Lajkovac Лајковац (Serbian) | |
|---|---|
Town andmunicipality | |
 Town center promenade | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of the municipality of Lajkovac within Serbia | |
| Coordinates:44°22′N20°10′E / 44.367°N 20.167°E /44.367; 20.167 | |
| Country |  Serbia |
| Region | Šumadija and Western Serbia |
| District | Kolubara |
| Settlements | 19 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Andrija Živković (SNS) |
| Area | |
| • Town | 2.23 km2 (0.86 sq mi) |
| • Municipality | 186 km2 (72 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 113 m (371 ft) |
| Population (2022 census)[2] | |
| • Town | 3,211 |
| • Town density | 1,440/km2 (3,730/sq mi) |
| • Municipality | 13,825 |
| • Municipality density | 74.3/km2 (193/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 14224 |
| Area code | +381(0)14 |
| Car plates | VA |
| Website | www |
Lajkovac (Serbian Cyrillic:Лајковац) is a town and municipality located in theKolubara District of western Serbia. As of 2022, it has population of 3,211 inhabitants, while the municipality has 13,825 inhabitants.
It is located in the valley of riverKolubara and near theIbar highway.
In the surrounding villages of Jabučje, Skobalj, Nepričava and Bogovađa there are remains from theRoman period. At Ćelije there is an archaeological localityAnine [sr], also from the Roman times, with the well preserved Roman villa and a major estate around it. Anine is located 1 km (0.62 mi) from the confluence of the Ljig river into the Kolubara. There are also artifacts and monuments from theSerbian medieval period,First Serbian Uprising,Second Serbian Uprising and bothWorld Wars, especiallyWorld War I as the majorBattle of Kolubara against the invading Austro-Hungarian army was fought in the area in November-December 1914.[3]
The town was heavily flooded by the Kolubara river. In July 1926 the water destroyed the entire agricultural output, also flooding the railway. The area was also damaged during the catastrophic2014 Southeast Europe floods.[3]
Aside from the town of Lajkovac, the following settlements are comprised in the municipality of Lajkovac:
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 17,587 | — |
| 1953 | 18,411 | +0.92% |
| 1961 | 18,985 | +0.38% |
| 1971 | 18,270 | −0.38% |
| 1981 | 17,950 | −0.18% |
| 1991 | 17,716 | −0.13% |
| 2002 | 17,062 | −0.34% |
| 2011 | 15,475 | −1.08% |
| 2022 | 13,825 | −1.02% |
| Source:[4] | ||
According to the 2011 census results, the municipality of Lajkovac has 15,475 inhabitants.
The ethnic composition of the municipality:[5]
| Ethnic group | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Serbs | 14,381 | 92.93% |
| Roma | 775 | 5.01% |
| Montenegrins | 22 | 0.14% |
| Yugoslavs | 16 | 0.10% |
| Macedonians | 13 | 0.08% |
| Croats | 11 | 0.07% |
| Others | 257 | 1.66% |
| Total | 15,475 |
Unlike the past, when the railway was the leading employer in the area, most of Lajkovac inhabitants today work atsurface pits of theKolubara coal basin, that stretch on the municipal areas of Lajkovac, Lazarevac andUb. Other major industries includeagriculture (especiallydairy andfruit production),electricity wiring metal constructions andtextile manufacturing.
Thanks to the surface mining, Lajkovac is usually among the municipalities with the highestaverage wage andemployment figures in Serbia.
Tourist spots in the town and its vicinity include theBogovađa Monastery and the memorial Saint George's Church in the village of Ćelije.[3]
Lajkovac was well known for its watermills (Serbian:vodenica). There are several still operational in 2018 though they are mostly a tourist attractions today. The most popular areJolića vodenica,Kumova vodenica,Ilića vodenica andSretenovića vodenica.Jolića vodenica is location of an annual folk festivalHajdučki rastanak.[3]
The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity (as of 2017):[6]
| Activity | Total |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 29 |
| Mining | 1,313 |
| Processing industry | 543 |
| Distribution of power, gas and water | - |
| Distribution of water and water waste management | 84 |
| Construction | 164 |
| Wholesale and retail, repair | 293 |
| Traffic, storage and communication | 112 |
| Hotels and restaurants | 65 |
| Media and telecommunications | 15 |
| Finance and insurance | 18 |
| Property stock and charter | 4 |
| Professional, scientific, innovative and technical activities | 50 |
| Administrative and other services | 20 |
| Administration and social assurance | 144 |
| Education | 285 |
| Healthcare and social work | 112 |
| Art, leisure and recreation | 54 |
| Other services | 39 |
| Total | 3,344 |
The first railway line to pass through Lajkovac was a 760-millimeter (Bosnian gauge) line fromObrenovac toValjevo which became operational on 14 September 1908.[3] Two years later, Lajkovac got another line toMladenovac. Just before the outbreak ofWorld War I, the Serbian government started construction of line toČačak, but the early war operations halted the development. In 1914,Dual Monarchy army stormed the city and destroyed much of the infrastructure; shortly afterwards, however the same force continued construction of a line to Čačak. After the end of the war in 1921, Čačak line was completed, connecting Lajkovac with Sarajevo and the Adriatic seaports ofDubrovnik andHerceg Novi. In 1928, the Obrenovac line was extended to Belgrade, which promoted the town into a railway hub of major importance.
The lots around the railway were quickly urbanized and mostly turned into thekafanas. In the late 1930s there were 11kafanas in Lajkovac, as people had to make connections in Lajkovac since it was a crossroad from all four sides (Belgrade, Aranđelovac, Mladenovac, Sarajevo). Especially popular was theŽeleznička restoracija ("Railway restaurant"), which is still operation as of March 2018. Among notable frequent guests were politicianMehmed Spaho and mathematicianMika Petrović Alas. The town prospered greatly becoming a major railway crossroads and this period is today considered as the Lajkovac's "Golden Age". There were 41 railway tracks in town itself, with one train arriving every 10 minutes. At one point, there were 1,500 railwaymen working on a railroad.[3] The first train using thestandard gauge reached Lajkovac on 7 July 1968.[7] The decline of theYugoslav Railways narrow-gauge network in 1960s led to a decision that all narrow-gauge lines should cease operation during the 1970s. At the same time, theBelgrade-Bar standard gauge line passed through Lajkovac.
Much of the narrow-gauge infrastructure remains in the town today, such as awater tower (nicknamedBuzometar),turntable,roundhouse and many rolling stock sheds.[3] All that infrastructure except for the water tower still serves standard-gauge locomotive stock. There are plans to convert these facilities into a railway museum.
The traditional songIde Mile Lajkovačkom prugom (Mile walks down the Lajkovac railway) is about the town; it is a staple of Serbian folk repertoire, with versions recorded byTozovac,Lepa Lukić,Šaban Šaulić, Braća Bajić and many others.
