Zasto? (W h y?)

Documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxDcvhH2Ypc

Slucaj 'Tuzlanska kolona'

12.Maj, 2007
Portparol Tužilaštva za ratne zločine Srbije Bruno Vekarić potvrdio je da je po međunarodnoj poternici uhapšen Ilija Jurišić, osumnjičen da je učestvovao u zločinu u Tuzli 1992. godine.
„Prema našim saznanjima, uhapšen je ovde kad je pokušao da preko Srbije otputuje za Keln. Ovde je bio u tranzitu”, rekao je Vekarić.
Slučaj „Tuzlanska kolona” objedinjuje dva događaja:
napad iz zasede na vojnike bivše JNA koji su se razoružani povlačili iz tuzlanske kasarne i
napad na obližnje mesto Banovići i zarobljavanje i zlostavljanje više od 800 srpskih civila, koji su se odigrali gotovo istovremeno.
Protiv tadašnjih gradskih funkcionera, među kojima je i Jurišić, još 1995. godine podnesene su krivične prijave.

Italijanske zrtve

feb'07
Poslednjih dana narušeni su odnosi Italije i Hrvatske, a spor je nastao zbog izjava o žrtvama u II svetskom ratu.
Šef diplomatije Italije Masimo Dalema otkazao je posetu jednog od visokih zvaničnika Hrvatskoj nakon razmene oštrih reči između Rima i Zagreba o italijanskim žrtvama na teritoriji SFRJ u II svetskom ratu.
Otkazana je poseta državnog podsekretara Vitorija Kraksija, a Dalema je pozvao na razgovor hrvatskog ambasadora u Rimu Tomislava Vidoševića.
Polemika dve zemlje izbila je u subotu, posle govora italijanskog predsednika Đorđa Napolitana povodom Dana sećanja na italijanske žrtve II svetskog rata na teritoriji SFRJ.
Napolitano je tom prilikom govorio o „krvničkom ludilu s užasnim obrisima etničkog čišćenja”.
Italijanski predsednik podsetio je na fojbe, prirodne jame koje postoje u nekim oblastima severoistočne Italije i u Istri, i rekao da su jugoslovenski partizani u njih bacili 15.000 stanovnika italijanske nacionalnosti.
Predsednik Hrvatske Stjepan Mesić odgovorio je juče Napolitanu i kritikovao „izjave u kojima je nemoguće ne videti otvorene elemente rasizma” i „političke osvete”, objavila je italijanska agencija Ansa. (Beta)

Undesirables - Erased

Slovenia Forcibly Removes Its Undesirables
A frequent Balkan news commentator and reporter Nicholas Wood (who probably can’t remember what he had for breakfast, but won’t forget to mention, in one way or the other, that Serbs are guilty for just about everything) will tell you the violent outbursts of racism exhibited in former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia are something rather new and unexpected.
In his latest article about the forceful expulsion of Roma families, threats, violence and even murder of Gypsies by the Slovenians who simply don’t want anyone with darker skin or non-Slovenian living among them, Nicholas’ shock and disbelief is almost palpable, from the title (Hounding of Gypsies Contradicts Slovenia’s Image) down:
Half a mile short of this picturesque village in central Slovenia, two brick houses and a cluster of sheds lie empty. A baby’s stroller sits abandoned outside, and chickens and geese race about, apparently unfed, all evidence of a rapid departure by the family that lived here until just over a week ago.
The Strojans, an extended family of 31 Gypsies, 14 of them children, fled the property on Oct. 28, after it was surrounded by a mob from Ambrus and nearby villages, threatening to kill them and demanding their eviction. While the police kept the crowd back, Slovenian government officials negotiated the family’s removal to a former army barracks about 30 miles away.
The scene is at odds with an image of Slovenia as the most advanced and wealthiest of the 10 Eastern European states that joined the European Union two years ago. Slovenia prides itself as being free of the ethnic tensions that dominate the rest of Yugoslavia, from which Slovenia broke free in 1991 after a 10-day conflict. Since then Gypsies, also known as Roma, have been the victims of sporadic assaults, including a grenade attack last year in which two women, a mother and her 21-year-old daughter, were killed.
While none of the Strojans were seriously hurt in the incident here, rights groups say the government’s role in the forced removal of the family makes it one of the most serious such incidents in Europe in a decade. And now other municipalities are calling for the removal of Gypsies.
“Gypsies Raus!”
The reporter also notes that the Gypsies from the Slovenian Ambrus village had to flee to the woods where they were hiding from the region’s angry mob. When they tried to go back home...
...“People were coming on foot through the woods, they were shouting, ‘Kill the Gypsies, kill the Gypsies!’ ” said Miha Strojan, Mr. Strojan’s brother. He said he remembered someone shouting, “We’ll string you up on a cross!” Photographs that Borut Peterlin, a local photographer, took of the crowd show both menace and boisterous spirits, with people laughing.
...[when Slovenian government officials informed the crowd Gypsies will be removed from their village] “They were singing the national anthem and other songs,” Mr. Peterlin said. “There were also shouts of, ‘Gypsies raus!’ ” he said, echoing a taunt used by the Nazi’s during the deportation of Jews and Gypsies during the Holocaust.
But none of this helps remove the cobwebs from Nicholas Wood’s eyes -- he’s still entranced with Slovenia’s alleged advancement and wealth, and enamored with the fact Slovenia was allowed to join the European Union (Fourth Reich) two years ago, as if that in itself has inoculated Slovenians from racism and has given them some kind of eternal perfect alibi no matter what.
Slovenian Racism Doesn’t Count
On top of everything, despite the fact that Serbia remains the only truly multi-cultural Balkan country with the greatest number of minorities, including Gypsies who have an equal status to all the citizens of Serbia and often seek shelter among Orthodox Serbs in regions where Muslim violence is rampant (like in occupied Kosovo and Metohija province), in a story that has absolutely no connection to Serbia or Serbs, neither Nicholas Wood, nor the Slovenian human rights activist Matjaz Hanzek have resisted the urge to point their fingers at Serbs:
According to Slovenia’s ombudsman for human rights, Matjaz Hanzek, the government and public reaction illustrate a deep-rooted prejudice that permeates Slovenian society. “They really don’t understand they are using discriminatory speech,” he said in an interview. “Our neighbors are watching this very closely. If this can happen here in the European Union, then nationalist groups in countries like Serbia and Croatia will know they can get away with the same.”
So, according to this fine reporter and Slovenian human rights activists, Slovenians simply don’t know what they are doing (forget the speech, look at the actions for a change) and they don’t understand the words coming out of their own mouths -- they are just stupid, ignorant or, at best, infantile; but, unlike Serbs, innocent in any case. Advanced, wealthy, fresh little Europeans, their only sin being that they are setting a bad example for their troglodyte neighbors, mainly backward Serbs, who will now use these fascist outbursts of their better-in-every-way Europeanized neighbors and start expelling Gypsies, Muslims, Jews, Croats, Romanians, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Montenegrins, Gorani, Armenians, Turks, Egyptians and every other of few dozens of minorities living with Serbs for generations. THAT’s the only problem here, see, since Slovenian racism really doesn’t exist -- it can’t, they’re the members of the European Union, and Clinton went there immediately after he bombed Serbia back into the stone age, to tell Slovenians what a good example they are for the rest of us, remember?
Despite the fact that impoverished Serbia hosts the greatest numbers of refugees from all the regions of former Yugoslavia, despite the fact that there was no retaliation and nobody was expelled from Serbia by the Serbs, not even during the wars when Croats ethnically cleansed up to 400,000 Krajina Serbs, when mujahedeen from all over the world were waging a jihad on Bosnian Serbs and rivers of refugees of all confessions and ethnicities were pouring into Serbia, nor when Serbia was bombed by the 19 wealthiest nations in the world on behalf of Albanian minority’s terrorist KLA and both Albanians and Kosovo Serbs were running into Serbia proper... despite all that, western mainstream reporters and Slovenians have the nerve to hold sermons to Serbs, suggesting that now, when they get to see how the Fourth Reich Slovenians are expelling their Gypsies, there is a real danger the Serbs will start doing the same.
Slovenia Prefers Administrative Genocide: The Erased

“We want Serbia to ...follow the path that Slovenia has chosen, where people reach across the old divides and find strength in their differences and their common humanity,” Bill Clinton on his post-bombardment visit to Slovenia. June 21, 1999.
In reality, Slovenians have given the entire world a score of despicable examples regarding the human rights and their violations on a mass scale, revealing that “Slovenia’s image” is nothing but a thin glaze of varnish covering deeply rooted rabid nationalism and racism. The latest Nazi flare-up and the expulsion of Gypsies is far from being the new and surprising ‘incident,’ rather it’s the continuation of the old story - much older then Slovenian state (read “Tito’s Flawed Legacy” by late Nora Beloff, Balkan expert par excellance and former chief political correspondent of the London Observer).
If Nicholas Wood and the likes ever decide to take their blindfolds off, they’ll have no difficulties learning about the so called ”soft genocide” or “administrative ethnic cleansing” Slovenian government undertook immediately after unilateral declaration of independence. While nothing similar has ever occurred in Serbia during its thousand years old statehood, this dastardly act by Slovenians (similar to the way Croatia treats its refugees), has ensured Slovenia’s ethnic purity and is better known as Izbrisani -- The Erased Citizens of Slovenia:
On February 26, 1992, the newly independent state of Slovenia deleted the names of some 30,000 residents from the nation’s civil registries. The targeted population, which came to be known as izbrisani (erased residents) were not of Slovenian ancestry, but were so-called ‘new minorities’ including ethnic Serbs, ethnic Croats and ethnic Bosnian Muslims, ethnic Albanian Kosovars and ethnic Roma which the government sought to force out of the country. (In contrast ‘old minorities’ include ethnic Italians and ethnic Hungarians, specifically mentioned in the December 1991 Constitution.)
Twelve years later the Slovenian Government has still not yet acted to fully redress this massive violation of human rights. Critics of this radical action by the Slovenian government have sometimes characterized the mass erasure as ‘soft genocide’ or ‘administrative genocide.’ A more appropriate term is probably ‘administrative ethnic cleansing’ or ‘civil death.’ By whatever description, redress for the mass ‘erasure’ is still badly needed. In other historical contexts this kind of radical action which in and of itself is a massive violation of human rights, has been a step toward more extreme actions including mass expulsion and even genocide. In the case of Slovenia, the izbrisani were targeted for elimination solely on account of the non-Slovene groups into which they were born. Furthermore, this ‘administrative ethnic cleansing’ on February 26, 1992 in Slovenia can be viewed as a contributing factor to the radicalization in former Yugoslavia which only a few months later saw violent ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The policy of “mass erasure,” which could also be called mass denationalization, must especially be condemned because it was a partially successful policy, causing over one-third (12,000 out of 30,000) of the targeted population to leave Slovenia. When officials asked an izbrisani for his old Yugoslav passport the top right corner would be cut off, making the document useless and marking the bearer for further discrimination. The izbrisani (erased residents) were not forced out at gunpoint and their homes were not burned down as in Bosnia, nevertheless they lost their jobs, medical benefits and sometimes were deported for minor offenses. The multiple possible translations of the term “izbrisati” (erase, red pencil, rub out, score out, scratch out, delete, expunge, obliterate) shows the impact the policy might have on a person. In Slovenia, seven izbrisani committed suicide. Ultranationalist politicians characterized the izbrisani as war criminals, swindlers and undesirables.
The radical ‘mass erasure’ of February 26, 1992 took place eight months after Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991. The erasure occurred just days after Slovenian Athletes participated for the first time in Olympic competition at the XVI Winter Olympic in Albertville, France. Acceptance into the United Nations was still three months away (May 22, 1992). Notably, Slovenia was not at war at the time the ‘mass erasure’. The previous summer war with Yugoslavia had lasted only a few weeks ending a with European Union sponsored agreement calling for withdrawal of Yugoslav Federal troops from Slovenia and the demobilization of Slovenian troops. Furthermore the ‘mass erasure’ came after the completion of a new Constitution is which Slovenia committed itself to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms (Article 5, and Articles 61 to 63).
In other words, if Slovenian human rights activists are correct and Slovenians really don’t know what are they doing, the UN, EU, and everybody else who welcomed them into their elite clubs in spite of such an appalling evidence of pure racism in all segments of society, up to the highest, state level, should have known better. Clintons included.
Following the fate of Strojan family is a photographer Borut Peterlin, who took the picture of Strojan children above and was also cited in the article by Nicholas Wood. Borut is collecting links about the unfortunate Gypsy family from around the world, along with various commentary, like the one presented here.

Visiting the new, independent Slovenia, Peter Handke wrote:
Now... I arrived at the Hotel 'Zlatorog' ... at the valley's end, everything arranged for German speakers, and in the entrance the framed photos of Tito's visit had been removed not a pity really and replaced with those of Willy Brandt.... On state television almost nothing other than German and Austrian channel over and over again a foreign trade or economic delegation was having native folk songs sung to them. Then the Slovenian President would enter the scene. Wasn't he once a capable and proud functionary? But now he behaves like a waiter, almost like a lackey, who serves up his country to the foreigners who visit, as if he wanted to satisfy every wish of a German employer or customer: the Slovenians aren't this or that, but rather a 'hard working and willing Alpen people'. A Journey to the Rivers: Justice For Serbia
The first question that Handke heard a customer in the new supermarket ask, was: "Has The Bild (German newspaper) arrived?"

Likewise, the Independent State of Croatia II (NDH II), never bothered to curtail its rather embarrassing enthusiasm for the opportunity given by Germany, Vatican and the West in general to turn the clock back and revert to the ethnically clean German satellite. Quite the contrary. From the fateful 1991 when Tudjman's Croatia proudly unveiled the dusted off insignia from its fascist slice of heaven with the spontaneous burst into a collective Danke Deutschland song - the absolute worst, prime example of the kitsch, tastelessness and shameless sycophancy ever recorded in the history of humanity - till today, Croatia has been cheerfully sliding back in time, to the abominable 1940's.
The renowned Balkan expert, Diana Johnstone, wrote in September of 1999:
When I visited Croatia three years ago, the book most prominently displayed in the leading bookstores of the capital city Zagreb was a new edition of the notorious anti-Semitic classic, "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion". Next came the memoires of the World War II Croatian fascist Ustashe dictator Ante Pavelic, responsible for the organized genocide of Serbs, Jews and Romany (gypsies) that began in 1941, that is, even before the German Nazi "final solution".
However, if the Croatian fascists actually led, rather than followed, the German Nazis down the path of genocide, that doesn't mean they have forgotten their World War II benefactors. After all, it was thanks to Hitler's invasion of Yugoslavia that the "Independent State of Croatia" was set up in April 1941, with Bosnia-Herzegovina (whose population was mostly Serb at the time) as part of its territory. And the hit song of 1991, when Croatia once again declared its independence from Yugoslavia and began driving out Serbs, was "Danke Deutschland" in gratitude to Germany's strong diplomatic support for Zagreb's unnegotiated secession.
In the West, of course, one will quickly object that the Germany of today is not the Germany of 1941. True enough. But in Zagreb, with a longer historical view, they are so much the same that visiting Germans are sometimes embarrassed when Croats enthusiastically welcome them with a raised arm and a Nazi "Heil!" greeting.
So it should be no surprise that this year's best seller in Croatia is none other than a new edition of "Mein Kampf". This is not a critical edition, mind you, but a reverently faithful reproduction of the original text by that great European leader, benefactor of Croatian nationalism and leader of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler.
The magazine "Globus" reported that "Mein Kampf" is selling like hotcakes in all segments of Croatian society. For those who want to read more, there is a new book entitled "The Protocols of Zion, the Jews and Adolf Hitler" by Mladen Schwartz, leader of the Croatian neo-Nazi party New Right, and "Talks with Hitler" by the Fuhrer's aide Herman Rauschning, as well as various other memoires celebrating the Ustashe state whose violent massacres of Serbs shocked the Italian fascist allies and even German diplomatic observers at the time. (Nazi Nostalgia In Croatia, by Diana Johnstone)
Of course, the fact that Pope John Paul II went to Croatia in October of 1998 to beatify Aloysius Stepinac who openly supported Nazi regime and Croatia's bloody pogroms by inviting clergy to help the Ustasha efforts in cleansing the country from 'Serbian schismatics', Jews and Gypsies in the name of "faith" has hardly helped Croats come to terms with their monstrous past. Neither does this sort of negative encouragement by Vatican promote civilized (or Christian) behavior which would finally allow, 15 years later, over a quarter of a million Serbs they purified the Independent State of Croatia II from, those who survived the "Operation Storm" and "Lightning", to return to their land in Krajina and rebuild their burnt, bulldozed and stolen homes. The same Pope who refused the invitation by Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Pavle, to hold a joint commemoration to almost a million victims of Croatia's Nazi madness in Jasenovac, on its 50 years anniversary in 1995, has rushed to beatify the one who gave blessings to the pogroms, in the name of Roman Catholic church. No wonder the clock is turning back to the time of the rule of the Beast.

Zoran Djindjic

Balkanska pravila (Balkan Rules)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU9-vd_sNsk
Ako stane... (If it stops...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjPCSGPTNMI

Dragutin Dimitrijevic Apis

Josip Broz Tito

Dragoslav Mihajlovic

Slovenacke masovne grobnice

12 Avgust 2007
Komisija Vlade Slovenije za pitanje masovnih grobnica na Pohorju otkrila je posmrtne ostatke oko 15.000 osoba.
Reč je o osobama ubijenim odmah po završetku II svetskog rata, piše ljubljanski Dnevnik. Posmrtni ostaci su nađeni u protivtenkovskom jarku na Arehu, na mariborskom Pohorju.
Žrtve su većinom pripadnici četničkih jedinica iz Srbije i Crne Gore, ustaških i domobranskih iz Hrvatske i ruski kozaci, pripadnici nemačke vojske. Njih su, kako piše list, u maju i junu 1945. likvidirali pripadnici VI proleterske brigade kapetana Rada Čolaka.
Članovi komisije procenjuju da je broj žrtava i veći, a neki slovenački mediji smatraju da je reč o najmasovnijim likvidacijama posle II svetskog rata u Evropi, masovnijim od masakra u Srebrenici.
U istraživanju učestvuju i stručnjaci iz Hrvatske jer se pretpostavlja da se u masovnim grobnicama u 80 odsto slučajeva nalaze pripadici vojske Nezavisne države Hrvatske i domobrana.
U jednoj drugoj grobnici na Pohorju su nađeni ostaci Slovenaca koji su sarađivali sa okupatorom tokom rata i pripadnika nemačke manjine iz Maribora, koji su bili zatvoreni u Kidiričevu. Komisija još nije završila rad i planira da otvori još 19 grobnica u okolini Maribora i Kidričeva. (Beta)

Krfska Deklaracija

Proglas Kralja Nikole

Proglas kralja Nikole na Badnji dan 1918. godine

CRNOGORCI!
TRI GODINE su vec od kada nas je rastavila teska sudba!
Tri godine muka i iskusenja za vas u ropstvu, za mene u izgnanstvu.
Velike su i prevelike zrtve i muke koje crnogorski narod vjekovima podnosi, ali ove su bile najvece i najuzasnije. Tako je to mozda sudjeno bilo..
Trebalo je, valjda, jos i ovo mucenistvo podnijeti da bi nam bilo priznato nesto, sto smo odavno zasluzili; da bi se za nasu milu otadzbinu moglo s poboznoscu reci: Crna Gora je najveci mucenik svijeta, jer nikada i niko nije vece, idealnije i nesebicnije zrtve podnosio od nje za stvar casti, za stvar opstenarodnu, za pravo i slobodu.
Kada su 1914. cast, pravo i opstanak Srbije bili dovedeni u pitanje poznatim nasiljem Austro-Ugarske, prvi sam bio ja, koji sam u ime vase i s vama stao na braniku Srbije.
Svi uslovi koje je Crna Gora stavila tada Srbiji za svoju saradnju bili su u ovo nekoliko rijeci, koje je moja vlada uputila vladi Sribje. „Vasa sudbina je i nasa".
Ja, pak, telegrafisao sam mome unuku prestolonasljedniku Aleksandru: „Moji Crnogorci vec su spremni na granici da ginu za nase zajednicke ideale".
U toku osamnaest mjeseci rata Crna Gora vjerno se oduzila u svakom pogledu i na svakom polju duznostima brata i saveznika.
Koncem tragicne 1915. vi ste, moji dragi Crnogorci, ucinili najvece i najslavnije djelo koje ste igda ucinili u svojoj punoj besmrtnosti, vitestva i slave istoriji. Vi ste nasim golim prsima, golih i iskrvavljenih ruku, gladni i nenaoruzani, bili za skoro citava tri mjeseca neprobojan bedem i nepobjedna falanga na Grahovu, Troglavu, Drini, Visegradu, Javoru i cak duboko u Srbiji, o kojoj se lomio, jedan za drugim, svaki val onda jos bijesnog neprijatelja.
Ja cu mirno cekati s uvjerenjem da sam tada, kao i uvijek, ispunio duznost Crnogorca, Srbina i vladaoca, i da ce optuzeni biti oni, koji me, s malo dostojanstva i cojstva, pokusavaju klevetati. Na taj eto nacin i ja sam bio rastavljen od vas, od vas s kojima sam skoro citav vijek dozidjivao gnijezdo slobode, ne samo slobode srpske, jugoslovenske, nego i balkanske; od vas kojima sam sezdeset godina vec pisao najljepse stranice nase istorije i cinio s vama djela koja su mucenicku Crnu Goru izdigla na nevidjenu do sada visinu, i pribavila joj medju civilizovanim narodima ugled, koji jos do danas nije dostigao nijedan mali narod u svijetu.
Tezak, najstrasniji i najtragicniji dogadjaj bio je to u mom zivotu. Ipak ja sam mu morao sljedovati, pokoriti se, te traziti zastite ne radi sebe, nego radi vas, i nasih mocnih saveznika. Na zalost, nade moje umnogome su me izdale. Ja i vi bili smo iznevjereni od nekog, od kog smo imali razloga najmanje nadati se, za koga smo zrtvovali sve i kog smo spasili. Taj neko jeste, ne herojski i bratski narod Srbije, nego zvanicna Srbija.
Vama je poznato da zvanicna Srbija vec odavno u Crnoj Gori nije gledala brata i drugara na zajednickom poslu, nego protivnika, koga se je po nekom cudnom shvatanju, trebalo otresti, toboz u interesu Srbije.
Naoruzani neobjasnjivom mrznjom prema Crnoj Gori i njenim predstavnicima i liseni solidne moralne osnove, izjvesni politicari iz Beograda, postavili su se, u politici prema Crnoj Gori na nacelo: cilj opravdava sredstvo.
Zvanicna Srbija zaboravila je sve zrtve koje je Crna Gora ucinila za Srbiju 1914. i 1915.
Intrige koje je, jos dok smo bili na domu, cinila protiv Crne Gore u zemlji i medju saveznicima i koje su mnogo doprinijele katastrofi Crne Gore, ona je nastavila bez rezerve, u inostranstvu. Zvanicna Srbija potrosila je milione na intrige i klevete protiv Crne Gore i njenih predstavnika. Nijesam klevetan samo ja, nego sva Crna Gora i njeni predstavnici.
Imali su obraza tvrditi u saveznickoj stampi, izmedju ostalog, da su moje vlade u Crnoj Gori za vrijeme ovoga rata „odrzavale tajne prijateljske veze sa neprijateljem", i da nijesu nista drugo radile nego „onemogucivale napore Srbije"; da je Crna Gora samo „forme radi" ratovala, a da u stvari, rat nije ni vidjela.
Jednom rijecju, vodjena je jedna najodvratnija kampanja kojoj je bio cilj: omalovaziti ulogu Crne Gore u ovom ratu i srusiti njen visoki ugled medju saveznicima.
Crna Gora i Crnogorci nemaju neiscrpna bogatstva, velikih gradova i varosi, plodnih ravnica, umjetnickih spomenika. Sve sto imamo bilo je, prije i sada: sloboda, cast i junastvo.
To je najvece i jedino blago Crne Gore i Crnogoraca.
Meni u izgnanstvu preostajao je mucan i nicim nezasluzan zadatak da branim cast i ugled Crne Gore od bijednih sinova zemlje nase, od kojih neki bijahu uzivali i moje povjerenje, a koji se stavise u sluzbu zvanicne Srbije, da za novac klevetaju i izdaju ne samo mene, nego sve sto je najsvetije i najdraze svakome Crnogorcu.
Zbog intriga i kleveta o kojima je rijec, pored svih mojih napora, narod u zemlji bio je lisen zasluzene pomoci od strane nasih mocnih saveznika, isto tako i internirani, koji bi, da nije bilo jednog plemenitog engleskog i jednog amerikanskog drustva, ostali bez ikakve pomoci. Moja vlada, pak, nije mogla pruziti pomoc, jer, na zalost, nije imala cime.
Moji neprijatelji htjeli su, da tim sto mi onemogucavaju rad na pomoci narodu u zemlji, izazovu mrznju narodnu protiv mene. Ipak, pored svega ovoga, na mnogobrojne predstave moje i moje vlade, saveznici su, cijeneci zrtve koje je Crna Gora ucinila, pristali naposljetku da ishranjuju narod crnogorski; cekao se samo jos pristanak vlade austrougarske na postavljene uslove. U medjuvremenu dosla je i propast nasih neprijatelja.
Pored svih kleveta, vlada Srbije nije uspjela da diplomatski unisti Crnu Goru. Trebalo je unistiti na drugi nacin, koji nece izazvati gnusanje kod civilizovanog svijeta, koga je trebalo uvjeriti da unistenje i obescascenje Crne Gore zele sami Crnogorci.
Kada je neprijatelj, slomljen silnim udarcima udruzenih saveznika, napustio nasu malu Crnu Goru, okupirala ju je, u ime vlade Srbije, njena vojska.
Ona je usla ne s grancicom mira i bratske ljubavi, nego s namjerom da srusi najvece dobro svakog naroda i drzave - suverenitet njen, i da unisti njeno drzavno bice, koje je tekovina vjekovnih napora i krvavih borbi Crnogoraca. Da bi se pred svijetom kao Pilat mogla od svog bogomrskog i u istoriji nezapamcenog zlocina pravdati i preturati ga na narod crnogorski, ona je falsifikovala volju narodnu.
Skupila je takozvanu Veliku narodnu skupstinu na jedan nasilnicki nacin, cije odluke nemaju nikakve vaznosti, jer Velika narodna skupstina i ne postoji kao ustanova po nasem ustavu, a kamoli da je nadlezna da rjesava o sudbini Crne Gore!
Pa i svakakav zlocin izvrsen je prepadom, kukavicki, lisavajuci od ucesca u rjesavanju o sudbini zemlje nekolike hiljade mucenika i heroja, koji se jos ne bijahu vratili iz ropstva.
Dragi moji Crnogorci,
Sa zvanicne Srbije i njenih agenata optuzivan sam kao protivnik jugoslovenskog jedinstva. Medjutim, nijedan pojedinac u Srpstvu i Jugoslovenstvu nije vise radio na njemu od mene, nastavljajuci u tome djelo mojih besmrtnih predaka.
Ne, nijesam ja protivan njemu, ali ne dam da Crna Gora udje u jugoslovensku zajednicu oklevetana i na nacin koji ne dolikuje njenoj slavnoj proslosti, njenom dostojanstvu i njenim bitnim interesima.
Ne, ona nece ulaziti mucki i lupeski u taj velicanstveni hram, kome je ona postavila temelje, a na kojem je ona prva razvila zastavu svoju sa Dusanovim bijelim orlom, cije gnijezdo bjese vjekovima samo na Lovcenu.
Ona to nije zasluzila.
Sjeni slavnih predaka nasih, palih za ideju slobode sveg naseg naroda bunile bi se protiv toga, nebrojene i nesebicne zrtve vjekovima podnosene, potoci plemenite krvi nasih najboljih sinova, prolivene ne samo niz nase suro stijenje, vec i na bregovima Bojane, Neretve, Miljacke, Drine, Morace i Bregalnice, traze drugaciji i svecaniji ulazak nas u jugoslovensku zajednicu, a ne kakav joj je pripremila vlada Srbije.
Taj momenat moraju pozdraviti s poboznoscu, s kapom u ruci, svi posteni Jugosloveni.
Moji slavni preci i ja radili smo s vama cijeloga vijeka na djelu narodnog ujedinjenja.
Ja sam taj, koji sam na njemu radio s knjazom Mihailom i vladikom Strosmajerom, nastavljajuci u tome rad Rada Vladike sa Banom Jelacicem.
Cim su se pak granice Srbije i Crne Gore dodirnule, ja sam 1914. predlozio izmedju njih uniju.
U izgnanstvu, moja je vlada 1916. i u julu 1917. cinila korake kod vlade Srbije za bratski i sporazuman rad u pitanju narodnog ujedinjenja.
Ja, pak, licno, izjavio sam svoju gotovost u ime Crne Gore, da stupim u jugoslovensku zajednicu mojim deskriptom od 1. jula ove godine i proklamacijom Jugoslovenima od 7. jula ove godine, isticuci da oblik vladavine i unutrasnje uredjenje buduce jugoslovenske zajednice treba da bude prepusteno iskljucivo volji naroda, koja mora biti suverena nad svim ostalim.
Na zalost, vlada Srbije odgovorila je na njih ranije Krfskom deklaracijom, a sada nacinom i nasiljem, kakvo ne pamti istorija civilizovanih naroda.
Pored svega toga ovaj akt odobren je i zvanicno od vlade Srbije.
Ona je 28. decembra 1918. pozvala svoga poslanika, do tada akreditovanog kod moje vlade, smatrajuci taj nasilni akt kao legalan. Medjutim, takav akt niti ce ikada biti priznat od ma koje civilizovane drzave, a kamoli od kojeg saveznika.
Crna Gora je Crnogoraca.
To je bilo, to ce biti.
Nasi veliki saveznici i dalje su zastupljeni svojim poslanicima pri mom dvoru.
Crna Gora ce biti uspostavljena, sa svim njenim pravima. To je svecano, i nekoliko puta do sada bilo proklamovano od strane mocnih saveznika nasih. To je jedna od duznosti saveznika, koju su velikodusno uzele na sebe, isto tako kao i obavezu o sadasnjoj ishrani naroda, koju su na sebe uzele vlade nasih plemenitih saveznika. O tome su moju vladu obavijestile vlade Engleske, Francuske, Italije i Amerike, a iza kojih nije izostala ni ruska vlada iz Omaka (Sibirija), vjerna vjekovnim tradicijama i ocinskoj ljubavi Rusije prema Crnoj Gori. U isto vrijeme, saveznici su uzeli obavezu o finansijskoj pomoci i ekonomskom uspostavljanju Crne Gore, sto je predmet stalnih briga mojih i moje vlade.
Sami Crnogorci, i niko vise, odlucice slobodno, zakonskim putem, o buducnosti Crne Gore, koja ce, uvjeren sam, biti dostojna svoje proslosti. Ja cu tu odluku prvi pozdraviti kakva god ona bila. Ni ja ni moja kuca nijesmo se popeli i drzali na prijestolu Crne Gore silom; necemo na njemu ni ostati, ako to zahtijevaju interesi Crne Gore i jugoslovenskog naroda.
Prava volja naroda bila je i bice za nas zakon.
Na Badnji dan (24. HÀÀ) 1918.
Glas Crnogorca,
(Neji kod Pariza),2/15. À 1918. br. 62

Saint George

Statue of Saint George in Tbilisi (Georgia)

Tomb of Saint George in Lob (Israel)

A commonly sung troparion in the Eastern Orthodox Church is the Hymn of St. George:
"Liberator of captives,
and defender of the poor,
physician of the sick,
and champion of kings,
O trophy-bearer,
and Great Martyr George,
intercede with Christ our God
that our souls be saved."
In Christian hagiography, Saint George (ca. 275-281–April 23, 303) was a soldier of the Roman Empire, from the then Greek-speaking Anatolia, now modern day Turkey, who was venerated as a Christian martyr.
Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Churches.
Immortalized in the tale of George and the Dragon, he is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
There are no historical sources on Saint George.
The legend that follows is synthesized from early and late hagiographical sources - chief among these sources is the Golden Legend.
George was born to a Christian family during the late 3rd century. His father was from Cappadocia and served as an officer of the Roman army. His mother was from Lydda, Iudaea (now Lod, Israel). She returned to her native city as a widow along with her young son, where she provided him with an education.
The youth followed his father's example by joining the army soon after coming of age. He proved to be a good soldier and consequently rose through the military ranks of the time. George was stationed in Nicomedia as a member of the personal guard attached to Roman Emperor Diocletian.
According to the hagiography, in 303 Diocletian issued an edict authorizing the systematic persecution of Christians across the Empire. The emperor Galerius was supposedly responsible for this decision and would continue the persecution during his own reign (305–311). George was ordered to participate in the persecution but instead confessed to being a Christian himself and criticized the imperial decision. An enraged Diocletian ordered his torture and execution.
After various tortures, including laceration on a wheel of swords, George was executed by decapitation before Nicomedia's defensive wall on April 23, 303. A witness of his suffering convinced Empress Alexandra and Athanasius, a pagan priest, to become Christians as well, and so they joined George in martyrdom. His body was returned to Lydda for burial, where Christians soon came to honour him as a martyr.
A church built in Lydda during the reign of Constantine I (reigned 306–337), was consecrated to "a man of the highest distinction", according to the church history of Eusebius of Caesarea; the name of the patron was not disclosed, but later he was asserted to have been George. The church was destroyed in 1010. but was later rebuilt and dedicated to Saint George by the Crusaders. In 1191 and during the conflict known as the Third Crusade (1189–1192), the church was again destroyed by the forces of Saladin, Sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty (reigned 1171–1193). A new church was erected in 1872 and is still standing.
During the fourth century the veneration of George spread from Palestine to the rest of the Eastern Roman Empire.
By the fifth century the cult of Saint George had reached the Western Roman Empire as well: in 494, George was canonised as a saint by Pope Gelasius I, among those "whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God."
The episode of St George and the Dragon was a legend, brought back with the Crusaders and retold with the courtly appurtenances belonging to the genre of Romance (Loomis; Whatley). The earliest known depiction of the mytheme is from early eleventh-century Cappadocia (Whately), (in the iconography of the Eastern Orthodox Church, George had been depicted as a soldier since at least the seventh century); the earliest known surviving narrative text is an eleventh-century Georgian text (Whatley).
In the fully-developed Western version, a dragon makes its nest at the spring that provides water for the city of "Silene" (perhaps modern Cyrene) in Libya or the city of Lydda, depending on the source. Consequently, the citizens have to dislodge the dragon from its nest for a time, in order to collect water. To do so, each day they offer the dragon a human sacrifice. The victim is chosen by drawing lots. One day, this happened to be the princess. The monarch begs for her life with no result. She is offered to the dragon, but there appears the saint on his travels. He faces the dragon, slays it and rescues the princess. The grateful citizens abandon their ancestral paganism and convert to Christianity.
The parallels with Perseus and Andromeda are inescapable. In the allegorical reading, the dragon embodies a suppressed pagan cult. The story has roots that predate Christianity. Examples such as Sabazios, the sky father, who was usually depicted riding on horseback, and Zeus's defeat of Typhon the Titan in Greek mythology, along with examples from Germanic and Vedic traditions, have led a number of historians, such as Loomis, to suggest that George is a Christianized version of older deities in Indo-European culture.
St. George is most commonly depicted in early icons, mosaics and frescos wearing armor contemporary with the depiction, executed in gilding and silver color, intended to identify him as a Roman soldier. After the Fall of Constantinople and the association of St George with the crusades, he is more often portrayed mounted upon a white horse. At the same time St George began to be associated with St. Demetrius, another early soldier saint. When the two saints are portrayed together mounted upon horses, they may be likened to earthly manifestations of the archangels Michael and Gabriel. St George is always depicted in Eastern traditions upon a white horse and St. Demetrius on a red horse St George can also be identified in the act of spearing a dragon, unlike St Demetrius, who is sometimes shown spearing a human figure, understood to represent Maximian.
In 1969, Saint George's feast day was moved to an optional memorial in the Roman Catholic calendar; the solemnity of his commemoration depends on purely local observance. He is, however, still honored as a saint of major importance by the Eastern Orthodox Church and in Oriental Orthodoxy.
In 1963, in the Roman Catholic Church, St George was demoted to a third class minor saint and removed him from the Universal Calendar, with the proviso that he could be honored in local calendars. Pope John Paul II, in 2000, restored St George to the Calendar, and he appears in Missals as the English Patron Saint.
Saint George is the patron saint of the Palestinian Christians, who believe he lived in the areas around Bethlehem in his childhood. Christian Houses can be identified with a stone-engraved picture of the saint (known as Mar Girgius) in front of their homes for his protection.
Saint George is the patron saint of Beirut. The Saint George Bay in Beirut is believed to be the place where the dragon lived and where it was slain. In Lebanon, Saint George is believed to have cleaned off his spear at a massive rocky cave running into the hillside and overlooking the beautiful Jounieh Bay. Others argue it is at the Bay of Tabarja. The waters of both caves are believed to have miraculous powers for healing ailing children.
In Greece, St. George is the patron saint of the Hellenic Army.
In Italy, Saint George is one of the patron saints of Genoa.
There are numerous churches dedicated to St. George in India (especially in Kerala) practicing Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholicism. There are also countless shrines to St. George in Kerala, India.
St George is also known to be the patron saint of the Boy Scouts of America.
The Freemasons consider St. George one of their primary patron saints. The United Grand Lodge of England holds its annual festival on a day as near as possible to St. George's Day, and St. George is depicted on the ceiling of the Grand Lodge Temple on Great Queen Street, London. A number of Masonic lodges around the world bear the name of St. George.
There is a tradition in the Holy Land of Christians and Muslim going to an Eastern Orthodox shrine for St. George at Beith Jala, Jews also attending the site in the belief that the prophet Elijah was buried there. This is testified to by Elizabeth Finn in 1866, where she wrote, “St. George killed the dragon in this country [Palestine]; and the place is shown close to Beyroot. Many churches and convents are named after him. The church at Lydda is dedicated to St. George: so is a convent near Bethlehem, and another small one just opposite the Jaffa gate; and others beside. The Arabs believe that St. George can restore mad people to their senses.
It is singular that the Moslem Arabs share this veneration for St. George, and send their mad people to be cured by him, as well as the Christians. But they commonly call him El Khudder —The Green—according to their favorite manner of using epithets instead of names. Why he should be called green, however, I cannot tell—unless it is from the colour of his horse. Gray horses are called green in Arabic.”
A possible explanation for this colour reference is Al Khidr, the erstwhile tutor of Moses, gained his name from having sat in a barren desert, turning it into a lush green paradise. See above for the association of Al Khidder and St George.

145 godina Prvog Beogradskog Pevackog Drustva

OD SOLUNA DO BUDIMA GDE GOD SRPSKIH DUSA IMA
Preuzeto sa sajta 'Srpsko Nasledje'
Piše: SlađanaRistić
Hor Beogradskog pevačkog društva pevao je Bogu i svome rodu, a glas srpskog pevača čuo se nadaleko. Od Prvog beogradskog pevačkog društva, za istoriju srpske kulture možda su važnije samo dve institucije: Matica srpska i Narodni muzej. A možda u ovom trojstvu Društvo nije na trećem mestu. Jer, bez horovođa Prvog beogradskog pevačkog društva - Kornelija Stankovića, Josifa Marinkovića i Stevana Mokranjca - ne bi bilo srpske muzike. Tog univerzalnog, na svakom jeziku razumljivog zvučnog znaka našeg trajanja. Za koji napisaše kako su "ove melodije svojina i osobina duše srpskog naroda" i još kako "ti napevi, manje-više tužnog karaktera, nose obeležja žalosnog položaja i teške istorije naroda srpskog", znaka našeg trajanja koji će biti čak i ako nas više ne bude.
Da se srpska muzika razvija i srasta sa vremenom osetilo se u subotu, 14. februara 1998. godine, u zadužbini Ilije M Kolarca, na dan Svetog Trifuna kada je najstariji srpski hor - Prvo beogradsko pevačko društvo - proslavljalo 145 godina svog postojanja.
Te subotnje večeri uzdrhtao je duh pravoslavlja, gospodstva i kulture, narodne reči i zaboravljenih likova iz naše kulturne baštine.
Posle Matice srpske i Narodnog muzeja, Prvo beogradsko pevačko društvo je treća kulturna institucija u srpskom narodu. To potvrđuju i reči episkopa budimskog Danila:
"Što je patrijarh među vladikama, to je Prvo beogradsko pevačko društvo među horovima."
Hor je gotovo vek i po širom sveta prenosio i približavao narodu uzvišenost srpske duhovne i svetovne pesme.
Zaštitnici su mu bili Mihailo Obrenović i kasnije dinastija Karađorđević.
Hor je pevao na bogosluženjima, svetim liturgijama, najznačajnijim molitvenim i crkvenim skupovima u istoriji srpskog naroda: krunisanjima, venčavanjima članova kraljevske porodice, intronaciji srpskih patrijarha, hirotonisanju svih vladika i prilikom poseta pravoslavnih pogla-vara.
Osam gostiju Milana Milovuka
Priča počinje u jednoj beogradskoj kući, u stanu Milana Milovuka, 14. januara 1853, kada se sastalo devetoro ljudi: pet Srba i četiri stranca. Među strancima, kao treći za Milovukovim stolom, sedeo je čuveni Josif Šlezinger. Zajednička nit koja ih je spojila bila je naklonost prema muzici. Te večeri bio je prisutan i duh svetog Vasilija koji je dao nadahnuće ovim ljudima, tako da je od 1889. godine slava Prvog beogradskog društva i zvanično sveti Vasilije Veliki.
U početku je to muški hor koji peva kompozicije nemačkih i francuskih horova. Pevači su za vreme pevanja sedeli oko stola.
Kornelije Stanković zapisuje pesmu "Rado ide Srbin u vojnike"
Dolaskom u hor velikog srpskog umetnika i kompozitora, Kornelija Stankovića, kao i njegovog prijatelja slikara Steve Todorovića, razvija se muzika i pevanje sa narodnim obeležjem.
Po dolasku iz Karlovaca, Stanković se posvećuje beogradskom društvu.
Pošto su crkvene i narodne melodije bile pristupačne narodu, članovi hora dobijaju naklonost građanstva i viših krugova. Tada knez Mihailo Obrenović postaje njihov visoki pokrovitelj.
Izvesno vreme horom rukovodi Davorin Jenko, ali ne tako uspešno kao njegov prethodnik. Nekoliko puta odlaziće sa mesta horovođe i ponovo se vraćati.
U Beogradskom pevačkom društvu niču i prve klice za potonji rad u Narodnom pozorištu, u kome društvo kasnije vrlo često koncertuje. Društvo je bilo vezano za pozorište. Predsednik Pevačkog društva bio je ujedno i potpredsednik Pozorišnog odbora. Društvo je više puta pri-ređivalo koncerte u korist podizanja i održavanja pozorišta. Međutim, pozorišne Uprave nisu se uvek odazivale molbama Društva. Kad im je hor tražio salu za priređivanje koncerta u korist svoje kase, u danima kada pozorište ne radi, i ako su koncerti najjači izvor za podmirenje troškova Društva, ovi im nisu u potpunosti izlazili u susret.
Mokranjčeva nacionalna orijentacija, Šantić kao tekstopisac
Sve veća aktivnost članova hora daje podstrek mnogim našim autorima da nastave sa radom na kompoziciji za hor, sa narodnim, lirskim, prigodnim pesmama. 1875. godine u hor dolazi Stevan Mokranjac. Nastavlja pravac u komponovanju koji je započeo Kornelije Stanković, proširuje nacionalnu orijentaciju. Prilikom proslave pedesetogodišnjice Beogradskog pevačkog društva izveden je koncert koji je sastavio Stevan Mokranjac, a koji je obuhvatio razvoj srpske pesme i kompozicije do tada.
Tekst za himnu Društva napisao je pesnik Aleksa Šantić, na Mokranjčevu melodiju. Tekst je natopljen osećanjima pripadnosti veri i otadzbini. Šantić počinje svoju pesmu stihovima:

Zaigrajte, srca živa
Jednom željom roda svog!
Što Avala davno sniva
Neka blagi dade Bog:
Kao zvona Vaskrs-dana,
Koja vjerom dižu nas,
Da odjekne pro Balkana
Srpske slave burni glas.

Hor je pevao Bogu i svome rodu, a glas srpskih pevača se čuo nadaleko. Zahvaljujući njima osnovan je Savez srpskih pevačkih društava (1903), od njih je krenulo i osnivanje Jugoslovenskog pevačkog saveza (1924). Dve godine kasnije priredilo je Društvo prvu Južnoslovensku muzičku školu u Srbiji 1899. Direktor i pedagog bio je - Mokranjac.
To je današnja srednja muzička škola "Mokranjac" u Beogradu.
Hor mnogo putuje. Nemačka, Mađarska, Rusija... obilazi gradove; Solun, Moskva, Split, Zagreb, Mostar, Kotor, Dubrovnik... Posle turneje, kada su pevali pred ruskim carom i caricom i pred nemačkim carom i caricom, hor biva proglašen za najbolji u Evropi.
Hor obavlja svoju kulturnu i diplomatsku misiju.
Bugarski knez im se klanja.
Kad su otpevali tursku himnu sultanu (do tada se samo svirala), oduševljeni sultan je zatražio da pred njim otpevaju i srpsku himnu, odao im je počast a time se poklonio srpskoj muzici.
Njeno Visočanstvo, kraljica Natalija, poklanja Društvu zastavu sa širokom trobojnom trakom uokvirenu zlatnim resama i koncertni klavir, a knjaz Nikola na Cetinju nije prikrio svoje odu-ševljenje, te se rukuje sa svakim članom hora.
Hor je dobio mnoga odlikovanja (preko osamdeset) i ima nekoliko stotina počasnih članstava.
U to vreme stvaraju se i druga društva i horovi u svim gradovima Srbije od Vranja, Negotina, Kragujevca, Šapca... i u samom Beogradu: Društvo "Kornelije Stanković", jevrejsko, međunarodno.
Hor je značajno uticao na život cele Srbije, jer je održao mnoge dobrotvorne koncerte i priredbe u cilju pomaganja drugih društava, ustanova i pojedinaca, kao što je recimo koncert u korist bolnice siromašnih učenika (1865), u korist osnivanja Narodnog pozorišta u Beogradu (1868), za postradale u ratu (1877), u korist porodice preminulog pesnika Đure Jakšića (1879).
Važan je njihov nastup u Mokranjčevom Negotinu gde su pevali na otkrivanju spomenika Hajduk Veljku.
Društvo je uvek negovalo rodoljublje.
Sa srpskom trobojkom i kraljevim vencem
Značajna je njihova poseta Dubrovniku (1893), povodom otkrivanja spomenika velikom srpskom pesniku Ivanu Gunduliću. Narod ih je u Dubrovniku dočekao ushićen, sa divljenjem. Članovi hora bili su dostojanstveni, nosili su venac koji je bio obavijen trakom sa srpskim bojama. Predsednik dubrovačke opštine, starina Gundulić, kao Srbin i potomak velikog pesnika pozdravio se sa horom vidno uzbuđen. Od Gruže do Dubrovnika, sve je bilo puno ljudi - veličanstven prizor. Tada otpeva pevačko Društvo himnu Gunduliću uz burno odobravanje, a izaslanik i predstavnik Kraljevskog Srpskog Narodnog Pozorišta koji se popeo na pijedestal, htede da pročita "Gundulićev Zavet" - ali je bio sprečen. Nekolicina usplahirenih rekoše da se ne sme jer nije u programu, a u isti mah stvorio se žandar koji je zabranio da se išta govori i čita. Austougarskim žbirima zasmetalo je toliko robovanje u Dubrovniku.
"Društvo je pevalo na Vidovdanu u prostranoj našoj crkvi, u Dubrovniku, a bogosluženje drža gospodin Vladika kotorski i nekoliko sveštenika. Crkva i sve ulice oko crkve bile su preplavljene narodom...", seća se jedan iz ove Mokranjčeve ekspedicije.
Članovi hora putuju po celoj Evropi, ali hor i dalje peva u Sabornoj crkvi i dvorskoj kapeli. Vežbaju pevanje u prostorijama Saborne škole (danas škola Kralja Petra), gde su nekada bile crkvene kancelarije.
Posle M. Milovuka i K. Stankovića, Jenka i Mokranjca, treba spomenuti i druge kompozitore koji su pisali istoriju srpske horske muzike. To su: Josif Marinković, Stanislav Binički, Stevan Hristić, Miloje Milojević, Kosta Manojlović, Petar Konjović, Predrag Milošević...
Dirigent i kompozitor Kosta Manojlović nastavlja Stankovićev i Mokranjčev nacionalni pravac u muzici, proširuje muziku na jugoslovenstvo i na panslovenstvo. Hor prvi put peva kompozicije renesansnih autora.
Posle Koste Manojlovića hor je vodio Lovro Matačić.
U Budimpešti, 1937. godine, sa horovođom Predragom Miloševićem, Društvo osvaja prvu horsku nagradu. Evropske novine pisale su da je to jedan od najboljih horova tog vremena.
Cepanje horske zastave
Svojim slikama hor su darivali: Steva Todorović, Paja Jovanović, Nadežda Petrović.
Za vreme Prvog svetskog rata hor nije prestajao da peva.
Jedno vreme dirigovala je gospođa Sofija. Društvo je vežbalo u prostorijama Patrijaršije. Kada su nacisti napali Beograd iscepali su zastavu hora. To je pojačalo pravoslavni i patriotski duh ovog muzičkog društva.
Posle Drugog svetskog rata uslovi za oporavak Prvog beogradskog pevačkog društva nisu bili pogodni. Hor je nastavio da peva sa starim i ostarelim članovima u skučenim prostorijama Patrijaršije, i u Sabornoj crkvi, na Svetosav-skim proslavama...
Zlatno doba hora, između dva svetska rata, gde treba pomenuti osim Manojlovića, Stevana Hristića, M. Milojevića, Predraga Miloševića, Matačića, Ilića... bilo je prošlo.
Značajne korake u muzičkom usponu Društva predstavljaju dopune repertoara kompozicijama naših modernih kompozitora: Konjovića, Milojevića, Hristića i Bajića, kao i izvođenje vokalno instrumentalnih dela slovenskih i evropskih autora na najvišem svetskom nivou. Dvoržakovih oratorijuma "Stabat mater" "Svadbeni darovi", Perozijevog "Stradanja Hrista", Verdijevog "Rekvijema"...
Ponovo na velikoj sceni
Društvo je pevalo na proslavi 900 godina pravoslavlja u Rusiji, a 1988, hor gostuje, po pozivu ruske crkve, na proslavi 1000 godina pravoslavlja. Ako je Društvo bilo jedini strani hor na proslavi, onda se zna koliko ga Rusi cene i poštuju.
Pre nekoliko godina hor nastupa, posle duže pauze, u Negotinu gde se jedno vreme zaboravilo na ovaj divni hor, kao i na to da je klavir u Mokranjčevoj spomen kući vlasništvo Društva.
Poslednjih godina Društvo dobija svoje mesto u zvaničnoj kulturi, tako da je učesnik mnogih priredbi i značajnih kulturnih manifestacija. Učestvovali su na proslavi 800-godišnjice manastira Studenica, pevali su na osvećenju spaljenog konaka u pećkoj Patrijaršiji, u manastiru Ravanica...
Od 1981 - 1984. godine hor je bio pod upravom dirigenta Aleksandra Vujića. Pre njega bili su: Aleksandar Gavanski, Bogdan Cvejić, Luka Gavrilović, Dragomir Radivojević. Od 1984, kompozitor Vladimir Milosavljević, nastavlja tradiciju prethodnika. Milosavljević po završetku studija, odlazi nekoliko puta u Hilandar i onda se konačno posvećuje duhovnoj muzici i horu. Mnoge njegove kompozicije, kao što su "Psalm šesti", "Molitva Davidova", "Heruvimska pesma"... izvode sa uspehom i strani horovi. Njegovo dirigovanje je takvo da se on potpuno sjedinjuje sa pevačima, čak do skrušenosti, a onda do vapaja. Težnja ka muzikalnoj molitvi, odnosno molitvenom pevanju postaje težnja svakog pevača u horu.
Na Cetinju Društvo dočekuje mošti kralja Nikole. Jedini hor koji učestvuje.
Sveće i zvona srpskog Kotora
Prvo beogradsko pevačko društvo svakog leta posećuje manastir Reževiće u Crnoj Gori. i nastupa od Budve do Kotora.
Svakog leta u Reževićima dočekuje ih iguman Mardarije.
Hor je u stvari jedna velika porodica. Smenjuju se generacije, ali u njima se prenose duh pojanja i gospodstvo, što je osobenost hora.
U toj velikoj porodici, u manastiru Reževići, oni raspoređuju svoje uloge od rada do pevanja, preko večernjih beseda sa igumanom i mnogim gostima iz sveta umetnosti. Mnogi slikari i pesnici posećuju manastir za vreme gostovanja Društva - Reževići su tad pravi duhovni i kulturni centar. Možda i to doprinosi lepoti zvuka tih predivnih glasova, i toj otmenosti u pevanju.
U horu ima akademskih građana, kapetana, penzionisanih članova operskog hora, studenata Bogoslovskog fakulteta. Starosna dob je od 17 do 70 godina. Nekoliko njih iz jedne porodice sinovi, unuci.
Treba pomenuti i njihove sadašnje divne soliste: protođakona Vladu Mikića (bas), čuvenog operskog pevača Žarka Cvejića, Pavla Aksentijevića, Boška Došenovića, (tenor), Bosiljku Jovanović (sopran) i druge.
U Kotoru su imali koncert koji se pamti. Kotor je bio u potpunom mraku kada su usli članovi hora. Ali ni to nije omelo pevače i soliste da dođudo crkve Svetog Nikole. Narod ih je čekao. Zvona su zvonila pre koncerta, dok su pevači išli starim gradom. Zvona sa svih crkava. Bio je to veličanstven koncert za pamćenje, održan pod svećama.
Trajanje u zvuku
Na slavi Prvog beogradskog pevačkog društva, Svetog Vasilija, na srpsku Novu godinu, 14 januara, kada se slavlje priređuje u sali Patrijaršije, srpski patrijarh prisustvuje rezanju kolača. On je sada visoki zaštitnik i pokrovitelj Društva.
Društvo i dalje peva kompozicije "Dostojno jest", Kornelija Stankovića i "Svjati Bože", Stevana Hristića.
Imaju probe i sastanke u prostoru Patrijaršije. A taj prostor može mnogo da ispriča o istoriji ovog hora. Tu se nalaze stare fotografije sa turneja, knjige, pokloni, veliki klavir, slike Paje Jovanovića, knjiga sa imenima članova od 1853, veliki sto kao za vreme Milana Milovuka, izrezbarena klupa u duborezu i predivan srpski ćilim.
Društvo je pevalo u filmovima Emira Kusturice "Dom za vešanje" i "Arizona drim".
Ovaj hor ostavio je trag u istoriji Srbije, muzičke kulture, srpskog naroda, stvorio i sačuvao naše duhovno pojanje. Zato trajemo...
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Kralj Aleksandar Prvi Obrenović bio je visoki zaštitnik Beogradskog pevačkog društva još dok je bio kraljević. Duma Društva bila je njegova majka, kraljica Natalija, koja je društvu poklonila zastavu, zlatom vezenu, u Beču urađenu. Društvo je svom zaštitniku, Kraljeviću Aleksandru otpevalo specijalno pisanu kompoziciju Josifa Marinkovića, na tekst Matije Bana, i poklonilo mu gusle javorove "oružje kojim se srpsko ime već pet vekova bori protiv svojih krvnih neprijatelja"
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"Spomenica" izdate povodom pedesetogodišnjice Beogradskog pevačkog društva: Na diplomama Društva koje je izradio slikar Paja Jovanović, stoje dva natpisa "Davorje 1895" i "Kornelije Stanković 1896" u znak sećanja na dve pevačke družine koje se ujediniše u Društvo - redak primer bratskog, srpskog ujedinjenja!
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Prvi predsednici Beogradskog pevačkog društva. Kosta Cukić, kasniji ministar, u narodu poznat po "Cukićevom pravilu" za igranje preferansa, bio je jedan od devet osnivača Društva. Društvo je počelo sa nemačkim horskim kompozicijama, na nemačkom jeziku. Budući da su ga činili muzički solidno obrazovani i nadareni ljudi, uspešno je izvodilo i vrlo teške kompozicije. Tek dolaskom Kornelija Stankovića, tog muzičkog Vuka Karayi-ća, Društvo će dobiti nacionalna obeležja
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Prvo beogradsko pevačko društvo svojim basovima "kao ponor dubokim" izazivalo je za-vist nemačkih dirigenata. U Beču su srpsku duhovnu muziku smatrali "ako ne najboljom, a ono sigurno najiskrenijom duhovnom muzikom" tog vremena. Gostovanja Mokranjčevog hora u porobljenim srpskim zemljama izazivala su prave demonstracije srpskog patriotizma. Pevali su ruskom i nemačkom caru, a na smotri evropskih horova u Budimpešti osvojili su prvu nagradu i bili proglašeni najboljim horom Evrope. Pesmom ovog hora obeležen je jedan od važnih datuma srpske slobode - povlačenje Turaka iz srpskih gradova. Hor je pevao na krunisanjima, kraljevskim svadbama i opelima. NJegov horovođa, Davorin Jenko napisao je dve himne - slovenačku i srpsku. Horsku zastavu, zlatom i srebrom u Beču vezenu, poklon kraljice Natalije, iscepali su Nemci 1941. kad su kao osvajači ušli u zgradu beogradske Patrijaršije. Neke beogradske porodice, tradicionalno, davale su pevače za hor: deda, sin i unuk pevali su sa Prvim beogradskim društvom, na velike praz-nike, u beogradskoj Sabornoj crkvi. Tekstove horskih pesama pisali su Matija Ban, Aleksa Šantić... plakate im je crtao Paja Jovanović.
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Knjaz Crne Gore i Brda Nikola Prvi, bio je počasni član Društva, zajedno sa kneginjama Darinkom Danilović i Milenom Nikolinom. Hor je putovao na Cetinje - do Kotora brodom "Hungarija" iz Fijume (Rijeke) a zatim na kolima, mazgama i pešice, uz Kotorske strane do Cetinja - da bi održao koncert na rođendan prestolonaslednika. Neki članovi stigoše pešice tek na pola koncerta, no srećom "najbolji naši basovi stigoše na vreme". Koncert je počeo Knjazovom pesmom "Onam, onamo, za brda ona". Knjaz nije dozvoljavao da se peva na "bis" uprkos frenetičnim aplauzima jer su pevači bili preumorni, a lično je čestitao horovođi gospodinu Mokranjcu. Na prijemu u čast hora, Nikola je govorio o potrebi da se srpske zemlje ujedine, a na grudima je nosio srpski orden Belog orla prvog stepena
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Na Cveti 1867. Društvo je dočekalo lađu kojom se, iz Carigrada, vratio knez Mihailo Obrenović, donoseći sultanovu naredbu o predaji gradova Srbima. Tadašnji horovođa, Slovenac Davorin Jenko, komponovao je za tu priliku posebnu pesmu. "Ti samo vikni: Narod je snaga" I brat će bratu pasti na grud, I Srbin silom slomiće vraga, I biće Srbin slobodan svud"! Posle ubistva kneza Mihaila, u Topčideru, Društvo je na sprovodu pevalo opelo svom pomažućem članu. Knez Milan, ne odazva se molbi da preuzme Mihailovo mesto dobrotvora Društva, koje je u prvom članu svojih Pravila napisalo: "Cilj je pevačkoga društva da gaji i neguje srpsku i uopšte slovensku pesmu i svirku"
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Prve pesme "aromatično" pevane u Srbiji, bile su one koje je u svoje komade "umetnuo" Joakim Vujić, prikazujući ih, u Kragujevcu, za vlade Miloša Velikog. Pesme je komponovao Josif Šlezinger, koji je došao u Srbiju na knežev poziv, da postane prvi kapelnik, prve srpske vojne muzike. Uzgred, obučavao je mladiće u pesmi, upoznavao ih sa notnim sistemom i upražnjavao s njima pevanje skala. Od tih pevača - diletanata (reč "diletant" nije u sebi sadržala ništa loše, to je prosto "amater" i entuzijasta) sastavljen je hor koji će, 14. oktobra 1834. godine, na kneževskom balu pevati pesmu posvećenu Milošu. Bal je priređen u čast visokog ordena kojim je sultan Mahmud Drugi odlikovao Miloša Obrenovića. Pesma je počinjala stihovima:
"Sunce jarko serpskom sinu,Izobilno sipa zrake."
Stihove je spevao Dimitrije Isailović, a "melodiju i harmoniju dao je Šlezinger". A kako pišu "Serpske Novine", "glasovi su bili tako udesni da je čovek morao misliti kako je u sredi talijanskog teatra".
Ostalo je još zabeleženo, da je Šle-zinger, sastavio muziku za pozorišni komad "Marko i Arapin", Atanasija Niko-lića, što je tadašnji vladalac, knjaz Mihailo "bogatim darovima potsticao", 1841.
Godinu dana kasnije, u Pančevu, na glas je izašao oktet Nikole Đurkovića, iz Dalmacije, koji će godinu dana kasnije preći u Beograd, gde će postići lep uspeh pesmama "Ustaj, Srbine", "Ja sam Srbin, srpski sin". Zgrada takozvanog Starog zdanja, u Beogradu, gde je Đurković nastupao, izgorela je, pa je trupa napustila Beograd.
Tih dana, oduševljenje čaršije muzikom bilo je veliko: svud su se pevušile melodije iz Sterijinih drama, koje je sastavio kapelnik Šlezinger.
Đurković je posejao seme koje će isklijati u nekoliko beogradskih salona, gde se grupa muzički obdarene gospode stade sastajati, danas kod jednog, sutra kod drugog, pevanja radi. Nedostajao je samo dobar horovođa. I on se nađe dolaskom Milana Milovuka iz Vlaške. I Prvo beogradsko pevačko društvo sastaviše Milan Milovuk, Kosta Cukić, Đorđe Stanišić, Emilijan Josimović, Dimitrije Nešić, Avgust Cerman, Anton Šulc, Josip Šlezinger i Karlo Keliš.
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Slovenac Davorin Jenko, pisac slovenačke himne "Naprej zastave slave" bio je po obrazovanju pravnik, a muzičko obrazovanje stekao je u Beču, odakle je došao u Pančevo za horovođu, a u Beograd ga je doveo Kornelije Stanković. Jenko je bio oduševljen patriota, prepun panslovenskog duha. Karakter njegovih kompozicija vidi se već iz naslova: "Oštre se naše sablje", "Ustaj rode mili", "Hajd u vojnu", "Ustaj rajo", "Što ćutiš Srbine tužni". Zamerali su mu što, navodno, ne poznaje - kao Slovenac - dovoljno srpske pesme, pa u otadzbinske, srpske motive uvlači nemačke i italijanske teme
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Milan Milovuk bio je prvi horovođa Društva. Rodio se u Pešti, završio gimnaziju i "ekonomske nauke". Po svršenom školovanju, otišao je u Vlašku, gde je bio ekonom velikih imanja Miše Anastasijevića, upamćenog po beogradskom Kapetan Mišinom zdanju. Milovuk je izvanredno svirao violinu, i pri Društvu je tada osnovana prva škola za violinu i čelo. Umro je kao direktor beogradske Realne gimnazije. Iz hora je otišao kad je, posle smrti Kornelija Stankovića, njegov prijatelj slikar Steva Todorović preuzeo direktorsku fotelju, što je značilo punu pobedu "narodnog pravca"
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U Banaćaninu Josifu Marinkoviću (rođen u Vranjevu, završio učiteljsku školu u Somboru) Društvo je dobilo školovanog muzičara - Marinković je u Pragu četiri godine učio školu za orgulje. Koncert u smederevskom hotelu "Kod lafa" koji je sastavljen od Marinkovićevih obrada srpskih narodnih pesama, sasvim je u pravcu koji je zacrtao Kornelije Stanković. A planirano gostovanje u Nišu otkazano je - iz opravdanih razloga, zbog rata
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Kornelije Stanković je pet godina bio horovođa. Jedan od najautoritativnijih muzičkih kritičara tog vremena, Bečlija Cerner, pošto je bio na koncertu duhovne muzike Kornelija Stankovića, koji je finansirao u Beču patrijarh Rajačić, oduševljen je napisao: "Ove su melodije svojina i osobina srpskog naroda a da ih do sada niko nije dovodio u armoniju, kojeg se posla prihvatio g. Stanković, svršivši ga s umetnošću koja zaslužuje priznanje." Kad je video da na njegov koncert dolaze Cerner i čitavo društvo bečke muzičke elite - a ušli su slučajno, videvši skroman plakat - Kornelije Stanković toliko se uplašio, da mu je iz ruke ispala dirigentska palica, pa je koncert morao da počne ispočetka. Bila je to evropska promocija srpske duhovne muzike
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Stevan Mokranjac bio je horovođa, kraće vreme, još kao "diletant". Mokranjac se rodio u Negotinu, studirao je filozofiju, ali ga je muzika odvukla od studija. Zamenjivao je Jenka na mestu horovođe, u jednom od intermeca - Jenko je šest puta (!) napuštao posao i vraćao se u Društvo - kad je Društvo odlučilo da ga stipendira i pošalje u inostranstvo. Raspisom su pozvani svi srpski horovi da prirede po jedan koncert, a prihode da posvete Mokranjčevom daljem školovanju. Već prva njegova kompozicija, javno izvedena od Društva, po Mokranjčevom povratku iz inostranstva, "Jadna draga", doživela je izvanredan uspeh. Posle dužih lutanja Društvo je pronašlo i školovalo naslednika Korneliju Stankoviću. A gostovanje u Negotinu, gde je izvedena Mokranjčeva Šesta rukovet (Pesme o Hajduk Veljku) bilo je trijumfalno. Baš kao i veliko putešestvije za Dubrovnik, na otkrivanje spomenika Ivanu Gunduliću. Pod Mokranjčevim rukovodstvom Društvo je stalo u red najboljih svetskih horova svog vremena. "Basovi sa glasovima kao ponor dubokim", piše kritičar iz Lajpciga, "morali su probuditi zavist mnogog nemačkog dirigenta". Uz dodatak: "Bez sumnje je i prošlost naroda srpskog u vezi sa ozbiljnošću i setnošću u karakteru, koji preovlađuju u srpskim narodnim pesmama"
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SUKOBI NACIONALISTA I MUNDIJALISTA
Kornelije Stanković rodio se u Budimu 1831. Gimanziju je završavao u Aradu, Segedinu i Budimu. Zatim će otići u Beč, da se posveti izučavanju muzike. Prva značajnija kompozicija bila mu je "Liturđija u mešovitom zboru", koju je posvetio pančevačkoj opštini.
Susreti sa Vukom Karayićem, Brankom Radičevićem i Pavlom Šapčaninom, okrenuše njegovo stvara-laštvo "u narodnom duhu". Zapisivao je i komponovao narodnu muziku, od tih pesama neke su brzo stekle popularnost: Već iz gustog luga kupe se hajduci, Tavna noći tavna, Rado ide Srbin u vojnike. Kažu da je ove pesme pisao "onako kako bi mu ih koji od đaka pevao", u Karlovcima, gde ga je patrijarh Rajačić usrdno primio, dao mu svog najboljeg pevača zvanog "Popica", sa zadatkom "da stavi u note crkveno pojanje".
1856. uputio se iz Karlovaca u Srbiju, da obiđe "znatnija srpska mesta", u traganju za narodnim melodijama. U Beogradu, lepo su ga dočekali u Pevačkom društvu, ali nisu hteli učestvovati na njegovom koncertu, gde je neobičnom veštinom, na klaviru, izvodio varijacije na narodne pesme, koje je sam komponovao.
Tu je došlo do raskola u Društvu. Nekim članovima Stankovićeve kompozicije su se toliko svidele, da su odmah hteli u repertoar da uvrste srpske narodne pesme, no većina to odbije s obrazloženjem kako su to "pesmice prosto harmonisane".
Deo hora se odvoji i formira đačku pevačku družinu, od učenika Liceja i Gimnazije. U toj družini pevaće budući predsednici vlada, ministri, generali... I ovaj hor brzo postane popularan u čaršiji, a interes za Društvo "kosmopolitskog pravca u muzici" beše naglo opao.
Pa kad se Stanković vrati sa puta, i za stalno nastani u Beogradu, pobedi njegov "narodni pravac" - izabraše ga za horovođu, smenjujući "pučom" kosmopolitu Milovuka, u čemu glavnu ulogu odigraju mladići iz takozvanog "priugotovnog hora" (pripremnog hora, u kome se školovalo za veliki hor).
I kad se Kornelije Stanković razboleo, krenuvši da boljki leka potraži u inostranstvu, "Društvo je već bilo toliko srpsko, da su se stranci u njemu slabo osećali".
Kornelije Stanković umro je u Budimu, 1865.
Za horovođu dovedoše Slovenca Jenka, a predsednik će postati prijatelj Kornelijev, njegov čest saputnik i istomišljenik, Stevan Todorović, slikar.

Cele Kula - The Tower of Skulls

1878.

Cele-kula is a serbified turkish word which origine is "kelle kulesi" - skull tower.

"Qu'ils laissent subsister ce monument! Il apprendra a leurs enfants ce que vaut l'independance d'un peuple, en leur montrant à quel prix leurs peres l'ont payée."

"My eyes and my heart greeted the remains of those brave men whose cut-off heads made the cornerstone of the independence of their homeland. May the Serbs keep this monument! It will always teach their children the value of the independence of a people, showing them the real price their fathers had to pay for it."

Alphonse de Lamartine, "Voyage to the East", 1833

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Stevan Sinđelić (Стеван Синђелић) (1770-May 19th 1809) was a commander (vojvoda) of the First Serbian Uprising. His name became synonymous with courage among many Serbs.

On the day of Holy Trinity, May 19, 1809 (during First Serbian uprising), the Ottoman Turks marched out of Niš and headed towards Sinđelić's trenches with 3,000 strong cavalry and four cannons.

When the poles around the Čegar trenches gave in, when yataghans and knives flashed, when the breath of far more superior enemy was felt, the commandant, Stevan Sindjelić from Resava, waited until the Turks entered the trenches.

When Sinđelić saw the trenches were filled with Turkish bodies, which still didn't stop the enemy from charging in over the dead and fighting his men with rifle butts, he opened the trench gate and told his soldiers they were free to attempt avoiding certain death by leaving the field of battle if they wished so.

His famous words were: Save yourselves brothers, who wants and who can! Who stays will die!

He himself took a position in the middle of the trench where the gunpowder was stored.

He took his handgun from his belt and reloaded it.
When the Turks swarmed the trench from all sides and headed for him Sinđelić fired his handgun into the gunpowder container, triggering a huge explosion that shook the surrounding fields and hills. Thick smoke engulfed the trench and billowed skyward.

The Serbs that were still in the trench with Sinđelić and the attacking Turks were all blown into the air and killed.
This explosion ended the life of a man know as the "falcon of Cegar", the commander of Resava, Stevan Sinđelić.

Every single one of Cegar Hill defenders died, but the explosion also killed a great number of Turkish soldiers.

The Turks could not forget, nor forgive it.

So, soon after, they assembled and erected a tower of the skulls of dead Serbs as a warning to Serb population, the famous and still standing Cele-kula by the side of the road towards Constantinople (Istanbul).

Cele Kula - the Tower of Skulls, was built from the skulls of the Serbs killed in the battle of Cegar, near Nis, in May 1809.

The skull of the serbian commander Stevan Sinđelić, who sacrificially fired at his gunpowder depot in order to avoid surrendering to the Turks, killing himself, the rest of his men, and the advancing Turks, was placed at the top of the Tower.

It is of rectangular shape, about 3 m high and was built from quicklime, sand and the skinned skulls according to the order of Khurshid Pasha, the brutal turkish commander, who sent the skulls filled with cotton to the Sultan Mahmud II, in Istanbul.

Each side of the Tower has 14 rows with 17 openings where the skulls were embedded.

There were around 952 skulls, but today only 58 have remained. The rest were pulled out to be buried, or were lost in time.

The main purpose of the turkish vanquisher was to intimidate not only the Serbs. Having built it next to the road to Constantinople, aimed to be clearly visible and threatening, the Osmanli power wanted to put in fear all the dominated nations.

Being unique in form and universal in message it conveys, the tower may well be included in the world cultural heritage.

It had been unprotected and exposed to deterioration due to the weather conditions up to the year 1892, when it was covered by a chapel.

Skull Tower represents a unique monument of this kind in the world, and it faithfully depicts the true nature of the turkish crimes against the serbian people.

A tower built out of the skulls of immortal heroes of the battle of Čegar is a memento to humanity, to the spirit of freedom in tormented enslaved people, to the vandalism of vanquishers and their unprecedented cruelty.

It is an everlasting memory to be kept by the mankind.

The monument commemorating the battle in the form of a guard tower was built in 1927 on Čegar Hill by Julian Djupon. The lower part is made out of stone from the Niš fortress.

In front of the chapel stands the monument to Sinđelić (1937).

Smederevo - My Hometown

City HallPosition of the region in Serbia

Fortress Map
Walls

The church of Saint Virgin (XV century)

NAME
In Serbian, the city is known as Smederevo (Смедерево), in Latin as Semendria.
LOCATION
Smederevo (Смедерево) is a city and municipality in Serbia on the Danube River at 44.67° North, 20.93° East.
DEMOGRAPHICS
In 2002. the city had a total population of 77,808, and the surrounding municipality had a population of 109,809.
Ethnic groups:
104 222 Serbs
1 801 Roma
533 Montenegrins
354 Macedonians
296 Yugoslavs
198 Croats
144 Hungarians ...
HISTORY
Serbian prince Đurađ Branković built the Smederevo fortresss in 1430. as new Serbian capital.
Smederevo was the residence of Branković and the capital of Serbia from 1430. until 1439, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire after a two months siege.
In 1444. according to the Peace of Szeged between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire the Sultan gave back Smederevo to Đurađ Branković, the ally of John Hunyadi.
After Hunyadi broke the peace treaty Đurađ Branković remained neutral.
Serbia became a battleground territory between Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottomans so the angry Branković captured Hunyadi after his defeat at the Second Battle of Kosovo in 1448. Hunyadi was imprisoned in Smederevo fortress for a short time.
In 1454. Sultan Mehmed II sieged Smederevo and devastated Serbia.
In 1459. Smederevo was captured by the Ottomans after the death of Branković. The town became a Turkish border-fortress, and played an important part in Hungarian-Ottoman wars until 1526.
In autumn 1476. a joint army of Hungarians and Serbs tried to capture the fortress from the Ottomans. They built three wood counter-fortresses, but after months of siege Sultan Mehmed II himself came to drive them away. After fierce fighting the Hungarians agreed to march off.
In 1494. Pál Kinizsi tried to capture Smederevo from the Ottomans but he was stricken with palsy and died.
In 1512. John Zápolya sieged unsuccessfully the town.
During the First Serbian uprising in 1806, the city became a temporary capital of Serbia, as well as the seat of Praviteljstvujušči sovjet, a government headed by Dositej Obradović.
During World War II, the city was occupied by German forces. On June 5, 1941. a catastrophic explosion of German ammunition arsenal severely damaged the fortress and killed thousands of people in the city.

Dominating the Danube, its medieval fortress imposes a respect by its dimensions and by its history.
Smederevo medieval fortress on the Danube downstream from Belgrade, built between 1428 and 1430 during the reign of Despot Djuradj Brankovic, the last of medieval Serbia's rulers. was the most significant and still is the largest castle on the Danube.
It was a bastion separating the inner fortress from the outer walls bears a large brickwork cross, and still very well preserved inscription mentioning constraction date as 1430.
Smederevo's medieval fortress exchanged hands several times during the Austro-Turkish wars of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The fortress was the seat of the Turkish administrator for Serbia until when he moved to Belgrade.
It was also the seat of the Legislative Council before the council was transferred to Belgrade.
Smederevo has been known in the Serbian history as the capital of the kingdom of Serbia and its history has been intimately mixed to that of the fortress.
In 1427 despot Djuradj Brankovic thrown out of Belgrade by Hungarians and threatened by Turks from the South decided to establish here the capital of Serbia.
To defend the capital, the Serbian despot had erected 1429-1430 one of the largest fortresses in the Balkans.
But, by taking the fortress by Sultan Mehmed 1459, not only had the town lost of its importance, but this tragedy signified the end of the Serbian medieval State.
The Austrians had conquered it three times in the XVIII century, but had been compelled to cede it to Turks.
The Serbian rebels under Karadjordje Petrovic conquered it on November 8th 1808, and Smederevo became the centre of the First Serbian Insurrection in 1867 Turks had definitively left the town.
Smederevo fortress suffered severe damage to its towers and walls during the World War II after explosion on June 5th 1941 in the German ammunition depot having 3500 dead.
In 1944 the American bombing had destroyed a part of the town.

The fortress construction design has been of a triangle having the sides of 400 and 500 meters. The East and the West sides have been protected by the Danube and the Jezava. But one should imagine the South trench doubled by an artificial trench from end to end.
The barrage and two square towers in the South and in the East, and the cylindrical towers in the West.
In the trench of the fortified place a great plateau contained the garrison.
To the right you can reach the core royal parts - in this reduced North-East angle of the fortress one may notice the donjon, and climb with difficulty up the stairs on the guard had to pass. This place had been the residence of Djuradj Brankovic in XV century with reception hall with a secret door allowing the communication with the outside.

CHURCH SAINT GEORGE - On the central square, surrounded by pedestrian streets, very animated in summer time, there has been erected the church Saint George with its two belfries. It was built in the very center of the new town in 1854. On a brilliant baroque style visible by the utilisation of bronze for the roof and the yellow colour for the façade, St. George is another emblematic monument of the town.
THE CHURCH OF SAINT VIRGIN (THE CHURCH OF ASSUMPTION) - At the cemetery of Smederevo, a little church of an ancient monastery founded in the XV century may still be seen. By its design with three connected apsides and made of the brick and the stone, this church has been attached to the School of Morava. On the inside a few wall paintings from XVII century representing the cycle of the Christ’s’ life and the David’s psalms.
THE DISTRICT GOVERNMENT BUILDING, now the District Court, was built in 1886-88.
THE ROYAL RESIDENCE OF OBRENOVIC - few kilometres downstream on the Danube bank is “Zlatni Breg”, the summer residence of dynasty of Obrenovic. Constructed by Milos Obrenovic in the middle of XIX century. Of the neo-classical style, Zlatni Breg has been constituted of two square wings and one very academic passage. The gate of the prince and the dominating white colour are giving it a certain majesty. The residence has been surrounded by a vineyard of 30 hectares installed and maintained by Milan, the son of Milos Obrenovic. Around the castle the cycling pathway has been offering a nice view of the Danube.

An iron melting complex of Sartid was bought by the American giant of US Steel (2001), while the port installations had been sold to an Austrian company.

( * * * )
Na 1116. kilometru toka Dunava nalazi se Smederevo, srednjovekovna prestonica Srbije, grad istorije, grožđa i poznatog vina smederevka.
Smederevo se nalazi na južnom obodu Panonskog basena, 46 km od Beograda. Sa severa je oivičeno Dunavom, a sa istoka Velikom Moravom.
Autoput E 75 prolazi u dužini od 30 km kroz opštinu.
Naselje na mestu današnjeg Smedereva prvi put se pominje u povelji vizantijskog cara Vasilija 1019. godine.
U našim izvorima pod svojim imenom prvi put se pominje 1381. u Ravaničkoj povelji.
Smederevska tvrđava građena je u 15. veku, za vreme despota Đurđa Brankovića kao srpska prestonica, na površini od 10,5 hektara, oblika nepravilnog trougla sa 25 kula.
Sve muke i nevolje oko gradnje Smederevske tvrđave, a posebno veliki kuluci, pripisivani su despotovoj ženi Jerini. Narod je, misleći da se tvrđava gradi po njenoj želji, nju nazvao prokletom Jerinom.
U Smederevu je Vila Zlatni breg iz 1831. godine, letnjikovac Miloša Obrenovića osnivača kraljevske dinastije Obrenović, koji je tu zasadio 36 hektara vinograda.
Istorijske znamenitosti:
(*) Rimski bunar
(*) ostaci rimskog utvrdjenja Kulič
(*) crkvu Svetog Djordja (1849-1854.)
(*) Karadjordjev dud, pod kojim su Turci 1805. godine predali ključeve grada Karadjordju.
Jugovo se nalazi 4 km uzvodno od Smedereva i predstavlja izletnički kompleks.
Izletišta u okolini Smedereva:
(*) Lunjevačka šuma
(*) Šalinački lug, jedinstven hrastov lug posebno interesantan za botaničare i ekologe
(*) Drugovačko i Šalinačko jezero

The National Library of Smederevo is located in the left wing of The Cultural Center of Smederevo, which was designed especially for librarian activities.

It takes 1,945m2 of space.
The Library holdings total around 220,000 volumes of printed materials.

Five reading rooms with 146 seats are waiting for visitors every day except Sunday.

Average number of registered members is 10,000 per year, and 600-800 people use Library services every day.
In 1994 The National Library of Smederevo was appointed as home library for 74 local libraries of The Danube District.

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Stari naziv za Smederevo je Semendrija, i znaci "krajnja vrata" zbog geografskog polozaja grada. Prvi pomen Semendrije je zabelezen u III veku p.n.e. U vreme Rimske imperije postojala su dva naselja zapadno od grada Vincea (Cirilovac) i Mons Aureus (Zlatno brdo). Naiziv Smederevo prvi put se pominje u Ravanickoj povelji 1381. Za vreme cara Proba Smederevski kraj je postao centar za gajenje vinove loze.
Smederevski grad je bio jedan od najvecih srednjevekovnih tvrdjava u Evropi. Podigao ga je Despot Djuradj Brankovic, poslednji znacajniji vladar na srpskom prestolu, i po njegovoj odluci postaje prestonica srednjevekovne Srbije. Posle smrti Stefana Lazarevica, despot nije mogao ostati u Beogradu, pa je sagradio novu prestonicu - Smederevo. Despot Djuradj Brankovic kao poslednju odbranu, sazidao je tvrdjavu, na uscu Jezave u Dunav. Jezgro tvrdjave je tzv. Mali grad (sazidan u periodu od 1428 do 1430 u obliku nepravilnog trougla). Uvidevsi da je grad pretesan da zastiti dvor despot je za desetak godina uspeo da sazida i Veliki grad, zadrzavsi oblik nepravilnog trougla. Mali grad je imao 6 kula, a veliki jos 19 kula. Opkoljen Dunavom, s jedne strane, Jezavom s druge, i sirokim vodenim rovom izgledao je neosvojiv.

Despot je pokusao cak i rodbinskim vezama da sacuva grad i granice svoje drzave od osvajanja. Devet godina po zidanju grada pocinju napadi Turaka na grad. Grad je odolevao sve do smrti despota 1459. godine kada ga Tuci osvajaju. Padom Smedereva prestaje da postoji srednjevekovna srpska drzava.
Novembra 1805. Karadjordje oslobadja Smederevo i Muhamed Gusa predaje kljuceve grada ispod stoletnog duda. Za vreme I svetskog rata Austijanci bombarduju grad nanoseci mu teska ostecenja. U II svetsom ratu grad je doziveo novo razaranje velikom eksplozijom municije 5. juna 1941. , a pred kraj rata engleski bombarderi dovrsavaju rusenje tvrdjave. Tako je Smederevski grad od najlepseg i najocuvanijeg srednjevekovnog grada ostao do danasnjih dana jedan od najruiniranijih gradova.