Kragujevac

Kragujevac (Serbian Cyrillic: Крагујевац) is a city located in Serbia, and is the informal capital city of the Šumadija region. It is the 4th largest city in the country after Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš. It is situated on the banks of Lepenica River. The city was founded in the year 1476. Kragujevac is known for its weapons, munitions and car factory, Zastava, which produces the Yugo, Florida, Zastava 10 (Punto, by Fiat licence) and Skala automobiles. The University of Kragujevac (f. 1976) is also located there. The first University in the newly independent Serbia was founded in this city in 1838, as well as the first Grammar School (Gimnazija), Printworks (both in 1833), Theatre (1834) and Military school (1837). During the period of 1818- 1839, Kragujevac was the capital of a Domain of Serbia, during the reign of the Serbian prince Miloš Obrenović.

History

The history of the city is enriched by the events which changed the course of the history - the economy and culture of this part of the world and the Balkans. Kragujevac was first mentioned in the Medieval time as related to the public square built in a settlement, while the first written mention of the city was in the Turkish Tapu-Defter in 1476. Over 200 archeological sites in Šumadija confirm that the region's first human settlements occurred 40,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic era. Kragujevac's history runs deeper than that of the capital city, Belgrade.

Kragujevac experienced a lot of historical turbulence, not always without severe casulties. First mentioned in Turkish documents from the 15th century as a "village of Kragujevdza" (the name is derived from the bird griffin - "kraguj" in Serbian); Kragujevac underwent a number of ordeals; the worst was probably the October massacre of many males and a number of schoolchildren during World War II, when the Nazis shot and killed between 2,300 and 7000 people on October 21, 1941, in retaliation for a chetnik attack on German soldiers - 50 people for one wounded, 100 for a dead soldier. Among the killed was a whole generation of boys taken directly from the school. The monument for the executed pupils is a symbol of the city. This atrocity has inspired a poem Krvava bajka (Bloody fairy tale) by Desanka Maksimović, a well known female poet from the former Yugoslavia.

The city is located at crossroads. Given this location, the city has been devastated many times and has suffered great loss of life in a number of wars throughout history. It began to prosper after Serbia's liberation from Turkish rule in 1818, when Prince Milos Obrenovic proclaimed it the capital of the new Serbian State. The first Serbian Constitution was proclaimed here in 1835 and the first idea of the independent electoral democracy. The first Law on the printing press was passed in Kragujevac in 1870. Kragujevac, the capital, was developing and cherishing modern, progressive, free ideas and resembled many European capitals of that time.

Apart from the contemporary political influence, Kragujevac became the cultural and educational center of Serbia. Important institutions built during that time include Serbia's first secondary school (Gimnazija), first pharmacy, and first printing press. Kragujevac gave rise to many international scholars, professors, academics, scientists, artists and statesmen.

The turning point in the overall development of Kragujevac was in 1851 when the Cannon Foundry began production, beginning a new era in the city’s economic development. The main industry of the 19th and 20th century was military production. Kragujevac became one of Serbia’s largest exporters in 1886, when the main Belgrade – Niš railway connected through Kragujevac.

New centuries brought new wars. During World War I, Kragujevac again became the seat of many state institutions - even the Supreme Army Command was housed within the Court House building. During the war Kragujevac lost 15% of its population.

During World War II Kragujevac suffered great losses. October 21, 1941 was the most tragic day in the history of Kragujevac. On that day fascists committed one of the biggest mass crimes when they shot between 2,300 and 7,000 Kragujevac citizens. (see Kragujevac October)

In the post-war period, Kragujevac developed more industry. Main products of export were passenger cars, trucks and industrial vehicles, hunting arms, industrial chains, leather, and textiles. The biggest industry, and the city's main employer was Zastava, which employed tens of thousands. The industry suffered under economic sanctions during the Milosevic era, and was all but destroyed by the NATO bombing campaign in 1999. Despite a possible deal with the Italian auto manufacturer, Fiat, to reopen the factory, the city currently suffers from widespread unemployment.

Since 1976, Kragujevac has grown as a university center. The University of Kragujevac includes Faculties of Medicine, Engineering, Law, Economics, Philology, Arts, Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Notable Buildings and Monuments

The architecture of Kragujevac is rather interesting, displaying the fusion of two diametrically different styles -- traditional Turkish (nowadays almost completely gone) and 19th century Vienna Secession style. Modern conceptions also appear throughout the city, firstly in the shape of post war concrete: usually apartments designed to house those left homeless during World War II, and secondly the up-to-date glass offices reflecting the ambitious business aspects of modern architects.

The old church of Descent of the Holy Spirit was built in 1818, as a part of the Prince Milos' court. Its interior was decorated from 1818 to 1822. The new belfry was built in 1907.

The Old Parliament was built in the court of the church where the first parliamentary meeting was held in 1859. Many events of great historical importance, such as verifying the Berlin Congress Decision about the Independence of Serbia, have taken place there. After undergoing reconstruction in 1992, the building was converted into a museum.

The Amidža Konak was built by Prince Milos in 1820 as a residential house. It is one of the finest examples of regional architecture in Serbia. It now houses an exhibition from the National Museum.

The Prince Mihailo Konak was built in 1860. Its architecture blends local tradition with European architectural concepts. The building is now the National Museum.

The High School (Gimnazija) was built between 1885 and 1887 according to designs from the Ministry of Civil Engineering. It is one of the city's oldest edifices designed in a European style, in the tradition of the oldest Serbian Gimnazija from 1833. Some famous Serbian scientists, artists and politicians were educated in this school.

These institutions continue to promote cultural activities in modern-day Kragujevac: "Joakim Vujić" theater (founded in 1835), National Library "Vuk Karadžić" (1866), Cultural and Artistic Group "Abrasević" (1904).

The "Kragujevac October" Memorial Park, located in Šumarice, commemorates the tragic events of October 21, 1941.

The National Museum has various displays including those pertaining to archeology, ethnic diversity, history of Kragujevac and Sumadija and many paintings. The archeology department has a rich collection of 10,000 display items and over 100,000 study items. The painting department has over 1000 pieces of prominent Serbian art of extraordinary value.

The "Zastava Museum" is located within the old gun foundry and exhibits the history of industrial development in Kragujevac and Serbia.

The Historical Archives of Šumadija collects and files the archives and issues of the seven municipalities of Šumadija and has at its disposal 700 meters of archive issues with 780 registries and hundreds of thousands of original historical documents.

Tourists may also be interested in the range of scenic attractions nearby, including the Aranđelovac, Vrnjacka, and Mataruska spas, Karadjordje's castle, the Church of Saint George in Topola 40 km away, the Old Kalenić monastery 55 km away, the resorts of Rogot (28 km) and Stragari (34 km) with old monasteries of Blagovestenje and Voljavca.

Famous residents

Sister cities

Suresnes, France (1967)
Piteşti, Romania (1971)
Ohrid, FYR Macedonia (2002)
Bydgoszcz, Poland (1971)
Bielsko-Biała, Poland (2002)
Springfield, Ohio, USA (2002)
Reggio Emilia, Italy (2004)
Karlovac, Croatia
Mogilev, Belarus (2006)

Other forms of cooperation and city friendship similar to the twin/sister city programmes:

Municipalities

City of Kragujevac is divided into municipalities of:

Cities, towns and villages in Serbia | Kragujevac | Šumadija

History

Notable Buildings and Monuments

Famous residents

Sister cities

Municipalities

See also

External links

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Kragujevac

History

Notable Buildings and Monuments

Famous residents

Sister cities

Municipalities

See also

External links