Varvarin

Varvarin (Serbian Cyrillic: Варварин, pronounced [ʋarʋǎriːn]) is a town and municipality located in the Rasina District of central Serbia. Population of the town is 2,133, and population of the municipality is 17,772.

Varvarin

Варварин
Town and municipality
House of Culture in Varvarin
Coat of arms
Location of the municipality of Varvarin within Serbia
Coordinates: 43°43′N 21°22′E
Country Serbia
RegionŠumadija and Western Serbia
DistrictRasina
Settlements21
Government
 • MayorVojkan Pavić (SNS)
Area
 • Municipality249 km2 (96 sq mi)
Elevation
145 m (476 ft)
Population
 (2011 census)[2]
 • Town
2,133
 • Municipality
17,772
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
37260
Area code+381(0)37
Car platesKŠ
Websitewww.varvarin.org.rs

History

The town is notable as the site of an 1810 battle during the Russo-Turkish War (1806-1812) between the Ottoman Empire and a combined Russian and Serbian army. A statue to the Russian commander Joseph Cornelius O'Rourke and his men was erected in 1910 on the centenary of their victory in the battle, which freed the city from Turkish domination.

View of Varvarin from the river Morava

From 1929 to 1941, Varvarin was part of the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

NATO bombing
Main article: Varvarin bridge bombing

During the Kosovo war and the break-up of Yugoslavia in the late 20th century, the area became engulfed in conflict although distant from the border. On a clear Sunday, 30 May 1999, shortly after 1 p.m., a bridge crossing the Velika Morava river in Varvarin was struck by laser-guided bombs fired by one or two low-flying NATO F-16 warplanes conducting attack operations. The area around the bridge was filled with hundreds of people celebrating an Orthodox holiday in and around the nearby church, a market place, and a fairground.

No precautions against air attacks had been taken, as the town is far from Kosovo (approximately 200 km), the aged and narrow bridge was considered insignificant, and no military installations were within a radius of 20 km. Ten civilians were killed and 17 severely injured, in two attack waves a few minutes apart. Most of the casualties occurred in the second wave, when people had rushed to the bridge to help those wounded in the initial wave. Some survivors were left with permanent disabilities,

To this date, NATO has refused to release further details of the airstrike – specifically the nationality of the attacking planes. In a public statement made by NATO spokesman Jamie Shea on 31 May 1999, he declared the Varvarin bridge a legitimate military target. No explanations or other statements have been issued by NATO since then.

The airstrike gave rise to a lawsuit against the German government (one of the NATO countries involved in the conflict). The case was decided against the Serbian plaintiffs, but it is under appeal to Germany's highest court.[3][4][5][6]

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
194826,088—    
195326,744+0.50%
196126,423−0.15%
197126,143−0.11%
198125,779−0.14%
199123,821−0.79%
200220,122−1.52%
201117,966−1.25%
Source: [7]

According to the 2011 census results, the municipality of Varvarin has a population of 17,966 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality:[8]

Ethnic group Population %
Serbs17,507 97.45%
Romani113 0.63%
Montenegrins30 0.17%
Macedonians20 0.11%
Croats13 0.07%
Vlachs12 0.07%
Bulgarians8 0.04%
Yugoslavs7 0.04%
Romanians6 0.03%
Others250 1.39%
Total17,966

Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity (as of 2017):[9]

Activity Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing22
Mining15
Processing industry448
Distribution of power, gas and water12
Distribution of water and water waste management48
Construction64
Wholesale and retail, repair376
Traffic, storage and communication69
Hotels and restaurants99
Media and telecommunications37
Finance and insurance19
Property stock and charter2
Professional, scientific, innovative and technical activities86
Administrative and other services31
Administration and social assurance161
Education250
Healthcare and social work126
Art, leisure and recreation39
Other services64
Total1,970

Twin cities

See also
  • List of places in Serbia (N-Z)

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. 2003-10-15 "Serbian Families Sue Germans Over NATO Bombing", Deutsche Welle World Service
  4. "1999-05-31 NATO bombers hit town `full of people'", The Irish Times
  5. BBC news report, 1999-05-31
  6. Photos of the effects of NATO bombing on Varvarin bridge, NATO Tribunal
  7. "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  8. "ETHNICITY Data by municipalities and cities" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  9. "ОПШТИНЕ И РЕГИОНИ У РЕПУБЛИЦИ СРБИЈИ, 2018" (PDF). stat.gov.rs (in Serbian). Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
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