Kragujevac : Крагујевац, pronounced is the fourth largest of Serbia and the administrative center of the in central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the. According to the official results of the 2011 census, the city administrative area has a population of 179,417 inhabitants. The city's first grammar school and printworks were both established in 1833, followed by the professional 1835 , Military academy 1837 and the first full-fledged in the newly independent Serbia 1838. Kragujevac was the site of a 1941 , in which 2,778 Serb men and boys were murdered. Contemporary Kragujevac is known for its munitions and automobile industry. As an important university center, the was established on 21 May 1976, from departments of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Economics, which began to work in late 1960s. The University of Kragujevac includes twelve schools, six located in Kragujevac with others located in , , , and. The city has two scientific research institutes: the Institute for Field Crops in Kragujevac and Fruit and Grape Research Institute in Čačak. The old bridge over river Kragujevac has experienced significant historical turbulence, often with severe casualties. Over 200 archaeological sites in Šumadija confirm that the region's first human settlements occurred 40,000 years ago, during the era. The and the first constructions above the ground were built in 5,500-4,800 BC in the surrounding villages of , , , and. Before the arrival of the , the territory of present city was inhabited by the , and. Illyrian tribe of and Celtic tribe of occupied the region, before the area was conquered by the Roman Empire in 9 AD. This territory was captured from by in 1198-99, who consolidated the Serbian state in the twelfth century. In the Middle Ages, the area of modern Kragujevac was part of several states. Kragujevac 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 Ottoman Tapu-Defter of Smederevo in 1476. In 1536 census, Ottoman authorities name that Kragujevac kasaba town in Turkish has 7 Muslim with 56 houses in total, and a Christian community, , with 29 houses. The town itself gained prominence during the Ottoman period 1459—1804 as the central point in the Sanjak of Smederevo. Kragujevac was shortly , when it was conquered by. In 1718—39, the town was again controlled by the and was part of the Habsburg , this time taken by. In 1788, it was part of , an area controlled by the Serb rebels, while in 1789—90 it was again controlled by the Habsburg Monarchy. Early modern period King Peter's Street The city has been devastated many times and has suffered great losses of life in a number of wars throughout history. Kragujevac was liberated from the Ottomans on 5 April 1804, during the. It began to prosper after the factual Serbia's liberation from Turkish rule in 1815, especially when Prince proclaimed it the capital of the new Serbian State on 6 May 1818 during the May Assembly in the. To mark the occasion, he then built the. The first Serbian constitution was proclaimed here on 15 September 1835 and the first idea of independent electoral democracy. The first law on the was passed in Kragujevac in 1870. Kragujevac, the capital, was developing and cherishing modern, progressive, free ideas and resembled many capitals of that time. In 1850 the government established an entire complex of the military factories. First director was Charles Loubry, a French engineer who was especially authorized to take over this duty in 1853 by the Emperor of France,. VTZ is the jumping-off place of the entire Serbian industry in an effort to distance Serbia from the Ottoman heritage and bring it closer to the Western Europe, the most important industrial heritage of Serbia and the unique complex in Southeast Europe. The city purchased 4 ha 9. In March 2014, the entire complex, covering 52. As of 2017, the complex consists of 151 individual objects, of which 31 are protected as the unique heritage: old foundry, machine workshop, chimney, , railway bridge over the Lepenica river,. 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. 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 first was installed in 1858 and in 1868 the first industrial brewery was opened by Nikola Mesarović. The main industry of the 19th and 20th century was military production. The city became one of 's largest exporters in 1886, when the main — railway connected through Kragujevac. In 1878, the National Assembly of Serbia, seated in Kragujevac, accepted the stipulations of the by which Serbia was officially recognized as an independent state. The Šumadija Division of the Serbian army, seated in Kragujevac, was formed in 1883. In 1891, the first regulatory urban plan for the town of Kragujevac was drafted and in the same year, the Higher Girl School was opened. In 1894, the first surgery section within the District Hospital was formed. During , 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. On the night of 2 June 1918, a group of occupying Slovak soldiers from the Austro-Hungarian 71st infantry regiment mutinied in the city center. The soldiers, led by Viktor Kolibik, had recently returned from captivity in Russia and were to be immediately deployed to the Italian Front. The mutiny failed and 44 mutineers were executed. Interbellum period The first cultural event in liberated Kragujevac occurred in 1918, which was the establishment of the Theater Gundulic; it lasted only one season and moved to Belgrade. The Communists won the local elections in 1920, as they did in Belgrade. In 1935, the first bus line Kragujevac-Belgrade was established. Following the model of Academic Theater in Belgrade, the Kragujevac Scholars Academic Theater was founded in 1924. It was a theater that supported contemporary ideas, modern approach to stage, live word and repertoire, thus gaining the reputation of a serious art organization. World War II Main article: Kragujevac underwent a number of ordeals during , the worst probably having been the between 19 and 21 October 1941, in which nearly 2,800 men and boys were killed. The shootings were conducted in retaliation for a joint - attack on German soldiers. Fifty people were to be shot for every German soldier wounded and 100 for every German soldier killed. Among the dead was a class of pupils from the city's First Grammar School. A monument for the executed pupils is a symbol of the city. This atrocity inspired a poem titled Krvava Bajka A Bloody Fairy Tale by. The site of the shootings was turned into a memorial park in 1953, which covers an area of 352 hectares. The city was liberated from Germans on 21 October 1944. Post-war city In the post-war period, Kragujevac developed more industry. Its main exports were passenger cars, trucks and industrial vehicles, hunting arms, industrial chains, leather, and textiles. The biggest industry, and the city's main employer was , which employed tens of thousands people. The first product of the car company, the FIAT 750, was manufactured in 1955 under license to. In the following three decades, more than five million passenger cars FIAT 750, Zastava 1300, Zastava 101, Zastava 128, Zastava Jugo, Jugo Florida, have been manufactured and marketed in 74 countries worldwide. The city industry suffered under during the era, and some parts reduced to rubble by the 1999 bombing campaign. Future In 2010 city signed a memorandum with the German development agency and in 2012 city hall adopted the strategy of urban development of the central city zone to 2030. Both documents were used as the basis for the detailed regulatory plan for the former military complex, VTZ, protected by the state. The project, which will be conducted in the next 20 years, is a realization of the decades-old aspirations of the city to spread over its central section onto the right bank of the Lepenica river. By December 2017, many objects within the complex deteriorated and the right bank of the Lepenica was urbanistically neglected. The authenticity and representative values of the complex must be preserved, but where it is allowed, the industrial and workers quarters will be transformed into the residential and commercial areas, traffic corridors and used for the numerous educational and cultural institutions. This section needs additional citations for. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. March 2017 Kragujevac lies 180 metres 591 feet. The coordinates of Kragujevac are 44°00'40 of northern latitude and 20°54'40 of eastern longitude. It is located in the valley of the river. The city covers an area of 835 square kilometres 322 sq mi , surrounded with slopes of mountains , and. Kragujevac is administrative center of , region characterized by hilly — mountainous land. 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. Its interior was decorated from 1818 to 1822. The new belfry was built in 1907. Many events of great historical importance, such as verifying the Berlin Congress decision about the independence of , took place there. After undergoing reconstruction in 1992, the building was converted into a museum. It is one of the finest examples of regional architecture in Serbia. It now houses an exhibition from the National Museum. Its architecture blends local tradition with European architectural concepts. The building is now the National Museum. It is one of the city's oldest edifices designed in a European style, in the tradition of the oldest Serbian Gimnazija from 1833. Such famous Serbian scientists, artists and politicians as , , and Vojvoda , were educated in this school. The Upper Great Park is the greatest park in Kragujevac. It was established in 1898. It is covered with more than 10 hectares 25 acres of greeenery, and a dense canopy of century-old trees, renovated walkways and benches are the right place for rest, walk and relaxation. In the park and its immediate vicinity there are sports facilities for basketball, football, volleyball, tennis, as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Lower Small Park is located in the city center, within the Milos Wreath complex. At its center there is a monument to the Fallen People of. The Ilina Voda park, a legacy of Svetozar Andrejević, was established in 1900. It covers an area of 7 hectares 17 acres. There is a fountain with a small waterfall, five mini lakes connected by a small stream, and a small zoo with about 100 animals and a garden with various types of trees characteristic of Šumadija. The curiosity in the park is the largest sculpture of Easter eggs 3 metres 10 ft high in and the second in the ; made from recycled metal, set in 2004. Scenic attractions nearby include the , , , and , Karađorđe's castle, the Church of Saint George in 40 kilometres 25 miles away, the Old Kalenić monastery 55 kilometres 34 miles away, the resorts of Rogot 28 km 17 mi and Stragari 34 km 21 mi with the old Blagoveštenje and Voljavča monasteries. It can be reached by five important roadways from: a Belgrade, via Batocina, by State road clas 1b number 15; b the Montenegrin border, via Novi Pazar and Kraljevo, by State road clas 1b number 15; c Belgrade, via Mladenovac and Topola, by State road clas 1b number 16; d Jagodina, via Donja Sabanta, by State road class 2 number 170; e Gornji Milanovac, via Bare, by State road class 2 number 176. Kragujevac is connected by bus lines with almost all cities in the country. The most frequent departures every half-hour are to Belgrade. The central bus station is about a kilometer away from the city center. Kragujevac can also be reached by train, although the city is located outside the main railway lines. The central train Station is located close to the central bus station. Company responsible for in Kragujevac is City Traffic Agency. The integrated public transport is performed by three companies: Lasta, Arriva Litas and Vulovic Transport. There are 25 bus lines operating according to established timetable. There are also 7 and 3 companies operating in Kragujevac. Climate Kragujevac has an : Cfb , and with a July mean temperature of 21. Winds most often blow from southwest and northwest, while they often blow from Southeast in January, February and March. Climate data for Kragujevac 1981—2010, extremes 1961—2010 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C °F 20. Around 70% 126,312 inhabitants is of working age aged 15 to 64. Average number of employees in 2014 was 42,148 47. Majority of persons aged more than 15 154,290 have secondary education 54. Around 93% of total city area is covered with water supply system, 78% with sewage system, 72% with natural gas supply network, and 92% with cell phone networks. Ethnic groups Ethnic group Population 2011 172,052 1,482 645 297 192 175 101 97 Others 4,376 Total 179,417 Kragujevac Cannon Foundry in 1856 Kragujevac has been an important industrial and trading center of Serbia for more than two centuries, known for its automotive and firearms industries. The former state-owned company was purchased by in 2008, and new company was established -. Fiat was joined by partners and control panels , car seats and interiors , Sigit thermoplastic and rubber components and HTL. Weapons manufacturing in Kragujevac began with foundation of Kragujevac in 1853 and has since grown to become Serbia's primary supplier of through the corporation. Today, Zastava Arms exports more than 95% of its products to over forty countries in the world. By the decisions of the , Zastava Arms became a part of the Defense Industry of Serbia in 2003. The most important partners of Zastava Arms are , Army and Police of Serbia, , and International Golden Group. Rapp Marine Group components for ships, oil platforms and machines , , , , , , and established their operations in Kragujevac. The most important local companies include , , dairy products , and production , medical equipment production and distribution , trade of for , , production of bread and pastry , brandy , and. According to National Bank of Serbia, there were 30 commercial banks operating in Serbia as of December 2016, of which has its headquarters in Kragujevac. Direktna banka has had a long tradition of operating in Central Serbia dating back to the second half of the 21st century. It comprises 1,600 square metres 17,222 sq ft of area dedicated to trade and exhibitions and 1,000 square metres 10,764 sq ft of area for other activities administration, Media center, restaurant etc. The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity as of 2016 : Activity Total Agriculture, forestry and fishing 119 Mining 10 Processing industry 13,746 Distribution of power, gas and water 1,031 Distribution of water and water waste management 783 Construction 1,831 Wholesale and retail, repair 7,501 Traffic, storage and communication 2,199 Hotels and restaurants 1,652 Media and telecommunications 1,144 Finance and insurance 1,074 Property stock and charter 143 Professional, scientific, innovative and technical activities 1,802 Administrative and other services 1,755 Administration and social assurance 2,702 Education 4,202 Healthcare and social work 4,959 Art, leisure and recreation 889 Other services 1,016 Total 48,560. There are 22 primary and 8 secondary schools in Kragujevac. There are also 3 special schools: School for hearing impaired children, Music school Dr Miloje Milojevic, and the Vukasin Markovic School for children with disabilities. The was established on 21 May 1976 although the first higher education institutions started with operations in 1960 as departments of the. It is fourth largest university in Serbia and is organized in 12 faculties and two institutes which are spread over six cities Kragujevac, , , , and of the Central Serbia region which covers an area populated by 2,500,000 people. Around 16,000 students is currently enrolled at the university. It has around 1,350 employees out of which 900 is teaching and research staff. The University Library in Kragujevac is of generally scientific character, and its primary users are university teaching staff and students. Its area is 1,500 square metres 16,000 and includes several storage rooms, reading area and University Gallery. The library takes care of around 100,000 copies of books, 2,500 doctoral and master thesis, 450 titles of domestic journals and 105 titles of foreign journals. Culture , 2016 There are many cultural institutions in Kragujevac that have gained regional, and some of them even national significance in the field of arts and culture. 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. Museum is founded in 1953 and exhibits the history of industrial development in Kragujevac and Serbia. It has the collection of 5,800 pieces: weapons and equipment, machines and tools, archive material, photos, paintings, trophies and medals. There are three fine and applied arts associations in Kragujevac: the Art KG, the branch of the Serbian Association of Painters ULUS and the Association of Painters of Kragujevac ULUK. Kragujevac is home to , which is the third largest stadium in by. The largest and most important sports association in Kragujevac is Radnički, which brings together 19 clubs: football, athletics, volleyball, handball, boxing, wrestling etc. Kragujevac is also known for having the oldest Serbian football club. It should be noted that is the oldest club in present-day Serbia. FK Bačka 1901 was founded in Subotica, which at the time was located in , while Kragujevac was in Serbia. Therefore, Šumadija is considered the oldest Serbian football club, while Bačka is the oldest football club in Serbia. Besides the it also competes in the. Volleyball club is one of strongest volleyball teams in Serbia, and water polo club competes in the and has won the domestic league and the in 2013. The city is home to the CROSS OVER Basketball Summer Camp, and Federation of Serbia. The team of Kragujevac plays against the one from. Faculty of Economics of the University in Kragujevac is founder of the club. The club was founded by Professor Veroljub Dugalić, several and a group of Faculty of Economics students on 7 November 2000. The club is playing in the and has won the Serbian championship eight times and twice. Statistical Office of Serbia. Statistical Office of Republic Of Serbia, Belgrade. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Archived from on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Tourist Organization of Kragujevac. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Tourist Organization of Kragujevac. Retrieved 17 December 2016. Tourist Organization of Kragujevac. Retrieved 17 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016. Tourist Organization of Kragujevac. Retrieved 17 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016. Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia. Retrieved 25 February 2017. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Archived from PDF on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2017. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Retrieved 17 December 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Republički zavod za statistiku. Archived from PDF on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2016. National Bank of Serbia. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Archived from on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016. Football Association of Serbia. Retrieved 17 December 2016. Archived from on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2015. Belgrade: Jugoslavija Publishing House. Retrieved 10 December 2008. Mostar Official City Website in Macedonian. Archived from on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2009. Comune di Napoli in Italian. Archived from on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.