The city which endures and lasts

Užice is a city which has built-in 23 centuries of existance in its foundations, the city of rich cultural inheritance, towards which time was not so much in favour. Having been demolished and burnt, erected anew from ashes, built and add-built, the city, nowadays, has mostly preserved medieval monuments.

The White Curch od Karan from 13th century and the The Fortress of Užice from 14th century are sturdy witnesses of the past epoches. Other material traces from far away past, which counts millennia, are kept in the National Museum in Užice, having in its collection more than 35.000 exhibits.

In the region of Užice, the first traces of Serbian printing originated almost five centuries ago and representes in the first Serbian printed book "The Rujan Quadripartite Gospel".

Builders, through the past, gifted Užice with many drinking fountains, chiseled in stone and bridged The River Djetinja at many places, thus making Užice - the city of bridges.

The traces of the past, tradition and culture Užice treasures in an ethnological park, The Museum Old Village (Staro selo) in Sirogojno.

Užice is the city in which culture and spirit of the old and eternal are deeply in heart, however, at the same time Užice is a modern city, well formed in the architectural sense.

The city has the population of almost 90.000 inhabitants, secondary and higher schools, The Faculty for Pedagogical Education. The Theatre, existing for more than half a century, galleries which gather academic painters and sculptors, who convey their dreams and reality into paintings and sculptures.

Zlakusa

Užice is also a host of international fine arts happenings, The Biennal in Graphics "Dry Point" and The International Colony of Fine Art Ceramics "Zlakusa" which is significant for a unique union of the tradition, lasting for more than 1.000 years and modern trends in the contemporary world ceramics.

Užice is one of the 10 cities which has entered the Cultural Map of Serbia.

The city which lies on The River Djetinja is also the city reknown for products of copper and aluminium, hard metal, for famous smoked ham of Užice (užička pršuta), juniper brandy (klekovača) and cream (kajmak).

Užice is all of that. The city which endures and lasts.

Branko Stanković