Kraljevo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kraljevo
Краљево
City
Monument in the city center

Coat of arms
Location of the municipality of Kraljevo within Serbia
Coordinates: 43°43′25″N 20°41′15″E / 43.72361°N 20.68750°E / 43.72361; 20.68750Coordinates: 43°43′25″N 20°41′15″E / 43.72361°N 20.68750°E / 43.72361; 20.68750
Country  Serbia
District Raška
Settlements 92
Government
 • Mayor Dragan Jovanović
Area[1]
 • Municipality 1,530 km2 (590 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)[2]
 • Town 68,749
 • Municipality 125,488
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 36000
Area code +381 36
Car plates KV
Website kraljevo.org

Kraljevo (Serbian: Краљево / Kraljevo; [krǎːʎɛʋɔ] ( listen)) is a city in Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 kilometres (4 miles) west of its confluence with the Western Morava. It is located in the midst of an upland valley, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.

In 2011 the city has population of 68,749 (administrative area: 125,488). It is the administrative center of the Raška District of Serbia. The city administrative area consists of 16 settlements. In 1991, Kraljevo administrative area had 80,559 inhabitants. Because of the enormous number of internally displaced persons from Kosovo (around 18,500), the population of Kraljevo today is estimated to be close to 100,000.

On November 3, 2010 a 5.4 magnitude earthquake occurred in this city, damaging many buildings and killing two people.[3]

Name

Formerly known as Rudo Polje (Рудо Поље), Karanovac (Карановац) and Rankovićevo (Ранковићево), Kraljevo received its present name, meaning "the King's Town", from King Milan I of Serbia.

History and sights

Kraljevo City Museum

By far its most interesting feature is the Coronation church belonging to Žiča monastery. Here seven kings are said to have been crowned (seven crowns on coat of arms represents seven kings). The church is Byzantine in style, and has been partially restored; but the main tower dates from the year 1210, when it was founded by Saint Sava, the patron saint of Serbia.

The famous monastery of Studenica, 39 km (24 mi) south by west of Kraljevo, stands high up among the south-western mountains, overlooking the Studenica, a tributary of the Ibar. It consists of a group of old-fashioned timber and plaster buildings, a tall belfry, and a diminutive church of white marble, founded in 1190 by King Stefan Nemanja, who himself turned monk and was canonized as Saint Simeon. The carvings round the north, south and west doors have been partially defaced by the Turks. The inner walls are decorated with Byzantine frescoes, among which only a painting of the Last Supper, and the portraits of five saints, remain un-restored. The dome and narthex are modern additions. Besides the silver shrine of Saint Simeon, many gold and silver ornaments, church vessels and old manuscripts, there are a set of vestments and a reliquary, believed by the monks to have been the property of Saint Sava who founded the first hospital in Studenica in 13th century.

2010 earthquake

Main article: 2010 Serbia earthquake

Kraljevo was shaken by a Mw 5.4 earthquake on 3 November 2010. Two people were killed and over 100 suffered light injuries. A number of buildings suffered damage, and several hundreds, chiefly older buildings, were rendered unusable.[4][5] There were several weaker aftershocks including a 4.3 Mw earthquake on November 4.[6][7]

Municipality

At 1,530 square kilometres (591 sq mi) Kraljevo is the largest municipality of Serbia by area. Apart from the city, municipality of Kraljevo includes 92 settlements:

Of those, Adrani, Centar, Čibukovac, Grdica, Higijenski Zavod, Jarčujak, Konarevo, Mataruge, Mataruška Banja, Metikoš, Ratina, Ribnica, Stara Čaršija, Vitanovac, Vrba, Zaklopača, Zelengora and Žiča lie within the proper city limits.

Demographics

Ethnic groups in the town of Kraljevo: (2011 census)

Ethnic group population
Serbs 120,267
Roma 1,266
Macedonians 224
Yugoslavs 106
Croats 162
Total 125,488

Famous residents

NBA player Vlade Divac started his career in Kraljevo, while playing for "Sloga" basketball club (his wife is from Kraljevo). He now donates to the club. Another NBA player, Nenad Krstić was born in Kraljevo, and played for "Mašinac" basketball club from Kraljevo. Kraljevo is the birthplace of international footballer Aleksandar Luković. Parachute jumper Zoran Pavićević was born in Kraljevo. Rade Đurđevac athletic trainer the living in Kraljevo and was born in Kosovo Polje.Basketball coach Mihajlo-Miki Vuković.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Serbia

Kraljevo is twinned with:

Sport

The most popular sports in Kraljevo are basketball, volleyball and football. The town is known as "Serbian Bologna" because it is home of KK Sloga and KK Mašinac both playing in Top Serbian basketball division - Naša Sinalko Liga. Kraljevo's volleyball team OK Ribnica recently became one of the best teams in Serbia. FK Sloga Kraljevo is the best Kraljevo football team.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-11-28. 
  2. ↑ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in The Republic of Serbia: Age and Sex – Data by settlements". Statistical Office of Republic Of Serbia, Belgrade. 2012. ISBN 978-86-6161-023-3. Retrieved 2013-09-11. 
  3. ↑ Earthquake kills two in central Serbia, BBC
  4. ↑ Danas.rs
  5. ↑ 2 killed in earthquake in central Serbia
  6. ↑ Dan posle zemljotresa
  7. ↑ Magnitude 4.3 - SERBIA
  8. ↑ "Zielona Góra Miasta partnerskie". Urząd Miasta Zielona Góra. Retrieved 2013-06-24. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kraljevo.
Municipalities and cities of Serbia
Municipalities
Municipalities and cities of Vojvodina
Municipalities and cities of Šumadija and Western Serbia
Municipalities and cities of Southern and Eastern Serbia
1 Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. Kosovo's independence has been recognised by 107 out of 193 United Nations member states.
Capital: Kraljevo
Villages
Landmarks
Notable people
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.