Braničevo District

Браничевски округ Braničevski okrug
District of Serbia
Location of Braničevo District in Serbia
Country	Serbia
Administrative centre	Požarevac
Government
• Commissioner	Goran S. Petrović (DS)
Area
• Total	3,865 km2 (1,492 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
• Total	180,480
• Density	46.7/km2 (121/sq mi)
Municipalities	7 and 1 city
Settlements	189
- Cities and towns	7
- Villages	182

The Braničevo District (Serbian: Браничевски округ / Braničevski okrug), (pronounced [brǎnitʃɛv̞ɔ]; expands in the north-east of Serbia. It has a population of 180,480. The administrative centre of the district is Požarevac, a famous cross-roads, with numerous communications running through it still today. The district corresponds to the Braničevo region.

History

In the 9th century, a Slavic (or Serb^[1]) tribe known as Braničevci are mentioned living in the region. In this time, the town named Braničevo also existed in the area, at the estuary of the river Mlava into Danube. In the Early Middle Ages, Braničevo became a part of the First Bulgarian Empire. After the conquest of Bulgaria, the Byzantines established the Theme of Sirmium in the wider region south of the river Danube. Syrmia, and hence Braničevo, came to be contested between Kingdom of Hungary on the one side, and the Byzantine Empire and the Second Bulgarian Empire (after its independence from the Byzantines) on the other. In the 13th century the Hungarians established the Banate of Braničevo (Banovina of Braničevo), but later in the century two local Bulgarian rulers, Darman and Kudelin, became independent and ruled over Braničevo and Kučevo. In 1291, they were defeated by the Serbian king, Stefan Dragutin, who joined Braničevo to his Syrmian Kingdom. Under his rule the town of Braničevo became a seat of the Eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church.^[2] The region later belonged to subsequent Serbian states, until it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. In the 14th century, the region was in a possession of local rulers from the House of Rastislalić. During the Ottoman rule, Braničevo was part of the Sanjak of Smederevo, and since 19th century, it is again part of the Serbian state.

Culture

In the mid-nineteenth century, at the time of the Serbian state emancipation, Požarevac became, along with Kragujevac, the second metropolis of Prince Miloš Obrenović. During his lifetime, Prince Miloš Obrenović had erected monuments to his memory in Požarevac:

• the church in 1819
• palace (1825)
• new marketplace (1827)
• stud-farm - Ljubicevo in 1860.

Some of the places of cultural importance in Požarevac are:

• the National Museum (the first built after Belgrade)
• the Tulba Ethnic Park (a unique outdoor museum)
• Gallery of Paintings of Milena Pavlović-Barili (a distinguished surrealistic artist and poet).

Municipalities

The district encompasses the municipalities of:

Municipalities of the Braničevo district

• Veliko Gradište
• Požarevac
• Golubac
• Malo Crniće
• Žabari
• Petrovac
• Kučevo
• Žagubica

Economy

Business facilities of this district are concentrated in the vicinity of the cities of Požarevac and Costal. The most prominent is the food-industry giant: Agricultural-industrial Combine Požarevac which provides employment to huge number of men and satisfies one quarter of the overall demands of Serbia.

Demographics

Ethnic groups (2002 census)

• Serbs = 174,818 (87.2%)
• Romanians(Vlachs) = 14,083 (7.0%)
• Roma = 3,188 (1.6%)
• other (4.2%)

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Braničevo District.

• Districts of Serbia
• Administrative divisions of Serbia

References

Note: All official material made by the Government of Serbia is public by law. Information was taken from www.srbija.gov.rs.

Coordinates: 44°37′N 21°11′E / 44.617°N 21.183°E / 44.617; 21.183