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Grocka

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Grocka (Serbian Cyrillic: Гроцка) is a suburban settlement and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is one of the 7 suburban municipalities, not being part of the Belgrade City proper itself.

Contents

Municipality

Location

Municipality is located east of Belgrade, in the northern part of Šumadija region, northern section being part of the Podunavlje macro-region in the valley of the Danube, while southern section is located around the valley of the Ralja river, which is a tributary to the Velika Morava's arm of Jezava. Other rivers in the municipality are the Bolečica and the Gročica. While western part of the municipality naturally gravitates to Belgrade, eastern part is historically and geographically inclined to the town of Smederevo.

Settlements

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:

Population

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 highest natural increase of all of the city's municipalities, Grocka is for decades one of the fast growing areas of Belgrade, with an average annual growth of 1,2% in the 2000s. Population boomed in the last 30 years, overdoubling number of inhabitants (1971-2005: 2,23 times; in 1971-81 population grew by 4,5% annualy). Just like in the other similar areas surrounding Belgrade, the rapid population growth is not followed by the equal development of infrastructure (good roads, waterworks, sewage system, waste disposal).

Population of the municipality:

With refugees from Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo and Metohija, it is estimated that population already crossed 100,000. Ethnic structure (census 2002): Serbs 94,7%, Montenegrins 0,8%, Roma 0,6%, Macedonians 0,5%.

Economy

However, in both demographic and economic terms, the municipality is sharply divided in two opposing parts. Western part makes one urban area with Belgrade, experience boost of population and boom in economy, as hundreds of small companies are located there (Kaluđerica, Boleč, Leštane, Vinča, Ritopek), while the eastern part is agricultural, fruit growing area, and, appart from the town of Grocka itself, depopulating.

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 in the huge experimental ground for future agricultural production.

As a result of this, industrial processing of the fruit is developed in Grocka, Vinča and Boleč, where large plantations and refrigirators of the agricultural company PKB Beograd are located. Also several mills are located in Grocka and Vinča.

Apart from that, textile industry is also developed (Grocka, Kluz factory), while the hundreds of small family-owned factories and work shops are located in the settlements in the western part of the municipality.

Traffic is important: some major traffic routes, like the Smederevski put (Smederevo road) 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 proscpect of the future marina to be built in Grocka in the next few years.

Other important facilities in the municipality are Geomagnetic observatory in Brestovik, Nuclear Institute (with now defunct nuclear reactor) and Belgrade City dump in Vinča.

Toursim is a big opportunity for the municipal economy, but not much used. Almost every village has its own summer festival (like Zlatni kotlić 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. Female monastery of Rajinovac in Begaljica, future marina and aqua park in Grocka or archeological find of Vinča culture could also be used to boost the tourist economy.

History

Municipality of Grocka became part of the wider Belgrade City area in 1955. In 1957 with disolution of the Mali Mokri Lug municipality, eastern section (the villages of Kaluđerica, Leštane and Vinča) were attached to Grocka. In the early 1960s, municipalities of Umčari and Vrčin were disbanded and incorporated into the municipality of Grocka. Since the elections in 2000, politicaly Grocka became the most turbulent of all Belgrade municipalities.

Recent presidents of the municipal assembly:

A sa result of big economic and demographic discrapancy between the western and eastern parts of the municipality, movements for splitting the municipality in two or three are established. Primarily, it is about the division in two, with western half becoming new municipality of Vinča, while eastern remaining the municipality of Grocka. Also, a possibility of Vrčin splitting from Grocka and froming new municipality of Avala with other sub-Avalan settlements in the municipality of Voždovac (Beli Potok, Zuce, Pinosava) is mentioned.

Town

Location and Population

Grocka is a small town, located on the right bank of the Danube, where 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 settlement in the municipalty, after Kaluđerica, Vrčin and Leštane. Population of Grocka:

Economy

Grocka is center of the one of the best known fruit growing areas in Serbia. Conditions are especially good for growing peaches, apricots, plums, cherries and grapes. Industrial processing of the fruit is developed, so as several mills and 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). This entire section on the right bank of the Denube is projected to be a hughe fun complex, with beaches, awua park and marina. It is ecpected that construction will began in 2007.

Toursim is important for 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 nice, "old style" main street with shops, green market and a small administrative center, which is turned into a walking zone.

Area on which modern town Grocka is located was once part of Limes, a border defence system of Ancient Rome. Remains of several watch-towers and small forts were found in near-by villages along the banks of the Danube river. Town was first time mentioned in 878 under Slavic name Gradec, while present settlement of Grocka was esdtablished in 1550.

References

 

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