Smederevska Palanka

Geography

Smederevska Palanka lies in Pan-European Corridor X (Belgrade-Niš connection), just south of E75 highway and at the route of the Belgrade-Niš railway. The town's railway station was built in 1884.

Settlements

Apart from the town, the municipality of Smederevska Palanka includes the following settlements:

Mineral water spring

Smederevska Palanka has a natural mineral water spring which is said to have been used since Roman times, and has been used by the surrounding peoples since at least 1719. On 22 April 1907, the water from the mineral springs was awarded the golden medal for quality at the London 'Balkan Fair'. The town's mineral water was taken to London by Mr. Marco T. Leko.

According to some researchers, the town's mineral water is the 3rd best in Europe, primarily due to the natural selenium it contains.

History

The town was first mentioned in 1021, in a written document currently preserved in St. Catherine's monastery in Egypt. Smederevska Palanka will celebrate its 1,000 year anniversary in 2021.

The oldest archeological remains date to the early Neolithic era Medvednjak,4500-3500 BC). There are numerous finds of Vinča culture, Hallstatt culture, as well as from both Roman and Medieval periods. The most unusual of these finds is the cameo in two-layered onyx of Emperor Constantine I in full battle gear on a horse which was discovered near Kusadak, a village in the Smederevka Palanka municipality.

Culture and education

There are currently three Serbian Orthodox churches in Smederevska Palanka.

The oldest, the church of St. Elijah was built in 1827 and is one of the oldest wooden churches in Serbia. The town's Cathedral Church was built in 1902. The town's newest church, St. Petka, was built in 1997. The town's fourth Serbian orthodox church is under construction. Koporin Monastery, built in 1402 by Serbian prince Stefan Lazarević lies just outside the town, in Velika Plana.

Smederevska Palanka has four elementary schools: Vuk Karadžić, Heroj Radmila Šišković, Heroj Ivan Muker and Olga Milošević. The town has three high schools: Palanka Gymnasium, Goša Technical School, and "Žikica Damjanović" Chemical and Medical School.

Smederevska Palanka has two local operating radio-television stations; "Jasenica" and "Dević".

Events

Every June, the town hosts the Best Fest Palanka, rock festival with famous Serbian bands including Bajaga, Riblja čorba, Marčelo, Six pack band, Sunshine rap group and others.

Smederevska Palanka has one of Serbia's oldest annual traditional fairs, the Krstovdanski Vašar, that has been held since 1834 when it was introduced by Prince Miloš Obrenović. During the fair, the town is visited by 100,000 to 150,000 tourists from surrounding towns and cities.

Smederevska Palanka hosts the "Motorijada", where thousands of bikers from Serbia and the former Yugoslavia assemble for the event and live concerts in Smederevska Palanka's Kiseljak. The 2011 event featured a famous Yugoslav band, Divlje Jagode.

Economy

Smederevska Palanka is an important industrial town, primarily due to the influence of "Goša", which was among one of the most successful organisations in the former Yugoslavia. The company produces trams, train wagons as well as prefabricated steel constructions.

Other industries and businesses based in Smederevska Palanka include "Karađorđe", a company which produces mineral water and juice, food manufacturer, "Voćar Palanka" a fruit supplier, as well as "Opeka Palanka", a bricks and building material manufacturer.

Additionally, Smederevska Palanka operates an Institute of Agriculture which researches seeds and vegetables.

Climate

Smederevska Palanka keeps Serbian record in warmest temperature ever with +44,9C on the date of 24.07.2007.

Tourism

Beside archaeological findings, medieval monasteries, famous touristic spots in Smederevska Palanka include lake Kudreč, spa complex Kiseljak and forest Mikulja.

Notable people from Smederevska Palanka

Some of the notable people of Smederevska Palanka are:

Distances from other cities

International cooperation

Smederevska Palanka is twinned with Škofja Loka in Slovenia. Before the Yugoslav wars, the two towns had a joint art colony Groharjeva kolonija.

After the first World War, one street in the center of Smederevska Palanka was named Francuska, or "French Street"French street while a street in the French city of Grenoble was named after Palanka as a way of celebrating the friendship between Serbia and France.

Twin towns

Smederevska Palanka is twinned with: