Kragujevac is economic, cultural, educational and political center of Šumadija and Pomoravlje. Until 1990, it was the fifth most developed city in SFRY, right after Slovenian cities. In the early 1990s, the city became one of the poorer cities in Serbia.
Today, Kragujevac is once again one of the strongest administrative, cultural, financial, industrial and political centers in Serbia. It is a macro-regional center for the regions: Čačak, Kraljevo, Užice, Jagodina, Kruševac, Smederevo, Požarevac and northern Kosovo.
It is a city with a positive business climate and accelerated local economic development, as evidenced by the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED) certificate.
With a series of benefits for investors, large infrastructural and local economic development projects, Kragujevac has opened its doors wide to everyone who recognizes positive vibrations in the business environment, has a vision and wants business success, healthy competition and profit.
With the return of FIAT, it once again became the seat of the Serbian automotive industry, which contributed to the Šumadija region becoming the largest exporter. "Fiat automobili Srbija", "Zastava oružje", "Forma ideale" and "Agromarket" are the biggest exporters.
On March 20, 2012, one of the leading multinational companies “Plaza Centar” opened the shopping center Kragujevac “Plaza”, which has since positioned itself as a leading shopping center and the main place for entertainment and shopping, both in Kragujevac and the region.
"Merkator", "Metro", TUŠ, "Supernova", "Nelt", "Forma ideale" also decided to invest in Kragujevac, which is why the city on the river Lepenica has been one of the largest construction sites in Serbia for many years.
TRADE FAIR
There is “Šumadija Fair”, a city trade fairground which is located in the “Service Two” industrial zone, where one of the three planned halls of the City Trade Fair were built. “Šumadija fair” serves the entire area south of the Sava and Danube rivers and as such represents one of the most important institutions that contribute to the positioning of Kragujevac as a regional, commercial and trade fair center of the Central Serbia region.
Šumadija Fair is also a member of EASE - Exhibition Association of the Southeast Europe and, together with Novi Sad and Belgrade Fairs, belongs to the ranks of large fairs.
HEALTH CARE
There are several health institutions operating in the city, which by their importance and function represent a pillar of the health care organization in Serbia. More than 3,000 people are employed in Kragujevac health institutions and the Clinical Center of Kragujevac, of which over 70% are qualified health workers, about 700 doctors, among whom more than half are specialists while there about 50 PhDs.
EDUCATION
There are 22 primary schools in the city territory, eight secondary schools, two of which are regional - Medical School "Sestre Ninković" and Polytechnic School. In addition, there is also the oldest High school/Gymnasium south of the Sava and Danube - the First Kragujevac High School, then the Second Kragujevac High School, the First Technical School, the Second Technical School, the Economic and Tourism Hospitality School "Toza Dragović".
The first faculties in Kragujevac were founded in the early 1960s, namely the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Economics as departments of the University of Belgrade, and in the early 1970s the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Science. On May 21, 1976, the University of Kragujevac was founded based on these Faculties and the Pedagogical-Technical Faculty from Čačak, the Institute for Small Grains from Kragujevac and the Institute for Fruit Growing from Čačak.
Today, the University of Kragujevac has 12 faculties located in six cities in Central Serbia.
CULTURE
There are several important institutions in the city of regional and some of national importance in the field of culture and artistic activities. Several of them continue the tradition of the modern Serbia’s first of their kind, such as the Knjaževsko-srpski teatar/ The Princely Serbian Theatre (founded in 1835), the “Vuk Karadžić” National Library (1866), and the “Abrašević” Cultural and Artistic Society (1904).
MANIFESTATIONS
The most famous events of special significance which are held in Kragujevac are: “Arsenal Fest”, the international theater festival “JoakimInterFest”, International jazz festival, International music festival OKTOH, International Salon of Anti-War Cartoon, International festival of chamber choirs, International puppet festival “Golden Spark”, Theatrical meetings of Serbian high school students (since 1996), city celebration Đurđevdan, Đurđevdan carnival, book fair, “Šumadija Fest", KGastro festival
SIGHTS
National Museum Kragujevac
Knjaževsko-srpski teatar/ The Princely Serbian Theatre
Amidžin konak/Amidža’s dormitory
Kragujevac Aquarium
Old church (Kragujevac)
Old Assembly Building
Old Gun Foundery Museum Building
Memorial Park "October” in Kragujevac
Monument to the Fallen soldiers of Šumadija
Orthodox Cathedral Church in Kragujevac
Lipar Monastery
Fire station in Kragujevac (Declared a cultural monument by decision of the Government of the Republic of Serbia on July 27, 2001)
Lake Šumarice
Čika Dača Stadium
Coordinates of the city of Kragujevac:
north latitude 44° 22′
east longitude 20° 56′
altitude 180 m
In addition to the branched network of roads that connects Kragujevac with a large number of cities and towns, traffic is possible on the railway in four main directions:
Kragujevac - Belgrade - Subotica - Budapest
Kragujevac - Niš - Sofia
Kragujevac - Podgorica - Bar (sea port)
Kragujevac - Skopje - Thessaloniki (sea port)
