BY PAVLOVIC BRANKO ( SEPTEMBER 1996)

VALJEVO IS A TOWN IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA ( F.R. YUGOSLAVIA).

IT LIES ON THE RIVERS KOLUBARA, JABLANICA, OBNICA, LJUBOSTINJA

AND UNPOLLUTED MOUNTAIN RIVER GRADAC, BELOW THE

MEDVEDNIK, JABLANIK, POVLEN, MALJEN AND SUVOBOR

MOUNTAINS, SOME HUNDRED KILOMETRES SOUTH-WEST OF BELGRADE.

VALJEVO HAS 60.000 INHABITANTS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS

FROM 1991. THE TOWN IS FIRST MENTIONED UNDER THE NAME GRADAC

IN A 1019 CHARTER FROM THE BYZANTINE EMPEROR. THERE ARE ONLY

ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HOW VALJEVO GOT ITS NAME. IT ORIGINATES

FROM THE SERBIAN WORD FOR OLD HANDICRAFT - FINISHING OF HEAVY

CLOTH (VALJANJE) OR FROM THE LATIN WORD FOR VALLEY (VALLIS).

THE VALJEVO DISTRICT PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART IN THE 1st AND 2nd

SERBIAN UPRISINGS AGAINST THE TURKS, WORLD WAR I AND

WORLD WAR II. VALJEVO HAS A FEW SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL

MONUMENTS: THE OLD PART OF THE TOWN -TESNJAR- WHICH IS NOW

DOWNTOWN HAS MANY SHOPS AND CRAFTSMEN WORKSHOPS FROM

THE DAYS OF OLD,THE MUSELIM'S PALACE - THE OLDEST BUILDING

IN TOWN, THE NENADOVICS TOWER ( MADE OF STONE ), THE MONUMENT

TO SOLDIERS OF REVOLUTION - A GRAND SCULPTURE DEPICTING

STEVAN FILIPOVIC, THE PARTISAN MEMORIAL CEMETERY AND SOME

MONUMENTS TO FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM THE VALJEVO AREA:

DUKE ZIVOJIN MISIC, THE GREATEST YUGOSLAV POETESS DESANKA

MAKSIMOVIC, THE PRIEST MATEJA NENADOVIC, THE FAMOUS WRITER

MILOVAN GLISIC, VUK KARADZIC AUTHOR OF ONE OF THE MOST

PERFECT ALPHABETS - THE SERBIAN CYRILLIC ALPHABET, THE PARTISAN

HERO ZIKICA JOVANOVIC, ETC. IT ALSO HAS MANY CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

SUCH AS: THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, THE CENTRAL LIBRARY (ESTABLISHED

1868.), THE FIRST CINEMA HALL ON THE BALKAN PENINSULA, THE CULTURE

CENTRE, THE MODERN GALLERY WITH A PERMANENT EXHIBITION OF

PAINTINGS BY LJUBA POPOVIC AND A FEW SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS OF

THE OLD TOWN ARCHITECTURE: THE GRAND HOTEL, VALJEVO'S HIGH

SCHOOL, THE DISTRICT COURT OF JUSTICE, THE SAVINGS BANK, THE OLD

RAILWAY STATION, ETC. THE SECOND ORTODOX CHURCH IN TOWN,

STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION, WILL BE THE SECOND BIGGEST CHURCH IN

SERBIA. VALJEVO HAS BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS AND

SEVERAL SMALLER PARKS IN THE HEART OF TOWN, SUCH AS PECINA

PARK. THE TOWN HAS 4 LOCAL RADIO PROGRAMS, AND 3 OF THEM

DON'T BROADCAST FOLKSONGS. A FEW TRADITIONAL POPULAR EVENTS:

"JAZZ FESTIVAL", "TESNJAR'S EVENINGS","SEPTEMBER DAYS" AND THE

GREATEST AMATEUR ART FESTIVAL IN SERBIA "ABRASEVIC MEETINGS"

ARE HELD IN VALJEVO. TODAY VALJEVO IS A TOWN WITH WELL-DEVELOPED

INDUSTRY AND AGRICULTURE. THE LARGEST ENTERPRISE IS

KRUSIK A METAL-WORKING INDUSTRY. THE VILLAGES AROUND VALJEVO

ARE WELL KNOWN FOR GROWING OF PLUMS AND RASPBERRIES.

NEAR THE TOWN, THERE ARE A LOT OF PICTURESQUE PLACES. DIVCIBARE,

IS AN ATTRACTIVE MOUNTAIN TOURIST CENTER WITH 240 WINDLESS

DAY A YEAR. IT IS WHITE YEAR-ROUND, HALF OF THE YEAR

BECAUSE OF SNOW AND OTHER HALF BECAUSE OF THE NARCISSUSES.

THE PUSTINJA MONASTERY, FROM THE 14th CENTURY, HAS

WELL-PRESERVED RICHLY COLOURED FRESCOES. THE MEDIEVAL

MONASTERY CELIJE IS SITUATED IN THE BEAUTIFUL GRADAC RIVER

CANYON. THE LELIC MONASTERY IS DEDICATED TO THE GREAT

SERBIAN PHILOSOPHER BISHOP NIKOLAJ VELIMIROVIC. THE PETNICA

CAVE ( ONCE A SETTLEMENT OF THE PREHISTORIC MAN ), A SWIMMING POOL

COMPLEX AND "PETNICA SCIENCE CENTER" ARE LOCATED IN PETNICA

VILLAGE. THE BRANKOVINA MEMORIAL COMPLEX IS DEDICATED TO

THE NENADOVIC FAMILY. THE MEMORIAL HOUSE OF DUKE ZIVOJIN MISIC,

IS LOCATED IN STRUGANIK VILLAGE, THE BIRTHPLACE OF THIS FAMOUS

MILITARY LEADER. PLACES OF INTEREST ARE ALSO VRUJCI SPA, TAOR'S WELLS

AND SKAKALO FALLS ON RIVER MANASTIRICA, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST