Aleksinac ( sr-Cyrl, Алексинац) is a town and municipality located in the Nišava District of southern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a population of 17,978 inhabitants, while the municipality has 51,863 inhabitants.

History

Prehistory and Antiquity

The territory of the municipality of Aleksinac has been inhabited since the

neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

age. Most of the settlements in the area belong to the Vinča cultural group, and are located on the western side of the

South Morava The South Morava (Macedonian and Serbian: Јужна Морава, ''Južna Morava'', ; sq, Lumi Morava) is a river in eastern Kosovo and in southern Serbia, which represents the shorter headwater of Great Morava. Today, it is 295 km long, ...

river. After the fall to the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

this territory was included in the province Upper

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; el, Μοισία, Moisía) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River, which included most of the territory of modern eastern Serbia, Kosovo, north-eastern Alban ...

and after 293 AD it was in the Mediterranean province

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It ...

. A Roman military road ( Via Militaris) was built in 1st century AD across the territory. There were also two stations for rest (

mansio In the Roman Empire, a ''mansio'' (from the Latin word ''mansus,'' the perfect passive participle of ''manere'' "to remain" or "to stay") was an official stopping place on a Roman road, or ''via'', maintained by the central government for the use ...

) and change of horses ( mutatio) along the road on the territory of Aleksinac: Praesidium Pompei and Rappiana. Their location is still unknown, although there are few candidates for this position. Also few fortresses (Castell) are known to existed in this period, but their names are not known, except for the Castell Milareca on Gradiste hill (228 m).

Middle Ages

From the year 476 this territory was under

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

rule. There are evidences of settlements from this time, however their names still remain unknown. During the reigns of emperors

Phocas Phocas ( la, Focas; grc-gre, Φωκάς, Phōkás; 5475 October 610) was Eastern Roman emperor from 602 to 610. Initially, a middle-ranking officer in the Eastern Roman army, Phocas rose to prominence as a spokesman for dissatisfied soldie ...

(602-610) and

Heraclius Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, led a revol ...

(610-641) Slavic peoples inhabit

Balkan peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. In 614 they razed

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, whi ...

. The Via Militaris was renamed Medieval Military Road and it was used by the crusaders of first four

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

to reach

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

thus passing through the territory of Aleksinac municipality. During the reign of the Nemanjić dynasty this territory was under direct control of the state. After the death of

Uroš V __NOTOC__ Uroš ( sr-Cyrl, Урош) is a South Slavic given or last name primarily spread amongst Serbs, and Slovenians (mostly of Serbian descent). This noun has been interpreted as "lords", because it usually appears in conjunction with ''velmõ ...

this territory was included in the territory of

Moravian Serbia Moravian Serbia (), the Principality of Moravian Serbia ( sr, Кнежевина Моравска Србија, translit=Kneževina Moravska Srbija) or the Realm of Prince Lazar are the names used in historiography for the largest and most power ...

under the

Prince Lazar Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-cyr, Лазар Хребељановић; ca. 1329 – 15 June 1389) was a medieval Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empire. Lazar's state, ...

and his successors. Two medieval towns, Bolvan and Lipovac, date from this period.

Ottoman rule

Aleksinac is first mentioned in 1516 in "Kruševački Tefter", a list of towns and its residents were made by Turks to keep an eye on taxes, as the village belonging to Bolvan province and

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, t ...

sanjak Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...

. It remained village up to the end of the 16th century when it was developed into town settlement. In the middle of the 17th century, Aleksinac was town with more than 100 shops in it, and because of its strategic location on the road to

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

it became important travel and caravan station. Its importance can be supported by the fact that Turks built

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

to protect it from

outlaws An outlaw is a person living outside the law. Outlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''The Outlaws'' (1950 film), an Italian crime film * ''Outlaws'' (1985 film), a French film * ''The Outlaws'' (2017 film), a Sou ...

in 1616. The development of Aleksinac was stopped during the so-called

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...

(1683–1699). Aleksinac was conquered by Austrian army (general Ludwig of Baden liberated it), and later burned to the ground by the soldiers of Jegen-Osman Pasha. Serbian inhabitants of Aleksinac joined Great Serb Migrations to

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

and some of them settled down in Budim. Aleksinac was destroyed again by fire during the second Austro-Turkish war (1716–1718) when

grand vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

Hallil Pasha was defeated beneath the walls of

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...

. In retreat he burned down all settlements all the way to

. After the third Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739) Aleksinac developed into significant trade and handcraft center. Many

caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

s passed through it exchanging wares from entire

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

and

central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

. At the same time it became center of Aleksinac county which in 1784 consisted of 17 villages. There were 160 houses in Aleksinac at that time, 120 of them

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

and 40 Turkish. After the fourth Austro-Turkish War (1787–1791) Aleksinac was burned down again by the Turkish outlaws led by Osman Pazvantoğlu.

Modern times

Aleksinac and its surrounding area joined the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising ( sr, Prvi srpski ustanak, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; tr, Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1 ...

in January 1806. This included villages on the right bank of the

river which were liberated by the army of Petar Dobrnjac. The settlements on the left bank were liberated by

Mladen Milovanović Mladen Milovanović ( sr-cyrl, Младен Миловановић; – 1823) was a Serbian merchant and politician who served as the prime minister of Serbia from 1807 to 1810 and again from 1813 to 1814. A notable voivode during the First Ser ...

and

Stanoje Glavaš Stanoje Stamatović ( sr-cyr, Станоје Стаматовић), known as Stanoje Glavaš (Станоје Главаш; 21 February 1763 – 15 February 1815) was a Serbian hajduk and hero in the First Serbian Uprising. Life Glavaš was born i ...

. As soon as the town was liberated, Captain Vuča Žikić built the famous Deligrad trenches on the north side of Aleksinac which earned fame in battles with the Turks, especially in 1806. After the fall on the First Serbian Uprising, Aleksinac remained under Turkish rule up to December 1832 when it became integral part of Prince Miloš's Serbia. During his first reign Aleksinac became the economic centre of the south-east Serbia with numerous trade and handicrafts shops and it developed into important government centre. It became a centre of county and county court. The third

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

in Serbia (after Belgrade and

Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Serbia, and is situated on ...

) was opened in Aleksinac for both Serbian and

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

post as well as the place where

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

courier sent and received the post from

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

. At that time Customs office and quarantine station were built in Aleksinac. Aleksinac was also the site of major battles with Turks in First Serbo-Turkish war in 1876, with only true victory won on Šumatovac, 3 kilometers from Aleksinac. From 1929 to 1941, Aleksinac was part of the Morava Banovina of the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 191 ...

. Aleksinac was seriously damaged during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.

Settlements

Aside from the town of Aleksinac, the municipality includes the following settlements: * Aleksinački Bujmir * Aleksinački Rudnik * Bankovac * Beli Breg * Belja * Bobovište * Bovan * Bradarac * Vakup * Veliki Drenovac * Vitkovac * Vrelo * Vrćenovica * Vukanja * Vukašinovac * Glogovica * Golešnica * Gornja Peščanica * Gornje Suhotno * Gornji Adrovac * Gornji Krupac * Gornji Ljubeš * Gredetin * Grejač * Dašnica * Deligrad * Dobrujevac * Donja Peščanica * Donje Suhotno * Donji Adrovac * Donji Krupac * Donji Ljubeš * Draževac * Žitkovac * Jakovlje * Jasenje * Kamenica *

Katun Katun may refer to: Places * Katun (river), a tributary of the Ob in Siberia, Russia * Katun Mountains or Katun Alps, a mountain range in Russia, part of the Altai Mountains * Katun (Vranje), a village in Vranje Municipality, Serbia * Katun ( ...

Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of the Koprivnica-Križevci county. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total po ...

* Korman *

Kraljevo Kraljevo ( sr-cyr, Краљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar River, Ibar, in the geographical region of � ...

* Krušje * Kulina * Lipovac * Loznac * Loćika * Lužane * Ljupten * Mali Drenovac * Mozgovo * Moravac * Moravski Bujmir * Nozrina *

Porodin Porodin is a village in the municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The ...

* Prekonozi * Prćilovica *

Prugovac Prugovac ( sr-cyrl, Пруговац) is a village in the municipality of Aleksinac, Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situ ...

* Radevce * Rsovac * Rutevac * Srezovac * Stanci * Stublina * Subotinac * Tešica * Trnjane * Ćićina * Crna Bara * Česta * Čukurovac * Šurić

Demographics

According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Aleksinac has 51,863 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Tourism

Lake Bovan, situated 15 km from Aleksinac centre, is a place popular for tourists. The medieval monastery from the 15th century built by Despot

Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall ( sr, Стефан Високи / ''Stefan Visoki''), was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389–1402) and despot (1402–1427), ...

, St. Stefan in Lipovac, is 25 km from the city. The monastery is built beneath the slopes of Mt. Ozren (1175 m). There is also remnants of two medieval towns in the mountains surrounding Aleksinac: Bovan and Lipovac, however they are not well preserved. Image:Bovansko jezero 2.jpg, Bovan lake Image:Leskovik-pogled sa Malog Jastrepca.jpg, Ozren mountain Image:Vukanja1.jpg, Image:Autoput Aleksinac.JPG, European highway E75 Image:Vukanja3.jpg, Mali Jastrebac Image:Aleksinac_brdo.jpg, Aleksinac Image:Aleksinacka kotlina.jpg, Aleksinac valley Image:Vukanja2.jpg, Vukanja

Notable locals

* Kosta Taušanović (1854–1902), one of the founders of

Serbian Radical Party The Serbian Radical Party ( sr-cyrl, Српска радикална странка, Srpska radikalna stranka, ''SRS'') is an ultranationalist political party in Serbia. It was founded in 1991, and its founder and current leader is Vojislav � ...

, minister of police and minister of commerce, founder of first insurance company in Serbia. * Stevan Dimitrijević (1866–1953),

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and rector of Theologian University in

. *

Mihailo Gavrilović Mihailo Gavrilović ( Serbian Cyrillic: Михаило Гавриловић), (Aleksinac, May 8, 1868 – London, November 1, 1924), was a Serbian historian and diplomat. Early life Mihailo Gavrilović was born at Aleksinac in central Serbia on ...

(1868–1924) prominent Serbian historian and diplomat. * Dragutin Jovanović-Lune (1892–1932), Serbian guerrilla fighter, officer, politician, delegate and mayor of Vrnjci. He was awarded several times for his service in the Balkan Wars and World War I. * Dejan Stojanovic Serbian musician, prominent guitar player.

Trivia

* The patron saint of Aleksinac is

St. Mark Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...

. * Aleksinac was the first Serbian town to get a post office, on May 25, 1840. The second was opened in

and the third in

. * Aleksinac is the home of the Native Indians Society of Serbia.

Twin towns – sister cities

Aleksinac is twinned with: * Aiani, Greece *

Hisarya Hisarya ( bg, Хисаря , also known as ''Hisar'', ''Hissar'' or ''Hissarya'', formerly: Toplitsa) is a small resort town in Bulgaria, in Plovdiv Province. Hisar means 'fort, castle' in Arabic. The word was adopted in Persian and Ottoman Turk ...

, Bulgaria *

Laurium Laurium or Lavrio ( ell, Λαύριο; grc, Λαύρειον (later ); before early 11th century BC: Θορικός '' Thorikos''; from Middle Ages until 1908: Εργαστήρια ''Ergastiria'') is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Gree ...

, Greece *

Probištip Probištip ( mk, Пробиштип ) is a town in North Macedonia, and seat of Probištip Municipality. The town has a population of 10,826. Features Probištip is located in the southwest corner of the Osogovo Mountains, in northeastern North ...

, North Macedonia *

Zagorje ob Savi Zagorje ob Savi (; german: Sagor,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 96. ''Seger an der Sau'') is a town in the Central Sava Valley in c ...

, Slovenia

References and further reading

* ''Istorija Aleksinca i okoline do kraja prve vladavine kneza Miloša'', Sprić Miodrag, Aleksinac, 1995. * ''Aleksinac i okolina'', Dr. Branko Peruničić, Beograd, 1978.

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Nišava District Municipalities and cities of Southern and Eastern Serbia