Kruševac (Serbian Cyrillic: Крушевац, pronounced [krûʃeʋats] ) 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 2022 census, the city administrative area has a population of 113,582 while the urban area has 68,119 inhabitants.

Kruševac
Крушевац (Serbian)
City of Kruševac
From top: Panorama of Kruševac, Town Hall, Slobodište Memorial Complex, Lazar Hrebeljanović's statue, The Kosovo Heroes monument, Lazarica Church, Kruševac Fortress
Flag of Kruševac
Coat of arms of Kruševac
Kruševac is located in Serbia
Kruševac
Kruševac
Location of the city of Kruševac within Serbia
Kruševac is located in Balkans
Kruševac
Kruševac
Kruševac (Balkans)
Coordinates: 43°34′50″N 21°19′50″E / 43.58056°N 21.33056°E / 43.58056; 21.33056
Country Serbia
RegionŠumadija and Western Serbia
DistrictRasina
Founded1371
Founded byLazar of Serbia
Settlements101
Government
 • MayorIvan Manojlović (SNS)
Area
 • Rank20th in Serbia
 • Urban18 km2 (7 sq mi)
 • Administrative854 km2 (330 sq mi)
Elevation
163 m (535 ft)
Population
 (2022 census)[2]
 • Rank8th in Serbia
 • Urban
68,119
 • Urban density3,800/km2 (9,800/sq mi)
 • Administrative
113,582
 • Administrative density130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
37000
Area code+381(0)37
Car plates
Websitewww.krusevac.rs

The city was founded in 1371, by Prince Lazar of Serbia (1371–1389), who used it as his seat.

Etymology

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

History

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Kruševac was founded in 1371, as a fortified town in the possession of Lord Lazar Hrebeljanović. The Lazarica Church (or Church of St, Stephen) was built by Lazar between 1375–78, in the Morava architectural style.[3] 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 (1389) 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.[4] 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 (Aladža Hisar) during Ottoman rule between 1427–1833 (nominally to 1867) when Kruševac was the seat of the Sanjak of Kruševac. The Ottoman rule was interrupted during Austrian occupations between 1688–1690 and 1717–1739.[citation needed]

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 (from the Serbian word "sloboda", which means 'freedom'). 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.[5]

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 post-Milošević transition. In 2002 alone 5 factories went bankrupt.[6][unreliable source?] From 2002 to 2014 27 factories closed and around 11,000 workers lost their jobs.[7] The unemployment rate in Kruševac was almost 39% in 2015.[8][unreliable source]

Settlements

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Aside from the urban area of Kruševac, the city administrative area includes the following 100 settlements:

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
194887,853—    
195394,827+1.54%
1961103,190+1.06%
1971118,016+1.35%
1981132,972+1.20%
1991138,111+0.38%
2002131,368−0.45%
2011128,752−0.22%
2022113,582−1.13%
Source: [9]

According to the 2022 census results, the city of Kruševac has a total population of 113,582 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

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The ethnic composition of the city administrative area(at least 100 people):

Ethnic group Population %
Serbs 106,194 90.85%
Roma 2,063 1.82%
Yugoslavs 171 0.15%
Macedonians 129 0.11%
Montenegrins 119 0.11%
Others 1,391 1.23%
Unknown 3,515 3.1%
Total 113,582 100%

Economy

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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.[10]

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2022):[11]

Activity Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 359
Mining and quarrying 29
Manufacturing 10,245
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 427
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 609
Construction 2,138
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 5,390
Transportation and storage 1,455
Accommodation and food services 1,204
Information and communication 403
Financial and insurance activities 581
Real estate activities 228
Professional, scientific and technical activities 1,240
Administrative and support service activities 821
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security 1,736
Education 2,289
Human health and social work activities 3,821
Arts, entertainment and recreation 593
Other service activities 594
Individual agricultural workers 1,464
Total 35,629

Politics

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Seats in the city parliament won in the 2023 local elections:

Party Seats
Serbian Progressive Party 42
Serbia Against Violence 18
Socialist Party of Serbia 5
NADA 3
National Gathering 2

Sports

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

Climate

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Climate data for Kruševac (1991–2020, extremes 1961–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 20.4
(68.7)
25.5
(77.9)
29.6
(85.3)
32.1
(89.8)
35.5
(95.9)
39.6
(103.3)
43.7
(110.7)
42.4
(108.3)
37.8
(100.0)
34.4
(93.9)
27.4
(81.3)
21.7
(71.1)
43.7
(110.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 5.0
(41.0)
8.0
(46.4)
13.2
(55.8)
18.7
(65.7)
23.3
(73.9)
27.2
(81.0)
29.5
(85.1)
29.9
(85.8)
24.6
(76.3)
18.8
(65.8)
12.5
(54.5)
5.9
(42.6)
18.1
(64.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.5
(32.9)
2.7
(36.9)
7.1
(44.8)
12.2
(54.0)
16.8
(62.2)
20.7
(69.3)
22.4
(72.3)
22.2
(72.0)
17.2
(63.0)
11.9
(53.4)
7.0
(44.6)
1.8
(35.2)
11.9
(53.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.2
(26.2)
−1.8
(28.8)
1.7
(35.1)
5.9
(42.6)
10.3
(50.5)
14.1
(57.4)
15.4
(59.7)
15.1
(59.2)
11.1
(52.0)
6.6
(43.9)
2.5
(36.5)
−1.6
(29.1)
6.3
(43.3)
Record low °C (°F) −28.1
(−18.6)
−24.6
(−12.3)
−17.2
(1.0)
−6.1
(21.0)
−1.1
(30.0)
2.9
(37.2)
5.8
(42.4)
3.0
(37.4)
−3.0
(26.6)
−7.3
(18.9)
−21.4
(−6.5)
−23.9
(−11.0)
−28.1
(−18.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 43.5
(1.71)
42.7
(1.68)
53.6
(2.11)
59.9
(2.36)
70.8
(2.79)
70.6
(2.78)
65.2
(2.57)
48.5
(1.91)
49.6
(1.95)
55.4
(2.18)
49.3
(1.94)
53.6
(2.11)
662.9
(26.10)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 12.9 12.6 12.7 12.7 13.0 10.7 10.2 8.0 9.7 10.0 10.3 13.2 136.0
Average snowy days 8.1 7.3 4.1 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 2.2 6.6 29.0
Average relative humidity (%) 84.1 78.7 71.7 70.4 73.3 71.0 68.2 68.1 72.8 78.2 80.5 84.8 75.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 62.1 84.9 143.4 171.3 209.4 243.6 285.5 280.5 196.1 143.6 87.5 50.7 1,958.6
Source: Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia[12][13]

Famous residents

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International relations

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Twin towns – Sister cities

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Kruševac is twinned with:

Other forms of co-operation and city friendship similar to the twin/sister city programmes:

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  2. ^ "2022 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings: Ethnicity (data by municipalities and cities)" (PDF). Statistical Office of Republic Of Serbia, Belgrade. April 2023. ISBN 978-86-6161-228-2. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  3. ^ Filip Jovanovic i Djordje Banovic. "Istorija – Crkva Lazarica – Kruševac – Srpska Pravoslavna Crkva". Lazarica.rs. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  4. ^ Monuments of Culture in Serbia: "ЦРКВА СВ.СТЕФАНА ЛАЗАРИЦА СА КРУШЕВАЧКИМ ГРАДОМ" (SANU) (in Serbian and English)
  5. ^ "Registar Žrtava". www.komisija1944.mpravde.gov.rs. Ministry of Justice, Republic of Serbia. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Svi naši porazi - većina kruševačkih restrukturaša završila u stečaju". 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Svi naši porazi - većina kruševačkih restrukturaša završila u stečaju". 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  8. ^ "Pajtić: Kruševac dotakao dno za vreme vlasti SNS". 26 November 2015. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  9. ^ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  10. ^ Mikavica, A. (3 September 2017). "Slobodne zone mamac za investitore". politika.rs (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  11. ^ "MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA, 2023" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Monthly and annual means, maximum and minimum values of meteorological elements for the period 1991–2020" (in Serbian). Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia. Archived from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Monthly and annual means, maximum and minimum values of meteorological elements for the period 1981 - 2010" (in Serbian). Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  14. ^ "AllCorfu.Com: Corfu's Twin Cities". allcorfu.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
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