Mladenovac

Mladenovac

Младеновац (Serbian)
Mladenovac Младеновац (Serbian)
Municipality
	A monument in Mladenovac
	Coat of arms
	Location of Mladenovac within the city of Belgrade
	Coordinates: 44°26′N 20°42′E / 44.433°N 20.700°E
Country	Serbia
City	Belgrade
Settlements	22
Government
• Municipality president	Vladan Glišić (SNS)
Area
• Urban	11.36 km2 (4.39 sq mi)
• Municipality	338.97 km2 (130.88 sq mi)
Population (2022 census)
• Urban	22,346
• Urban density	2,000/km2 (5,100/sq mi)
• Municipality	48,683
• Municipality density	140/km2 (370/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	11400
Area code	+381 11
Car plates	BG
Website	www.mladenovac.rs

Mladenovac (Serbian Cyrillic: Младеновац, pronounced [mlâde̞nɔ̝v̞at͡s]) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 48,683 inhabitants, while the urban area has 22,346 inhabitants.

Name

Its name stems from word 'youth' in Serbian. According to a legend, the emergence of the name is brought in connection with a man named Mladen, who established himself after the battle on the Kosovo in 1389 with his two brothers in this desert area. The brothers separated and the place, where Mladen had established himself, was called Mladenovac.

History

In the village of Kovačevac, 4.5 km (2.80 mi) from downtown Mladenovac, there is an archaeological locality Divičmeđ. It spreads on 10 ha (24.71 acres) in the valley of the Veliki Lug river and contains remains from the prehistoric and medieval periods. Medieval settlement was located under the Brest plateau, surrounding the Divičmeđ and Bunar water springs. Excavations were conducted in 1986-1987 (headed by Milica Janković) and 1995. Oldest settlement from this period is dated to the 9th century. It had shallow dug houses, with scattered clay vessels and iron arrowheads discovered, too. This settlement disappeared in c.900, but was revived in the 10th century. Apart from pottery artifacts, also discovered were jewelry, lead beads (presumably for religious purpose), soldiers' vests and square artisan furnace, cut into the wall, with the places for sitting and laying around it.^[4]

The settlement disappeared again in the 13th century but was established again in the mid-14th century. This locality yielded fine, thin ceramics, Serbian coins and ornamental, gold plated rivets, shaped like eagle heads. The settlement died out around c.1400 and was never settled again. In total, there are 250 registered archaeological localities on the Mladenovac municipal territory, 98 of which are from the Middle Ages.^[4]

The first official data over a settlement in this area are mentioned in the Ottoman census of 1528. The day of the urban district is 2 August, when Mladenovac was given the status of a town in 1893.

In 1971, the municipality of Mladenovac, along with Lazarevac, was annexed to the city of Belgrade.

On 4 May 2023, nine people were killed and thirteen others were injured in a spree shooting in the villages of Dubona and Šepšin.^[5]

Geography

This town, situated about 47 km (29.20 mi) in the south of Belgrade, is a part of the district of the capital city of Serbia. Together with the suburban settlements Kovačevac, Koraćica, Markovac, Jagnjilo, Senaja, Granice, Velika Krsna, Dubona, Šepšin, Velika Ivanča, Rajkovac, Selo Mladenovac, Rabrovac, Amerić, Vrbica the municipality of Mladenovac extends over 339 km² (130.89 sq mi) and has 53,050 inhabitants.

Features

Kosmaj with its altitude of 628 m is the highest point in this region. A monument dedicated to Serbs (Partisans) who lost their lives in World War II fights that took place in this area sits at the top of this mountain.

A medieval monastery Tresije, built in the 13th century, is located on the way from the town center to Mount Kosmaj.

Mladenovac is also a crossing point of many trading and transporting routes such as Belgrade, Kragujevac, Aranđelovac, Smederevo, Smederevska Palanka.

Neighborhoods and settlements

Suburban:

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1948	37,662	—
1953	39,945	+1.18%
1961	44,769	+1.44%
1971	47,134	+0.52%
1981	52,489	+1.08%
1991	56,389	+0.72%
2002	52,490	−0.65%
2011	53,096	+0.13%
2022	48,683	−0.79%
Source: ^[6]

According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has a population of 53,096 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality (as of 2022):

Ethnic group	Population
Serbs	45,219
Romani	1,129
Macedonians	72
Yugoslavs	69
Montenegrins	58
Others	833
Unknown	1,303
Total	48,683

Economy

Most of the inhabitants of Mladenovac are working in the industrial factories. The most prominent large companies are: Keramika, Progres, Minel trafo, Elektrošumadija, Cobest and Makovica.

There is a game hunting ground "Varovnica" in the municipality.^[7] Other touristic attractions in the municipality include the nearby Kosmaj mountain with its monasteries, monuments and excursion complexes, Selters Spa, lakes of Markovac and Rabrovac, and the ethno-village of Amerić.^[8]

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):^[9]

Activity	Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	171
Mining and quarrying	3
Manufacturing	2,433
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	110
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	293
Construction	312
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	1,736
Transportation and storage	489
Accommodation and food services	388
Information and communication	121
Financial and insurance activities	169
Real estate activities	43
Professional, scientific and technical activities	305
Administrative and support service activities	126
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security	573
Education	718
Human health and social work activities	1,294
Arts, entertainment and recreation	119
Other service activities	206
Individual agricultural workers	680
Total	10,290

Selters Spa

The Selters Institute for Rehabilitation is located 50 km (31 mi) southeast from Belgrade, in the urban area of Mladenovac. The first water well with warm salty water was dug in 1893. After the water from the thermo-mineral spring was analyzed, it showed similarities with the waters from spas Bad Ems in Germany, Royat in France and Luhačovice in Bohemia, but it was most comparable to the Selters Spa in Germany, so it was named the same way. Water was awarded with medals in Brussels (1906) and London (1907). The health resort was initially developed by Dr. Naum Atanasijević, who sold his inheritance, a steam mill, and invested the money into the villa with 30 beds.^[10]

Thermal water comes from two springs. The spa continued to develop during Interbellum, when number of visitors exceeded Mladenovac's population. The modern complex was reconstructed and expanded in 1975, when state Institute for Occupational Medicine and Rehabilitation purchased the center. Rehabilitation center "Sokobanjska" was opened in 1989 in Belgrade itself, and later administratively became part of Selters.^[11]

The water is beneficial for the patients with strokes, rheumatism, orthopedic problems and cerebral palsy. The institute also provides the mud healing therapies though it has no natural healing mud. It is made from the mixture of thermal water, clay and zeolite, which matures in special pools and then is kept at 40 °C (104 °F). As of 2017, the complex has a floor area of 26,000 m² (280,000 sq ft) with 300 beds, wellness and spa centers, a park of 14 ha (35 acres) and 7,000 patients yearly.^[10]

With the surrounding neighborhoods, Selters forms one of the "local communities", sub-municipal administrative units, of the town of Mladenovac. It had a population of 3,619 in 1981,^[12] 4,468 in 1991,^[13] 5,094 in 2002^[14] and 4,601 in 2011.^[15]

Education

The biggest primary school is "Momcilo Zivojinovic" with over 2000 pupils. Second in size is "Sveti Sava" primary school. There is also a primary school "Kosta Đukić" in Mladenovac. Also in Mladenovac exist 8 primary schools and 2 secondary schools. It has a long history, educating many pupils and having many teachers work in it. Every one of them left a trace in the school's history. The primary school Kosta Đukić was founded in 1968. Its pupils have shown very good results in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. It is one of three town’s schools in Mladenovac and its nearby Selters Institute for Rehabilitation. This school has also classes in villages Međulužje, Pružatovac, Markovac, Koraćica, Vlaška and Velika Ivanča. The school in Koraćica has existed for over 150 years. The school is very successful in many fields. Its pupils in recent years have shown good results in various republic and national competitions. The school also has a lot of playgrounds for basketball, football, etc. The Grammar School in Mladenovac is very successful in Serbian and history, especially in republic competitions.

References

^ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
^ "Насеља општине Младеновац" (PDF). stat.gov.rs (in Serbian). Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
^ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia: Comparative Overview of the Number of Population in 1948, 1953, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2002 and 2011, Data by settlements" (PDF). Statistical Office of Republic Of Serbia, Belgrade. 2014. ISBN 978-86-6161-109-4. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
^ ^a ^b Branka Vasiljević, Velibor Katić (22 June 2020). "Srednjovekovno blago nadomak centra grada" [Medieval treasure on the outskirts of the city]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 15.
^ Vaš, Gordana (2023-06-23). "Preminuo jedan od povređenih u masovnoj pucnjavi u Malom Orašju". N1 (in Serbian). Retrieved 2023-06-23.
^ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
^ Branka Vasiljević (5 August 2018). "Lovci u Beograd stižu porodično" [Hunters travel to Belgrade with their families]. Politika (in Serbian).
^ Branka Vasiljević, Ana Vuković (31 May 2020). Живописна природа, пецање, шетња, богата историја... [Colorful nature, fishing, walking, rich history...]. Politika (in Serbian).
^ "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.
^ ^a ^b Danijela Davidov Kesar (5 October 2017), "Lekovita Selters banja spremna za Arape", Politika (in Serbian), p. 113
^ Danijela Davidov Kesar (12 October 2022), У "Селтерс" бањи пацијенти се опорављају и од постковид синдрома [Patients with post-Covid syndrome recuperate in Selters Spa also], Politika (in Serbian), p. 08
^ Osnovni skupovi stanovništva u zemlji – SFRJ, SR i SAP, opštine i mesne zajednice 31.03.1981, tabela 191. Savezni zavod za statistiku (txt file). 1983.
^ Stanovništvo prema migracionim obeležjima – SFRJ, SR i SAP, opštine i mesne zajednice 31.03.1991, tabela 018. Savezni zavod za statistiku (txt file).
^ Popis stanovništva po mesnim zajednicama, Saopštenje 40/2002, page 4. Zavod za informatiku i statistiku grada Beograda. 26 July 2002.
^ Stanovništvo po opštinama i mesnim zajednicama, Popis 2011. Grad Beograd – Sektor statistike (xls file). 23 April 2015.