Grocka
Encyclopedia
Grocka is a suburban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade
, the capital of Serbia
.
region, with the northern section being part of the Podunavlje
macro-region in the valley of the Danube
, while the southern section is located around the valley of the Ralja
river, which is a tributary to the Velika Morava
's arm of Jezava. With an altitude of 71 meters above sea level, the town of Grocka is one of the lowest parts of Belgrade. Other rivers in the municipality are Bolečica
and Gročica.
Neighborhoods of Vrčin:
Population of the municipality:
With refugees from Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo and Metohija, it is estimated that the population has already crossed 100,000. Th ethnic structure is, as of the 2002 census: Serbs
94,7%, Montenegrins 0,8%, Roma 0,6%, Ethnic Macedonians
0,5%.
The Microclimate
is perfect for the fruit growing and grapevines, so the area east of Boleč is one of the best known fruit growing area in Serbia. Conditions are especially good for growing peaches, apricots, plums, cherries and grapes. Of the other agricultural products, wheat is the most important. The experimental farm of Radmilovac is located near Vinča, as a section of the Agricultural Faculty of the Belgrade University. At the moment, Radmilovac is being expanded as a experimental ground for future agricultural production.
As a result of this, industrial processing of the fruit is developed in Grocka, Vinča and Boleč, where the large plantations and refrigiration plants of the agricultural company PKB Beograd are located. Also, several mills are located in Grocka and Vinča.
Apart from that, the textile industry is also important (Grocka, Dunav factory,aka:Partizanka), while hundreds of small family-owned factories and work shops are located in the settlements in the western part of the municipality.
Some major traffic routes, like the Smederevski put (Smederevo road) and both the railway and highway Belgrade-Niš
, pass through the municipal territory. Also, there are several docks in the settlements on the Danube (Vinča, Grocka) with the prospect of a future marina to be built in Grocka in the next few years.
Other important facilities in the municipality are the Geomagnetic observatory in Brestovik, Nuclear Institute (with now defunct nuclear reactor) and Belgrade City dump in Vinča.
Tourism is the most developed part the municipal economy. Almost every village has its own summer festival (like Zlatni kotlić (Golden Cauldron) in Grocka or Dani trešnje (Days of cherry) in Ritopek) and three weekend-settlements (mostly by the inhabitants of Belgrade) are located in Grocka, on the bank of the Danube. The women's monastery of Rajinovac
in Begaljica, the possible marina and aqua park in Grocka and the archeological find of Vinča culture
are potential opportunities to boost the tourist economy.
municipality, the eastern section (the villages of Kaluđerica, Leštane and Vinča) were attached to Grocka. In the early 1960s, the municipalities of Umčari and Vrčin were disbanded and incorporated into the municipality of Grocka as well. Since the elections in 2000,Grocka became the most politically turbulent of all Belgrade municipalities.
Recent presidents of the municipal assembly:
As a result of the economic and demographic discrepancy between the western and eastern parts of the municipality, there is a movement for splitting the municipality in two, or perhaps three parts. Primarily, it is about the division in two, with western half becoming new municipality of Vinča, while eastern remaining the municipality of Grocka. Also, there is a possibility of Vrčin splitting from Grocka and forming new municipality of Avalski Venac
with other sub-Avalan settlements in the municipality of Voždovac
(Beli Potok
, Zuce
, Pinosava
).
Traffic is also important as Grocka is located on the road of Smederevski put. It also has a small harbor on the Danube, at the Gročica's mouth (which regularly floods Grocka).
Tourism is important for the town's economy, with several festivals during the year (most notably, the Zlatni kotlić). Large weekend-settlement (mostly by the inhabitants of Belgrade) is built on the eastern extension of the town.
The area on which modern town Grocka is located was once part of Limes
, a border defense system of Ancient Rome
. The remains of several watch-towers and small forts were found in near-by villages along the banks of the Danube
river. The town was first time mentioned in 878 under Slavic name Gradec, while present settlement of Grocka was esdtablished in 1550.
, Greece
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, the capital of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
Location
The municipality is located east of Belgrade, in the northern part of ŠumadijaŠumadija
Šumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...
region, with the northern section being part of the Podunavlje
Podunavlje
Podunavlje is the name of the Danube river basin parts located in Serbia and Croatia .-History:...
macro-region in the valley of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, while the southern section is located around the valley of the Ralja
Ralja
The Ralja is a river in Šumadija region of Serbia, a 51 km-long left tributary to the Jezava, the left arm of the Velika Morava river...
river, which is a tributary to the Velika Morava
Velika Morava
The Great Morava is the final section of the Morava , a major river system in Serbia.- Length :...
's arm of Jezava. With an altitude of 71 meters above sea level, the town of Grocka is one of the lowest parts of Belgrade. Other rivers in the municipality are Bolečica
Bolecica
The Bolečica is a short river in north-central Serbia, a 12 km-long right tributary to the Danube. During its entire flow it runs through the suburban section of Belgrade and despite being short it flows through the three Belgrade's municipalities, next to the half dozen of suburbs of Belgrade ...
and Gročica.
Settlements
The municipality of Grocka covers an area of 289 km² and includes 15 settlements, all of which are statistically classified as rural, except for the municipal seat of Grocka, which is classified as urban.
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Brestovik Brestovik is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Grocka.... Dražanj Dražanj is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Grocka.Dražanj is located in the southern part of the municipality, in the northern Šumadija region, between the macro-region of Podunavlje and northeastern slopes of the Kosmaj mountain... |
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Kamendol Kamendol is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade's municipality of Grocka.... Leštane Leštane is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Grocka.- Location :Leštane is located 15 km east of Belgrade, originally further away from the major roads... |
Pudarci Pudarci is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade's municipality of Grocka.... Ritopek Ritopek is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade's municipality of Grocka, 20 km east of Belgrade and 19 km west of the municipal seat, on the right bank of the Danube, across the village of Ivanovo in Banat region of the Vojvodina... |
Umcari Umčari is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Grocka.Umčari is located in the southeastern part of the municipality, in the northern Šumadija region... Vinca Vinca is a genus of six species in the family Apocynaceae, native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus Catharanthus .-Description:Vinca plants are subshrubs or herbaceous, and have slender trailing stems 1–2 m long... |
Vrcin Vrčin is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Grocka.- Geography :... |
Živkovac Živkovac is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Grocka.... |
Neighborhoods of Vrčin:
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Population
The municipality has a population of 75,466 (census 2002), with an estimated 78,825 inhabitants on 31 December 2005 (273 per km²). Thanks to the immigration and the natural increase of all of the city's municipalities, Grocka has been for decades one of the fast growing areas of Belgrade, with an average annual growth of 1.2% in the 2000s. The population boomed in the last 30 years, increasing the number of inhabitants (1971-2005 by 2.23 times; in 1971-81 the population grew by 4.5% annually). As in other similar areas surrounding Belgrade, the rapid population growth has not followed by the equal development of infrastructure (roads, waterworks, sewage system, and waste disposal).Population of the municipality:
- 1961: 32,836
- 1971: 35,275
- 1981: 54,599
- 1991: 65,735
- 2002: 75,466
- 2005: 78,825
With refugees from Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo and Metohija, it is estimated that the population has already crossed 100,000. Th ethnic structure is, as of the 2002 census: Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
94,7%, Montenegrins 0,8%, Roma 0,6%, Ethnic Macedonians
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
0,5%.
Economy
In both demographic and economic terms, the municipality is sharply divided into two opposing parts. The western part extends into one urban area with Belgrade, experiencing a boost of both population and economy, as hundreds of small companies are located there (Kaluđerica, Boleč, Leštane, Vinča, Ritopek are some), while the eastern part is agricultural, in particular a fruit growing area, and, apart from the town of Grocka itself, experiencing a net decline in population.The Microclimate
Microclimate
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
is perfect for the fruit growing and grapevines, so the area east of Boleč is one of the best known fruit growing area in Serbia. Conditions are especially good for growing peaches, apricots, plums, cherries and grapes. Of the other agricultural products, wheat is the most important. The experimental farm of Radmilovac is located near Vinča, as a section of the Agricultural Faculty of the Belgrade University. At the moment, Radmilovac is being expanded as a experimental ground for future agricultural production.
As a result of this, industrial processing of the fruit is developed in Grocka, Vinča and Boleč, where the large plantations and refrigiration plants of the agricultural company PKB Beograd are located. Also, several mills are located in Grocka and Vinča.
Apart from that, the textile industry is also important (Grocka, Dunav factory,aka:Partizanka), while hundreds of small family-owned factories and work shops are located in the settlements in the western part of the municipality.
Some major traffic routes, like the Smederevski put (Smederevo road) and both the railway and highway Belgrade-Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, pass through the municipal territory. Also, there are several docks in the settlements on the Danube (Vinča, Grocka) with the prospect of a future marina to be built in Grocka in the next few years.
Other important facilities in the municipality are the Geomagnetic observatory in Brestovik, Nuclear Institute (with now defunct nuclear reactor) and Belgrade City dump in Vinča.
Tourism is the most developed part the municipal economy. Almost every village has its own summer festival (like Zlatni kotlić (Golden Cauldron) in Grocka or Dani trešnje (Days of cherry) in Ritopek) and three weekend-settlements (mostly by the inhabitants of Belgrade) are located in Grocka, on the bank of the Danube. The women's monastery of Rajinovac
Rajinovac
-Rajinovac:Rajinovac is a monastery located on south end of Begaljica. While its date of founding is not known, it was first mentioned in the year 1528 in the Ottoman census of the Belgrade municipalities, listed as "Monastery of saint Rajko" - Manastir Svetog Rajka.The first major renovation of...
in Begaljica, the possible marina and aqua park in Grocka and the archeological find of Vinča culture
Vinca culture
The Vinča culture is a Neolithic archaeological culture in Southeastern Europe, dated to the period 5500–4500 BCE. Named for its type site, Vinča-Belo Brdo, a large tell settlement discovered by Serbian archaeologist Miloje Vasić in 1908, it represents the material remains of a prehistoric society...
are potential opportunities to boost the tourist economy.
History
The municipality of Grocka became part of the wider Belgrade City area in 1955. In 1957 with the dissolution of the Mali Mokri LugMali Mokri Lug
Mali Mokri Lug is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the south-eastern section of Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara. It marks the border with the municipality of Grocka. It mostly stretches between Bulevar kralja Aleksandra and the Highway Belgrade–Niš,...
municipality, the eastern section (the villages of Kaluđerica, Leštane and Vinča) were attached to Grocka. In the early 1960s, the municipalities of Umčari and Vrčin were disbanded and incorporated into the municipality of Grocka as well. Since the elections in 2000,Grocka became the most politically turbulent of all Belgrade municipalities.
Recent presidents of the municipal assembly:
- 1992 - 1996 - Bogoljub Stevanić (1943)
- 1996 - November 24, 2000 - Milan Janković (1954)
- November 24, 2000 - June 28, 2002 - Vesna R. Ivić (1962)
- June 28, 2002 - December 8, 2002 - Milan Tanasković
- December 8, 2002 - April 15, 2003 - Sava Starčević (1955)
- April 15, 2003 - December 15, 2004 - Vladan Zarić (1972)
- December 15, 2004 - June 23, 2005 - Blažo Stojanović
- June 23, 2005 - November 4, 2005 - Dragoljub Simonović (1959)
- November 4, 2005 - July 2008 Blažo Stojanović (second term)
- July 2008 - Zoran Jovanović
As a result of the economic and demographic discrepancy between the western and eastern parts of the municipality, there is a movement for splitting the municipality in two, or perhaps three parts. Primarily, it is about the division in two, with western half becoming new municipality of Vinča, while eastern remaining the municipality of Grocka. Also, there is a possibility of Vrčin splitting from Grocka and forming new municipality of Avalski Venac
Avalski Venac
Avalski Venac is a proposed municipality of the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Movement :Movement for creation of the municipality began in 1996 and was enhanced since 2002 and successful campaigning for the re-creation of the municipality of Surčin, which split from the municipality of...
with other sub-Avalan settlements in the municipality of Voždovac
Voždovac
Voždovac is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
(Beli Potok
Beli Potok
Beli Potok is a small town and a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac.- Location :...
, Zuce
Zuce
Zuce is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac.- Location and geography :...
, Pinosava
Pinosava
Pinosava is a small town and a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac.- Location :...
).
Location and population
Grocka is a small town, located on the right bank of the Danube, where the small river of the Gročica (Cyrillic: Грочица) empties into the Danube, 30 km east of Belgrade. Despite being seat of the municipality, in term of population, it is only the fourth largest settlement in the municipality, after Kaluđerica, Vrčin and Leštane. The population of Grocka:- 1921 - 2,808
- 1953 - 3,200
- 1971 - 4,955
- 1981 - 6,394
- 1991 - 7,420
- 2002 - 8,338
- 2005 - 8,719
Economy
Grocka is at the center of one of the best known fruit growing areas in Serbia. Conditions are especially favorable for growing peaches, apricots, plums, cherries and grapes. Industrial processing of the fruit has been developed. There are also several mills and a textile industry (Kluz factory).Traffic is also important as Grocka is located on the road of Smederevski put. It also has a small harbor on the Danube, at the Gročica's mouth (which regularly floods Grocka).
Tourism is important for the town's economy, with several festivals during the year (most notably, the Zlatni kotlić). Large weekend-settlement (mostly by the inhabitants of Belgrade) is built on the eastern extension of the town.
Culture and history
Town has a historical main street with shops, green market and a small administrative center, which has been turned into a pedestrian zone.The area on which modern town Grocka is located was once part of Limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
, a border defense system of Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. The remains of several watch-towers and small forts were found in near-by villages along the banks of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
river. The town was first time mentioned in 878 under Slavic name Gradec, while present settlement of Grocka was esdtablished in 1550.
International cooperation
Grocka is twinned with following cities and municipalities: Agia ParaskeviAgia Paraskevi
Agia Paraskevi , is a suburb of Athens, Greece, in the northeast of Athens, about nine kilometers away from the city centre. It is linked to Athens by Mesogeion Avenue, a major road in the greater Athens area. It is a municipality within Attica region....
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
See also
- Subdivisions of BelgradeSubdivisions of BelgradeThe city of Belgrade is divided into 17 municipalities.Most of the municipalities are situated on the southern side of the Danube and Sava rivers, in the Šumadija region...
- List of Belgrade neighborhoods and suburbs
- Battle of GrockaBattle of GrockaThe Battle of Grocka, also known as Battle of Krotzka, was fought between Austria and the Ottoman Empire on July 21–22, 1739, in Grocka, Belgrade. The Turks were victorious and took the city of Belgrade. The battle was part of the Ottoman-Habsburg wars.-Battle:The Austrians had direct orders from...