Velika Plana Велика Плана (Serbian) | |
|---|---|
Town andmunicipality | |
 Town centre | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of the municipality of Velika Plana within Serbia | |
| Coordinates:44°20.041′N21°04.61′E / 44.334017°N 21.07683°E /44.334017; 21.07683 | |
| Country |  Serbia |
| Region | Southern and Eastern Serbia |
| District | Podunavlje |
| Settlements | 13 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Strahinja Pavešković (SNS) |
| Area | |
| • Town | 47.64 km2 (18.39 sq mi) |
| • Municipality | 345 km2 (133 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 123 m (404 ft) |
| Population (2022 census)[3] | |
| • Town | 14,609 |
| • Town density | 306.7/km2 (794.2/sq mi) |
| • Municipality | 35,451 |
| • Municipality density | 103/km2 (266/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 11320 |
| Area code | +381(0)26 |
| Car plates | VP |
| Website | www |
Velika Plana (Serbian Cyrillic:Велика Плана, pronounced[ʋêlikaːplǎːna]ⓘ) is a town and municipality located in thePodunavlje District of Serbia. As of 2022, the town has 14,609 inhabitants, while the municipality has 35,451. Velika Plana lies on the left bank ofVelika Morava.
The municipality of Velika Plana has 13 settlements. The town is composed of three townships:[4] Town Mains, Stari Odbor (the Old Downtown),[5][6] and Bresje. Town Mains is further subdivided into the neighbourhoods of Centar, Bugarija, Đurakovac, Kod Železničke (railway station area), Gloža-Ciglana (brick factory area) where a tiny Morava river village has been reconstructed,[7] and Magareća Glava ('Donkey Head'). There is also a satellite so-called weekend settlement (vikend naselje) next to thePokajnica monastery between Velika Plana,Staro Selo andRadovanje.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 43,188 | — |
| 1953 | 45,804 | +1.18% |
| 1961 | 46,952 | +0.31% |
| 1971 | 48,443 | +0.31% |
| 1981 | 52,114 | +0.73% |
| 1991 | 50,650 | −0.28% |
| 2002 | 44,167 | −1.24% |
| 2011 | 40,902 | −0.85% |
| 2022 | 35,451 | −1.29% |
| Source:[8] | ||
As of the 2011 census, the municipality had 40,902 inhabitants.
The ethnic composition of the municipality:[9]
| Ethnic group | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Serbs | 38,761 | 94.77% |
| Roma | 380 | 0.93% |
| Montenegrins | 62 | 0.15% |
| Macedonians | 43 | 0.11% |
| Croats | 32 | 0.08% |
| Yugoslavs | 29 | 0.07% |
| Romanians | 25 | 0.06% |
| Bulgarians | 24 | 0.06% |
| Albanians | 19 | 0.05% |
| Hungarians | 17 | 0.04% |
| Others | 1,510 | 3.69% |
| Total | 40,902 |
The origins of industry in Velika Plana are connected to itsagricultural environment and starts in the 1880s. BeforeWorld War II, there were threeslaughterhouses-meat processing plants here, first that of Italian citizen of German origin Toni Klefiš (Tony Klefisch), and later that of Germans Christian Scheuß and Wilhelm Schumacher, and the one whose stocks were owned by a group of three larger and seven smaller Serbianentrepreneurs.
After World War II, all this property was nationalised and unified into a huge plant, expanding to include all sorts of food and food-related production, all the way to clothes and duvets with goose down. These have, however, folded in the 1990s with the disastrous events concurrent with the breakup of the formerYugoslavia.
Today, the main form of industry is a branch ofGoša FOM fromSmederevska Palanka[10] and the newly opened plant which produces parts for the military industry.[11][12]
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):[13]
| Activity | Total |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 167 |
| Mining and quarrying | 45 |
| Manufacturing | 1,904 |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 64 |
| Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 200 |
| Construction | 418 |
| Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 1,837 |
| Transportation and storage | 378 |
| Accommodation and food services | 362 |
| Information and communication | 67 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 75 |
| Real estate activities | 4 |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 214 |
| Administrative and support service activities | 137 |
| Public administration and defense; compulsory social security | 397 |
| Education | 626 |
| Human health and social work activities | 315 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 87 |
| Other service activities | 150 |
| Individual agricultural workers | 430 |
| Total | 7,876 |
The main SerbianA1 motorway fromSubotica toNiš goes by the town. The town is also an important railroad junction. Twin tracks go south toward Niš, a track goes west to Belgrade, and a track goes north toMala Krsna junction, where it splits towards Belgrade,Smederevo andPožarevac. This, in combination with the fact that many bus lines from southern Serbia to Belgrade andVojvodina make a stop at the town bus station, makes Velika Plana an important transportation hub of central Serbia.[citation needed]
Velika Plana has three elementary schools in the town itself: Sveti Sava (previously named Moša Pijade), Karađorđe (previously named Мiloš Mitrović), and Nadežda Petrović, and 11 in the surrounding suburbs and villages.
It also has three high schools: agymnasium, technical high school and business assistant high school.
The Velika Plana Veterinary Centre started artificial insemination in cows in 1957 and later expanded to other livestock and claims to be one of the leading centres of its kind in Southeastern Europe.[14]
Town has large town park near centre and several smaller parks across town.
At the outskirts of the town are three important ecclesiastical monuments: the early 15th centuryKoporin Monastery whereDespotStefan Lazarević, son ofPrince Lazar of theBattle of Kosovo is buried; the early 19th centuryPokajnica Monastery built as a sign of repentance (Serbian:pokajanje/покајање) by the murderer ofKarađorđe, leader of the First Serbian Uprising and the founder of theKarađorđević royal family of Serbia and later Yugoslavia; as well as a small church built byKing Alexander Karađorđević of Yugoslavia at the exact place of his ancestor's murder.
The latter two are within 4 kilometres (2 miles) from each other, and easily reachable by public transit. Koporin is more secluded but still within 11 km (7 mi) from the other two.
The Plana Demo Fest rock music festival has been organised since 2009 and is sponsored by the Velika Plana Youth Community Centre.
Velika Plana istwinned with:
Capital:Velika Plana | ||
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