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( at 44.28° North, 19.89° East. The municipality of Valjevo is situated in Western Serbia and is the center of the
Kolubara District , which includes five other smaller municipalities, with a total population of almost 200,000 people. According to the census in 2002, Valjevo had 96,761 inhabitants, of which 61,270 were urban and suburban, and 35,491 were rural.
As Of 2003 , the city had a total population of 61,600.
It occupies an area of 905 square kilometers, and its altitude is 185 meters. Valjevo was formed near the river
Kolubara , a tributary of the Sava river. The area of Valjevo has a mild, temperate climate.
Valjevo lies 100 km away from the national capital,
Belgrade , and in the close vicinity of one of the most important republic traffic arteries - Ibar highway, which connects the north and the south of Serbia. Arterial highways leading to the
Adriatic Sea ,
Bosnia And Herzegovina , the fertile soil of
Mačva , and further towards the breadbasket of
Vojvodina , also pass through Valjevo, and they connect Valjevo with other important centres of West Serbia –
Šabac ,
Užice ,
Loznica and
Bajina Bašta . Also passing through Valjevo is the
Belgrade - Bar Railway , which connects the capital of Serbia with
Montenegro and the Adriatic Sea.
The oldest traces of human dwelling in this region date from the
Palaeolithic period and were found in the nearby Petnica cave. Out of saved written document in which Valjevo was mentioned, the oldest was discovered in the
Dubrovnik Archive and it dates back to 1393. Valjevo was formed as a medieval square, at an important crossroads which was visited by famous merchants of Dubrovnik. It was also mentioned in the travel accounts of
Eulia Chelebia (1660),
Felix Kaniz (1860 and 1888) and
Hans Vogel (1913). In the town centre, on the right bank of the
Kolubara , there is the old shopping centre (Turkish bazaar) of Tešnjar dating from the 17th century, but today's appearance comes from the end of the 19th century. The oldest preserved building is Muselim’s Lodgings from the end of the 18th century, in whose cellar Dukes
Aleksa Nenadović and
Ilija Birčanin were imprisoned before their execution in February 1804. Тhis event, known in Serbian history as “
Beheading Of The Dukes ” gave impetus to the
First Serbian Uprising against the age-long Turkish occupation, so Muselim’s Lodgings today represents the Museum of the First and Second Serbian Uprisings. Dominating from a hill above the town center is Nenadović Tower from 1813, which was then used as a powder magazine, and was rebuilt in 1836 by Prince
Miloš Obrenović . In
1942 Stevan Filipović was hung by the
Nazis for opposing them and there is now a monument to him in the city.
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Municipality of Valjevo include following settlements:
Ethnic groups in the Valjevo municipality:
- Serbs = 93,064
- Roma = 1,314
- Montenegrins = 244
- Yugoslavs = 224
- others
Seats in the municipality parliament won in the 2004 local elections:
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In the vicinity of Valjevo is the village of Brankovina, the home of famous Serbian family Nenadović, which gave leaders of the First Serbian Uprising, ministers of the first Serbian government, spiritual leaders and travel writers Duke Aleksa, Archpriest
Mateja Nenadović , Dukes
Jakov Nenadović , Sima and Jevrem, writer Čika
Ljuba Nenadović and Queen Persida Karađorđević, mother of King
Peter I Of Serbia . Brankovina hosted the best known Serbian poetess
Desanka Maksimović , who spent her childhood (she was born in the nearby Rabrovica) and completed primary school there. Throughout her life, Desanka remained emotionally attached to Brankovina, and she frequently revisited it and spent her last years there, and was finally buried under a hundred year old oak trees in the Brankovina churchyard, according to her wishes. The sights of Brankovina are encompassed in a cultural and historical complex, which includes the Church of Saint Archangel, Archpriest’s school, Desanka's school, Old Courtroom, Sleeping Outbuilding of the Nenadović family, the graves of the Nenadović family and Desanka Maksimović, as well as old “sobrašica” summer houses in the exquisitely beautiful Brankovina church yard.
Valjevo mountain range (
Medvednik ,
Jablanik ,
Povlen ,
Maljen ,
Suvobor ) with gently-rolling hills surrounding the town is an oasis of clean air, medicinal herbs, forest fruits and wild game. The environment is kept away from industrialisation, the soil unpolluted, so the food is healthy too, and the conditions for hunting and fishing in the mountain rivers are extraordinary. The air-spa of
Divčibare is ideal for rest, rehabilitation and recreation. Divčibare, a plateau in the mountain Maljen, with a picnicking tradition of 100 years, has an average
Altitude of 1000 m. It is 28 km away from Valjevo and 110 km from Belgrade. The epithet “air-spa” refers to the beneficial effect of Divčibare to the respiratory organs resulting from the meeting of maritime, Carpathian and Panonian climates. This picnic area is featured by private accommodation. Mountain lodges in other Valjevo mountains can accommodate mountain fans.
Vrujci Spa has
Mud Bath s for
Rheumatic diseases, as well as a hotel and sport complex with swimming pools.
The canyon of the river
Gradac , (also a name of a suburb in Valjevo) whose course, with almost untouched nature, ends in the town centre, is a favourite picnic area of Valjevo citizens during hot summer days. The Gradac is one of the cleanest European rivers, which is evidenced by the presence of otters, which exclusively inhabit clean waters. It abounds in brook
Trout , so it is a haven for fly angling fans. Old water mills are one of the symbols of this natural reserve of 13 square kilometres, which has been entrusted by the Valjevo Municipal Assembly to the Gradac Ecological Society. It might become a national park in the near future.
In
Petnica , 5 km away from Valjevo, there are Petnica Science Center for young researchers, outdoor swimming pools with minor sports facilities, as well as lake Pocibrava, a meeting place for swimmers and fishermen.
The most important cultural institutions are the National Museum, under whose auspices is the Museum of the First and Second Serbian Uprising and displays in Brankovina, the Institute for Protectionof Cultural Monuments, Historical Archive, Town Library with scientific, home and children’s departments, Cultural Centre with well-equipped stage and auditorium with 630 seats, the Youth Centre with "Gallery 34" for exhibitions and forums and Serbian Language and Culture Workshop, the famous school of Serbian for foreigners. Valjevo has two elite galleries: Modern Gallery with a permanent display of works of Academician
Ljuba Popović (1953-63 period), collection of works presented by the exhibitors so far, and a concept of representing fantastic painting after the model of the famous "
Mediala ", and the International Art Studio "Radovan Mića Trnavac", which stages exhibitions of foreign painters of different styles. The Cultural and Artistic Society "Abrašević" has a renowned choir, folk, music and drama ensembles. Besides "Abrašević", the theatrical performances are given by the private theatre "Mala scena" and the Drama Studio of Valjevo Grammar School. The most famous cultural events are Tešnjar Evenings and YU Jazz Fest, accompanied by summer literary talks in the Library Yard and Desanka’s May Talks, along with granting the annual poetry award by the
Desanka Maksimović Foundation in Brankovina.
- St Sava Athletic Race (27January)
- Children Sports and Recreation Festival on Divčibare (February)
- Festival of Flautists from Music Schools and Academies (March)
- Festival of Independent Films (April)
- YU Jazz Festival (1st weekend in May)
- Desanka’s May Talks (Valjevo – Brankovina, 15-16 May)
- International Children’s Folk Festival (May)
- Republic Reciting Show (May)
- Days of Medicinal Herbs in Valjevo Mountains (July)
- Days of Children Culture (May-June)
- Raspberry Days in Brankovina (June)
- Petrovdan Days in Valjevska Kamenica (11-12 July)
- Jeep Rally through Valjevo Mountains (July)
- Library Yard Literary Evenings (July-August)
- Summer School of Serbian Language and Culture (July-August)
- Tešnjar Evenings (2nd half of August)
- Motocyclists’ Parade (August)
- October Writers’ Meetings in Honour of Desanka (October)
- Mushroom Days on Divčibare (1st weekend in October)
