buildings constructed during the time when Kragujevac was the first capital of the modern Serbian state (1818 - 1841), and is named after Prince Miloš, in honour of him proclaiming Kragujevac the capital of the then new- ly liberated Serbia. Its most important attractions are concentrated on the left and right banks of the Lepen- ica, the longest river in the Kragujevac basin, at around 48 km long, the banks of which are connected in the city centre by old reinforced concrete bridges that rep- resented the first of their kind in Serbia. In the immediate vicinity is the Prince’s Arsenal, representing a unique military-industrial and architec- tural complex in Serbia and Europe. This complex with a specific ambience consists of factory buildings and workshops that date back to the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. It was declared a cultural asset of great im- portance in 1979. A church was built at the behest of Miloš Obrenović in 1818, and it was there that the assembly held its ses- sions until the construction of the parliament building in 1859. And it was thus here, in 1835, that the first Serbi- an Constitution, better known as the Sretenje Constitu- tion, was adopted. The belltower was designed in 1907 by Jovan Ilkić, the man who is also responsible for Bel- grade’s Serbian National Assembly building. The chair that the prince sat on is still in the church, complete with the Serbian coat of arms and a small Turkish turban en- graved on the back. In the courtyard stands another sig- nificant building: the first Serbian Parliament, construct- ed in 1859, where Jovan Ristić, a Kragujevac native and a great Serbian diplomat, read the decision of the Ber- lin Congress for Serbia to become an independent state. The Old Foundry Museum is located in the build- ing of the former Smelter from 1882, and is a part of
Kragujevac, at the heart of Šumadija The city that witnessed the rise of Serbia The old capital of Serbia, a city of charming Vienna Secession style architecture, a site of glorious and tragic events of the past, Kragujevac is a city that you won’t forget easily M agnificent sites that marked previous centuries with their history, monas- teries and churches that preserve the spirit of Christian Orthodoxy, alluring- ly authentic gastronomy and, first and foremost, the people and their hospitality, will all ensure that you never forget this part of Serbia. In Kragujevac, and Šumadija generally, you shouldn’t rush, but rath- er slowly taste, listen, explore, relax and enjoy yourself. The first recorded mention of the city’s name was in Ottoman records of 1476, which are today preserved in the Turkish Government Archives in Istanbul. The oc- cupying Ottoman Turks finally departed from Kragu- jevac in 1815, following the Second Serbian Uprising, while the turning point for the city came in 1818, when Prince Miloš Obrenović declared it the capital of Serbia. The most significant area of Kragujevac is the cul- tural and historical complex of Milošev venac [Miloš’s Wreath], which encompasses part of the territory of the city centre. It is the location of the city’s most important
Najznačajniji je kulturno- istorijski kompleks Milošev venac, koji obuhvata deo centralnog significant area of Kragujevac is the cultural and historical complex of Milošev venac [Miloš’s Wreath], which encompasses part of the territory of the city centre gradskog područja The most
Kragujevac » Kragujevac | 83
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator