Rakovica, Belgrade
Encyclopedia
Rakovica is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade
, the capital of Serbia
.
flows into the river, 9-10 kilometers (~6 mi) from Terazije
, downtown Belgrade. The neighborhood developed between two large woods, Košutnjak
on the north and Manastirska šuma, on the south, north of the Rakovica monastery. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Kanarevo Brdo
on the north-east, Miljakovac
on the east, Kneževac
on the south and Vidikovac
and Skojevsko Naselje
on the west. As in many cases, the boundaries between the neighborhoods are not firmly set, so in some parts Rakovica overlaps with Kneževac or Miljakovac, for example. The neighborhood of Selo Rakovica
(Village Rakovica) is some 6-7 kilometers (~4 mi) further to the east, belongs to the municipality of Voždovac and is generally not associated with the term Rakovica.
1560 population census as a village called Vlaha. Tradition has it that the place got its name after the crayfish
(Serbian: rak, rakovica) , which allegedly inhabited the Rakovički potok which streamed through the village. The first mention of the monastery, already under the name of Rakovica, was from the 17th century. The village gradually turned into a suburb and then the neighborhood of Belgrade, one of the most heavily industrialized areas of Belgrade. According to the 1981 census, the neighborhood (local community, mesna zajednica) of Rakovica had a population of 17,871, about one fifth of the municipal population. However, the local community was later split into several smaller ones, and those strictly comprising the area of the neighborhood of Rakovica had a population of 9,901 in 2002.
on the north, Voždovac on the west and Čukarica
on the east and south. Its neighborhood of Resnik marks the southernmost point of the Belgrade City Proper (uža teritorija grada).
(193 m/633 ft), Petlovo Brdo
(205 m/673 ft; the top of the hill is in the municipality of Čukarica), Kanarevo Brdo
, Labudovo Brdo
, Straževica
, Košutnjak, Vidikovac, etc.
The municipality mostly lays in the valley of the Topčiderka river. There are numerous other streams in the area, most of which flow into the Topčiderka: Rakovički potok, Jelezovac
, Zmajevac, Pariguz, Kijevski potok, etc.
Central and northern sections of the municipalities are wooded areas. Entire northern section actually covers the southern part of the large park-wood Košutnjak, while the woods of Miljakovac and Manastir (Miljakovačka šuma and Manastirska šuma) are located in the central parts, on the slopes of the hills of Miljakovac and Straževica, respectively.
Since October 14, 2004 president of the municipal assembly is Bojan Milić (b. 1972)
The Day of the Municipality is October 14, the patron day of the Shroud of the Most Holy Virgin.
Ethnic structure (2002 census):
), Tehnogas MESSER (oxygen and acetylene
factory), etc. Most of these factories suffered badly in the transition process. Another industrialized area of the municipality is the neighborhood of Kijevo with the quarry
which supplies the entire Belgrade's building industry with stone and slates. The remaining industry is also mostly into construction and building (building companies and cement plants Komgrap, Graditelj, etc).
Rakovica is located on important traffic routes. The valley of Rakovički potok is a route to the Kružni put, suburban road of Belgrade and the future part of the projected Belgrade beltway, and a Belgrade-Požarevac
railway, while the valley of Topčiderka is a route to the Belgrade-Niš
railway. The other important roads in the municipality are the Patrijarha Dimitrija street which goes through the middle of the urbanized area and the Ibarska magistrala on the western edge of the municipality.
MOC, Machines educational center and the Institute for the engines are located in Rakovica.
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, the capital 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...
.
Location
Rakovica is located in the valley of the Topčiderka river, where the brook of Rakovički potokRakovicki potok
The Rakovički potok is a short stream in north-central Serbia, a 8,5 kilometer-long right tribtuary to the Topčiderka river. During its entire flow it runs through the southern outskirts of the urban section of Belgrade...
flows into the river, 9-10 kilometers (~6 mi) from Terazije
Terazije
Terazije is the central square and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade municipality of Stari Grad.- Location :...
, downtown Belgrade. The neighborhood developed between two large woods, Košutnjak
Košutnjak
Košutnjak is a park-forest and urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between in the municipalities of Čukarica and Rakovica .-Location:...
on the north and Manastirska šuma, on the south, north of the Rakovica monastery. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Kanarevo Brdo
Kanarevo Brdo
Kanarevo Brdo is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:...
on the north-east, Miljakovac
Miljakovac
Miljakovac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:...
on the east, Kneževac
Kneževac
Κneževac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:Κneževac is located in the central part of the municipality...
on the south and Vidikovac
Vidikovac
Vidikovac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.- Location :...
and Skojevsko Naselje
Skojevsko Naselje
Skojevsko Naselje is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:...
on the west. As in many cases, the boundaries between the neighborhoods are not firmly set, so in some parts Rakovica overlaps with Kneževac or Miljakovac, for example. The neighborhood of Selo Rakovica
Selo Rakovica
Selo Rakovica is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac and should not be confused with the neighborhood of Rakovica in the municipality of the same name.-Location:Selo Rakovica is located in the central part of the...
(Village Rakovica) is some 6-7 kilometers (~4 mi) further to the east, belongs to the municipality of Voždovac and is generally not associated with the term Rakovica.
History and name
The first settlement on the territory of present Rakovica was mentioned in the OttomanOttoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
1560 population census as a village called Vlaha. Tradition has it that the place got its name after the crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
(Serbian: rak, rakovica) , which allegedly inhabited the Rakovički potok which streamed through the village. The first mention of the monastery, already under the name of Rakovica, was from the 17th century. The village gradually turned into a suburb and then the neighborhood of Belgrade, one of the most heavily industrialized areas of Belgrade. According to the 1981 census, the neighborhood (local community, mesna zajednica) of Rakovica had a population of 17,871, about one fifth of the municipal population. However, the local community was later split into several smaller ones, and those strictly comprising the area of the neighborhood of Rakovica had a population of 9,901 in 2002.
Location
The municipality of Rakovica is located south of downtown Belgrade. It is bordered by the municipalities of Savski VenacSavski Venac
Savski Venac is one of 17 urban municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Savski Venac is one of the three municipalities that constitute the very center of the city .-Location:Savski Venac is located on the right bank of the Sava river...
on the north, Voždovac on the west and Čukarica
Cukarica
Čukarica is an urban neighborhood and one of the 17 municipalities than constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Neighbourhoods :...
on the east and south. Its neighborhood of Resnik marks the southernmost point of the Belgrade City Proper (uža teritorija grada).
Geography
Rakovica covers an area of 31.8 square kilometres (12.3 sq mi). It is located in a hilly area, with numerous hillocks out of which many got urbanized and developed into Belgrade neighborhoods: MiljakovacMiljakovac
Miljakovac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:...
(193 m/633 ft), Petlovo Brdo
Petlovo Brdo
Petlovo Brdo or colloquially among the local population Pevac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.- Location :...
(205 m/673 ft; the top of the hill is in the municipality of Čukarica), Kanarevo Brdo
Kanarevo Brdo
Kanarevo Brdo is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:...
, Labudovo Brdo
Labudovo Brdo
Labudovo Brdo is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.- Location :...
, Straževica
Straževica
Straževica is a hill and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica. The area was the most heavily bombed part of Belgrade during the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999.- Location :Straževica is located in the central part of the...
, Košutnjak, Vidikovac, etc.
The municipality mostly lays in the valley of the Topčiderka river. There are numerous other streams in the area, most of which flow into the Topčiderka: Rakovički potok, Jelezovac
Jelezovac
Jelezovac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica....
, Zmajevac, Pariguz, Kijevski potok, etc.
Central and northern sections of the municipalities are wooded areas. Entire northern section actually covers the southern part of the large park-wood Košutnjak, while the woods of Miljakovac and Manastir (Miljakovačka šuma and Manastirska šuma) are located in the central parts, on the slopes of the hills of Miljakovac and Straževica, respectively.
History
Municipality of Rakovica was created in 1952, after the previous division of Belgrade into districts (rejon, 1945–52) ended. In 1960 the municipality was annexed to the neighboring Čukarica, but split again in 1974. Recent presidents of the municipal assembly:- 1989–1992; Miodrag Vidojković (b. 1936)
- 1992–1996; Slavica Tanasković
- 1996–2000; Predrag Dokmanović (b. 1957)
- 2000–2004; Srbislav S. Zečević (b. 1940)
Since October 14, 2004 president of the municipal assembly is Bojan Milić (b. 1972)
The Day of the Municipality is October 14, the patron day of the Shroud of the Most Holy Virgin.
Population
According to the 2002 census population of municipality was 99,000. Previously one of the urban Belgrade's municipalities with highest population growth, since the 1990s the growth slowed down. However, Rakovica remains one of the most densely populated municipalities of Belgrade with 3414 PD/km2. Population of the municipality:- 1961 = 26,134
- 1971 = 50,863
- 1981 = 87,068
- 1991 = 96,300
- 2002 = 99,000
Ethnic structure (2002 census):
- SerbsSerbsThe 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...
= 92,091 (93,02 %) - YugoslavsYugoslavsYugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
= 1,226 (1,24 %) - MacedoniansMacedonians (ethnic group)The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
= 640 (0,65 %) - CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
= 529 (0,53 %)
Neighborhoods
|
Labudovo Brdo Labudovo Brdo is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.- Location :... Miljakovac Miljakovac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:... Miljakovac Miljakovac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:... Miljakovac Miljakovac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:... |
Miljakovac Miljakovac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:... Petlovo Brdo Petlovo Brdo or colloquially among the local population Pevac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.- Location :... |
Skojevsko Naselje Skojevsko Naselje is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:... Straževica Straževica is a hill and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica. The area was the most heavily bombed part of Belgrade during the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999.- Location :Straževica is located in the central part of the... Suncani Breg Sunčani Breg is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.... |
Vidikovac Vidikovac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.- Location :... |
Economy
Rakovica is one of the most industrialized parts of Belgrade. Some of the factories in the area include: Industrija motora Rakovica – IMR (engine factory), Rekord (tire factory), 21 Maj (tractors and other agricultural vehicles factory), Frigostroj (coolers and air conditioners factory), IMP (foundryFoundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
), Tehnogas MESSER (oxygen and acetylene
Acetylene
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...
factory), etc. Most of these factories suffered badly in the transition process. Another industrialized area of the municipality is the neighborhood of Kijevo with the quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
which supplies the entire Belgrade's building industry with stone and slates. The remaining industry is also mostly into construction and building (building companies and cement plants Komgrap, Graditelj, etc).
Rakovica is located on important traffic routes. The valley of Rakovički potok is a route to the Kružni put, suburban road of Belgrade and the future part of the projected Belgrade beltway, and a Belgrade-Požarevac
Požarevac
Požarevac is a city and municipality in eastern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Braničevo District of Serbia...
railway, while the valley of Topčiderka is a route to the Belgrade-Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
railway. The other important roads in the municipality are the Patrijarha Dimitrija street which goes through the middle of the urbanized area and the Ibarska magistrala on the western edge of the municipality.
MOC, Machines educational center and the Institute for the engines are located in Rakovica.