Valjevo
Valjevo grew at a crossroads of trade routes in western Serbia. Tešnjar, the old quarter on the right bank of the Kolubara, preserves the character of the town’s former commercial streets.
History on the Kolubara
Valjevo appears in written records in 1393. The town grew where routes from the mountains met those from the plains, near the confluence of the Gradac and Kolubara. Its old trading quarter developed on the right bank. Around the turn of the twentieth century a newer commercial centre took shape on the opposite bank along today’s Kneza Miloša Street.
In early 1804, local leaders Aleksa Nenadović and Ilija Birčanin were held at Muselim’s Residence before their execution during the Slaughter of the Knezes. The killings helped precipitate the First Serbian Uprising. The residence and Nenadović Tower present different stages of this history, from Ottoman administration to the military needs of the uprising.
Old town and museums
Start on the right bank in Tešnjar. The relationship between the narrow street, small shops and houses shows how trade shaped the quarter. Across the river, Muselim’s Residence offers a closer look at the events of 1804.
Places of memory
Vidrak Hill is another historical layer of the city. Its monument by sculptor Vojin Bakić recalls the resistance and wartime executions of the twentieth century. Brankovina preserves a different kind of memory through schools, graves and the history of the Nenadović family.
People of the Valjevo region
Aleksa Nenadović and Ilija Birčanin were local leaders whose deaths became closely associated with the events of 1804. Aleksa’s son Mateja Nenadović, a priest and participant in the uprising, belonged to the family whose history is presented in Brankovina.
Poet Desanka Maksimović spent part of her childhood in Brankovina and was buried there. The village connects her literary legacy with the schools and landscape she knew as a child.
A walk along both banks
Begin in Tešnjar, cross the Kolubara to Muselim’s Residence, then continue to Nenadović Tower if you want to include Kličevac Hill. Set aside a separate visit for Brankovina. For a different outing, follow the Gradac valley from the city toward the river landscape.