Velika Plana (Serbian Cyrillic: Велика Плана, pronounced [ʋêlikaː plǎːna] ) is a town and municipality located in the Podunavlje District of Serbia. As of 2022, the town has 14,609 inhabitants, while the municipality has 35,451. Velika Plana lies on the left bank of Velika Morava.

Velika Plana
Велика Плана (Serbian)
Town centre
Town centre
Flag of Velika Plana
Coat of arms of Velika Plana
Location of the municipality of Velika Plana within Serbia
Location of the municipality of Velika Plana within Serbia
Coordinates: 44°20.041′N 21°04.61′E / 44.334017°N 21.07683°E / 44.334017; 21.07683
Country Serbia
RegionSouthern and Eastern Serbia
DistrictPodunavlje
Settlements13
Government
 • MayorStrahinja Pavešković (SNS)
Area
 • Town47.64 km2 (18.39 sq mi)
 • Municipality345 km2 (133 sq mi)
Elevation
123 m (404 ft)
Population
 (2022 census)[3]
 • Town
14,609
 • Town density310/km2 (790/sq mi)
 • Municipality
35,451
 • Municipality density100/km2 (270/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
11320
Area code+381(0)26
Car platesVP
Websitewww.velikaplana.org.rs

Neighbourhoods

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Administration Building

The municipality of Velika Plana has 13 settlements. The town is composed of three townships:[4] Town Mains, Stari Odbor (the Old Downtown),[5][6] and Bresje. Town Mains is further subdivided into the neighbourhoods of Centar, Bugarija, Đurakovac, Kod Železničke (railway station area), Gloža-Ciglana (brick factory area) where a tiny Morava river village has been reconstructed,[7] and Magareća Glava ('Donkey Head'). There is also a satellite so-called weekend settlement (vikend naselje) next to the Pokajnica monastery between Velika Plana, Staro Selo and Radovanje.

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
194843,188—    
195345,804+1.18%
196146,952+0.31%
197148,443+0.31%
198152,114+0.73%
199150,650−0.28%
200244,167−1.24%
201140,902−0.85%
202235,451−1.29%
Source: [8]

As of the 2011 census, the municipality had 40,902 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

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The ethnic composition of the municipality:[9]

Ethnic group Population %
Serbs 38,761 94.77%
Roma 380 0.93%
Montenegrins 62 0.15%
Macedonians 43 0.11%
Croats 32 0.08%
Yugoslavs 29 0.07%
Romanians 25 0.06%
Bulgarians 24 0.06%
Albanians 19 0.05%
Hungarians 17 0.04%
Others 1,510 3.69%
Total 40,902

Economy

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Meat processing plant of Scheuß & Schumacher, built between 1894 and 1902

The origins of industry in Velika Plana is connected to its agricultural environment and starts in the 1880s. Before World War II, there were three slaughterhouses-meat processing plants here, first that of Italian citizen of German origin Toni Klefiš (Tony Klefisch), and later that of Germans Christian Scheuß and Wilhelm Schumacher, and the one whose stocks were owned by a group of three larger and seven smaller Serbian entrepreneurs.

After World War II, all this property was nationalised and unified into a huge plant, expanding to include all sorts of food and food-related production, all the way to clothes and duvets with goose down. These have, however, folded in the 1990s with the disastrous events concurrent with the breakdown of ex-Yugoslavia.

Today, the main form of industry is a branch of Goša FOM from Smederevska Palanka[10] and the newly opened plant which produces parts for the military industry.[11][12]

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):[13]

Activity Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 167
Mining and quarrying 45
Manufacturing 1,904
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 64
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 200
Construction 418
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 1,837
Transportation and storage 378
Accommodation and food services 362
Information and communication 67
Financial and insurance activities 75
Real estate activities 4
Professional, scientific and technical activities 214
Administrative and support service activities 137
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security 397
Education 626
Human health and social work activities 315
Arts, entertainment and recreation 87
Other service activities 150
Individual agricultural workers 430
Total 7,876

Transportation

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Velika Plana Train Station

The main Serbian A1 motorway from Subotica to Niš goes by the town. The town is also an important railroad junction. Twin tracks go south toward Niš, a track goes west to Belgrade, and a track goes north to Mala Krsna junction, where it splits towards Belgrade, Smederevo and Požarevac. This, in combination with the fact that many bus lines from southern Serbia to Belgrade and Vojvodina make a stop at the town bus station, makes Velika Plana an important transportation hub of central Serbia.[citation needed]

Culture and society

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Education

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Velika Plana has three elementary schools in the town itself: Sveti Sava (previously named Moša Pijade), Karađorđe (previously named Мiloš Mitrović), and Nadežda Petrović, and 11 in the surrounding suburbs and villages.

It also has three high schools: a gymnasium, technical high school and business assistant high school.

The Velika Plana Veterinary Centre started artificial insemination in cows in 1957 and later expanded to other livestock and claims to be one of the leading centres of its kind in Southeastern Europe.[14]

Leisure and historic monuments

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Zahvalnica Church
 
Pokajnica Monastery near Velika Plana
 
Koporin Monastery

Town has large town park near centre and several smaller parks across town.

At the outskirts of the town are three important ecclesiastical monuments: the early 15th century Koporin Monastery where Despot Stefan Lazarević, son of Prince Lazar of the Battle of Kosovo is buried; the early 19th century Pokajnica Monastery built as a sign of repentance (Serbian: pokajanje/покајање) by the murderer of Karađorđe, leader of the First Serbian Uprising and the founder of the Karađorđević royal family of Serbia and later Yugoslavia; as well as a small church built by King Alexander Karađorđević of Yugoslavia at the exact place of his ancestor's murder.

The latter two are within 4 kilometres (2 miles) from each other, and easily reachable by public transit. Koporin is more secluded but still within 11 km (7 mi) from the other two.

Rock festival

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The Plana Demo Fest rock music festival has been organised since 2009 and is sponsored by the Velika Plana Youth Community Centre.

Notable people

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International relations

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Velika Plana is twinned with:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  2. ^ "Насеља општине Велика Плана" (PDF). .stat.gov.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Census 2022: Total population, by municipalities and cities". popis2022.stat.gov.rs.
  4. ^ "Sajt opštine Velika Plana". Velikaplana.opstinesrbije.com. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Stari odbor". Bisnode.rs. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Стара_Општина,_Велика_Плана,_Србија Мапа". maps7.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  7. ^ "PRAZNICI NAM STIŽU". Etnoselo.rs. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  8. ^ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Попис становништва, домаћинстава и станова 2011. у Републици Србији" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Republički zavod za statistiku. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  10. ^ "GOŠA MONTAŽA ad". 6 January 2015. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  11. ^ "sumadijapress.co.rs". Sumadijapress.co.rs. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  12. ^ "YouTube". Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ "MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA, 2019" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. 25 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Refer to its site (in Serbian)". Svcvelikaplana.com. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  15. ^ s.r.l., Officine Digitali. "Gemellaggi e Rapporti Internazionali – La Città – Città e territorio – Comune di Conselice". Comune.conselice.ra.it. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
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