Kragujevac

Kragujevac , in Serb Cyrillic Sr Крагујевац, is a city Serbia located in the district of Šumadija. Kragujevac is the administrative center of the district. In 2002, the city itself counted: 147373 inhabitants and the Town of Kragujevac , with the five municipalities which compose it: 175802.

Kragujevac is, by the size, the fourth town of Serbia after Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš. It is located on banks of the Lepenica.

The city was founded in 1476. Between 1818 and 1839, under the reign of the prince Miloš Obrenović, Kragujevac was the capital of the Principauté of Serbia. The first college of the country opened its doors in there 1833, as well as the first printing works of the country. The city was equipped with a National theater in 1835, then of a Military academy in 1837. After the High school of Belgrade, a university was created there in 1838 and current the Université of Kragujevac was instituted there in 1976.

Kragujevac is also known for its arms factories and the automotive factory of engineering Zastava, which produces the Yugo , the Florida , the Zastava 10 (Punto under license FIAT) as well as the Skala .

History

Origins

More than two hundred archeological sites located in the area of Šumadija attest of a human presence as of the Paléolithique. On the other hand, the first mention of the city goes up with Turkish files (the Tapu-Defter ) gone back to 1476. Its name derives from the word kraguj , which indicates a common species of sparrowhawk in the area.

The 19th century

Its prosperity goes up the shortly of the first and the Second Serb revolt against the Turks: the city was released from the Othoman domination in 1818 and the prince Miloš Obrenović then made of it the capital da Principauté of Serbia. Kragujevac remained the capital of the country until 1839 (date on which it was supplanted by the town of Belgrade). The first Serb constitution was proclaimed there in 1835. As a capital, the city experienced an important development. By the will of the prince, it was equipped with a National theater (1835), a Military academy (1837) and with a University. Center intellectual famous, Kragujevac was attended by many scientists and many artists.

Starting from 1851, the city made important great strides with the installation of a foundry of guns. In fact, with and 20th centuries, the first industry of Kragujevac was that of the armament, still favoured when the railway line Belgrade - Niš was inaugurated in 1886.

During the First World War, in 1914 and 1915, Kragujevac became again a time the capital of the Kingdom of Serbia; it then lodged many institutions of the country, and in particular the high command of the army.

The Second world war

April 6th, 1941, Belgrade had been bombarded by the Nazis and on April 17th, 1941, the Royaume of Yugoslavia had had to capitulate. As of May, Draža Mihailović, a faithful partisan of monarchy, coordinated the action of resistant the Tchetniks against the Nazis and Josip Broz Tito, to the head of the in favor Communists, entered in resistance as from July. The September 16th, Hitler signed the order to pacify Balkans “by the most energetic means”. September 16th at December 2nd, 1941, some Franz Böhme exerted the military function of governor in Serbia, with like mission of applying the order in Serbia. The rule was to carry out 100 Serbes or Juifs for all German killed. October 19th, 1941, in reprisals in died German soldiers, Böhme ordered the Massacre of Kragujevac; the following October 21st and days, approximately: 5000 civilians were carried out, making of Kragujevac a martyrdom city as well as Oradour-on-Glane or Lidice. Among deaths, one counts a great number of young people, stopped in their school or their college. Still today, the monument in the honor of the pupils killed at the time of this massacre is regarded as a symbol of Kragujevac. This atrocity inspired with the poetess Desanka Maksimović its poem intutilé Sr Krvava bajka , the “fairy tale strapping”.

After the Second world war

After the gerre, Kragujevac experienced an important industrial development. The city exported cars, trucks and all kinds of vehicles intended for industry. Among his other activities, one can quote the hunting weapons, the industry of leather and the textile. More the large company of the city was the factory Zastava, large supplier for local employment.

On the other hand, at the time of Slobodan Milošević, the industry of Kragujevac undergoes an important crisis, because of the economic sanctions taken by the international community against Serbia. The industrial center Zastava (Automobile, armament) was destroyed by the bombardments of NATO in 1999. In 2004, it was completely rebuilt; it exports weapons considered for the quality of their steel. Kragujevac is also the city of the car manufacturers: one currently manufactures the Yugo 10 there , a vehicle equipped with an engine Peugeot-Citroen.

Since 1976, Kragujevac also became an important university center. The Université of Kragujevac includes Faculties of Médecine, mechanical Engineering, Droit, Économie, Philologie, as well as a Faculty of the Art schools and Faculties of Natural science and Mathématiques.

Administrative organization

Municipalities forming the Town of Kragujevac

The town of Kragujevac is divided into five municipalities:

Localities in the municipalities of Kragujevac

Aerodrom

Pivara

Stanovo

Stari Grad

Stari Grad, expression Serb which means “the old city” includes/understands the old center of Kragujevac.

Stragari

Stragari is the only municipality of the Town of Kragujevac which does not include part of the city itself.

Demography

City

Historical evolution of the population in the city

In 2007, the population of Kragujevac was estimated at: 151070 inhabitants.

Pattern of the settlement in the city

  • Serb: : 139990 (95,63%)
  • Roms: : 1102 (0,75%)
  • Montenegrins: : 1038 (0,70%)
  • Yugoslav: 382 (0,26%)
  • Macedonians: 311 (0,21%)
  • Croatian: 194 (0,13%)
  • Moslem (nationality): 149 (0,10%)
  • Gorans: 99 (0,06%)
  • Slovenien: 59 (0,04%)
  • Hungarian: 44 (0,03%)
  • Bulgarian: 44 (0,03%)
  • Albanian: 30 (0,02%)
  • Ukrainian: 22 (0,01%)
  • Bosnian: 19 (0,01%)
  • Rumanian: 17 (0,01%)
  • Russian: 15 (0,01%)
  • Slovak: 13 (0,00%)
  • Czech: 6 (0,00%)
  • German: 6 (0,00%)
  • Wallachian: 6 (0,00%)
  • Ruthènes: 5 (0,00%)
  • Bunjevci: 3 (0,00%)
  • Others.

Policy

Distribution of the seats to the municipal Parliament (elections of 2004):

Structure

Kragujevac offers an extremely varied architecture. If the architecture of the Turkish period has today complèmenent disappeared, certain buildings testify to a fusion between this architecture and the tendencies more occidentalizing. Thus the Residence Amidža, built by the prince Miloš Obrevovic in 1820, is attached to the Balkan Style. The church of the Descente of the Holy Spirit was also contruite on the orders of the prince in 1818; the interior of the building was decorated between 1818 and 1822. The new bell-tower of the church was built in 1859.

The Old Parliament was built in the court of the church. The first meeting of the Parliament of Serbia took place in there 1859. It is also at this place that place had, in 1878, the ratification of the Traité of Berlin which granted to Serbia a total independence with respect to the Ottoman Empire. The building, renovated in 1992, was transformed into museum.

The residence of the prince Michel was built in 1860. Once again, its architecture illustrates the mixture of the local trditions and the European architectural tradition. The building shelters the National museum today.

In parallel, the College of Kragujevac was built between 1885 and 1887, according to plans conceived by the Ministry for civil engineering. It is one of the oldest buildings of Kragujevéc built in a European syle, in the line of the oldest College of the country, built in 1833. Many Serb, today famous, erudite, artists politicians, followed the courses of the establishment.

Culture

Among the cultural institutions most important of the city, one can quote:
  • the National theater Joakim Vujić, founded in 1835;
  • the National library Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, founded in 1866;
  • the religious organization Abrasević (1904);
  • the Park memorial of Šumarice, which commemorates the events of October 21st, 1941;
  • the National museum; in addition to archaeological and folk collections, it presents more: 1000 Serb works of art;
  • the Museum Zastava: located in the old foundry intended for the manufacture of the weapons, it presents collections emphasizing the history of the industrial development of Kragujevac and Serbia;
  • the historical Archives of Šumadija present documents coming from the seven municipalities of the district.

Media

Radio

  • Cheer radio operator (103.9)
  • (a) radio (97.9)
  • (a) radio
    • Radio
  • 9 (95.9)
  • Radio operator Hit
  • Radio operator Boom
    • Radio
  • IN
    • Radio
  • 34 radio (91.6)

Television

  • RTKG * Channel 9 (Serbia) * RTV IN
  • TV Lider
  • NeoMax

Newspapers

  • Svetlost

Celebrities

Twinnings

Other bringings together:

Notes and references of the article

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