Kruševac is one of the few towns in Serbia that I am connected to with clear images from my childhood. Mother's younger brother Duško had three children from his first marriage. That summer, it could have been the beginning of the seventies, we visited Ujna, a plump woman with sad eyes, her two daughters and her son in Kruševac.
Dragan, that was the name of my uncle's brother, once took me to the cinema with his company. "Death in a Red Jaguar," an action-packed crime drama, was shot in Berlin, but the American West Coast is staged there. It was the first film I watched outside the theater with wooden benches in the cultural center of the Bosnian kasaba where I grew up.
Now, half a century later, as we enter Kruševac, I am grateful to my brother for taking me with him then. The magic of Kruševac cinema will become one of the reasons for my lifelong love of film.
I remember that once Dragan also came to visit us in Bosnia. He left behind - by accident or as a gift - a "locust", a knife that opens with the push of a button and an iron cross with the yellow body of Jesus. I never learned to handle that heritage, but the subjects were somehow important to me. They disappeared in the war. I have never seen Dragan since his visit. By the way, he is now a devotee in Hilandar.
Bagdala
For me, Bagdala was the name of a literary magazine. I browsed through it in the bookstores of the former state, here and there I would discover a text or poem that I would like. I never thought about a place of that name. Now the rented apartment took us near the hill to which all the streets southwest of the center climbed.
As soon as we settled down, we headed to the top of Bagdala - Kruševac's Košutnjak.
Behind the grove that obscures the view, at the very top is a restaurant with a spacious garden. It is obviously well visited in the morning hours as well. Right behind the garden is the Park of Miniatures.
A smart marketing move, one might say. From 2019, historically and culturally significant Serbian churches and monasteries can be seen on the landscaped area - from the Belgrade Temple to the Peć Patriarchate or Visoki Dečani. The original creator of the project is Boris Stajkovac from Belgrade. The fidelity of the model was ensured by cooperation with the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of Serbia.
A new church is being built behind the park. There is also a chapel nearby that is irresistibly reminiscent of the one in Lovcen. Behind it is the best view.
It is believed that the name of this hill originated from the Persian word "Bagd-alah" - "divine view".
I look at Kruševac from Bagdala and think about words that travel with armies through vast space, through plenty of time, to find their meaning so far from the source.
Bagdala was a gathering place for St. George's Day councils and May Day celebrations. For the first time, artisans and workers - about fifty of them - gathered here for Labor Day back in 1896.
Academic sculptor Milivoje Mićić is the author of the Monument to Work, erected in 1970. When I first saw the monument, my associations were rather in the direction of some unknown sea creature. Only later did I read what the Mićić monument actually represents.
Since it was built in a place that the locals call "Walnuts", Mićić made three bronze "walnuts" that join, and below them you can see groups of workers in an embrace of solidarity.
When we look back today at the aesthetic modernism of the socialist era, we see that the art that was created in that system remained relevant, outliving the ideology from which it received incentives.
We go down a street that even Belgrade's Senjak wouldn't be ashamed of. Rows of trees behind which are villas. Although a search in the global electronic network will give the answer that the street is called Majke Jugovića, the landlady, who recommended us to go down that way to the center of the town, called it "Zakićeva". The people of Krušev cannot accept the renaming of the city's most famous street, even though Miloj Zakić Street, the national hero killed in 1942, disappeared from official maps fifteen years ago.
I remember that sports reporters, when they broadcast the matches of "Napredka" from Kruševac, used to say that they were reporting from "the city below Bagdala". This shows to what extent this toponym has merged with the city.
House of Simić and Kosovo's heroes
"Zakićeva" descends like a slide into the pedestrian zone. Cafes and restaurants, a row of trees with lush canopies and a relaxed atmosphere give the town something of a Mediterranean atmosphere. At the end of the pedestrian street is Simića's house. In 1833, Prince Miloš bought it from the Vrančević Bey family, and then gave it to the godfather, Stojan Simić.
It is one of the rare testimonies about the Turkish times in Aladža Hisar, as the Turks called Kruševac. Based on the crushed stone in the lower part and the Bondruč construction of that house, we can sense the oriental spirit of the former bazaar. Now the house houses an ethnological museum collection, a tourist information point and a souvenir shop.
When you get to the central Kruševac plateau on the right, past the House of Simić, at the entrance to Kosančićeva Street there is a monument to Stanislav Binički, the man who composed the March on the Drina. He is from here, they honor him for a reason. Under the monument, I remember that Ivo Andrić took this march to Stockholm for the awarding of the Nobel Prize, and that the legendary British band "The Shadows" made their own version of this melody in 1966: March to Drina.
And there, where the wide Vidovdanska street diverges, leaving a wide pedestrian island, actually a square, and later merges into Gazimestanska street, is probably the most famous monument of the city - the Monument to the Heroes of Kosovo.
Sculptor and academician Đorđe Jovanović, the man who bequeathed Vuk's monument in Belgrade, is the author of this neoclassical artifact full of national symbolism. At the top of the six-meter monument, the standard-bearer of the Serbian army in Boj in Kosovo, Boško Jugović, continues to fight with a broken sword and does not let go of the banner. He is taken over by a fairy who crowns him with a laurel wreath. The coat of arms of Prince Lazar, Nemanjić and royal Serbia, the epic communion of the prince's army, the murder of Sultan Murat and Filip Višnjić, who sings about all of this, found a place on the monument. The girl stretching her arms towards the south symbolizes Serbia and its aspiration for the liberation of its fellow countrymen.
Lazarica
We pass by the imposing building that houses the city administration. The same construction manuscript as in the Kragujevac District Headquarters building. Erected for the same purpose in 1904, this Kruševac building symbolizes the turning of the still semi-Oriental Kingdom of Serbia to European construction patterns. As in the Kragujevac case, the building was designed by Nikola Nestorović. This building would be befitting of much larger cities. Behind it, we turn left and descend towards the area where Lazarus Town was located. First, we pass through the park with the monument representing Princess Milica. I wonder why they placed her so far away from her husband Lazar. Maybe to emphasize her loneliness after his death.
Opposite the building of the National Museum, actually the first building of the gymnasium from 1863, on a gentle rise, surrounded by lush canopy, is Lazar's princely endowment, the church of St. Stephen, better known as Lazarica.
Lazar most likely built it a decade before Boj in Kosovo, because he decided to establish his ruling court in Kruševac. That is why historians say that it is a court church. The materials show Byzantine patterns - a row of stonework and three rows of red brick. Art historians believe that this church stands at the beginning of the Moravian style.
For some time I admired the harmony of this sacred building. I drank water from the yard fountain and washed myself. The cold liquid from the bowels of the earth seemed beneficial on a hot day. Sunday is the day for church weddings, there is a crowd around Lazarica. We wait for a while in the shade, leaning against the wall of the church, for the wedding party to come out. Then we realize that some go out and others go in. Three weddings that day. Good luck to them.
I think life wins after all. According to tradition, Lazar and his knights took communion in this very church before they went to meet Murat's army.
I peeked into the church full of people. She is younger on the inside than on the outside.
Climbing the tower
Behind the church is a monument dedicated to Lazar Hrebeljanović, a prince who, since his death in Kosovo, has been transformed into a mythical ruler. Both the church and the folk epic did not care too much about historical nuances. The Christlikeness and martyrdom of Lazarevo are inscribed in the historical identity of the Serbs.
Belgrade sculptor Nebojša Mitrić is the author of the monument, which was erected in 1971. That year was counted as a jubilee, because based on some sources it is assumed that Prince Lazar began building Kruševac in 1371, using colorful river stone, so it is considered that the city that's why it got its name.
It is interesting that the sculpture was inspired by figures of medieval Serbian rulers from coins - they were sitting with a sword in their lap. And the figure itself was made according to the founding fresco of Prince Lazar from Ravanica.
Another childhood memory awaits me behind the monument. Brother Dragan took me half a century ago to the only preserved tower from Lazar's fortified city. The Dijon Tower is now neatly marked on a glass panel. In my childhood it was just a mysterious ruin. Smiling, the brother skilfully scaled the rocks all the way to the top - as if he does it every day. And from above he called me to do the same. Now I regret that I did not dare to undertake that stunt. I could write down that I once looked at the world from the tower of Lazarus.
We return along the main street with a boulevard character. In its architecture and atmosphere, Kruševac is a much larger town than the one that formally does not even have 70 inhabitants.
So many historical and mythological layers in so little space. In these two days, I will not be able to visit Slobodiste, the memorial complex at the place where the German occupiers killed over a thousand people. Dobrica Ćosić, the first fighter of the Rasin partisan detachment, suggested that the place of suffering be commemorated, and Bogdan Bogdanović built one of his most famous memorial complexes. I was there as a kid, that summer that I keep coming back to in my memory. I even managed to go on a trip to Mount Jastrebac, a favorite picnic spot for Kruševlja residents, and bathed in the lake. And one summer before that I spent in the village of Pakasnica near Kruševac, with family friends, hanging out with Johnny the wolf.
Kruševac for hedonists
Now hunger forces us to study the local gastronomic scene. "Čarapanska meana" sounds great, but it is far from the center. In Obilićeva, let's visit the culinary institution of the city - "Prerovo". The waiter tells us that everything is booked in advance for the weekend. We regret to note that there is really no room in the large garden.
A little further, on the same street, we are lucky, so we sit down in a restaurant with the popular name "Kod Krleta".
We didn't expect the best škembe-soup in Serbia, and it was presented to us by Krlet's son. He tells us that his father started working as a private employee at the Railway Station, in the buffet of the same name. Father and mother agreed on the menu. The father cheered for "skembići in safta", and the mother wondered who would eat it. Now, several decades after that discussion, it turns out that Krle was right.
We will have to postpone all other pub ambitions for another occasion. We'll be moving around the city for a while longer. Let's stop for a drink in a bar with the original name – Republic of the Furious Earthworm. Pleasant garden and friendly people. That's where the evening catches up with us. It is already late and we are climbing "Zakić" on Bagdal. It's time to arrange the experienced moments in a dream.
From Čkalja to Taško
Every morning we walk the main city streets in search of a good place to enjoy our morning coffee. Walking in the Kosturnica Park next to the monument to another famous Kruševljan resident, the despot Stefan Lazarević, I wondered how much truth there is in the story that the inhabitants of this region are called Čarapani because during the Serbian uprisings they sneaked up to Turkish positions in woolen socks like cat's paws to carry out raids.
We return to the center by Dositej. The striking bell tower and dome attract our attention.
The Church of St. George was built for a long time - from 1885 to 1904. The same stylistic handwriting is legible on it as on the Cathedral in Kragujevac. She is painted in much brighter colors than some of her peers. And the main city church testifies to the self-awareness of the local residents.
Then we continue our walk to Vidovdansko. In it, the building of the National Theater cannot be overlooked. It is one of the foundations of city culture. And that foundation was laid by Bora Mihailović.
We turn into Čolak-Antin and stop in front of a mural on which you can easily recognize Bata Stojković and Taško Načić from Kruševlja, in the movie "Who's singing there". Taško Načić played the role of a hunter whose rifle fires unprovoked.
The city gave birth to the most popular Serbian comedian of the 20th century, Miodrag Petrović Čkalja. It should also be noted that Bata Paskaljević, the actor I remember from Better Life and Outcasts, was born as Mihajlo Zojić, the son of the pre-war owner of the Pariz hotel in Kruševac. And the legendary actor Đuza Stojiljković, whose shows on Radio Belgrade I enjoyed listening to in the last century, is a high school student from Kruševac. Of course, the list is much longer. An example is Ljubinka Bobić, the striking Madam Minister of the Belgrade National Theater between the two world wars. But also her successor Radmila Živković.
Born actors
We saw for ourselves at the green market, where everything is teeming with life, that the people here are born actors. Aleksa sells vegetables and entertains the whole market.
He gives us two tomatoes and a cucumber, with a flood of words and a smile. He says he is a descendant of the man who runs the famous bakery on the corner.
Not all people from Krušev deserve to be mentioned in the record about this city. Especially not the one who likes journalists when they kneel or the one who doesn't like Belgrade trees. But it would be a sin not to mention the poet Radmila Lazić. These days in Kruševac were full of light and filled with testimonies of the past. And Radmila Lazić says in the song Morning Blues:
Every morning the same question, the same need,
Grown into me like a nail,
That the past is like a worn skirt
Don't drag your heels since the morning,
That the light doesn't hurt me
With his rifle barrels
I only have to remember that the text for the unofficial anthem of this city and this region was written by Rade Vučković. Although he is from Kuršumlija, the music was composed by accordionist Radojka Živković. And she is from Kruševac: Where are you from, sele, engaged bride? From Serbia, bro, from the city of Kruševac! Admittedly, it's not exactly in Radmila Lazić's style, but that's not even necessary for the narodniks.
In this beautiful and important town, I did not see the clothing items mentioned in the song anywhere, so on my way out I have to ask myself where the grandfathers are - vest, anteria and opanci. But one is a poem, another is an ethnological museum, and the third is a living city.
Bonus video:
