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Kragujevac city
.. Create Your OwnAbout Kragujevac
Kragujevac is a city in Serbia, the largest city of the Shumadija region and the administrative centre of Shumadija District. It is the fourth largest city in the country.
It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River. Kragujevac is known for its weapons, munitions and Zastava car factory, which produces the Yugo, Florida, Zastava 10 (Punto, by Fiat licence) and Skala automobiles.The name of the town derived from Serbian word "kraguj", which is a name used for one sort of the bird (hunting hawk), thus the name means "the place of the kragujs". In Turkish, the town is known as Alacahisar.History of KragujevacKragujevac was first mentioned in the medieval period 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 archaeological sites in ,,umadija 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 Serbia's capital city, Belgrade.Kragujevac experienced a lot of historical turbulence, not always without severe casualties. 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);The city is located at crossroads. Given this location, the city has been devastated many times and has suffered great losses of life in a number of wars throughout history. It began to prosper after Serbia's liberation from Turkish rule in 1818, when Prince Milosh Obrenovic proclaimed it the capital of the new Serbian State. The first Serbian constitution was proclaimed here in 1835 and the first idea of 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 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 – Nish railway connected through Kragujevac.New centuries brought new wars. During World War I, Kragujevac again became the capital of Serbia (1914-1915), and 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.The city was founded in the year 1476. The first university in the newly independent Serbia (apart from the Great Academy in Belgrade) was founded in Kragujevac in 1838, as well as the first grammar school (Gimnazija), Printworks (both in 1833), National theatre (1835) and the Military academy (1837). The University of Kragujevac (established 1976) is also located there. During the period between 1818 and 1839, Kragujevac served as the capital of the Principality of Serbia, during the reign of the Serbian prince Milosh Obrenovic.Shumarice memorial park
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Architecture of Kragujevac city
The architecture of Kragujevac displays a fusion of two 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.Some important buildings and institutions in Kragujevac include:* The old church of Descent of the Holy Spirit was built in 1818, as a part of Prince Milo,,' 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, took place there. After undergoing reconstruction in 1992, the building was converted into a museum.
* The Amid,,a Konak was built by Prince Milosh 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 Vujic" theater (founded in 1835), National Library "Vuk Karadzic" (1866), Cultural and Artistic Group "Abrasevic" (1904).
* The "Kragujevac October" Memorial Park, located in Shumarice, commemorates the tragic events of October 21, 1941.
* The National Museum has various displays including those pertaining to archeology, ethnic diversity, the history of Kragujevac and Shumadija 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 1,000 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 Shumadija collects and files the archives and issues of the seven municipalities of Shumadija and has at its disposal 700 meters of archive issues with 780 registries and hundreds of thousands of original historical documents.
Photo by Johnny_kG