Leskovac

Leskovac (Serbian Cyrillic - Лесковац ) is a town in southern Serbia, located on the small river Veternica in the Serbian district Jablanica. She is also the main administrative center of the district and had according to the last census in 2002 approximately 69,000 inhabitants.

The city lies at the foot of the mountain Hisar at the altitude of 225 meters, the distance (linear distance) from Belgrade is 220 km. The annual average temperature reaches 11.3 ° C.

With the 144 villages in its vicinity the municipality of Leskovac has around 160,000 inhabitants. This makes it the municipality with the highest number of villages in Serbia. The population density is 152 inhabitants per km ², the population growth has declined in recent years.

History

The oldest remains found in the city and surrounding areas, come from the second millennium BC. A history of the city has existed since the 12th century, when Stefan Nemanjić got by the Byzantine emperor this region to the present. At that time the city was called Dubocica. The first time it is mentioned in a document from the 14th century as a large village name Leskovac.

A legend from this period is that there was a lake in the mountain near the city of Hisar. As he dried up, there grew a hazel. According to her, the city is said to have got the name Leskovac 600 years ago. During the Ottoman rule, this name was not used. The Turks called the city and the mountain Hisar, which means castle or fortress.

1878, the entire Albanian population between Leskovac and Niš was driven by Serbian troops in Kosovo or in those areas to escape, which are still inhabited by Albanians.

Middle of the 19th century was the second largest city in Serbia, Leskovac to Belgrade. With its 13 factories specializing lay on the textile industry. At that time was also the nickname of the city "Little Manchester ", which is now used only very rarely.

Although the economic statistics of recent years do not look very good, Leskovac Niš is next to one of the economic and cultural centers of southern Serbia. Besides a large number of secondary schools there are in Leskovac also two colleges ( Trade and Textile College ) and a faculty that is part of the University of Niš.

Sons and daughters of the town

In belonging to Leskovac village Strojkovce Gojko Mitic was born the actor who played the main role in a variety of DEFA Indian films and has up to 2006 represented a number of years the Winnetou in Bad Segeberg. Another son of the city is the football player Saša Stamenković.

Miodrag Stojkovic, Serbian veterinary medicine and stem cell researchers Toma Zdravković, Yugoslav folk singer Aleksandar Davinic, Journalist, Satiririker and disc jockey

Roštiljijada

A well-known across the region City Festival, the Roštiljijada ( Engl. barbecue or tournament ) takes place every year in the center of Leskovac. Here, visitors get the best of Serbian cuisine offered, specifically and primarily grills of all kinds