Kruševac


Kruševac is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, the city administrative area has a population of 128,752, while the urban area has 73,316 inhabitants.
The city was founded in 1371, by Prince Lazar of Serbia, who used it as his seat.

Etymology

The etymology is derived from the Serbian word for "river stone", krušac which was largely used for a building at that time.

History

Kruševac was founded in 1371, as a fortified town in the possession of Lord Lazar Hrebeljanović. The Lazarica Church was built by Lazar between 1375–78, in the Morava architectural style. It is mentioned in one of Lazar's edicts in 1387, as his seat, when he affirmed the rights of Venetian merchants on Serbian territory. In preparation for the Battle of Kosovo against the Ottoman Empire, the Serbian army assembled in the city. The site of Lazar's palace is marked by a ruined enclosure containing a fragment of the tower of his spouse Princess Milica, and, according to legend, tidings of the defeat were brought to her by crows from the battlefield. After the battle, the city was held by Princess Milica as her seat. The little that remains of Lazar's city is the Kruševac Fortress, which was declared a Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance in 1979. Several old Ottoman houses were left at the beginning of the 20th century, besides an old Turkish fountain and bath, which was known as Alacahisar during Ottoman rule between 1427–1833 when Kruševac was the seat of the Sanjak of Kruševac. The Ottoman rule was interrupted during Austrian occupations between 1688–1690 and 1717–1739.
A large monument dedicated to Serbs fallen at the Battle of Kosovo was sculpted by Đorđe Jovanović and unveiled by King Petar I Karađorđević of Serbia in 1904. A detail on the monument, among others, is a statue of the famous blind Serbian poet Filip Višnjić.
At the beginning of the German occupation of Yugoslavia the units of Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland commanded by Dragutin Keserović and supported by one detachment of communists attacked the German garrison in September 1941 but failed to liberate the town after four days battle. During World War II mass executions of patriots and antifascists occurred on hill Bagdala. Largest execution was in summer of 1943. At place of executions now is a monument named Slobodište. Kruševac was liberated on 14 October when chetnik collaborators and Germans left the city together. After the regime of communists in Serbia ended the Government of Serbia and its Ministry of Justice established the commission to research atrocities that were committed by members of the Yugoslav Partisan Movement after they gained control over Serbia in Autumn 1944. According to the report of this commission, out of 55,554 registered victims of communist purges in Serbia the new communist regime in Kruševac killed 493 people while 11 people are missing.
Kruševac progressed profusely during the SFRY. A large number of factories were built in that era, while Kruševac became one of the strongest industrial centres in both Serbia and Yugoslavia. The machine factory IMK 14. oktobar Kruševac employed around 7,000 workers.
However, the large Kruševac industry hasn't survived the NATO bombing and post-Milošević transition. In 2002 alone 5 factories went bankrupt. From 2002 to 2014 27 factories closed and around 11,000 workers lost their jobs. The unemployment rate in Kruševac was almost 39% in 2015.

Settlements

Aside from the urban area of Kruševac, the city administrative area includes the following 100 settlements:
According to the 2011 census results, the city of Kruševac has a total population of 128,752 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the city administrative area:
Ethnic groupPopulation%
Serbs122,52995.17%
Roma2,4611.91%
Montenegrins2820.22%
Macedonians2000.16%
Croats1070.08%
Yugoslavs860.07%
Total128,752

Economy

The most notable large companies based in the city of Kruševac are: Trayal Corporation, 14. oktobar, Rubin and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Serbia. As of September 2017, Kruševac has one of 14 free economic zones established in Serbia.
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity :
ActivityTotal
Agriculture, forestry and fishing369
Mining and quarrying42
Manufacturing8,519
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply514
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities652
Construction2,007
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles5,150
Transportation and storage1,387
Accommodation and food services1,093
Information and communication362
Financial and insurance activities560
Real estate activities210
Professional, scientific and technical activities1,076
Administrative and support service activities572
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security1,784
Education2,221
Human health and social work activities2,877
Arts, entertainment and recreation642
Other service activities567
Individual agricultural workers1,941
Total32,547

Politics

Seats in the city parliament won in the 2016 local elections:
PartySeats
Serbian Progressive Party53
Socialist Party of Serbia8
Democratic Party4
United Serbia4
Independent MP1

Sports

The city's main football club is FK Napredak Kruševac, who regularly play in the Serbian SuperLiga.

Climate

Famous residents

Twin towns – Sister cities

Kruševac is twinned with:

  • Szentendre, Hungary
  • Kiryat Gat, Israel
  • Rimnicu Vilcea, Romania
    • Other forms of co-operation and city friendship similar to the twin/sister city programmes:

    Gallery