Velika Plana
Encyclopedia
Velika Plana is a town and municipality located in the Podunavlje District
of Serbia
. In 2011, the population of the municipality is 40,578 (i.e. in the town proper, 16,078 inhabitants). It is estimated that about 5,500-6,500 IDP
's from Kosovo & Metohija
also live in Velika Plana but are unregistered. It lies on the left bank of Velika Morava
, at a distance of 4 km from the town center.
to Niš
goes by the town. The town is also a important railroad junction. Twin tracks go south toward Niš, a track goes west to Belgrade, and a track goes north to Velika Krsna
junction, where it splits towards Belgrade, Smederevo
and Požarevac
. This, in combination with the fact that many bus lines form southern Serbia to Belgrade and Vojvodina
make a stop at the town bus station, makes Velika Plana an important transportation hub of central Serbia.
", "Мiloš Mitrović", and "Nadežda Petrović
" in the town itself, and 11 in the surrounding suburbs and villages.
It also has three high schools: a gymnasium
, a technical high school and a business assistant high school.
At the outskirts of the town are three important ecclesiastical monuments: the early 15th century Koporin Monastery
where Despot Stefan Lazarević
, son of Prince Lazar of the Battle of Kosovo
is buried; the early 19th century Pokajnica Monastery
built as a sign of repentance (Serbian
: pokajanje/покајање) by the murderer of Karađorđe, leader of the First Serbian Uprising and the founder of the Karađorđević/Karageorgevitch royal family of Serbia and later Yugoslavia; as well as a small church built by King Alexander Karađorđević of Yugoslavia
at the exact place of his ancestor's murder.
The latter two are within 4 km from each other, and easily reachable by public transit. Koporin is more secluded but still within 11 km from the other two.
, Željko Ražnatović Arkan was officially promulgated into a "freedom fighter" by the Slobodan Milošević
's secret police at a night meeting of his fellow criminals/future looters and war criminals near the monastery Pokajnica, which the monks objected to, held on the 11th of October 1990.
In 2000 Serbia's Democratic Party
held annual conference at the Pokajnica hotel conference centre in Velika Plana at which the programme for ousting Slobodan Milošević was first officially proclaimed. In due course it was carried out that year.
with:
Budva
, Montenegro
At the time of SFR Yugoslavia it was also twinned with:
Čazma
, Croatia
Brežice
, Slovenia
but the relationship with these two has dwindled away and has not been revived as yet.
Podunavlje District
The Podunavlje District lies in Serbia, it expands across the central part of Serbia. The population of the district is 198,184, and the Seat of the District is in the city of Smederevo.-Municipalities:...
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...
. In 2011, the population of the municipality is 40,578 (i.e. in the town proper, 16,078 inhabitants). It is estimated that about 5,500-6,500 IDP
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
's from Kosovo & Metohija
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
also live in Velika Plana but are unregistered. It lies on the left bank of Velika Morava
Velika Morava
The Great Morava is the final section of the Morava , a major river system in Serbia.- Length :...
, at a distance of 4 km from the town center.
Transportation
The main Serbian motorway form BelgradeBelgrade
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...
to 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,...
goes by the town. The town is also a important railroad junction. Twin tracks go south toward Niš, a track goes west to Belgrade, and a track goes north to Velika Krsna
Velika Krsna
Velika Krsna is a village situated in Mladenovac municipality in Serbia....
junction, where it splits towards Belgrade, Smederevo
Smederevo
Smederevo is a city and municipality in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, about 40 km downstream of the capital Belgrade. According to official results of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 107,528...
and Požarevac
Požarevac
Požarevac is a city and municipality in eastern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Braničevo District of Serbia...
. This, in combination with the fact that many bus lines form southern Serbia to Belgrade and Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
make a stop at the town bus station, makes Velika Plana an important transportation hub of central Serbia.
Education
Velika Plana has three elementary schools: "Sveti SavaSaint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
", "Мiloš Mitrović", and "Nadežda Petrović
Nadežda Petrovic
Nadežda Petrović is considered the most important Serbian female painter from the late 19th and early 20th century...
" in the town itself, and 11 in the surrounding suburbs and villages.
It also has three high schools: a gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, a technical high school and a business assistant high school.
Leisure and historic monuments
In the center of the town is a quaint town park. The town also has few smaller parks.At the outskirts of the town are three important ecclesiastical monuments: the early 15th century Koporin Monastery
Koporin Monastery
Koporin Monastery is a monastery at the outskirts of the town of Velika Plana, Serbia, just off the road to Smederevska Palanka. The monastery church, dedicated to the St. Stephen, was built during the reign of Despot Stefan Lazarević which portrait is preserved inside the church, together with...
where Despot Stefan Lazarević
Stefan Lazarevic
Stefan Lazarević known also as Stevan the Tall was a Serbian Despot, ruler of the Serbian Despotate between 1389 and 1427. He was the son and heir to Prince Lazar, who died at the Battle of Kosovo against the Turks in 1389, and Princess Milica from the subordinate branch of the Nemanjić dynasty...
, son of Prince Lazar of the Battle of Kosovo
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo took place on St. Vitus' Day, June 15, 1389, between the army led by Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, and the invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Murad I...
is buried; the early 19th century Pokajnica Monastery
Pokajnica Monastery
Pokajnica Monastery is a monastery complex in Velika Plana, Serbia.- History :Wooden church dedicated to the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas near Velika Plana, a cultural monument of great importance, build in 1818 by Knez of Smederevo Nahiya, Vujica Vulićević. This is attested by the name...
built as a sign of repentance (Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
: pokajanje/покајање) by the murderer of Karađorđe, leader of the First Serbian Uprising and the founder of the Karađorđević/Karageorgevitch royal family of Serbia and later Yugoslavia; as well as a small church built by King Alexander Karađorđević of Yugoslavia
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
at the exact place of his ancestor's murder.
The latter two are within 4 km from each other, and easily reachable by public transit. Koporin is more secluded but still within 11 km from the other two.
Recent events
The notorious petty thief, and a hitman/murderer of Serbian émigrés in Western Europe for UDBAUDBA
The Department of State Security was the secret police organization of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.Although it operated with more restraint than other secret...
, Željko Ražnatović Arkan was officially promulgated into a "freedom fighter" by the Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
's secret police at a night meeting of his fellow criminals/future looters and war criminals near the monastery Pokajnica, which the monks objected to, held on the 11th of October 1990.
In 2000 Serbia's Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Serbia)
The Democratic Party is a political party in Serbia. It is described as a social liberal or social democratic party.-Pre-war history:The Democratic Party was established on 16 February 1919 from unification of Sarajevo parties independent radicals, progressives, liberals and the Serbian part of...
held annual conference at the Pokajnica hotel conference centre in Velika Plana at which the programme for ousting Slobodan Milošević was first officially proclaimed. In due course it was carried out that year.
Rock Festival
In 2009 a festival of rock music Plana Demo Fest was organised with sponsorship of the Velika Plana Youth Community Centre. Its organisers hope that it shall become a springboard for youth rock bands in Serbia and internationally. http://www.balkandemofest.velikaplana.info/Famous people
- Radomir LukićRadomir LukicRadomir Lukić was a prolific Serbian jurist, a scholar of philosophy and sociology of law. He was born in Miloševac near Velika Plana, Serbia....
, jurist and renowned professor at the University of Belgrade's Law SchoolUniversity of Belgrade Faculty of LawThe University of Belgrade Faculty of Law , also known as the Belgrade Law School, is one of the first-tier educational institutions of the University of Belgrade, Serbia... - Vojislav KoštunicaVojislav KoštunicaVojislav Koštunica is a Serbian politician, statesman and the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia. He was the last President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, succeeding Slobodan Milošević and serving from 2000 to 2003...
, former President of Yugoslavia and Prime Minister of Serbia (see Wikipedia in Serbian :sr:Милошевац and :sr:Војислав Коштуница) - Snežana Savić, movie actress
Twin towns — sister cities
Velika Plana is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Budva
Budva
Budva is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has around 15,000 inhabitants, and it is the centre of municipality...
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
At the time of SFR Yugoslavia it was also twinned with:
Čazma
Cazma
Čazma is a town and municipality in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. It is part of Moslavina.-Geography:Čazma is situated 60 kilometers east of Zagreb and only 30 kilometres from the center of the region - Bjelovar....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
Brežice
Brežice
Brežice is a city and municipality in eastern Slovenia in the Lower Sava Valley, near the Croatian border. The area was traditionally divided between Lower Styria and Lower Carniola...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
but the relationship with these two has dwindled away and has not been revived as yet.