Topola
Encyclopedia
Topola is a town and municipality situated in the Šumadija
region of Serbia
. It was the place where Karađorđe, a Serbia
n revolutionary, was chosen as the leader of the First Serbian Uprising
against the Ottoman Empire
in 1804. The local St. George Church is the burial place of Ducal and Royal Family of Serbia and Yugoslavia (the Karađorđevićes).
The name Topola means poplar
.
Topola is famous for its yearly Oplenac vintage festival, attended by several thousand visitors each year.
Belosavci
(1182) • Blaznava
(591) • Božurnja
(672) • Donja Šatornja
(800) • Donja Trešnjevica
(304) • Donja Trnava (921) • Gornja Šatornja
(558) • Gornja Trnava
(1736) • Gorovič
(319) • Guriševci
(153) • Jarmenovci
(563) • Jelenac
(375) • Junkovac (945) • Kloka
(1146) • Krćevac
(775) • Lipovac
(558) • Manojlovci
(144) • Maskar (236) • Natalinci
(834) • Ovsište
(630) • Pavlovac, Topola (70) • Plaskovac
(559) • Rajkovac (189) • Šume
(595) • Svetlić
(417) • Topola (5422) • Topola (1363) • Vinča (1176) • Vojkovci
(278) • Žabare (1016) • Zagorica
(765)
in 1389, seen in the many medieval cemeteries in villages of Topola. Despot Stefan Lazarević
died and was buried in the nearby Crkvine hamlet. On June 20, 1459, the city of Rudnik fell to the Ottomans, situated south of Topola. A hamlet was named Despotovica in memory of the fallen Serbian Despotate
. The region was further settled with the Great Migration of Serbs in the 17th century.
The town was established in 1781, by Vožd Karageorge, on the right of the Kamenica river. The town was destroyed during the First Serbian Uprising
, when Kučuk-Alija ravaged the Šumadija region in 1804, also burning down Karageorge's house. The renovation began in 1805, when the town was renewed as a fortified city; Karageorge built a new mansion on the ruins of his previous house, and several buildings surrounding, they were all protected with palisades
and peep holes, making Topola a strategic settlement. With the successful revolts, Topola gains a political importance. The Vožd further expanded the town, from 1808 to 1813 he built large walls, towers, konaks, a school, a church and many other buildings. Topola became the centre of Revolutionary Serbia, where Karageorge was seated.
In 1814, just when the city was finished, the Ottomans tackle the Uprising and Topola was seriously damaged, only ruins were left. Aleksandar Karađorđević, the son of Karageorge, renewed the city and settled people in a higher degree, streets were built with nicer buildings and shops. With the comeback of the House of Obrenović
in 1858, Topola saw further development.
, vegetables and breeding cattle
.
Šumadija
Šumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...
region 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...
. It was the place where Karađorđe, a 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...
n revolutionary, was chosen as the leader of the First Serbian Uprising
First Serbian Uprising
The First Serbian Uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution , the successful wars of independence that lasted for 9 years and approximately 9 months , during which Serbia perceived itself as an independent state for the first time after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and...
against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1804. The local St. George Church is the burial place of Ducal and Royal Family of Serbia and Yugoslavia (the Karađorđevićes).
The name Topola means poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
.
Topola is famous for its yearly Oplenac vintage festival, attended by several thousand visitors each year.
Settlements
Settlements in Topola according to 2002 census, population in brackets:Belosavci
Belosavci
Belosavci is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 1182 people....
(1182) • Blaznava
Blaznava
Blaznava is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 591 people....
(591) • Božurnja
Božurnja
Božurnja is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 672 people....
(672) • Donja Šatornja
Donja Šatornja
Donja Šatornja is a village located in Serbia.It has approximately 890 inhabitants and is located at 98 km from the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, in the municipality of Topola....
(800) • Donja Trešnjevica
Donja Trešnjevica
Donja Trešnjevica is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 304 people....
(304) • Donja Trnava (921) • Gornja Šatornja
Gornja Šatornja
Gornja Šatornja is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 558 people....
(558) • Gornja Trnava
Gornja Trnava
Gornja Trnava is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 1736 people....
(1736) • Gorovič
Gorovič
Gorovič is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 319 people....
(319) • Guriševci
Guriševci
Guriševci is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 153 people....
(153) • Jarmenovci
Jarmenovci
Jarmenovci is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 563 people....
(563) • Jelenac
Jelenac
Jelenac is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 375 people....
(375) • Junkovac (945) • Kloka
Kloka
Kloka is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 1146 people....
(1146) • Krćevac
Krcevac
Krćevac is a village in the Topola municipality of the Šumadija District in Central Serbia, located 3.9 km from Zagorica and 5.2 km from Topola.-Etymology:...
(775) • Lipovac
Lipovac (Topola)
Lipovac is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 558 people....
(558) • Manojlovci
Manojlovci
Manojlovci is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 144 people....
(144) • Maskar (236) • Natalinci
Natalinci
Natalinci is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 834 people.-References:...
(834) • Ovsište
Ovsište
Ovsište is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 630 people.-References:...
(630) • Pavlovac, Topola (70) • Plaskovac
Plaskovac
Plaskovac is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 559 people....
(559) • Rajkovac (189) • Šume
Sumé
Sumé is a town and municipality in the state of Paraíba in the Northeast Region of Brazil.-References:...
(595) • Svetlić
Svetlić
Svetlić is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 417 people....
(417) • Topola (5422) • Topola (1363) • Vinča (1176) • Vojkovci
Vojkovci
Vojkovci is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 278 people....
(278) • Žabare (1016) • Zagorica
Zagorica
Zagorica is a village in the municipality of Topola, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 765 people....
(765)
History
The region was heavily settled after the Battle of KosovoBattle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo took place on St. Vitus' Day, June 15, 1389, between the army led by Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, and the invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Murad I...
in 1389, seen in the many medieval cemeteries in villages of Topola. Despot Stefan Lazarević
Stefan Lazarevic
Stefan Lazarević known also as Stevan the Tall was a Serbian Despot, ruler of the Serbian Despotate between 1389 and 1427. He was the son and heir to Prince Lazar, who died at the Battle of Kosovo against the Turks in 1389, and Princess Milica from the subordinate branch of the Nemanjić dynasty...
died and was buried in the nearby Crkvine hamlet. On June 20, 1459, the city of Rudnik fell to the Ottomans, situated south of Topola. A hamlet was named Despotovica in memory of the fallen Serbian Despotate
Serbian Despotate
The Serbian Despotate was a Serbian state, the last to be conquered by the Ottoman Empire. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of the medieval Serbian state, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravian Serbia survived for 70 more years,...
. The region was further settled with the Great Migration of Serbs in the 17th century.
The town was established in 1781, by Vožd Karageorge, on the right of the Kamenica river. The town was destroyed during the First Serbian Uprising
First Serbian Uprising
The First Serbian Uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution , the successful wars of independence that lasted for 9 years and approximately 9 months , during which Serbia perceived itself as an independent state for the first time after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and...
, when Kučuk-Alija ravaged the Šumadija region in 1804, also burning down Karageorge's house. The renovation began in 1805, when the town was renewed as a fortified city; Karageorge built a new mansion on the ruins of his previous house, and several buildings surrounding, they were all protected with palisades
Palisades
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.Palisade or Palisades also may refer to:-Geology:United States...
and peep holes, making Topola a strategic settlement. With the successful revolts, Topola gains a political importance. The Vožd further expanded the town, from 1808 to 1813 he built large walls, towers, konaks, a school, a church and many other buildings. Topola became the centre of Revolutionary Serbia, where Karageorge was seated.
In 1814, just when the city was finished, the Ottomans tackle the Uprising and Topola was seriously damaged, only ruins were left. Aleksandar Karađorđević, the son of Karageorge, renewed the city and settled people in a higher degree, streets were built with nicer buildings and shops. With the comeback of the House of Obrenović
House of Obrenovic
The House of Obrenović was a Serbian dynasty that ruled Serbia from 1815 to 1842, and again from 1858 to 1903. They came to power through the leadership of their progenitor Miloš Obrenović in the Second Serbian uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which led to the formation of the Principality of...
in 1858, Topola saw further development.
Economy
This is an agricultural area and farmers are producing fruitFruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, vegetables and breeding cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
.
Tourism
Topola has the preconditions necessary for development of a tourism industry. Historical and cultural monuments (Cultural Heritage of Serbia) exist: revolutionary and royal (Karageorge's town), ecclesiastical (St. George's church, Nikolje monasteries). It is a wine region (Oplenac), and a large hunting ground Kamenica.Visitor attractions
- OplenacOplenacSt. George′s Church knows also as Oplenac Church and Oplenac Mausoleum, is the Mausoleum of the Serbian and Yugoslav Royal House of Karađorđević located on top of the Hill Oplenac in city Topola, Serbia...
, church and mausoleum of the Karađorđević (22 members), built 1910-2 - Nikolje Monastery, built in 1425 by Nikola Dorjenovic
- Karageorge's town, restored quarters of the 1810s revolutionary town
- Karageorge's church (church of Our Blessed Lady)
- Peter's house, King Peter's estate
- King's villa, Karađorđević estate
- Queen's villa, Karađorđević estate
- Winegrower's house, former royal wine cellar, now gallery
- Oplenac Wine region
- Aleksandrović wine cellar
- Kamenica Hunting ground, hunting region
- Oplenac Vintage (Oplenacka berba) annual folk festival October 10–12