Loznica ( sr-cyrl, Лозница, ) is a city located in the

Mačva District The Mačva District ( sr, / , ) is one of eight administrative districts of Šumadija and Western Serbia. It expands in the western parts of Serbia, in the geographical regions of Mačva, Podrinje, Posavina, and Pocerina. According to the 201 ...

of western Serbia. It lies on the right bank of the

Drina The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long Balkans river, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps wh ...

river. In 2011 the city had a total population of 19,572, while the administrative area had a population of 79,327. Its name stems from the word "loza" (the Serbian word for ''

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselve ...

''). Originally, its name was ''Lozica'' ( Serbian for ''small vine''), but it later became ''Loznica''.

History

The oldest settlements on the territory of Jadar and Loznica can be traced to 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 part ...

period when the

Starčevo culture The Starčevo culture is an archaeological culture of Southeastern Europe, dating to the Neolithic period between ''c.'' 6200 and 4500 BCE. It originates in the spread of the Neolithic package of peoples and technological innovations including fa ...

flourished from 4500–3000 BC. Illyrian and

Celtic tribes This is a list of Celtic tribes, organized in order of the likely ethnolinguistic kinship of the peoples and tribes. In Classical antiquity, Celts were a large number and a significant part of the population in many regions of Western Europe ...

inhabited the region prior to the

Roman 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 letter ...

conquest in 75 BC. Roman conquest of the

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 whol ...

brought huge changes: the territory became part of the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...

. The most important settlement in Jadar was ''Genzis'', located near Lešnica, while the Roman settlement in present-day Loznica was called ''Ad Drinum''. Legend tells that Loznica was named after the grape vines that were grown in this region, starting from the 3rd century BC in the time of Roman Emperor Probus. The first reference to the town as Loznica dates back to the reign of Serbian King

Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&n ...

, when Catherine, the wife of Milutin's brother Dragutin, founded the nearby monastery of Tronoša (1317). Loznica received little notice for the next two hundred years. By 1533, Loznica had been conquered from the

Serbian Despotate The Serbian Despotate ( sr, / ) was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and ...

by the

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 was then populated by

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

; according to the tax registry, out of 37 houses, 26 houses were Muslim and 11 were Christian. In 1600, Loznica became an officially Muslim (

Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, ...

) settlement with 55 houses. In this period Loznica and Jadar were part of the region administered from

Zvornik Zvornik ( sr-cyrl, Зворник, ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in Republika Srpska, on the left bank of the Drina river. In 2013, it had a population of 58,856 inhabitants. The town of Mali Zvornik ("Little Zvornik") lies ...

. The Zvornik region itself was ruled by the

pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitari ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. Striving toward liberation from Ottoman rule, the population of Loznica was actively involved in the common fight of the Serbian people, beginning with 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 18 ...

of 1804. The uprising was very important since the Ottomans did not easily give up on the border part of their territory from which they could harvest taxes and supply their army as well as break through towards the central part of the rebellious Serbia. During the whole period of the First Uprising (1804–13), numerous and heavy battles against the Ottomans were fought in Loznica and its vicinity. In 1813 the Serbs managed to drive the Ottomans across the river

, at which time the Ottomans reoccupied Loznica. In November 1833, Loznica and Jadar officially became part of the

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation wa ...

, during the rule of

Miloš Obrenović Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name Sportsmen * Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower * Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer * Miloš Budaković, Serbian ...

, when

Sultan Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

ceded six seized regions to Serbia. This resulted in the abolition of Ottoman ownership over the land and it was declared a

free peasant Free tenants, also known as free peasants, were tenant farmer peasants in medieval England who occupied a unique place in the medieval hierarchy. They were characterized by the low rents which they paid to their manorial lord. They were sub ...

state, which meant that the

feudal system Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structu ...

was revoked. Jadar became part of the

Podrinje Podrinje (Serbian Cyrillic: Подриње) is the Slavic name of the Drina river basin, known in English as the Drina Valley. The Drina basin is shared between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, with majority of its territory being located in ...

region, while Loznica became the seat of the region, remaining in this role until the end of the 19th century, when the capital was moved to

Šabac Šabac (Serbian Cyrillic: Шабац, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river Sava. , the city ...

. During the thirties of the 19th century, Loznica had 295 houses with 1203 people and became the centre of the administrative and political power of Podrinje. The education system started to develop and a hospital was set up (1882), construction of industrial buildings started, craftsmen, trade and banking started to develop. Construction of the railway between Šabac, Loznica and Banja Koviljaca started by the beginning of the 20th century. The

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

and

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighti ...

halted economic development and significantly reduced the number of people in Loznica and vicinity. Upon completion of the First World War, Loznica remained a regional centre with about 5000 people. There was a short period of reconstruction and economic development, followed by the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagion ...

, which saw a decline in the prices of agricultural products. By the mid-1930s, craft and trade shops had been established, bringing some relief to the economy. Later, the antimony mines were acquired by German industrialists which further strengthened the economy. This growth was, however, brought to an abrupt halt at the beginning of World War II. Loznica became the first city in Europe to be liberated from German occupation when

Chetnik The Chetniks ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Четници, Četnici, ; sl, Četniki), formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationa ...

units entered on 31 August 1941. In January 2008, according to the Serbian law, Loznica received the status of a city.

Geography and climate

The city is located in western

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

, in the

, near the border with

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

. It lies on the right bank of the

river.

Climate

Loznica has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

with cold winters, often very cold due to the mountain winds of nearby mountains, and warm to hot summers. When hot air from

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...

starts going inland, to the north-east it rises over mountain barriers ( Zlatar and

Zlatibor Zlatibor ( sr-cyr, Златибoр ) is a mountainous region situated in the western part of Serbia. Among the most popular places in Serbia for tourism, Zlatibor's main attractions include health tourism, skiing, and hiking and the longest p ...

), gaining jet effect and continuing fast to western parts of

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the ethnic groups in the city of Loznica include

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...

(79,327), and smaller numbers of

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

(761),

ethnic Muslims Muslims ( Serbo-Croatian Latin and sl, Muslimani, Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic and mk, Муслимани) is a designation for a Serbo-Croatian speaking Muslims, inhabiting mostly the territory of the former Yugoslav republics. The term, adopted ...

(660),

Yugoslavs Yugoslavs or Yugoslavians ( Bosnian and Croatian: ''Jugoslaveni'', Serbian and Macedonian ''Jugosloveni''/Југословени; sl, Jugoslovani) is an identity that was originally designed to refer to a united South Slavic people. It has b ...

(74),

Montenegrins Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Genetics Accordi ...

(58) and others.

Settlements

Aside from Loznica, the city includes the following settlements: * Banja Koviljača * Baščeluci * Bradić * Brezjak * Brnjac * Veliko Selo * Voćnjak * Gornja Badanja * Gornja Borina * Gornja Koviljača * Gornja Sipulja *

Gornje Nedeljice Gornje Nedeljice ( sr-Cyrl, Горње Недељице) is a village in the municipality of Loznica, Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Ce ...

* Gornji Dobrić * Grnčara * Donja Badanja * Donja Sipulja * Donje Nedeljice * Donji Dobrić * Draginac *

Zajača Zajača is a village in the municipality of Loznica Loznica ( sr-cyrl, Лозница, ) is a city located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. It lies on the right bank of the Drina river. In 2011 the city had a total population of 19,572 ...

* Jadranska Lešnica * Jarebice * Jelav * Joševa * Jugovići * Kamenica *

Klupci Klupci ( sr-Cyrl, Клупци) is a locality of Serbia located in the municipality of Loznica, district of Mačva. Klupci the village In 2002 it had a population of 7297 inhabitants, 95% of which were ethnic Serbs. In spite of the number of i ...

* Kozjak * Korenita * Krajišnici * Lešnica * Lipnica * Lipnički Šor * Lozničko Polje *

Milina Milina (Serbian: Милина) is a village in the municipality of Loznica, Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at ...

* Meraja * Novo Selo * Paskovac * Ploča * Pomijača * Ribarice * Runjani * Simino Brdo * Slatina * Straža * Stupnica * Tekeriš * Trbosilje * Trbušnica *

Tršić Tršić (Serbian Cyrillic: Тршић, ) is a village in the municipality of Loznica, located in the Mačva region of Serbia. It is the birthplace of Serbian linguist and language reformer, Vuk Stefanović Karadžić. Most houses in the area are ...

* Filipovići * Cikote * Čokešina * Šurice

Society and culture

Culture

Among cultural heritage include the Church of the Holy Virgin located in the town, the 14th-century Čokešina Monastery, the 13th-century Tronoša Monastery, and monuments on Mount Gučevo, in Tekeriš, and in Draginac, as well as the ethnic village of

. A Serbian epic poem is the ''Battle of Loznica'' in which the central figure Anta Bogičević leads Serbian forces during the

. The most important local cultural event is "Vukov Sabor" (Council of Vuk) in Tršić, held annually in September, in memory of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić who was born in the village; it remains the oldest and largest cultural event in Serbia, for its importance and the increasing volume (20-30,000 visitors).

Sport

Loznica's local football club is called FK Loznica, with the Lagator Stadium as home ground.

Economy

The largest factory of Loznica was "HI Viskoza Loznica", founded in 1957 with over 10,000 employees (1981), at the time when the city had 18,000 inhabitants. Production of trailers was primarily in the factory "FAK Loznica", and textile production in "Moda" Loznica. Italian manufacturer of stockings and women's underwear "Golden Lady" has a factory in Loznica, exporting to countries of the European Union. For now the factory employs 550 workers. Also, one of the largest lithium deposits (

Jadar mine The Jadar mining project is a proposed mining site. The deposit is one of the largest lithium deposits in the world and also contains boron. It is planned that both lithium and boron will be recovered from the ore. The deposit contains the mineral ...

) in Serbia with total reserves of 125.3 million tonnes is located in Loznica. The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Gallery

File:Loznica city museum.JPG, Museum in Loznica File:Vukov Dom Kulture.JPG, Vukov Dom File:Corso in Loznica.JPG, Corso in Loznica File:Church in Loznica by night.JPG, Church in Loznica File:Stira creek & Intermezzo.JPG, Creek Stira File:Elementary school Anta Bogicevic in Loznica.JPG, Elementary school Anta Bogicevic File:Central bus station in Loznica.JPG, Bus station in Loznica File:Statue of Duke Stepa Stepanovic.jpg, Statue of Vojvoda Stepa Stepanovic Tekeriš, Spomenik cerskim junacima, 03.jpg, The Memorial Ossuary in Tekeriš to the victims of the

Battle of Cer The Battle of Cer, ; german: Schlacht von Cer; hu, Ceri csata. Also known as the Battle of the Jadar River (Јадарска битка, ''Jadarska bitka''; ''Schlacht von Jadar''; ''Jadar csata''). was a military campaign fought between Austr ...

Twin cities

Płock Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to th ...

, Poland *

Ivanić-Grad Ivanić-Grad or Ivanić Grad ( is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of Moslavina. Geography Ivanić-Grad is located south-east from Zagreb, connected: * by highway A3 (Bregana-Zagreb-Ivanić-Grad-Slavonski Brod-Lipovac) * by train ...

, Croatia

Notable people

Jovan Cvijić Jovan Cvijić ( sr-cyr, Јован Цвијић, ; 1865 – 16 January 1927) was a Serbian geographer and ethnologist, president of the Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences and rector of the University of Belgrade. Cvijić is considered th ...

, geographer, president of the

Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Serbica, sr-Cyr, Српска академија наука и уметности, САНУ, Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, SANU) is a national academy and the ...

and rector of the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-ba ...

* Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, linguist, born in Tršić, educated in Tronoša *

Saša Janković Saša Janković ( sr-cyr, Саша Јанковић, ; born 27 April 1970) is a Serbian lawyer, journalist, human rights activist and politician who served as the National Ombudsman of the Republic of Serbia between 2007 and 2017. He resigned his ...

, Ombudsman of Serbia *

Dragan Kojić Keba Dragan Kojić (), better known as Keba (), is a Serbian singer. Debuted in 1976, he has a career spanning more than four decades and remains one of the most acclaimed Serbian folk singers. Kojić also appeared in the second season of the Serb ...

, singer *

Sinan Sakić Sinan Sakić (; 13 October 1956 – 1 June 2018) was a Serbian pop-folk singer. Sakić first reached massive popularity as a member of the Yugoslav turbo-folk band, Južni Vetar (''Southern Wind''). He also went on to have a successful career ...

, singer *

Momčilo Spremić Momčilo Spremić ( sr, Момчило Спремић; born August 29, 1937) is a Serbian historian and member of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts. He is professor of General history of the Middle Ages at the University of Belgrade Faculty ...

, historian * Zlatko Junuzović, Austrian football player * Aleksandra Crvendakić, basketball player, Olympic bronze medalist * Branko Lazić, basketball player, EuroBasket silver medalist * Aleksandar Gligoric, actor *

Dragan Mićanović Dragan Mićanović ( sr, Драган Мићановић; born 30 September 1970) is a Serbian actor. He had roles in the films ''Layer Cake'' (2004), '' The White Countess'' (2005) and ''RocknRolla'' (2008). Mićanović played his first role ab ...

, Serbian actor *

Milinko Pantić Milinko Pantić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милинко Пантић, born 5 September 1966) is a Serbian retired footballer and current manager. Playing career Pantić spent the first six seasons of his professional career with FK Partizan between 19 ...

, Serbian football player and coach.

References

External links

City of Loznica

Internet portal Loznica
{{Mačva District Populated places in Mačva District Municipalities and cities of Šumadija and Western Serbia Starčevo–Körös–Criș culture