Smederevo
Smederevo
| Smederevo Смедерево |
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| Coordinates: 44°40′N 20°56′E / 44.667°N 20.933°E | |||
| Country | Serbia | ||
| District | Podunavlje | ||
| Settlements | 27 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Predrag Umićević (DS) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Municipality | 484 km2 (186.9 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2002 census) | |||
| - Town | 77,808 | ||
| - Municipality | 109,809 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 11300 | ||
| Area code | +381 26 | ||
| Car plates | SD | ||
| Website | www.smederevo.org.rs | ||
Smederevo (Serbian: Смедерево, pronounced [smê̞de̞re̞v̞ɔ̝]) is a city and municipality in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, about 40 km downstream of the capital Belgrade. In 2002 the city had a total population of 77,808, and the surrounding municipality had a population of 109,809. It is the administrative center of the Podunavlje District.
Its history starts in the 1st century BC, with the conquerings of the Roman Empire, when there existed a town called Vinceia. The modern city traces its roots back to the late Middle Ages when it was the capital (1430–1439 and 1444–1459) of the last independent Serbian state before the Ottoman conquest.
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Name
In Serbian, the city is known as Smederevo (Смедерево), in Latin, Romanian and Greek as Semendria, in Hungarian as Szendrő or Vég-Szendrő, in Turkish as Semendire.
History
Pre-History
In the 7th millennium BC, the Starčevo culture existed for a millennia, succeeded by the 6th millennium BC Vinča culture that prospered in the region.
Iron Age
The Paleo-Balkan tribes of Dacians and Thracians dwelled in the area in Ancient times, with the Celtic Scordisci raiding the Balkans in the 3rd century BC.
Roman
Romans conquered Vinceia in the 1st century BC, it was organized into Moesia, later Moesia Superior and in the 3rd century AD administrative reforms of Diocletian (244-311) it was part of the Diocese of Moesia, then the Diocese of Dacia. It was a principal town of Moesia Superior, near the confluence of Margus and Brongus (Morava rivers, between Mons Aureus and Margum).
Middle Ages
The modern founder of the city was the Serbian prince Đurađ Branković in the 15th century, who built Smederevo Fortress in 1430 as the new Serbian capital. When he became lord of Tokaj in Hungary, he planted vines from Smederevo on his estates there; from these came the famous Tokaji white wine. Smederevo was the residence of Branković and the capital of Serbia from 1430 until 1439, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire after a siege lasting two months.
Sanjak of Smederevo
In 1444, in accordance with the terms of the Peace of Szeged between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire the Sultan returned Smederevo to Đurađ Branković, who was allied to John Hunyadi. On 22 August 1444 the Serb prince peacefully took possession of the evacuated town.
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 the Second Battle of Kosovo in 1448. Hunyadi was imprisoned in Smederevo fortress for a short time.
In 1454 Sultan Mehmed 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 in Ottoman–Hungarian Wars until 1526. Because of its strategic location, Smederevo was gradually rebuilt and enlarged. For a long period, the town was the capital of the Sanjak 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 1494 Pál Kinizsi tried to capture Smederevo from the Ottomans but he was stricken with palsy and died. In 1512 John Zápolya unsuccessfully laid siege to the town.
Modern
During the First Serbian Uprising in 1806, the city became the temporary capital of Serbia, as well as the seat of the Praviteljstvujušči sovjet, a government headed by Dositej Obradović. The first basic school was founded in 1806.
During World War II, the city was occupied by German forces, who placed an arsenal of ammunition in the fortress. On June 5, 1941 a catastrophic explosion severely damaged the fortress and killed thousands of people in the city.
Municipality
The municipality of Smederevo includes the following villages (population according to 2002 census given in brackets):
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Economy
Smederevo is an industrial city, and the center of Serbia's steel industry. The factory previously known as Sartid was purchased by U.S. Steel in 2003; USS Serbia employs over 7,000 workers. The "Milan Blagojević" home appliance factory is the second most important factory 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. The grape variety known as Smederevka is named after the city. The "Ishrana" factory is an important supplier of bakery products in northern and eastern Serbia.
Company Comico Oil announced its plans for oil refinery erection by 2013. in industrial zone of the city. However, building works should begin just after the local assembly's permission.
Demographics
In the 2002 census, there was 109,809 residents in the municipality, of which 104,755 were Serbs. The city had population of 77,808, of which 94.47% are ethnic Serbs.
Population through history
- 1805. : 4,000 (estimate)
- 1834. : 3,907
- 1874. : 8,343
- 1884. : 6,600
- 1900. : 7,141
- 1905. : 7,097
- 1910. : 7,411
- 1921. : 8,500
- 1931. : 10,500
- 1941. : 11,500 (estimate)
- 1948. : 14,206 (24,761)*
- 1953. : 18,328 (29,663)*
- 1961. : 27,182 (39,793)*
- 1971. : 40,192 (54,257)*
- 1981. : 55,369 (69,814)*
- 1991. : 61,990 (76,984)*
- 2002. : 62,805 (77,808)*
- 2008. : 67,684 (84,456)* (estimate)
( )* - Population related to the present day boundaries of the city
The population increased between 2002 and 2008. This increase is most likely because of the large number of Serb refugees and internally displaced persons from Kosovo and Metohija (in 2003, that number was 7,152, not including those who moved permanently to Smederevo since the last census, and those who came to live with their relatives). They settled mostly in urban parts of Smederevo, but also in some suburban settlements such as Radinac, Lipe, Vucak and Petrijevo. The population of three other suburban settlements (Salinac, Seone, and Udovice) has also risen but that increase has been less substantial than in the above-mentioned settlements.
The latest estimates of internally displaced persons made after 2004, claim that the number of such persons in Smederevo grew from 7,152 to 8,194 in the period of just one year. This happened due to the exodus of the Serb and Roma population from Kosovo following March 17, 2004. Some other estimates claim that the number of these persons is around 10,000.
Politics
Seats in the municipal parliament won in the 2008 local elections:
- Democratic Party (14)
- "Movement for Smederevo" citizens group (12)
- "Coalition for better Smederevo" (11)
- Socialist Party of Serbia (7)
- Serbian Radical Party (16)
- Democratic Party of Serbia - New Serbia (10)
Twin towns
Smederevo is twinned with:
Pale, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska
Volos, Greece
Herceg Novi, Montenegro
See also
- Smederevo Airport
- List of places in Serbia
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Notes
- ^ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/axd/en/Zip/OG2006webE.zip. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ^ (in Serbian) Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i Stanova 2002. Knjiga 1: Nacionalna ili etnička pripadnost po naseljima. Statistical Office of Serbia. 2003. ISBN 86-84443-00-09. May be downloaded from: [1]
- ^ p.317
- ^ p.1310
- ^ Aaron Arrowsmith, A grammar of ancient geography,: compiled for the use of King's College School (1832), p. 108, family of publishers Hansard (London)
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