, Riza Lushta Stadium, Fatime Xhaka Stadium, Minatori Sports Hall and Omni Sports Center.

Among the most important historical monuments in the region are the 13th century remains of St. Peter's Catholic Church, the 14th century monasteries of Banjska and Sokolica, and the mosque of Mazhiq, the fortresses of Zveçan and Rashan and Isa Boletini Towers Complex. Ibar bridge has become a symbol of division and the city’s main landmark.

Etymology
The name of Mitrovica derives from the name Demetrius. It was most probably named after the 8th century Byzantine church St. Demetrius which was built near Zvečan Fortress, just above the modern Mitrovica, in honor of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki.

The earliest evidence of the name of this city dates back to 1430 when it was mentioned in a Roman document as 'Dimitrovica.' In the Republic of Ragusa, in the documents 'Lamenta de foris' from 1446, the city was referred to as De Dimitruic. Throughout the late Middle Ages and Ottoman era, various travelers documented the name of the city. The German traveler Arnold von Harff mentioned Mitrovica in 1499 as Mitrix, while Benedikt Kuripečič, in 1530, referred to the city as Bazar Mitrovica. In 1660, the Ottoman explorer Evliya Çelebi mentioned the city with the name Mitrovica for the first time. From 1878 to 1890, the city was known as Mitrovica of Bazar, most probably due to the fact that it was under the Sanjak of Novi Pazar (Jenipazar)".

After President Tito's death in 1980, each of the constituent parts of Yugoslavia had to have one place named with the word "Tito" (or "Tito's") included, the city was then known as Titova Mitrovica (Титова Митровица) in Serbian or Mitrovica e Titos in Albanian, until 1991.

The official name of the city in the Republic of Kosovo is Mitrovicë or Mitrovica (in Albanian) and Mitrovica (in Serbian), reflecting its bilingual character and regional context. In Serbian context, the name is Kosovska Mitrovica is used to distinguish it from Sremska Mitrovica, a city in Serbia. In Turkish, the city is called Mitroviça.

Since the split of the Municipality of Mitrovica into two municipalities in 2013, with the creation of Serb-majority municipality in the northern side, the official names of the municipalities have changed. The original Municipality of Mitrovica is now officially known as South Mitrovica (Albanian: Mitrovica e Jugut; Serbian: Јужна Митровица, romanized: Južna Mitrovica) while the newly formed municipality is North Mitrovica (Albanian: Mitrovica e Veriut; Serbian: Ceвepнa Митровица, romanized: Severna Mitrovica).

Neolithic period
There is archaeological evidence that proves the region of Mitrovica has been inhabited since the Neolithic era. The oldest settlements discovered in the area are the archeological sites of Zhitkoc, Karagaç and Vallaç, near Zvecan (around 5 km north of Mitrovica) and archaeological site of Fafos which is situated in the suburban area of Mitrovica.

The Neolithic site of Zhitkoc, situated approximately 3 km north of Zveçan, is positioned on a plateau near the Zhitkoc train station. In 1958, a series of preliminary excavations were conducted near the banks of the Ibër River, revealing the remains of a typical Neolithic settlement that belonged to both the earlier Starčevo culture and the later Vinča culture.

The adjacent archaeological site of Karagaç is found on a lower terrace along the riverbank and was investigated between 1955 and 1960. The archaeological findings indicated occupation during the middle Neolithic period. The settlement mainly consisted of semi-subterranean, elliptical huts, protected by ditches. Inside these dwellings, a significant amount of pottery associated with the Starcevo culture was uncovered. Furthermore, the settlement persisted into a later phase, with huts constructed from interwoven timber beams coated with earth/mud. Evidence from ceramic fragments and anthropomorphic figurines suggests that this settlement was also inhabited during the earlier stage of the Late Neolithic, specifically the Vinca culture. In addition to Neolithic artifacts, traces of a settlement and cemetery from the Bronze and Iron Ages were discovered in the same area, underscoring the continuity of human habitation from prehistoric times.

The archaeological site of Fafos is located in the suburban area of Mitrovica, within the industrial zone adjacent to the FAFOS factory, which was primarily involved in phosphates production. This site underwent excavation between 1955 and 1961, covering a total area of approximately 1,200 square meters. The findings confirmed the presence of two separate Neolithic settlements associated with the Vinca culture, situated about 200 meters apart from each other. The earlier settlement, referred to as Fafos I, consisted of characteristic semi-subterranean huts used for shelter. In contrast, the later settlement, known as Fafos II, featured house-huts arranged in a row. Notably, archaeological research indicated that a significant portion of the huts in both settlements had been destroyed by an extensive fire. Artifacts discovered in these settlements included various everyday objects such as cult items, ritual vases, and anthropomorphic figurines.

Middle Ages

While there is limited historical evidence regarding the early Middle Ages when the region was under Byzantine rule, the period between the 9th and 15th centuries witnessed a series of significant events that made the area a focal point for conflicts involving the Byzantine Empire, the Medieval Kingdom of Serbia, the Bulgarian Empire and Ottoman Empire, being ruled by each of them in different periods.

During this time, the fortified settlement of Zvečan emerged as a key location, playing a pivotal role in the expansion and development of the Kingdom of Serbia under Nemanjić rule. Its strategic position made it a center of power in the region.

Simultaneously, the settlement of Trepca began to evolve into a thriving mining town. The development of mining activities and trade significantly contributed to the region's significance and economic growth. Notable structures were constructed during this era, including the Banjska Monastery, Sokolica Monastery, and the Saxon St. Peter's Basilica Church, Stari Trg. The Saxon Church in Stan Terg, built by Saxons, underlines the importance of the mining industry during this period in the region.

With the Ottoman occupation in 1389, after the Battle of Kosovo, the fortified town of Zvecan turned into an active military site well into the 18th century, after which it was abandoned. During this time the population settled along the valley of Ibar and Sitnica, founding this way the modern settlement of Mitrovica. Mitrovica probably got the name after the 8th century Byzantine church St. Demetrius which was built near Zvečan Fortress, just above the modern Mitrovica, in honor of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki.

Several Roman and Ragusian documents mention the city respectively as Dimitrovica in 1430 and 'De Dimitruic' 1446, while the German traveler Arnold von Harff mentioned the city in 1499 as 'Mitrix.

Ottoman Empire
Several neighborhoods in the area of Trepča according to the Ottoman defter of the 16th century were Islamised and the other neighborhoods contained people with a mixture of Christian, Albanian and Slavic names. According to Selami Pulaha, the Ottoman defters of 1591 indicate that the area of Trepča in the 16th century had a significant Albanian population, with some Albanian names being combined with other Christian or Slavic names.

Under Ottoman rule Mitrovica was a small city typical to the region. Rapid development came in the 19th century after lead ore was discovered and mined in the region, providing what has historically been one of Kosovo's largest industries.

It became an industrial town, formerly the economic centre of Kosovo because of the nearby Trepça Mines. It grew in size as a centre of trade and industry with the completion of the railway line to Skopje in 1873–1878, which linked Mitrovica to the port of Thessaloniki. Another line later linked the town to Belgrade and Western Europe.

Modern
During World War II, the city was part of Axis-occupied Serbia. In 1948, Mitrovica had a population of 13,901 and in the early 1990s of about 75,000.

Kosovo war and city division
Both the town and municipality were badly affected by the 1999 Kosovo War. According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the area had been the scene of guerrilla activity by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) prior to the war. It came under the command of NATO's French sector; 7,000 French troops were stationed in the western sector with their headquarters in Mitrovica. They were reinforced with a contingent of 1,200 troops from the United Arab Emirates, and a small number of Danish troops. Most of the approximately 6,000 Roma fled to Serbia, or were relocated to one of two resettlement camps, Cesmin Lug, or Osterode, in North Mitrovica. In the north, live some 17,000 Kosovo Serbs, with 2,000 Kosovo Albanians and 1,700 Bosniaks inhabiting discrete enclaves on the north bank of the Ibar River. Almost all of the Serbs living on the south bank were displaced to North Mitrovica after the Kosovo War. In 2011, the city had an estimated total population of 71,601.

Mitrovica became the focus for ethnic clashes between the two communities, exacerbated by the presence of nationalist extremists on both sides. The bridges linking the two sides of the town were guarded by armed groups determined to prevent incursions by the other side. Because of the tense situation in the town, KFOR troops and the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) police were stationed there in large numbers to head off trouble. However, violence and harassment was often directed against members of the "wrong" ethnic community on both sides of the river, necessitating the presence of troops and police checkpoints around individual areas of the city and even in front of individual buildings.

On 17 March 2004, the drowning of three Albanian children in the river prompted major ethnic violence in the town and a Serbian teenager was killed. Demonstrations by thousands of angry Albanians and Serbs mobilised to stop them crossing the river degenerated into rioting and gunfire, leaving at least eight Albanians dead and at least 300 injured. The bloodshed sparked off the worst unrest in Kosovo seen since the end of the 1999 war (in which 16 Serbs were killed). The local prison was the scene of an international incident on 18 April 2004 when a Jordanian policeman working as a UN prison guard opened fire on a group of UN police officers leaving a class, killing three.

Kosovo's independence
Tensions rose considerably in the city of Mitrovica after Kosovo declared independence on 17 February 2008. Some 150 Kosovo Serb police officers refused to take orders from the ethnic Albanian authorities and were suspended. Serb protesters prevented ethnic Albanian court employees from crossing the bridge over the Ibar River. UN police raided and seized the courthouse on 14 March using tear gas against Serbs and leaving some of them wounded. The explosion of a hand-grenade injured several UN and NATO staff on 17 March; UN forces were later withdrawn from the northern part of Mitrovica. The Serbian minority initially formed the Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija in the city, but it has no police force. Serbs refused to accept the jurisdiction of Kosovo courts.

Kosovar leaders have expressed concern over the future of the region, stating their commitment to keep Mitrovica part of Kosovo and prevent crime or war there. With the 2013 Brussels Agreement Kosovo Serbs accepted the Pristina-run police force and courts and vote on ballots with republic of Kosovo logos. Elected Serbs swear oaths to Republic of Kosovo.

Since 2012 the northern and the southern part of the city, and in particular the New Bridge over the Ibar River are patrolled 24/7 by Italian Carabinieri from KFOR-MSU.

Demography
The city of Mitrovica in 2011 had 84,235 inhabitants, 71,909 of which were living in the southern municipality, while 12,326 in North Mitrovica municipality. Since the 2011 census was not applied in the now four Serb-majority municipalities in North Kosovo, the data from an Update in 2008–2009 conducted by Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS) has been taken as official data for North Mitrovica municipality, as well as for the towns of Zvečan, Leposavić and Zubin Potok. According to KAS, 58,458 inhabitants were living in the urban area of the city: 46,132 of them in southern municipality, 12,326 in the north.

The Kosovo war and post-war conflicts, the destruction of economy, especially the operating stoppage of industrial sector, as well as other socio-economic factors, have influenced high emigration (both internal and external). After 1948 (32,800 inhabitants) the city had continual high population growth tripling by 1991 to 104,885 inhabitants, but in 2011 only 84,235 inhabitants were living in Mitrovica, a decrease of 19.29% from 1991.

In 2015, a wave of mass migration of approximately 100,000 Kosovo people occurred towards Western Europe with the total population of Kosovo declining by almost 5%. During this period, 4,889 people fled south Mitrovica, which resulted in a population decline to 68,400 inhabitants. By 2015 the population of North Mitrovica municipality slightly increased to 12,223 inhabitants. In total, according to Kosovo Agency of Statistics estimation, at the end of 2015, 80,623 people were living in the city of Mitrovica.

Ethnic groups
Mitrovica is characterized with a large ethnic diversity, dominated by Albanians and followed by Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Roma and other ethnic groups. In south municipality of Mitrovica, Albanians make 96.65% of the total population, while other ethnic groups are Roma, Turks, Bosniaks and others. According to 2011 census, only 14 Serbs live in south Mitrovica municipality.

Religion
The main religious group is Muslim. Small numbers of Serbian Orthodox and Roman Catholics exist in the city. Albanians, Bosniaks, Turks, Roma and other smaller ethnic groups are mainly Muslim.

In the results of 2011 census, 71,422 people or 99.32% of total population of southern municipality of Mitrovica, were Muslims. Orthodox Christians comprised 11 or 0.02% of total population of municipality, while Catholics comprised 42 or 0.06%.

As North Mitrovica municipality was not covered by population estimation in 2011 by Kosovo Agency of Statistics, there are no official data on religion.

Economy

The Trepça Mines are located in Mitrovica. Once one of Europe's largest mines, its production has since dwindled and most of its operations closed off following the war. Due to Mitrovica's political instability and divisions between the Albanian and Serb communities, the city's unemployment rate is 65%. Publicly owned enterprises and local administration is largely responsible for the functioning of the economy, along with Serbian government assistance and EU donations.

Education
In the southern municipality of Mitrovica there are 31 primary and lower secondary schools, which, since some of the schools function in separate parallels in different areas, operate in 42 educational facilities. In the southern municipality exists also 5 upper secondary schools. Although there is only one kindergarten, it has a large capacity, available for 300 kids. The higher education is also provided through the Public University of Mitrovica "Isa Boletini" and University of Applied Sciences.

In North Mitrovica there are 11 primary schools, four secondary schools and one kindergarten. Regarding the higher education institutions, the public University of Pristina is functional. It hold the name University of Priština after the Serbian faculties of the University of Pristina were relocated from Pristina to North Mitrovica after the Kosovo War. However, many institutions refer to it as University of Mitrovica, including UNMIK and EUA.

There are two private universities that operate in the south Mitrovica, College "Fama" and International Business College Mitrovica (IBCM). IBCM has campuses in both municipalities of Mitrovica.

Culture
The City Museum of Mitrovica is located there.

Sights
The strategic position of the region of Mitrovica in the middle of two great rivers Ibar and Sitnica and its mineral wealth in Albanik (Monte Argentarum), made this location populated since prehistoric period. This region was populated by Illyrians, respectively Dardan tribe. The first data for the archaeological sites in the region of Mitrovica, begin with the researches of Sir Arthur John Evans, who was the first to pinpoint the Roman town of the Municipium Dardanourm.

In the archaeological sites of the region of Mitrovica were found traces and objects from different periods such as; neolithic, Roman, late antiquity and medieval period. Objects and figurines include: fortress vestiges, necropolis, Terpsichore figure, statues, sarcophagus, altar, jewellery, etc.

Sports
Mitrovica is the home to several sports club while the most known and most successful clubs are those representing Trepça. KF Trepça and KF Trepça'89 (Minatori 89) the two southern club's play in the Football Superleague of Kosovo and won many titles being part of best clubs in the country. KF Trepça plays at the Adem Jashari Olympic Stadium, which hosted Kosovo's first FIFA-recognized friendly international football match on 5 March 2014, playing 0–0 against Haiti. Other active football clubs are KF Mitrovica or KF Bardhi while KF Remonti, KF Shala, KF Bashkimi Shipol, KF Elektroliza or KF Birliku are defunct clubs. The football women's club is called KFF Mitrovica and is the most successful club in the country. Basketball is also a popular sport in the city and is represented by KB Trepça which is one of the top three clubs in Kosovo. Handball is represented by KH Trepça.

Notable people

 * Ali Shukrija, Chairman of the Executive Council of SAP Kosovo
 * Ilija Vakić, Chairman of the Executive Council of SAP Kosovo
 * Bajram Rexhepi, Prime Minister of Kosovo
 * Dejzi, Albanian fashion designer
 * Vahedin Ajeti, Albanian footballer
 * Enis Alushi, Albanian football player
 * Valon Behrami, Swiss international football player
 * Vukan, Grand Prince of Serbia
 * Stefan Dečanski, King of Serbia
 * Bekim Bejta, poet and translator
 * Nevena Božović, Serbian singer and Serbia's Eurosong participant
 * Milan Biševac, Serbian football player
 * Aleksandar Čanović, former Serbian football player
 * Nexhip Draga, Albanian nationalist
 * Xhafer Deva, former Minister of the Interior of Albania
 * Miloš Krasić, former Serbian football player
 * Nikola Lazetić, former Serbian football player
 * Žarko Lazetić, former Serbian football player
 * Rexhep Mitrovica, former Prime Minister of Albania
 * Rona Nishliu, represented Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012
 * Riza Lushta, former Albanian football player
 * Vjosa Osmani, jurist, President of Kosovo
 * Xhevat Prekazi, former football player
 * Muharrem Qena, actor and singer
 * Valdet Rama, Albanian footballer
 * Darko Spalević, former Serbian football player
 * Borislav Stevanović, former Serbian football player
 * Sulejman Ugljanin, Bosniak politician
 * Stevan Stojanović, former Serbian football player
 * Ymer Xhaferi, Albanian football player
 * Diana Avdiu, Miss Kosovo Universe 2012 and semifinalist, Miss Universe 2012
 * Erton Fejzullahu, Swedish football player
 * Alban Meha, Albanian football player
 * MC Kresha, Albanian rapper
 * Goran Rakić, current president of the Serb List

Twin towns – sister cities
Mitrovica is twinned with:

 * 🇹🇷 İnegöl, Turkey
 * 🇮🇩 Kendari, Indonesia
 * 🇦🇱 Korçë, Albania

title: Mitrovica, Kosovo


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Kraljevo

Kraljevo (Краљево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar, in the geographical region of Šumadija, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.

In 2022 the city urban area has a population of 61,490 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 110,196 inhabitants. With an area of 1530 km2, it is the largest municipality (after Belgrade) in Serbia by area.

Name
Formerly known as Rudo Polje (Рудо Поље), Karanovac (Карановац) and Rankovićevo (Ранковићево), Kraljevo received its present name, meaning "the King's Town", from King Milan I of Serbia in honor of his own coronation and six Serbian kings that had been crowned in that area. The modern coat of arms of the city features seven crowns symbolizing the seven kings.

History and sights
The "lower" Ibar region is thought to be the first area where Serbs began to develop cultural, political and economic life. Since the end of the 11th century, the center of Grand Principality of Serbia was in the region of Raška, with state capital in the ancient fortress of Ras, near modern Novi Pazar. There are numerous monasteries in the Kraljevo area, Studenica (1188), Gradac and Stara Pavlica. There is also a medieval fortress known as Maglič. Monastery of Žiča (1219) was the original seat of Serbian Archbishop was used for the crowning of Serbian kings.

The village of Rudo Polje, from which Kraljevo arose, was settled during the 14th century. This area was occupied by the Turks between 1458 and 1459.

During the Turkish rule Rudo Polje became known as Karanovac. Karanovac became an important settlement during the war between Austria and Turkey in the period between 1718 and 1739. After 1718, a border between Austria and Turkey was established along right bank of river Morava. During the first uprising of the Serbs in 1805, Karanovac was heavily damaged and most of the Muslim population left, leaving the Serbs to continue development of the city during the period following the uprising. After the Second Serbian uprising, Karanovac was liberated in 1819 under the rule of Prince Miloš Obrenović. In that period the Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was built; Gospodar Vasin konak, a mansion used by wealthy guests, as well as a number of significant public buildings. Kraljevo received the first urban plan, and became an important economic city.

In 1882 King Milan Obrenović, establishing the Kingdom of Serbia, in honor of his coronation, changed Karanovac name to Kraljevo, and gave the order for restoration of rather dilapidated monastery Žiča.

In 1919, Nikolaj Velimirović, was consecrated Bishop of Žiča and spent a brief period in the city. He returned again in 1935, and stayed until 1941. He rebuilt and enlarged the monastery.

During World War II Kraljevo was occupied by the German army. In October 1941, joint forces of Chetniks and Partisans besieged and attacked German forces in Kraljevo during the Siege of Kraljevo. In retaliation the Wehrmacht carried out the Kraljevo massacre, killing 2,000 residents of the city. A memorial complex constructed in the 1970s today commemorates the site of the massacre. In November 1944, heavy battles were fought in Kraljevo and its surrounding areas culminating in the city's liberation on 29 November 1944.

During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 the Lađevci Airport located near Kraljevo was bombed.

One prominent feature of the area is the Coronation church which belongs to the Žiča monastery. Seven Serbian kings are said to have been crowned (the seven crowns on the city coat of arms represent this assumption) in the church. The church is Byzantine in style, and has been partially restored, with only the main tower remaining from the original building dating to 1210, when it was founded by Saint Sava, the patron saint of Serbia.

The famous monastery of Studenica, 39 km south west of Kraljevo, stands high among the south-western mountains, overlooking the Studenica, a tributary of the Ibar. It consists of a group of old-fashioned timber and plaster buildings, a tall belfry, and a diminutive church of white marble, founded in 1190 by King Stefan Nemanja, who became a monk and was canonized as Saint Simeon. The carvings around the north, south and west doors have been partially defaced by the Turks. The inner walls are decorated with Byzantine frescoes, among which only a painting of the Last Supper, and the portraits of five saints remain from the original artwork. The dome and narthex are modern additions.

The silver shrine of Saint Simeon sits within the church, along with many gold and silver ornaments, church vessels and old manuscripts, and a set of vestments and a reliquary, believed by the monks to have been the property of Saint Sava who founded the first hospital in Studenica in the 13th century.

In various historical periods, Kraljevo was part of various administrative formats within Serbia, for example in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, as part of Northern Serbia, during the time of Kingdom of Yugoslavia as part of the Moravian Banovina, etc., and today it is officially part of Sumadija & Western Serbia Region

2010 earthquake
Kraljevo was shaken by a Mw 5.4 earthquake on 3 November 2010. Two people died and over 100 suffered light injuries. A number of buildings suffered damage, and several hundreds, chiefly older buildings, were rendered unusable. There were several weaker aftershocks including a 4.3 earthquake on November 4.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census results, a total of 125,488 inhabitants live in the city administrative area of Kraljevo.

The city of Kraljevo has 41,358 households with 3,03 members on average, while the number of homes is 53,367.

Religion structure in the city of Kraljevo is predominantly Serbian Orthodox (120,240), with minorities like Muslims (932), Atheists (487), Catholics (286), Protestants (82) and others. Most of the population speaks Serbian language (122,007).

The composition of population by sex and average age:
 * Male - 61,585 (41.02 years) and
 * Female - 63,903 (43.45 years).

A total of 53,137 citizens (older than 15 years) have secondary education (49.78%), while the 15,281 citizens have higher education (14.31%). Of those with higher education, 9,326 (8.73%) have university education.

Ethnic groups
The ethnic composition in the city of Kraljevo, according to the 2011 census:

Settlements
At 1530 km2 Kraljevo is the largest municipality of Serbia by area. Apart from the urban area, the city administrative area includes 92 settlements:

 * Adrani
 * Banjevac
 * Bapsko Polje
 * Bare
 * Bogutovac
 * Bojanići
 * Borovo
 * Bresnik
 * Brezna
 * Brezova
 * Bukovica
 * Bzovik
 * Cerje
 * Čibukovac
 * Čukojevac
 * Cvetke
 * Đakovo
 * Dedevci
 * Dolac (Kraljevo)
 * Dragosinjci
 * Drakčići
 * Dražiniće
 * Drlupa
 * Gledić
 * Godačica
 * Gokčanica
 * Grdica
 * Jarčujak
 * Kamenica
 * Kamenjani
 * Konarevo
 * Kovači
 * Kovanluk
 * Lađevci
 * Lazac
 * Leševo
 * Lopatnica
 * Lozno
 * Maglič
 * Mataruge
 * Mataruška Banja
 * Međurečje
 * Meljanica
 * Metikoš
 * Milakovac
 * Milavčići
 * Miliće
 * Miločaj
 * Mlanča
 * Mrsać
 * Musina Reka
 * Obrva
 * Oplanići
 * Orlja Glava
 * Pečenog
 * Pekčanica
 * Petropolje
 * Plana
 * Polumir
 * Popovići
 * Predole
 * Progorelica
 * Ratina
 * Ravanica
 * Reka
 * Ribnica
 * Roćevići
 * Rudnjak
 * Rudno
 * Samaila
 * Savovo
 * Sibnica
 * Sirča
 * Stanča
 * Stubal
 * Šumarice
 * Tadenje
 * Tavnik
 * Tepeče
 * Tolišnica
 * Trgovište
 * Ušće
 * Vitanovac
 * Vitkovac
 * Vrba
 * Vrdila
 * Vrh
 * Zaklopača
 * Zakuta
 * Zamčanje
 * Zasad
 * Žiča

Of those, Adrani, Centar, Čibukovac, Grdica, Higijenski Zavod, Jarčujak, Konarevo, Mataruge, Mataruška Banja, Metikoš, Ratina, Ribnica, Stara Čaršija, Vitanovac, Vrba, Zaklopača, Zelena gora and Žiča lie within the proper city limits.

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

Tourism
Since 1990 an annual regatta called "Joyful descend" (Veseli spust) is held on the Ibar river. The course is 25 km long, starts at the Maglič fortress and ends in Kraljevo. It is held in the early July and in 2017 it was attended by over 300 boats and 5,000 people. Inaugural regatta in 1990 had 150 participants, but the number grew to 10,000 in 2004–06 and 20,000 in 2008.

Sport
The most popular sports in Kraljevo are basketball, volleyball and football. The volleyball club OK Ribnica is playing in top-tier Volleyball League of Serbia. The basketball club KK Sloga is playing in the second-tier Basketball League of Serbia B, while the association football club FK Kablar Sijaće Polje is playing in regional league of Serbia.

Famous residents
NBA player Vlade Divac started his career in Kraljevo, while playing for Sloga basketball club (his wife is from Kraljevo). He now donates to the club. Another NBA player, Nenad Krstić was born in Kraljevo, and played for "Mašinac" basketball club from Kraljevo. Kraljevo is the birthplace of Euroleague MVP Vasilije Micić. In Kraljevo was born Serbian international footballer Aleksandar Luković. Nebojša Dugalić, actor. Predrag Živković Tozovac, music cantautor, Dragan Kalafatović, young chess prodigy, Miloš Pribičević, Serbias most notourious bookmaker, Stefan Jovanović, rapper from Ribnica, Luka Voštinić, owner of Michelin rival Pro Guma and Danilo Pantović, movie director.

Twin towns – sister cities
Kraljevo is twinned with:

 * 🇲🇰 Gjorče Petrov (Skopje), North Macedonia
 * 🇧🇾 Grodno, Belarus
 * 🇷🇺 Ivanovo, Russia
 * 🇮🇱 Lod, Israel
 * 🇸🇮 Maribor, Slovenia
 * 🇨🇦 Niagara Falls, Canada
 * 🇲🇪 Plužine, Montenegro
 * 🇷🇺 Uvarovo, Russia
 * 🇵🇱 Zielona Góra, Poland
 * North Mitrovica, Serbia

title: Kraljevo


text:
Katherine Paterson

Katherine Womeldorf Paterson (born October 31, 1932) is an American writer best known for children's novels, including Bridge to Terabithia. For four different books published 1975–1980, she won two Newbery Medals and two National Book Awards. She is one of four people to win the two major international awards; for "lasting contribution to children's literature" she won the biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing in 1998 and for her career contribution to "children's and young adult literature in the broadest sense" she won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award from the Swedish Arts Council in 2006, the biggest monetary prize in children's literature. Also for her body of work she was awarded the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature in 2007 and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the American Library Association in 2013. She was the second US National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, serving 2010 and 2011.

Early life
Katherine Womelsdorf was born in Huai'an, China, to Presbyterian missionaries G. (George) Raymond and Mary Womelsdorf. Her father supported her family by preaching and heading Sutton 690, a boys' school. The Womelsdorf family lived in a Chinese neighborhood and immersed themselves in Chinese culture. She attended Shanghai American School where her family briefly lived in the school dormitories. When Katherine was five years old, the family fled China during the Japanese invasion of 1937. Her family returned to the United States at the onset of World War II.

Paterson said during World War II, her parents and four siblings lived in Virginia and North Carolina, and when her family's return to China was indefinitely postponed, they moved to various towns in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, before her parents settled in Winchester, Virginia. The Womelsdorf family moved 15 times over 13 years.

Higher education
Paterson's first language was Chinese, and she initially experienced difficulty reading and writing English. She overcame these challenges and, in 1954, graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English from King College in Bristol, Tennessee. She then spent a year teaching at a rural elementary school in Virginia before going to graduate school. She received a master's degree from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia, where she studied Bible and Christian education. Paterson had hoped to become a missionary in China, but its borders were closed to western citizens. A Japanese friend pushed her to go to Japan instead, where she worked as a missionary and Christian education assistant. While in Japan, Paterson studied both Japanese and Chinese culture, which influenced much of her subsequent writing.

Writing years
Paterson began her professional career in the Presbyterian Church in 1964 by writing curriculum materials for fifth and sixth graders.

In 1966, she wrote the religious education book Who Am I?. While continuing to write, she was unable to get any of her novels published. After being persuaded, Paterson took an adult education course in creative writing during which her first novel was published. Her first children's novel, The Sign of the Chrysanthemum, was published in 1973. It is a work of historical fiction, set in the Japanese medieval period; it is based on Paterson's studies in Japan. Bridge to Terabithia, her most widely read work, was published in 1977. Terabithia was highly controversial due to some of the difficult themes. Bridge to Terabithia is the most popular book she has written.

Some of her other books also feature difficult themes such as the death of a loved one. In her 2007 NSK Prize Lecture at the University of Oklahoma, Paterson said she has spent the last "more than forty years" of her life as a writer, and her books seem "to be filled with heroes of the most unlikely sort."

Recent years
Paterson lives in Barre, Vermont. Her husband John Barstow Paterson, a retired Presbyterian pastor, died in 2013. She has four children and seven grandchildren.

On April 28, 2005, Paterson dedicated a tree in memory of Lisa Hill (her son David's childhood friend who became the inspiration for Bridge to Terabithia) to Takoma Park Elementary School. In 2006, she released Bread and Roses, Too. She was inspired to write this book after seeing a photograph of 35 children taken on the steps of the Old Socialist Labor Hall in Barre captioned, "Children of Lawrence Massachusetts, Bread and Roses Strike come to Barre".

She has written a play version of the story by Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. It was performed at a conference of the Beatrix Potter Society in Fresno, California in April 2009.

In January 2010, Paterson replaced Jon Scieszka as the Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a two-year position created to raise national awareness of the importance of lifelong literacy and education.

In 2011, Paterson gave the Annual Buechner Lecture at The Buechner Institute at her alma mater, King University.

In January 2013, Paterson received the biennial Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the American Library Association, which recognizes a living author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made "a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children". Citing Bridge to Terabithia in particular, the committee noted that "Paterson's unflinching yet redemptive treatment of tragedy and loss helped pave the way for ever more realistic writing for young people."

As of 2022, Katherine Paterson is a vice-president of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, a non-profit organization that advocates for literacy, literature, and libraries.

Writing style
In Paterson's novels, her youthful protagonists face crises by which they learn to triumph through self-sacrifice. Paterson, unlike many other authors of young adult novels, tackles themes often considered to be adult, such as death and jealousy. Although her characters face dire situations, Paterson writes with compassion and empathy. Amidst her writing of misery and strife, Paterson interlaces her writing with wry wit and understated humor. After facing tumultuous events, her characters prevail in triumph and redeem themselves and their ambitions. Paterson's protagonists are usually orphaned or estranged children with only a few friends who must face difficult situations largely on their own. Paterson's plots may reflect her own childhood in which she felt estranged and lonely.

Awards
The Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren Awards are the two major international awards recognizing career contributions to children's literature. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award is the highest honor from US professional librarians for contributions to American children's literature.

Paterson has also won many annual awards for new books, including the National Book Award (The Master Puppeteer, 1977; The Great Gilly Hopkins, 1979); the Edgar Allan Poe Special Award (Master Puppeteer, 1977); the Newbery Medal (Bridge to Terabithia, 1977; Jacob Have I Loved, 1981); the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction (Jip, His Story, 1996). Twenty years after its publication, Of Nightingales That Weep won the 1994 Phoenix Award as the best children's book that did not win a major contemporary award.

Awards for body of work

 * E. B. White Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, 2019
 * Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, 2013
 * NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature 2007
 * Astrid Lindgren Award for Lifetime Achievement 2006
 * Literary Light, Boston Public Library 2000
 * Living Legend, Library of Congress 2000
 * Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Writing 1998
 * Lion of the New York Public Library 1998
 * Who's Who in American Women 1995 to present
 * King College, Outstanding Alumnus 1993-1994
 * Education Press Friend of Education Award 1993
 * Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, Tulsa Public Library 1993
 * New England Book Award 1992
 * US Nominee Hans Christian Andersen Award 1989–90
 * Regina Medal, Catholic Library Association 1988
 * Children's Literature Award, Keene State College 1987
 * Kerlan Award, University of Minnesota 1983
 * The University of Southern Mississippi Medallion 1983
 * Scott O'Dell Award for Children's Literature 1982
 * US Nominee Hans Christian Andersen Award 1979–80
 * Who's Who in America 1978 to present
 * The Union Medal, Union Theological Seminary (New York)

Adaptations
Bridge to Terabithia has been adapted into film twice, the 1985 PBS version and the 2007 Disney/Walden Media co-production version. One of the producers and screenwriters for the later version was Paterson's son David L. Paterson, whose name appears on the dedication page of the novel.

Patterson's 1980 novel, Jacob Have I Loved, was adapted into a 1989 made-for-television film by the Public Broadcasting Service as part of their children's anthology series WonderWorks.

Her short story "Poor Little Innocent Lamb" was adapted into the 2002 television film Miss Lettie and Me.

Another of her novels, The Great Gilly Hopkins, was adapted into a film, written by David L. Paterson, in 2015. Her fantasy-novel release The Flint Heart has been optioned by Bedrock Films.

title: Katherine Paterson


text:
Kruševac

Kruševac (Крушевац, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2022 census, the city administrative area has a population of 113,582 while the urban area has 68,119 inhabitants.

The city was founded in 1371, by Prince Lazar of Serbia (1371–1389), who used it as his seat.

Etymology
The etymology is derived from the Serbian word for "river stone", krušac which was largely used for a building at that time.

History
Kruševac was founded in 1371, as a fortified town in the possession of Lord Lazar Hrebeljanović. The Lazarica Church (or Church of St, Stephen) was built by Lazar between 1375–78, in the Morava architectural style. It is mentioned in one of Lazar's edicts in 1387, as his seat, when he affirmed the rights of Venetian merchants on Serbian territory. In preparation for the Battle of Kosovo (1389) against the Ottoman Empire, the Serbian army assembled in the city. The site of Lazar's palace is marked by a ruined enclosure containing a fragment of the tower of his spouse Princess Milica, and, according to legend, tidings of the defeat were brought to her by crows from the battlefield. After the battle, the city was held by Princess Milica as her seat. The little that remains of Lazar's city is the Kruševac Fortress, which was declared a Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance in 1979. Several old Ottoman houses were left at the beginning of the 20th century, besides an old Turkish fountain and bath, which was known as Alacahisar (Aladža Hisar) during Ottoman rule between 1427–1833 (nominally to 1867) when Kruševac was the seat of the Sanjak of Kruševac. The Ottoman rule was interrupted during Austrian occupations between 1688–1690 and 1717–1739.

A large monument dedicated to Serbs fallen at the Battle of Kosovo was sculpted by Đorđe Jovanović and unveiled by King Petar I Karađorđević of Serbia in 1904. A detail on the monument, among others, is a statue of the famous blind Serbian poet Filip Višnjić.

At the beginning of the German occupation of Yugoslavia the units of Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland commanded by Dragutin Keserović and supported by one detachment of communists attacked the German garrison in September 1941 but failed to liberate the town after four days battle. During World War II mass executions of patriots and antifascists occurred on hill Bagdala. Largest execution was in summer of 1943. At place of executions now is a monument named Slobodište (from the Serbian word "sloboda", which means 'freedom'). Kruševac was liberated on 14 October when chetnik collaborators and Germans left the city together. After the regime of communists in Serbia ended the Government of Serbia and its Ministry of Justice established the commission to research atrocities that were committed by members of the Yugoslav Partisan Movement after they gained control over Serbia in Autumn 1944. According to the report of this commission, out of 55,554 registered victims of communist purges in Serbia the new communist regime in Kruševac killed 493 people while 11 people are missing.

Kruševac progressed profusely during the SFRY. A large number of factories were built in that era, while Kruševac became one of the strongest industrial centres in both Serbia and Yugoslavia. The machine factory IMK 14. oktobar Kruševac employed around 7,000 workers.

However, the large Kruševac industry hasn't survived the post-Milošević transition. In 2002 alone 5 factories went bankrupt. From 2002 to 2014 27 factories closed and around 11,000 workers lost their jobs. The unemployment rate in Kruševac was almost 39% in 2015.

Settlements
Aside from the urban area of Kruševac, the city administrative area includes the following 100 settlements:

 * Bošnjanе
 * Begovo Brdo
 * Bela Voda
 * Belasica
 * Bivolje
 * Bovan
 * Bojince
 * Boljevac
 * Brajkovac
 * Bukovica
 * Buci
 * Velika Kruševica
 * Velika Lomnica
 * Veliki Kupci
 * Veliki Šiljegovac
 * Veliko Golovode
 * Veliko Krušince
 * Vitanovac
 * Vratare
 * Vučak
 * Gavez
 * Gaglovo
 * Gari
 * Globare
 * Globoder
 * Gornji Stepoš
 * Grevci
 * Grkljane
 * Dvorane
 * Dedina
 * Dobromir
 * Doljane
 * Donji Stepoš
 * Đunis
 * Žabare
 * Zdravinje
 * Zebica
 * Zubovac
 * Jablanica
 * Jasika
 * Jošje
 * Kamenare
 * Kaonik
 * Kapidžija
 * Kobilje
 * Komorane
 * Konjuh
 * Koševi
 * Krvavica
 * Kukljin
 * Lazarevac
 * Lazarica
 * Lipovac
 * Lovci
 * Lukavac
 * Ljubava
 * Majdevo
 * Makrešane
 * Mala Vrbnica
 * Mala Reka
 * Mali Kupci
 * Mali Šiljegovac
 * Malo Golovode
 * Malo Krušince
 * Mačkovac
 * Meševo
 * Modrica
 * Mudrakovac
 * Naupare
 * Padež
 * Pakašnica
 * Parunovac
 * Pasjak
 * Pepeljevac
 * Petina
 * Pozlata
 * Poljaci
 * Ribare
 * Ribarska Banja
 * Rlica
 * Rosica
 * Sebečevac
 * Sezemče
 * Slatina
 * Srndalje
 * Srnje
 * Stanci
 * Suvaja
 * Sušica
 * Tekija
 * Trebotin
 * Trmčare
 * Ćelije
 * Cerova
 * Crkvina
 * Čitluk
 * Šavrane
 * Šanac
 * Šašilovac
 * Šogolj
 * Štitare

Demographics
According to the 2022 census results, the city of Kruševac has a total population of 113,582 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups
The ethnic composition of the city administrative area(at least 100 people):

Economy
The most notable large companies based in the city of Kruševac are: Trayal Corporation, 14. oktobar, Rubin and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Serbia. As of September 2017, Kruševac has one of 14 free economic zones established in Serbia.

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

Politics
Seats in the city parliament won in the 2023 local elections:

Sports
The city's main football club is FK Napredak Kruševac, who regularly play in the Serbian SuperLiga.

Famous residents

 * Stefan Lazarević (1377–1427), medieval ruler of Serbia
 * Stojan Protić (1857–1923), Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 1918–1919, 1920
 * Ljubinka Bobić (1897–1978), Serbian actress
 * Stanislav Binički (1872–1942), Serbian composer (Marš na Drinu)
 * Dobrica Ćosić (1921–2014), Serbian writer, first President of FR Yugoslavia
 * Taško Načić (1934–1993), Serbian actor
 * Miodrag Petrović Čkalja (1924–2003), One of the most popular Serbian comedians
 * Bata Paskaljević (1923–2004), Serbian actor
 * Radmila Savićević (1926–2001), Serbian actress
 * Ljiljana Jovanović (1930–2012), Serbian actress
 * America Alonso (1936–2022) Venezuelan actress
 * Miroslav Mišković (b. 1945), Serbian businessman
 * Dragiša Binić (b. 1961), Serbian footballer, 1990–91 European Cup winner
 * Milić Jovanović (b. 1966), Serbian footballer, 1990–91 European Cup winner
 * Ognjen Petrović (1948–2000), Serbian footballer
 * Nebojša Bradić (b. 1956), Serbian theatre director, and former Minister of Culture
 * Goran Grbović (b. 1961), Serbian basketball player, bronze medalist at the EuroBasket 1987
 * Vojin Ćetković (b. 1971), Serbian actor
 * Marko Živić (1972–2021), Serbian actor
 * Bojan Lazić (b. 1974), professional Serbian football player
 * Nataša Tapušković (b. 1975), Serbian actress
 * Branislav Trifunović (b. 1978), Serbian actor
 * Bojan Zajić (b. 1980), Serbian footballer
 * Aleksandar Mitrović (b. 1982), Serbian volleyball player
 * Predrag Pavlović (b. 1986), Serbian footballer
 * Milan Gajić (b. 1986), Serbian footballer
 * Nikola Milošević (b. 1993), Serbian footballer
 * Predrag Jovanović (b. 1950), Serbian musician
 * Dragan Milosavljević (b. 1989), Serbian basketball player, silver medalist at the EuroBasket 2017
 * Milica Todorović (born 1990), Serbian singer
 * Sanja Vučić (born 1993), Serbian singer who represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 and the Eurovision Song Contest 2021
 * Ognjen Jaramaz (b. 1995), Serbian basketball player
 * Tijana Bogdanović (b. 1998), Serbian taekwondo practitioner, European champion and silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics
 * Mimica Pavlović (b. 1984) Serbian footballer

Twin towns – Sister cities
Kruševac is twinned with:

Other forms of co-operation and city friendship similar to the twin/sister city programmes:

title: Kruševac


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Lazarevac

Lazarevac (Лазаревац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. , the town has a total population of 27,635 inhabitants, while the municipal area has a total of 55,146 inhabitants.

Its name stems from the name of medieval Serbian ruler Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović.

History
During the Interbellum, there was an auxiliary military airfield in Lazarevac, part of the air defense of the state capital, Belgrade.

On 7 April 1941, during the German bombing of Belgrade, air force unit "Arad", employing 60 Štuka airplanes bombed the airfield in an effort to destroy as many Yugoslav planes as possible. A majority of planes, used for training flights, were either destroyed or demolished; a total of nine airmen were killed in action. The Memorial Church of St.Demetrius, with ossuary, was also damaged in the attack.

The area of the former airfield is today occupied by the health center "Dr Đorđe Kovačević" and the Special Hospital for the endemic nephropathy, but neither the location nor the graves are marked in memory of the 1941 events. In 1984 one of the town streets was named after the killed airmen, albeit erroneously: instead of "Nine airmen", the street was named "Six airmen". In January 2018, dedication of the memorial plaque on the location of the former airfield was announced.

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

Settlements
Aside from the town of Lazarevac, the municipality comprises the following settlements:

 * Arapovac
 * Barzilovica
 * Baroševac
 * Bistrica
 * Brajkovac
 * Burovo
 * Cvetovac
 * Čibutkovica
 * Dren
 * Dudovica
 * Kruševica
 * Junkovac
 * Leskovac
 * Lukavica
 * Mali Crljeni
 * Medoševac
 * Mirosaljci
 * Petka
 * Prkosava
 * Rudovci
 * Sokolovo
 * Stepojevac
 * Strmovo
 * Stubica
 * Šopić
 * Šušnjar
 * Trbušnica
 * Veliki Crljeni
 * Vrbovno
 * Vreoci
 * Zeoke
 * Županjac

The village of Sakulja was resettled in 1984. It was officially abolished in October 2019 and its territory was annexed to the neighboring Junkovac.

Demographics
The municipality of Lazarevac has a total population of 55,146 inhabitants, according to the 2022 census results.

Ethnic groups
The ethnic composition of the municipality :

Economy
Lazarevac is the home to the Serbian largest coal mining and smelting complex RB Kolubara.

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

Education
The town has 3 elementary schools, OŠ Vojislav Voka Savić, OŠ Dule Karaklajić, and OŠ Knez Lazar, which together have about 3000 students. There are also 2 high schools, Kolubara Technical School and the Lazarevac Gymnasium.

Attractions
One of the main attractions in Lazarevac is the Church of St. Demetrius. It is essentially a mausoleum, a main memorial room, built in the memory of Serbian and Austro-Hungarian army soldiers that were killed at the Battle of Kolubara. 40,000 killed soldiers, both Serbian and Austro-Hungarian, were buried in the memorial ossuary of the church's crypt. It is the largest World War I necropolis in Serbia. "The Committee to raise a memorial church and crypt in Lazarevac" was established in order the build the church. In the 1937 Committee was disbanded and "The Society for raising a memorial church with crypt in Lazarevac" was formed instead, led by a priest Borivoje Đorđević. Finally, the temple was built by the Russian émigré architect Ivan Afanasjevič Rik between 1938 and 1941. In the architectural and urban environment of Lazarevac, the temple stands as a significant achievement of interwar Serbian church architecture.

There is also a Modern gallery in the town, with the rich collection of paintings, graphics and sculptures, the "Kamengrad" ("Stoneville"), a park enriched with the stone sculptures chiseled by Bogosav Živković, and a Cultural Center. Outside of the town there are three wooden churches from the 18th century, a spring of natural mineral water and several archaeological finds. Other touristic features in the vicinity of Lazarevac include the Ćelije monastery and the Vrače hill, where Dimitrije Tucović, Serbian socialist theorist, was killed in November 1914 during the Battle of Kolubara.

In Baroševac on the bank of the Kolubara grow a grove of giant sequoia trees which were brought from California to be studied and planted in Europe. The trees had only reached a height of 30m, and are continuing to be studied as they develop in this manufactured habitat.

There is a game hunting ground "Kolubara" in the municipality.

title: Lazarevac