Jagodina
{{Serbian cities 3|native_name = Јагодина
Jagodina|common_name = Jagodina|image_coat_of_arms = Jagodina.gif|image_coat_of_arms_size = 130px|Coat_of_arms_legend =
City coat of arms|image_map =JAGODINAloc.png|mayor =
Dragan Marković - Palma(
United Serbia)|area = 470 km²|population = 35,589 (70,894 municipality)|date-population = (1991 census)|density =|date-density =|coordinates = [
1]|code = +381 35|subdivisions = 53 settlements in the municipality|plates = JA|zone = |site = [
2]|notes = |
Jagodina (
Serbian Cyrillic: Јагодина) is a city located in central
Serbia at 43.98° North, 21.26° East, 136 km south of
Belgrade, on the banks of the river
Belica. Its name stems from the word for
strawberry in Serbian. It is the administrative center of the
Pomoravlje District of Serbia.
The city is first known from
1399, as "Jagodna". From
1946 to
1992 the city's name was
Svetozarevo, after 19th century Serb socialist
Svetozar Marković. The city went through the stone and Bronze Age, Greek, Roman and Byzantine times. When Serbs started to fight against centuries long Turkish rule many fight were though in Jagodina, for Jagodina. After Serbs freed their country from the
Ottoman Empire, Jagodina went through a monumental industrial development. In 1944 Jagodina was freed from
Nazi Germany and went on to become part of
communist Yugoslavia and
socialist Yugoslavia,
Serbia and Montenegro and finally
Serbia.
Dragan Marković is the current mayor of Jagodina elected in
October 2004. He was earlier associated with
Arkan's
Party of Serbian Unity , but has since formed his own political party, called
United Serbia. Marković is usually called Palma as he owns a Serbian TV station called
Palma Plus (which does not, anymore, have a connection with TV channel
Palma). Previously, the Democratic Party of
Boris Tadić held power in Jagodina.
Palma is loved by the countrymen but hated by those who live in the city because of his mob connections and also because Palma created a law that forces stores to close at 1:00 AM. There is however a club that stays open until 1:30 it just so happens to be owned by Palma.
Bombing of Jagodina
During NATO's bombardment of
Yugoslavia that lasted 78 days suburbs of Jagodina were heavily bombed. Industrial companies in Jagodina were also hit meaning a loss of jobs for many citizens. Thankfully no one was hurt in Jagodina during the bombing and the
Serbian Government has reconstructed factories hit during the bombing.
On the first census in
1918, Jagodina has around 276 home. The last Turkish family to move out was in
1832. By
1837 Jagodina had 5.220 citizens, while Serbia had some 41.374 citizens.
In 1866 there were 4.429 citizens that worked in agriculture and trading. In
1876 there were 91.88% of agriculturists.
A few epidemics of the
plague and other events caused a stop in the growth of citizens therefore the population in 1900 was 4.765 while in 2931 there were 6.950 citizens. At the beginning of the sixties Jagodina had some 19.769 citizens and in 1971 it had 27.500. In the last census held
1991 Jagodina had 77.000 citizens while the city itself has 36.000. The next census will be held in
2007.
Festivals
*
Days of comedy*
Musical fall (Jagodina)
*
Meeting of the villageArts
In Jagodina lived and worked the greatest Serbian writer, poet and painter
Djura Jaksić.
Theatres
*
National theatre Jagodina*
Amateur theatre Jagodina*
Children's theatre JagodinaMuseums
*
Musum of Jagodina*
Naive museum of JagodinaMovie theatres
After
World War II a library and two smaller movie theatres were the only cultural potential in the city of Jagodina. Today, there is a Jagodina movie theatre that is also used as a theatre and has some 500 seats.
Zoo
Jagodina opened its
zoo on
July 10,
2006. Jagodina zoo is now the third in Serbia, next to
Belgrade and
Palić, with around a 100 different kinds animals. Jagodina zoo has a surface of 20,074 square meters and construction started on
April 3, 2006 and was at a cost 30 million Serbian Dinars (
CSD).
The Municipality invested 40% and the donators provided 60% of the means while the biggest donator had been Belgrade Zoo.
The zoo in Jagodina is settled in the complex of the City Park "Đurđevo brdo", which is the monument to nature and employs 30 people.
The zoo is built according to the world and national standards - it has pedestrian zones for children, old and disabled persons and it has high-quality infrastructure. There is also a coffee shop in the Zoo.
The first primary school in Jagodina was opened in 1806.Other cultural centres are:
*
Pedagogism academy Jagodina*
High School Jagodina*
School centre Jagodina*
Jagodina music schoolJagodina is an industrial city. The biggest factory in Jagodina is the cables factory. "Industrija kablova" (cable industry) - Jagodina (
FKS) was founded in
1947 and regular production started in
1955. FKS employs about 8.000 workers. The Jagodina cable factory is one of the biggest in the Serbian cable industry. It also produces accessories and connectors. 50% of the total Serbian production of cable industry is produced in Jagodina. FKS is one of the biggest Serbian exporters of cable products. About 2/3 of its production is placed on the foreign market, which at the same time represents more than 60% of total export of the Serbian cable industry.
Other factories include:
* Glass factory
* Beer of Jagodina
* "Minel"
* "Juhor"
* "Future"
* "Resava"
* "New road"
* Pomoravlje
*
1737 - Proclamation of war against the
Turks*
1814 - First primary school opened in Jagodina
*
1846 - Glass factory opened in Jagodina called "Avramovac". It is the first factory of glass in Serbia. The same year the first railway station was built in Jagodina.
*
1999 - Jagodina bombed by NATO forces
*
Serbia*
Šumadija*
Jagodina Municipal Council*
City of Jagodina*
Jagodina cable industry
