Veliko Gradište

The Municipality of Veliko Gradište

is situated in the north – eastern part of Serbia and belongs to Podunavski  region ( Braničevo country ).
It streches over 344 square kilometres includes 25 villages and 28,000 inhabitants.

The town itself numbers the population of 6, 000 people, and it is the administrative, industrial and cultural centre. Veliko Gradište borders with the municipality of Malo Crniće at the west, the municipality of Kučevo at the south – east and the municipality of Golubac at the east.

At the north the municipality is lined for 20 km by the Danube, which separates it from the neighbouring Romania.

HISTORY

The urban history of Veliko Gradište began at the end of first and the beginning of second century AD when the Romans, searching for ore, conquered a Thracian tribe of Pickens. At that place, they built Castrum, an important military fortress and the town Pincum, which got its name after the river Pincus- nowadays Pek.

That town, under the direct command of Czar Hadrian, was very important. That fact explains the attribute VELIKO (BIG) in the name of the town. Veliko Gradište with its Slavic name appeared for the first time in Ravanica Charter
in 1381.

During the reign of Duke Miloš it had an important role in the trade of cattle from Pest and Vienna.

It had not only a post office, telegraph and a steam boat station, but many cultural institutions: school, library, printing, singing society, and also a hospital and a pharmacy long before other towns in Serbia.

Map of Veliko Gradiste