Ivanjica
Encyclopedia
Ivanjica is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District
of Serbia
. The population of the town is 11,810, while population of the municipality is 32,047.
The town is known for being the birthplace of the World War II
Chetnik leader, Draža Mihailović
, in 1893 in the Kingdom of Serbia
.
River. It is surrounded by the mountain ranges of Golija
, Javor
, Mučanj
, Čemerno
and Radočelo
and it is placed in a picturesque valley.
The municipality to the Moravica District together with the municipalities of Lučani
, Čačak
and Gornji Milanovac
. With an area of 1090 km², it is the sixth largest municipality in Serbia. Ivanjica got the status of a town in 1866 through the Prince Mihailo Obrenović’s decree, thus becoming one of the first towns in the region.
Mountains are the dominant form of relief in this area and they belong to the Dinaric range
. They are rich in forests, clearings, pastures, cold springs, clear rivers and clear air, wild fruit, medicinal herbs and various game.
The river system of the municipality and its neighbourhood is made up of clear, clean and unpolluted fast mountain rivers: the Moravica, the Studenica and the Nošnica which, together with their tributaries, curve down the Moravica mountains. There are and two small lakes: Nebeska Suza
and Tičar Lake.
The first peoples to inhabit this area were the Dardans. They were driven and pushed this way by the Thracians, who were pushed by the Illyrians who lived in these lands for a long time. They were conquered by the Romans, who ruled this area for a long period of time. There is a big number of archaeological localities, but they are not sufficiently explored.
The old Slavs inhabited this area at the end of 6th and at the beginning of 7th century. They were industrious, hardworking, good-natured and peace-loving. They were engaged in cattle breeding, agriculture, beekeeping and hunting.
Those Slavic tribes which inhabited around the Moravica, Studenica and Uvac rivers were mutually related. In the tribe system, tribes were governed by chieftains.
Mainly Serbs, but members of other nations as well, have been living in these areas in mutual harmony and understanding since the first mentions until the present days. This region was the territory of the first Serbian state – Raška.
Numerous wars have been fought in this area, always for liberation from enemies: Serbian -Turkish wars, First and Second Balkan Wars. The people of this region are freedom-loving, hospitable and honourable.
Today, after all the wars, suffering, displacing and migrations, Ivanjica is a modern little town and the municipality with around 32,000 citizens. It is the economic, cultural, administrative and health care centre of the municipality. It is rapidly developing with the accent on the development of agriculture and tourism as two main bearers of prosperity.
Most of Ivanjica’s population is of Serbian nationality (99.3%) while 65.2% of the municipality’s population is rural. Depopulation is typical for villages because of the migrations to urban and other areas. Population density on the territory of the municipality is 32.5 inhabitants per square kilometre. The percentage of the population with university education is 5%. The Municipality of Ivanjica has 10,930 households with 3.2 members on average, while the number of homes is 12.131.
Ethnic composition of the town (2002 census):
According to the data of the National Bank of Serbia
, there are 365 active enterprises in Ivanjica Municipality. Small enterprises, followed by middle sized enterprises that make almost 5% of the total number of enterprises, make 94.2% of their total number.
Tourist charm of Ivanjica Municipality is based on its rich natural and cultural resources, long history and tradition, specific identity of numerous sites and cordiality of Ivanjica’s hosts. Ivanjica has numerous possibilities for the development of all kinds of tourism: medical, village, sports, hunting and fishing, excursion, congress, and festival and event tourism. This municipality was proclaimed to be the first air spa in Serbia in 2000, while Golija
Mountain is Biosphere reserve
under the UNESCO
protection. As far as the available accommodation capacities are concerned, the municipality has around 1000 beds in classified facilities and around 200 beds in village households, in the town and in the suburbs.
The biggest Health Care Center in Ivanjica is The Institute for Specialized Rehabilitation operates as a state institution which has both medical and tourist character. Its basic activity is medical rehabilitation and provision of services based on recreational medical tourism.
Some of Cultural events are: Hunters’ Fair and Wolf Hunt, Parade of Folk Creative Work - Sounds of Golija, Motorcycle Meetings in Ivanjica, Most Beautiful Love Poem Competition, If May Were All the Time, Parade of Reciters and many others.
In 2010, cultural event "Nušićijada" is renewed by initiative of Cultural Artistic Society "Dom Kulture" from Ivanjica. This is specific cultural Festival inwrought with humor, entertainment, old town spirit returns to the scene after 40 years.
On the territory of Ivanjica Municipality there are 6 football fields, 2 indoor swimming pools, 2 outdoor swimming pools, 3 gyms, one air rifle range, 29 outdoor fields for recreation, one athletics track, one chess hall and 2 sports halls.
Moravica District
The Moravica District is located in the central parts of Serbia. It has a population of 212,149...
of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. The population of the town is 11,810, while population of the municipality is 32,047.
The town is known for being the birthplace of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Chetnik leader, Draža Mihailović
Draža Mihailovic
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
, in 1893 in the Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
.
Geography
Ivanjica lies in the southwest of Serbia. It lies at the bank of the MoravicaGolijska Moravica
The Golijska Moravica or simply Moravica is a river in western Serbia. With a length of 98 km, it is the longer headstream of the Zapadna Morava , and thus, of the Velika Morava...
River. It is surrounded by the mountain ranges of Golija
Golija
Golija is a mountain in southwestern Serbia, between towns of Ivanjica and Novi Pazar. It belongs to the Dinaric mountain range. The mountain is heavily forested, with significant biodiversity and it hosts the Golija-Studenica Biosphere Reserve, the first UNESCO-MAB registered biosphere reserve in...
, Javor
Javor (Serbia)
Javor is a mountain in central Serbia, between towns of Sjenica and Ivanjica. Its highest peak Vasilin vrh has an altitude of 1519 meters above sea level....
, Mučanj
Mučanj
Mučanj is a mountain in western Serbia, near the town of Ivanjica. Its highest peak Klekov Vrh has an altitude of 1532 meters above sea level....
, Čemerno
Čemerno
Čemerno is a mountain in western Serbia, near the town of Ivanjica. Its highest peak Smrdljuč has an altitude of 1579 meters above sea level.-External links:*...
and Radočelo
Radočelo
Radočelo is a mountain in central Serbia, between towns of Ivanjica and Raška. Its highest peak Krivača has an altitude of 1643 meters above sea level.Studenica monastery is located on northeastern slopes of the mountain....
and it is placed in a picturesque valley.
The municipality to the Moravica District together with the municipalities of Lučani
Lucani
Lučani is a town and municipality located in the Dragačevo region within the Moravica District of Serbia . The population of the town is 3,425, while population of the municipality was 20,855....
, Čačak
Cacak
Čačak is a city in central Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Moravica District of Serbia. Čačak is also the main industrial, cultural and sport center of the district...
and Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44.012691° North, 20.273572° East. Its name means "Upper Milanovac" while Milanovac stems from name "Milan" in the Serbian language. The population of town is 24,048.The city was founded in 1853...
. With an area of 1090 km², it is the sixth largest municipality in Serbia. Ivanjica got the status of a town in 1866 through the Prince Mihailo Obrenović’s decree, thus becoming one of the first towns in the region.
Mountains are the dominant form of relief in this area and they belong to the Dinaric range
Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps or Dinarides form a mountain chain in Southern Europe, spanning areas of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro....
. They are rich in forests, clearings, pastures, cold springs, clear rivers and clear air, wild fruit, medicinal herbs and various game.
The river system of the municipality and its neighbourhood is made up of clear, clean and unpolluted fast mountain rivers: the Moravica, the Studenica and the Nošnica which, together with their tributaries, curve down the Moravica mountains. There are and two small lakes: Nebeska Suza
Nebeska Suza
Nebeska Suza is a tiny lake at the Golija mountain in Serbia at the altitude of 1495 metres near Okruglica. It was unearthed following an earthquake in bordering Romania....
and Tičar Lake.
History of Moravica Region
The name Ivanjica was first mentioned in the Middle Ages, in the year of 1505. Moravica region was inhabited in the ancient past. Various objects from those times made of stone were found, as well as numerous metal objects that are now kept in different Serbian museums.The first peoples to inhabit this area were the Dardans. They were driven and pushed this way by the Thracians, who were pushed by the Illyrians who lived in these lands for a long time. They were conquered by the Romans, who ruled this area for a long period of time. There is a big number of archaeological localities, but they are not sufficiently explored.
The old Slavs inhabited this area at the end of 6th and at the beginning of 7th century. They were industrious, hardworking, good-natured and peace-loving. They were engaged in cattle breeding, agriculture, beekeeping and hunting.
Those Slavic tribes which inhabited around the Moravica, Studenica and Uvac rivers were mutually related. In the tribe system, tribes were governed by chieftains.
Mainly Serbs, but members of other nations as well, have been living in these areas in mutual harmony and understanding since the first mentions until the present days. This region was the territory of the first Serbian state – Raška.
Numerous wars have been fought in this area, always for liberation from enemies: Serbian -Turkish wars, First and Second Balkan Wars. The people of this region are freedom-loving, hospitable and honourable.
Today, after all the wars, suffering, displacing and migrations, Ivanjica is a modern little town and the municipality with around 32,000 citizens. It is the economic, cultural, administrative and health care centre of the municipality. It is rapidly developing with the accent on the development of agriculture and tourism as two main bearers of prosperity.
Demographics
According to the last official census done in 2011, the Municipality of Ivanjica has 32,047 inhabitants.Most of Ivanjica’s population is of Serbian nationality (99.3%) while 65.2% of the municipality’s population is rural. Depopulation is typical for villages because of the migrations to urban and other areas. Population density on the territory of the municipality is 32.5 inhabitants per square kilometre. The percentage of the population with university education is 5%. The Municipality of Ivanjica has 10,930 households with 3.2 members on average, while the number of homes is 12.131.
Ethnic composition of the town (2002 census):
| Ethnic group | Population |
|---|---|
| Serbs Serbs The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in... |
12,259 |
| Roma | 26 |
| Others | 65 |
| Total | 12,350 |
Economy
Ivanjica is the small economically developed part of Serbia. The economy of Ivanjica Municipality is typified by the processing industry, lumber processing, production of textile products and production of raspberry and potato. Coverage of imports by exports is 92%.According to the data of the National Bank of Serbia
National Bank of Serbia
National Bank of Serbia is the central bank of Serbia; its main responsibilities are the protection of price stability and maintenance of financial stability....
, there are 365 active enterprises in Ivanjica Municipality. Small enterprises, followed by middle sized enterprises that make almost 5% of the total number of enterprises, make 94.2% of their total number.
Tourism
The beginnings of the development of tourism in Ivanjica Municipality are connected with the 1930s when Ivanjica was proclaimed to be a spa and a climatic place.Tourist charm of Ivanjica Municipality is based on its rich natural and cultural resources, long history and tradition, specific identity of numerous sites and cordiality of Ivanjica’s hosts. Ivanjica has numerous possibilities for the development of all kinds of tourism: medical, village, sports, hunting and fishing, excursion, congress, and festival and event tourism. This municipality was proclaimed to be the first air spa in Serbia in 2000, while Golija
Golija
Golija is a mountain in southwestern Serbia, between towns of Ivanjica and Novi Pazar. It belongs to the Dinaric mountain range. The mountain is heavily forested, with significant biodiversity and it hosts the Golija-Studenica Biosphere Reserve, the first UNESCO-MAB registered biosphere reserve in...
Mountain is Biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
under the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
protection. As far as the available accommodation capacities are concerned, the municipality has around 1000 beds in classified facilities and around 200 beds in village households, in the town and in the suburbs.
The biggest Health Care Center in Ivanjica is The Institute for Specialized Rehabilitation operates as a state institution which has both medical and tourist character. Its basic activity is medical rehabilitation and provision of services based on recreational medical tourism.
Culture
The bearers of cultural development in the Municipality of Ivanjica are numerous institutions and organizations. The leading role among them belongs to the Ivanjica Culture Centre and the Svetislav Vulović Library.Some of Cultural events are: Hunters’ Fair and Wolf Hunt, Parade of Folk Creative Work - Sounds of Golija, Motorcycle Meetings in Ivanjica, Most Beautiful Love Poem Competition, If May Were All the Time, Parade of Reciters and many others.
In 2010, cultural event "Nušićijada" is renewed by initiative of Cultural Artistic Society "Dom Kulture" from Ivanjica. This is specific cultural Festival inwrought with humor, entertainment, old town spirit returns to the scene after 40 years.
Sport
There are 28 sports clubs in the Municipality of Ivanjica. The dominant sports are football, basketball, volleyball, archery and winter sports. According to results, the most successful sport club is FK Javor Ivanjica, which was founded in 1912. In 2012 this football club will celebrate its centenary from club founding.. This club was a continuous member of the First League for the last several years. Other popular sport clubs are Putevi volleyball club and KK Ivanjica basketball club, playing in the lower, regional leagues of Western Serbia.On the territory of Ivanjica Municipality there are 6 football fields, 2 indoor swimming pools, 2 outdoor swimming pools, 3 gyms, one air rifle range, 29 outdoor fields for recreation, one athletics track, one chess hall and 2 sports halls.
Notable residents
- Draža MihailovićDraža MihailovicDragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
, leader of Chetnik movement - Petar StambolićPetar StambolicPetar Stambolić was a Yugoslav communist politician who served as the President of the Federal Executive Council of Yugoslavia from 1963 to 1967 and President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia from 1982 until 1983.Stambolić was born in Brezova, Ivanjica, Kingdom of Serbia and died in Belgrade, Serbia...
, Serbian politician - Ivan StambolićIvan StambolicIvan Stambolić was a Communist Party of Yugoslavia official and the President of the Republic of Serbia in the 1980s who was later victim of an assassination....
, Serbian politician - Vladica KovačevićVladica KovacevicFor the Serbian soldier, see Vladimir KovačevićVladimir "Vladica" Kovačević is a Serbian striker who played at FIFA World Cup 1962 for SFR Yugoslavia. He had a successful playing career in both SFR Yugoslavia with FK Partizan, reaching the 1966 European Cup Final and in France with FC Nantes and...
, Serbian footballer - Srboljub KrivokućaSrboljub KrivokucaSrboljub Krivokuća was a Serbian football goalkeeper and manager.He played 7 matches for the Yugoslav national team.-External links:*...
, Serbian footballer - Petar KrivokućaPetar KrivokucaPetar Krivokuća is a Serbian defender who played for SFR Yugoslavia....
, Serbian footballer - Miljan MutavdžićMiljan MutavdžicMiljan Mutavdžić is a Serbian footballer who plays for Malmö FF.-Javor:...
, Serbian footballer - Milovan MilovićMilovan MilovicMilovan Milović is a right footed Serbian professional footballer who plays for Dinamo Tirana.- Personal :...
, Serbian footballer - Tomislav LadanTomislav LadanTomislav Ladan was a Croatian essayist, critic and novelist.Ladan was born in Ivanjica, Serbia, and spent his formative years in his native Bosnia and Herzegovina , where he graduated at Philosophical Faculty in Sarajevo...
, Croatian essayist - Đorđe Milosavljević, Serbian screenwriter
- Kirilo Savić, Serbian engineer