Valjevo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ваљево
Valjevo
Location in Serbia


General Information
District	Kolubara
Land area	905 km²
Population (2002 census)	61,035 (town) 96,761 (municipality)
Settlements	78
Coordinates	44°16′N, 19°53′E
Area code	+381 14
Car plates	VA
Time zone	CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2)
Website	http://www.valjevo.org.yu

Politics
Mayor	Jovan Tomić (NS)

Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево) is a city located in Serbia at 44.28° North, 19.89° East. The municipality of Valjevo is situated in Western Serbia and is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities, with a total population of almost 200,000 people. According to the census in 2002, Valjevo had 96,761 inhabitants, of which 61,270 were urban and suburban, and 35,491 were rural. As of 2003, the city had a total population of 61,600.

It occupies an area of 905 square kilometers, and its altitude is 185 meters. Valjevo was formed near the river Kolubara, a tributary of the Sava river. The area of Valjevo has a mild, temperate climate.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Municipality
4 Demographics (2002 census)
5 Politics
6 Features
7 Institutions
8 Town events
9 See also
10 External links

[edit] Geography

Valjevo lies 100 km away from the national capital, Belgrade, and in the close vicinity of one of the most important republic traffic arteries - Ibar highway, which connects the north and the south of Serbia. Arterial highways leading to the Adriatic Sea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the fertile soil of Mačva, and further towards the breadbasket of Vojvodina, also pass through Valjevo, and they connect Valjevo with other important centres of West Serbia – Šabac, Užice, Loznica and Bajina Bašta. Also passing through Valjevo is the Belgrade - Bar railway, which connects the capital of Serbia with Montenegro and the Adriatic Sea.

[edit] History

The oldest traces of human dwelling in this region date from the Palaeolithic period and were found in the nearby Petnica cave. Out of saved written document in which Valjevo was mentioned, the oldest was discovered in the Dubrovnik Archive and it dates back to 1393. Valjevo was formed as a medieval square, at an important crossroads which was visited by famous merchants of Dubrovnik. It was also mentioned in the travel accounts of Eulia Chelebia (1660), Felix Kaniz (1860 and 1888) and Hans Vogel (1913). In the town centre, on the right bank of the Kolubara, there is the old shopping centre (Turkish bazaar) of Tešnjar dating from the 17th cetury, but today's appearance comes from the end of the 19th century. The oldest preserved building is Muselim’s Lodgings from the end of the 18th century, in whose cellar Dukes Aleksa Nenadović and Ilija Birčanin were imprisoned before their execution in February 1804. Тhis event, known in Serbian history as “Beheading of the Dukes” gave impetus to the First Serbian Uprising against the age-long Turkish occupation, so Muselim’s Lodgings today represents the Museum of the First and Second Serbian Uprisings. Dominating from a hill above the town center is Nenadović Tower from 1813, which was then used as a powder magazine, and was rebuilt in 1836 by Prince Miloš Obrenović.

[edit] Municipality

Municipality of Valjevo include following settlements:

Valjevo
Babina Luka
Balinović
Bačevci
Belić
Beloševac
Beomužević
Blizonje
Bobova
Bogatić
Brangović
Brankovina
Brezovice
Bujačić
Veselinovac
Vlaščić
Vragočanica
Vujinovača
Gola Glava
Gorić
Gornja Bukovica
Gornja Grabovica
Gornje Leskovice
Degurić
Divci
Divčibare
Donja Bukovica
Donje Leskovice
Dračić
Dupljaj
Žabari
Zabrdica
Zarube
Zlatarić
Jazovik
Jasenica
Jovanja
Joševa
Kamenica
Klanica
Klinci
Kovačice
Kozličić
Kotešica
Kunice
Lelić
Loznica
Lukavac
Majinović
Mijači
Miličinica
Mrčić
Oglađenovac
Osladić
Paklje
Paune
Petnica
Popučke
Prijezdić
Pričević
Rabas
Ravnje
Rađevo Selo
Rebelj
Rovni
Sandalj
Sedlari
Sitarice
Sovač
Stanina Reka
Stapar
Strmna Gora
Stubo
Suvodanje
Sušica
Taor
Tubravić
Tupanci

[edit] Demographics (2002 census)

Ethnic groups in the Valjevo municipality:

Serbs = 93,064
Roma = 1,314
Montenegrins = 244
Yugoslavs = 224
others

[edit] Politics

Seats in the municipality parliament won in the 2004 local elections: [1]

Democratic Party (9)
New Serbia (9)
Socialist Party of Serbia (6)
Serbian Renewal Movement (6)
Democratic Party of Serbia (6)
Serbian Radical Party (5)
Socialist People's Party (4)
Serbian Strength Movement (3)
Liberals of Serbia (3)

[edit] Features

In the vicinity of Valjevo is the village of Brankovina, the home of famous Serbian family Nenadović, which gave leaders of the First Serbian Uprising, ministers of the first Serbian government, spiritual leaders and travel writers Duke Aleksa, Archpriest Mateja Nenadović, Dukes Jakov Nenadović, Sima and Jevrem, writer Čika Ljuba Nenadović and Queen Persida Karađorđević, mother of King Peter I of Serbia. Brankovina hosted the best known Serbian poetess Desanka Maksimović, who spent her childhood (she was born in the nearby Rabrovica) and completed primary school there. Throughout her life, Desanka remained emotionally attached to Brankovina, and she frequently revisited it and spent her last years there, and was finally buried under a hundred year old oak trees in the Brankovina churchyard, according to her wishes. The sights of Brankovina are encompassed in a cultural and historical complex, which includes the Church of Saint Archangel, Archpriest’s school, Desanka's school, Old Courtroom, Sleeping Outbuilding of the Nenadović family, the graves of the Nenadović family and Desanka Maksimović, as well as old “sobrašica” summer houses in the exquisitely beautiful Brankovina church yard. Valjevo mountain range (Medvednik, Jablanik, Povlen, Maljen, Suvobor) with gently-rolling hills surrounding the town is an oasis of clean air, medicinal herbs, forest fruits and wild game. The environment is kept away from industrialisation, the soil unpolluted, so the food is healthy too, and the conditions for hunting and fishing in the mountain rivers are extraordinary. The air-spa of Divčibare is ideal for rest, rehabilitation and recreation. Divčibare, a plateau in the mountain Maljen, with a picnicking tradition of 100 years, has an average altitude of 1000 m. It is 28 km away from Valjevo and 110 km from Belgrade. The epithet “air-spa” refers to the beneficial effect of Divčibare to the respiratory organs resulting from the meeting of maritime, Carpathian and Panonian climates. This picnic area is featured by private accommodation. Mountain lodges in other Valjevo mountains can accommodate mountain fans.

Vrujci Spa has mud-baths for rheumatic diseases, as well as a hotel and sport complex with swimming pools.

A View of the City from the South

The canyon of the river Gradac, (also a name of a suburb in Valjevo) whose course, with almost untouched nature, ends in the town centre, is a favourite picnic area of Valjevo citizens during hot summer days. The Gradac is one of the cleanest European rivers, which is evidenced by the presence of otters, which exclusively inhabit clean waters. It abounds in brook trout, so it is a haven for fly angling fans. Old water mills are one of the symbols of this natural reserve of 13 square kilometres, which has been entrusted by the Valjevo Municipal Assembly to the Gradac Ecological Society. It might become a national park in the near future.

In Petnica, 5 km away from Valjevo, there are Petnica Science Center for young researchers, outdoor swimming pools with minor sports facilities, as well as lake Pocibrava, a meeting place for swimmers and fishermen.

[edit] Institutions

The most important cultural institutions are the National Museum, under whose auspices is the Museum of the First and Second Serbian Uprising and displays in Brankovina, the Institute for Protectionof Cultural Monuments, Historical Archive, Town Library with scientific, home and children’s departments, Cultural Centre with well-equipped stage and auditorium with 630 seats, the Youth Centre with "Gallery 34" for exhibitions and forums and Serbian Language and Culture Workshop, the famoust school of Serbian for foreigners. Valjevo has two elite galleries: Modern Gallery with a permanent display of works of Academician Ljuba Popović (1953-63 period), collection of works presented by the exhibitors so far, and a concept of representing fantastic painting after the model of the famous "Mediala", and the International Art Studio "Radovan Mića Trnavac", which stages exhibbitions of foreign painters of different styles. The Cultural and Artistic Society "Abrašević" has a renowned choir, folk, music and drama ensembles. Besides "Abrašević", the theatrical performances are given by the private theatre "Mala scena" and the Drama Studio of Valjevo Grammar School. The most famous cultural events are Tešnjar Evenings and YU Jazz Fest, accompanied by summer literary talks in the Library Yard and Desanka’s May Talks, along with granting the annual poetry award by the Desanka Maksimović Foundation in Brankovina.