Žitorađa

Žitorađa (Serbian Cyrillic: Житорађа, pronounced [ʒîtorad͡ʑa]) is a village and municipality located in the Toplica District of the southern Serbia. The municipality includes 30 settlements. According to the 2011 census, the population of the municipality is 16,368 inhabitants.

For the village in Vladičin Han, see Žitorađe.

Žitorađa

Житорађа
Village and municipality
Town panorama
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of the municipality of Žitorađa within Serbia
Coordinates: 43°11′N 21°43′E
Country Serbia
RegionSouthern and Eastern Serbia
DistrictToplica
Settlements30
Government
 • MayorIvan Stanojević (SNS)
Area
 • Village21.81 km2 (8.42 sq mi)
 • Municipality214 km2 (83 sq mi)
Elevation
221 m (725 ft)
Population
 (2011 census)[2]
 • Municipality
16,368
 • Municipality density76/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
18412
Area code+381(0)27
Car platesPK
Websitewww.zitoradja.org

Geography

Žitorađa is 35 km to the south-west from Niš. It lies 10 km from Corridor 10, which connects Serbia with North Macedonia, Greece and further east.

Settlements
Location within Toplica District

Aside from the town of Žitorađa, the municipality includes the following settlements:

History

The village has its origins in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) town "Ad Herculum" (Ad Hercules), which existed in the 4th century. The archaeological site of the Byzantine town is known as Žitoradsko kale, located on the Pasjača mountain, while a "Latin church" dating to the period is located in Glašince.

The primary school was founded in 1873. In 1877, the region was liberated from the Ottoman Empire. This event is considered the founding year of Žitorađa municipality.

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
194821,250—    
195322,427+1.08%
196122,071−0.20%
197121,224−0.39%
198120,710−0.24%
199119,545−0.58%
200218,207−0.64%
201116,368−1.18%
Source: [3]

The municipality had 16,368 people, according to the 2011 census.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Ethnic group Population %
Serbs14,735 90.02%
Roma1,366 8.35%
Montenegrins113 0.69%
Macedonians11 0.07%
Others143 0.87%
Total16,368

Economy

The economy of Žitorada is mostly based on agriculture.[4] There are 23,300 hectares of arable land.[4] The farm “December 1st” has the capacity of 30,000,000 fattened pigs per year, and it is one of the most successful in the whole of Serbia.[4]

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):[5]

Activity Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing100
Mining and quarrying-
Manufacturing201
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply10
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities29
Construction138
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles260
Transportation and storage30
Accommodation and food services22
Information and communication5
Financial and insurance activities5
Real estate activities-
Professional, scientific and technical activities45
Administrative and support service activities20
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security119
Education243
Human health and social work activities138
Arts, entertainment and recreation28
Other service activities23
Individual agricultural workers266
Total1,685
  • Town panorama
  • Vlahovo village panorama
  • Church in Vlahovo
  • Town center
  • Town Sports Hall
  • Water basin in Žitorađa

Trivia

The village was the site of the pre-ceremonial wedding of Serbian folk singer Svetlana Ražnatović "Ceca", who was born in the village, and Željko Ražnatović "Arkan", a notorious career criminal and paramilitary leader, on 19 February 1995.[6] The whole wedding was broadcast nationwide on RTV Pink.

Notable people
  • Ivica Dačić (b. 1966), Serbian politician (Socialist Party of Serbia), current Minister of Internal Affairs
  • Svetlana "Ceca" Ražnatović (b. 1973), Serbian folk singer popular throughout former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria.
  • Miodrag "Miki" Rakić (1975-2014), Serbian politician, who played key role in reconciliation of SPS and DS, forming of NDS and SNS, former vice president of DS and chief of staff of president Boris Tadic

References
  1. "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  2. "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.
  3. "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  4. Žitorađa Official site, Information (PDF)
  5. "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.
  6. Laurence Mitchell, "Serbia, 2nd", p. 49
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