Smederevo (Serbian Cyrillic:Смедерево,pronounced[smêdereʋo]ⓘ) is acity and the administrative center of thePodunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of theDanube, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) downstream of the Serbian capital,Belgrade.
According to the 2022 census, the city has a population of 59,261, with 97,930 people living in its administrative area.
Its history starts in the 1st century BC, after the conquest of theRoman Empire, when there existed a settlement by the name ofVinceia. The modern city traces its roots back to theLate Middle Ages when it was the capital (1430–39, and 1444–59) of the lastindependent Serbian state beforeOttoman conquest.
Smederevo is said to be the city of iron (гвожђе /gvožđe) and grapes (грожђе /grožđe).
The Latin-Italian name also occurs in Belogradum et Semendria and Belgrado e Semendria, two of the short-lived 20th-century synonyms of the Latintitular bishopric of Belgrade, which was suppressed in 1948 in favor of the residential LatinArchdiocese of Belgrade (Beograd) and 'newly' established titular bishopric ofAlba Marittima.
LinguistPetar Skok suggests that the name derives from that ofSaint Demetrius.[3] Alternatively, it has been suggested that the name comes from the medieval Serbian personal nameSmender, or from the wordssmet'deep snow' and Old Serbiandrevo'wood'.[4]
Smederevo Coat of Arms uses two shades of blue, which deviates from theheraldic principles (only one shade of every color, contrasting those). Also, the bar with the year 1430 is placed over the shield. Emblem elements are six white discs arranged 3 + 2 + 1, which represents grapes,Smederevo Fortress, dark blue and white horizontal lines (representing theDanube).[citation needed]
During the 7th millennium BC, theStarčevo culture thrived for millennia, followed by the 6th millennium BCVinča culture which also flourished in the region. ThePaleo-Balkan tribes ofDacians andThracians emerged in the area during the 2nd millennium BC, with theCelticScordisci raiding the Balkans in the 3rd century BC.
In the 1st century BC, theRoman Empire conquered Vinceia. Subsequently, it was incorporated intoMoesia, later becoming part ofMoesia Superior.[5] During the administrative reforms ofDiocletian (244–311), it was included in theDiocese of Moesia, and later in theDiocese of Dacia. Vinceia held significance as a principal town of Moesia Superior, situated near the confluence of the Margus and Brongus rivers.[6][7]
The modern founder of the city was the Serbian despotĐurađ Branković in the 15th century, who built Smederevo Fortress in 1430 as the new Serbian capital.[8] According to the Greek historianTheodore Spandounes, the fortress was constructed byGeorge Kantakouzenos, Branković's brother-in-law through his consort the Byzantine princessIrene.[9] Smederevo was the residence of the Branković house and the capital of the Serbian Despotate from 1430 until 1439, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire after a siege lasting two months.
In 1444, in accordance with the terms of thePeace of Szeged between theKingdom of Hungary and theOttoman Empire, the Sultan returned Smederevo to Đurađ Branković, who was allied to the Hungarian commanderJohn Hunyadi.[10] On 22 August 1444 the Serb prince peacefully took possession of the evacuated town.[11] When Hunyadi broke the peace treaty, Đurađ Branković remained neutral. Serbia became a battleground between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottomans, and the angry Branković captured Hunyadi after his defeat at theSecond Battle of Kosovo in 1448. Hunyadi was imprisoned in Smederevo Fortress for a short time.
In 1454 SultanMehmed II besieged Smederevo and devastated Serbia. The town was liberated by Hunyadi. In 1459 Smederevo was again captured by the Ottomans after the death of Branković. The town became a Turkish border-fortress and played an important part inOttoman–Hungarian Wars until 1526. Due to its strategic location, Smederevo was gradually rebuilt and enlarged. For a long period, the town was the capital of theSanjak of Smederevo.
In autumn 1476, a joint army of Hungarians and Serbs tried to capture the fortress from the Ottomans. They built three wooden counter-fortresses, but after months of siege, Sultan Mehmed II himself came to drive them away. After fierce fighting the Hungarians agreed to withdraw. In 1494Pál Kinizsi tried to capture Smederevo from the Ottomans.[12] In 1512 the Hungarian commander (later pretender to the throne)John Zápolya unsuccessfully laid siege to the town.[10]
During theFirst Serbian Uprising in 1806, the city became the temporary capital of Serbia, as well as the seat of thePraviteljstvujušči sovjet ("governing council"), a government headed byDositej Obradović. The first basic school was founded in 1806. During World War II, the city was occupied byGerman forces, who storedammunition in the fortress. On 5 June 1941, acatastrophic explosion severely damaged the fortress, killing nearly 2,000 residents.
After World War II, Smederevo became an industrial and cultural center ofPodunavlje District. Under the overall industrial development of theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the city received a boost in infrastructure. Due to the ideal geographical position of Smederevo, the socialist government supported the building of roads, apartment buildings and dozens of factories.
Some of the most notable factories built and renewed in period between 1950s until the end of 1980s were Zelvoz (called Heroj Srba under the SFR Yugoslavia), renewed in 1966, and a new steel plant built on outskirts of Smederevo at that time,Sartid (formerly MKS), which was completely operational in 1971.
Smederevo has a recent history ofheavy industry andmanufacturing, which is a result of intense industrialization of the region during the 1950s-1960s era. Previously, this entire geographical region had a heavy focus on agricultural production.
The city is home to the only operatingsteel mill in the country,Železara Smederevo, previously known as Sartid, which is situated in the suburb ofRadinac. This was privatized and sold toU.S. Steel in 2003 for $33 million.[17] Following the global economic crisis, U.S. Steel sold the plant to the government of Serbia for a symbolic $1 to avoid closing the plant. The plant was renamed Železara Smederevo and at the time employed 5,400 workers.[18] In 2016, the Serbian government managed to strike a deal with a Chinese conglomerateHesteel Group, which purchased the effective assets for $46 million.[19]
The "Milan Blagojević"home appliance factory is the second largest industry company in the city. Smederevo is also an agricultural area, with significant production of fruit and vines. However, the large agricultural combine "Godomin" has been in financial difficulty since the 1990s and is almost defunct as of 2005[update]. Thegrape variety known asSmederevka is named after the city. The "Ishrana" factory is an important supplier of bakery products in northern and eastern Serbia.[citation needed]
A U.S.-Dutch consortium, Comico Oil, planned to build a $250 million oil refinery in the industrial zone of the city in 2012.[20] However, the consortium lost its permit to build the refinery after it failed to meet payment deadlines for the land lease a year later.[21]
The river traffic infrastructure of the city of Smederevo consists of Danube waterway, old port, marina, new port, terminal for liquidNaftna Industrija Srbije loads, as well as smaller piers (gravel pits) which are located along the bank in the industrial zone.[citation needed] The port is registered for international traffic and is located in the very center of the city of Smederevo.
It has reloading capacities which can realize 1.5 million freight tons a year.[citation needed] By 2019, theGovernment of Serbia invested 9.5 million euros for new railway construction built for the needs of Port of Smederevo.[24] It was also announced that starting in 2020, the Government of Serbia plans to invest 93 million euros for the construction of new Port Terminal.[24][25]
There is an oldwhite mulberry tree in the center of Smederevo. CalledKarađorđev Dud ("Karađorđe's Mulberry"), it is estimated to be over 300 years old. Though there are no historical sources to specifically confirm that, it is believed that under this treedizdar Muharem Guša, Ottoman commander of the fortress, handed over the keys to the city to Karađorđe on 8 November 1805, after the city was liberated during theFirst Serbian Uprising. In May 2018 the tree was declared a third categorynatural monument, as the first "living" monument in Smederevo. The three is supported by metallic pipes, but there is an initiative that two sculptures, shaped like a male and female hand, should be installed instead.[26]
^Arrowsmith, Aaron (1832).A Grammar of Ancient Geography: Compiled for the Use of King's College School. London: Hansard. p. 108.
^Bobot, Rajko; Rakić, Kosta, eds. (1985).Socialist Republic of Serbia. Jugoslovenska Revija. p. 187.Smederevo, in medieval times the capital of the Serbian despotate, is among the oldest towns in Serbia. It was here, in 1430, that despot Djuradj Branković built a fortified palace (the so-called Little Castle or Smederevo Fortress). Later, he extended it into the Big Castle.
^Faroqhi, Suraiya (2012). Bearman, P. (ed.)."Semendire".Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online (EI-2 English).Brill. Retrieved24 January 2025.
^Tietze, Andreas (1985).Habsburgisch-osmanische Beziehungen [Habsburg-Ottoman relations] (in German). Vienna: Verlag des Verbandes der wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaften Österreichs. p. 8.ISBN9783853696149.
^Mikavica, A. (3 September 2017)."Slobodne zone mamac za investitore" [Free zones are a lure for investors].Politika.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved17 March 2019.
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