ÃÂaÃÂak (, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 69,598 while the city administrative area has 105,612 inhabitants.
The city lies about 144 km south of the Serbian capital, Belgrade. It is also located near the OvÃÂar-Kablar Gorge ("Serbian Mount Athos"), with over 30 monasteries built in the gorge since the 14th century.
Located for the most part in western Morava Valley, the city of ÃÂaÃÂak forms a link between the undulating hills of à  umadija in the north and the hilly and mountainous areas of the inner Dinaric Alps in the south. The central part of the city is the ÃÂaÃÂak basin, located between the mountains of Jelica in the south, OvÃÂar and Kablar in the west and Vujan in the north, while in the east it is open to the Kraljevo basin. These mountains gently and undulatingly descend towards the ÃÂaÃÂak basin, the town of ÃÂaÃÂak and the West Morava river.
The city administrative area covers and contains:
ÃÂaÃÂak has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfb). The average temperature of the city and its vicinity is with 74.1% humidity, and it is characterized by warm summers and cold winters. Winds blow from the north and northeast and rarely from the west because of the mountains that block them. The average temperature in August is , while in January it is . There are on average 38 days with snow during the year. The average wind speed is . The usual number of foggy days is 54. The average yearly precipitation is .
There are a few recorded instances of sandstorms originating in the Sahara arriving to the town.
The original name of the town was Gradac (meaning "little town"), which developed around the Moravski Gradac monastery, built in the late 12th century. First mention of the name ÃÂaÃÂak was in a document issued by the Republic of Ragusa. Dated on 3 January 1409, it refers to the events from 18 December 1408, and this date is today the official ÃÂaÃÂak Town Day.
The origin of the name is obscured today. However, several dictionaries from the 19th and even from the 20th century, including works of major linguists Vuk StefanoviàKaradà ¾iàand ÃÂuro DaniÃÂiÃÂ, mention words ÃÂaÃÂak and the corresponding adjective ÃÂaÃÂkovit, meaning (lumps of) frozen or dried mud, or lumps of stone protruding from the ground. The widening along the West Morava where ÃÂaÃÂak is located, was indeed regularly flooded until the 20th century. DaniÃÂiàsuggested that the origin of the word is the root skak (skakati means jumping in Serbian). The word and its variants completely disappeared from Serbian language today, but some other toponymy of the same origin were preserved, like in the name of the mountain.
In time, erroneous but widespread theory developed, claiming that the name indeed means "mud", but that it is of Turkish origin. At the time of the name's first mention this region wasn't occupied by the Ottoman Empire yet, mud is called differently in Turkish language, nor there is a Turkish word corresponding vocally to ÃÂaÃÂak.
The region has several archaeological sites, dating from prehistory to the present, the oldest from the 15th century BC.
Princely tombs of an Illyrian type (Glasinac culture) were found in two mounds of Atenica with Ionian glass, glass-paste, an amber bead depicting a swan, and an Attic plaque of a wild boar, all dating to the late 6th century BC. More ornithomorphic fibulae of bronze swans were found in Mojsinje.
Prehistoric tumuli have been unearthed in MrÃÂajevci. The Triballi and Scordisci tribes lived in this area by the time of Roman conquest.
The town was inhabited in Roman times, with traces of the Roman settlement still visible today, like Roman Thermae built in the 2nd to 4th century period. These still stand behind a secondary school in the center of ÃÂaÃÂak.
Nearby, in the village of Gradina at the foot of the Jelica mountain, a Roman compound (fort) with a martyrium and necropolis has been excavated, with three churches, one of which produced a pentanummion for the late Roman Emperor Justinian in the 526âÂÂ537 period. Justinian is also believed to have founded the fort in the 530s. The presence of burnt layers on the sight could be evidence that the settlement was destroyed in the conflict that characterized the region following the barbarian invasions of the late Roman Empire. In the same region, in the 6th century, four other forts were built.
Slavs settled the area during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610âÂÂ641). From 1168 to 1189, after incorporation into the First Bulgarian Empire and then various Serbian states, Stefan Nemanja's brother Stracimir Zavidoviàcontrolled the West Morava region, including the city, then known as Gradac. Stracimir, a Serbian à ¾upan, raised the Church of Our Lady of Moravian Gradac at the highest point of the town.
In 1459, the Turks completed their conquest of the area, incorporating it into the Sanjak of Smederevo and converting Stracimir's church into a mosque. The town's name was changed from Gradac to the current ÃÂaÃÂak.
Evliya ÃÂelebi, an Ottoman explorer of the 16th and 17th centuries, described ÃÂaÃÂak as the main place in the local kadiluk. In 1717, ÃÂaÃÂak became a part of the Habsburg Empire after the Austrians defeated Ottomans, signing the Treaty of Passarowitz. Austrian rule was short-lived, and 21 years later ÃÂaÃÂak would again become a part of the Ottoman Empire. Most of ÃÂaÃÂak's Serb residents at the time of reconquest had deserted the town, migrating north safety in the Habsburg Empire. In their stead were settlers from Montenegro, Bosnia and Hercegovina and Vlachs from the countryside nearby.
ÃÂaÃÂak has two years on its coat of arms. The first is 1408, in which Ragusan archives first name the town. The second is 1815, the year the Second Serbian Uprising began and the year the Battle of Ljubiàwas fought in the hills near ÃÂaÃÂak. This battle is famous for one of the greatest Serbian rebel victories. Then a small group, the rebels defeated a much stronger Ottoman army numbering 5,000âÂÂ12,000 men. Soon after, the Principality of Serbia, one of the first nations liberated from Ottoman rule, secured its independence.
In 1837, one of the first Serbian grammar schools was completed. In the 1837âÂÂ1941 period ÃÂaÃÂak gradually modernized, with its town center modeled in a Vienna Secession style popular at the time and standing to this day. During World War II, ÃÂaÃÂak was part of the short-lived Republic of Uà ¾ice, which, while the first liberated territory in Europe, was cut off by German forces shortly after it was founded. On 4 December 1944 ÃÂaÃÂak was finally liberated by the Yugoslav Partisans. It has since evolved into a large town and a regional center, later being given the official status of a city within today's Republic of Serbia.
Aside from the urban area of the city, the administrative area includes the following 58 settlements:
As of 2011 census, the city's administrative area or municipality has 115,337 inhabitants, with 73,331 living in ÃÂaÃÂak proper. As of 2022 census, the city proper has a population of 69,598, while the administrative area has 106,453.
The city of ÃÂaÃÂak has 38,590 households with 2.99 members on average. The number of homes is 51,482.
The city's religious structure is predominantly Serbian Orthodox (110,281), with minorities including atheists (577), Catholics (168), Muslims (73), Protestants (21) and others. Virtually the entire population speaks the Serbian language (112,505).
The composition of population by gender and average age:
A total of 53,543 citizens older than 15 have a secondary education (54.01%), while 14,823 citizens have some sort of tertiary education (14.95%). Of those with a tertiary education, 9,386 (9.47%) have university education.
The city is mostly inhabited by Serbs (95.3%), followed by minorities of Roma, Montenegrins and other ethnic groups.
Being located on a crossroads between the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary during the 19th century, ÃÂaÃÂak was home even to people of ethnicities that were not common in ÃÂaÃÂak's region. One such example was a small Armenian community which began to settle from 1885, fleeing the forcible draft into the Ottoman army and the general oppression against the Armenians in the empire. Most members of this community worked in the coffee business. By the 1950s most of them had emigrated as the new Communist authorities, in the massive process of nationalization after World War II, confiscated Armenian businesses.
The ethnic composition of the city is given in the following table (as of 2011 census):
This city traversed a long and thorny road from an anonymous settlement to a modern city in the 21st century. The very face of the city, as seen in the facades, monuments, and cultural establishments, is the reflection of the artistic spirit of its inhabitants.
During the theatrical season there are numerous theatrical ensembles on tour from all of Serbia at cultural centre Dom kulture ÃÂaÃÂak. Centre is home to "Drama Studio" and schools of ballet, fine art and sculpture. The exhibitions and performances, cultural and literary evenings are held at numerous places such as: "City Library ÃÂaÃÂak", "Nadeà ¾da PetroviÃÂ" and "Risim" galleries, "National Museum" in ÃÂaÃÂak, "Salon of Photography" and "Intermunicipal Historical Archive of ÃÂaÃÂak" among many others. The current artwork production in the city can be followed through the auspices of groups and associations, private galleries, colonies and numerous enthusiasts.
Fine art and sculpture colonies are most often held at the OvÃÂar Banja spa resort. There are numerous cultural, musical, entertainment and tourist manifestations within the city and close surroundings, which attract multitudes of followers of ethno-culture, original folk music, like the "Dis spring", Memorial to Nadeà ¾da Petroviàand the "Flute festival" in the nearby village of Prislonica. Also, newly established festivals "DUK Festival" and rock festival "PriÃÂa" attract younger population from the city and its region. ÃÂaÃÂak is also home to events such as "Pitijada", "Kupusijada", "Fijakerijada" and other festivals that celebrate old traditions belonging to Serbs.
In GuÃÂa, south from ÃÂaÃÂak, every year the GuÃÂa trumpet festival is held, one of the most popular festivals in the Balkans, alongside the Exit festival (in Novi Sad).
There are two faculties located in ÃÂaÃÂak, which are a part of the University of Kragujevac:
There are seven secondary schools:
There are many primary schools and childcare centers.
The "Mladost Sports Center" which is located on the coast of West Morava River, next to the ÃÂaÃÂak Stadium, two faculties and numerous other important buildings, offers many sports venues for locals. The whole area where the Sports Center is located is the town's most important entertainment area.
ÃÂaÃÂak is nationally famous for its clubs in various team sports; the most popular ones are basketball, football and handball. The basketball club Borac ÃÂaÃÂak and football club Borac ÃÂaÃÂak have been participating in the top-tier leagues of Serbia for many consecutive years with much success. Women's handball is also very successful and popular. Football clubs Sloboda and Remont have competed in Serbia's third tier.
In the vicinity of ÃÂaÃÂak there are more than 20 churches and monasteries, the largest number found on such a small area in Serbia. They represent cultural and historic monuments of great significance. The most important ones are the Church of the Ascension of Jesus, a church on LjubiÃÂ hill dedicated to Saint Tsar Lazar, as well as the Vujan Monastery located on a nearby mountain of the same name. Special value is attributed to the monasteries of the OvÃÂar-Kablar Gorge, which as a cultural and historic whole date back to the Middle Ages and represent the particularity of the region's cultural and artistic heritage created over the centuries. There are 12 monasteries and churches in the gorge:
Thermal and mineral springs with medicinal properties provide the basis for the development of recreational tourism. There are three spa resorts within the territory of the city of ÃÂaÃÂak: Gornja TrepÃÂa, OvÃÂar Banja and Slatinska Banja. There are also picnic sites: Gradina and the "Battle and victory" park (also called "Spomen" (remembrance) park) on the Jelica mountain, the Memorial complex on Ljubiàhill, Grujine fields, rafts on West Morava river in Beljina, Parmenac, MeÃÂuvrà ¡je and OvÃÂar Banja, and picnic sites on the tiny rivers called DiÃÂina, Kamenica, ÃÂemernica and Banja.
ÃÂaÃÂak is one of those cities with a long, continuous history of habitation. Various cultures have developed on this land, leaving lasting influences on the cityâÂÂs urban structure and enriching it with archaeological artifacts. Among these, the Roman baths are the earliest material evidence of the cityâÂÂs history, dating back to the 4th century AD, when this area was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia. These baths highlight the cultural development of the region in the centuries prior to the arrival of the Serbs.
The earliest written mention of a building in todayâÂÂs ÃÂaÃÂak appears in the Studenica typikon (1207-1215), which references the Church of Our Lady of Gradac, built by Stracimir and dedicated to the Ascension of Christ (the site of the current church in ÃÂaÃÂak).
ÃÂaÃÂakâÂÂs urban structure reveals an unplanned, organically developed layout, shaped by both natural conditions and human influences over time. Findings from medieval and ancient periods do not define the cityâÂÂs structure, but they suggest the approximate extent of its early expansions.
The current urban structure of ÃÂaÃÂak took shape during the 19th century in two main phases. The first phase occurred under the rule of Prince Miloà ¡ ObrenoviÃÂ, when the city core developed around the church, with a square on the southeastern corner of a triangular block. During the second phase, in the latter half of the century, ÃÂaÃÂak expanded further as its economy strengthened. The first industrial buildings emerged, and older public structures built in traditional styles were replaced with more durable, eclectic architecture. Representative examples from these phases include the Gospodar JovanâÂÂs Konak from the first phase, and the District Head Office building, a classicist structure, from the second. However, most 19th-century buildings were constructed with weaker materials, limiting their longevity. By the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, many of these early buildings were replaced by sturdier structures, though the established urban pattern was largely respected. This period saw a rise in shops and artisan workshops in the center, with residential buildings surrounded by courtyards and gardens on the outskirts.
ÃÂaÃÂakâÂÂs first comprehensive Town Regulation Plan was created in 1860 by engineer Dragoljub UrgiÃÂiÃÂ, though it has not been preserved. The second regulatory plan, completed in 1893 by engineers Svetozar Jovanoviàand Stanislav KuÃÂevski, marked the cityâÂÂs first complete urban arrangement plan. This plan is a valuable resource for understanding the evolution of both ÃÂaÃÂak and Serbian urbanism from the late 19th century. It exemplifies a conservative approach to urban development, aiming to respect the existing layout while facilitating the cityâÂÂs orderly growth.
Early 20th-century postcards depict ÃÂaÃÂak as an open, sprawling silhouette within a scenic basin, harmonizing its irregular forms with road directions and strips of varied greenery.
In conclusion, the streets of ÃÂaÃÂak in the first half of the 20th century possessed a valuable ambiance, with potential for future transformations that would continue to shape the Serbian urban landscape.
The structure of the economy of the city of ÃÂaÃÂak is composed of services and trade, industry and agriculture. The main processing industries are paper production, electric home appliances, blade tools for the processing of metal, non-metals, chemical industry products, thermal technical appliances, metal and combined carpentry, parts and kits for the pharmaceutical industry and products for medical needs. Also, well developed are wood, lumber industry and agriculture.
Many companies with more than 250 employees have deteriorated due to the sanctions in the 1990s. Since 2000, more than 40 government-owned companies have gone through the privatization process.
Private enterprise, which has its tradition from back in the 19th century, is the primary characteristic of the economy of the city. As of January 2017, 98.65% of all business enterprises are small and micro companies. A large number of private companies grew into middle-size companies with 80 to 270 employees offering a wide variety of products. Today, on the territory of the city of ÃÂaÃÂak, among the largest employers are Sloboda, Technical Overhaul Military Institute (Remont), Hospital ÃÂaÃÂak, Fabrika reznog alata and P.S. Fashion. ÃÂaÃÂak also has the prestigious and country's unique Fruit Research Institute located in city center zone.
For the 2017 calendar year, business enterprises in ÃÂaÃÂak imported the goods in value of 269 million euros, and exported goods in value of 171 million euros. The coverage of imports by exports was 64%.
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2022):
Due to its geographical position, ÃÂaÃÂak is the main road transportation center in Western Serbia. As of August 2019, Miloà ¡ the Great motorway, which is projected to run from Belgrade to border with Montenegro, is in service from Belgrade bypass to ÃÂaÃÂak with several other sections currently under construction. Also, the A5 motorway is planned and it will run from ÃÂaÃÂak to Pojate, thus connecting two main motorways in Serbia. ÃÂaÃÂak also lies on State Road 22 and State Road 23, two main highways in Western Serbia.
A railway from Kraljevo to Poà ¾ega passes through ÃÂaÃÂak, thus connecting the city with BelgradeâÂÂBar railway (one of country's main railways). The Morava Airport, one of country's three international airports, was opened in 2019 for civil airplanes and is located between ÃÂaÃÂak and Kraljevo.
ÃÂaÃÂak is twinned with: