Arilje

Arilje (Serbian Cyrillic: Ариље, pronounced [ǎriːʎɛ]) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The population of the town is 6,639, while the municipality has 17,063 inhabitants (2022 census).

Arilje Ариље (Serbian)
Town and municipality
Clockwise, from top: Panorama of Arilje, town center promenade, 13th century Saint Achillius Church
Coat of arms
Location of the municipality of Arilje within Serbia
Coordinates: 43°45′05″N 20°05′55″E
Country	Serbia
Region	Šumadija and Western Serbia
District	Zlatibor
Town status	1880
Founded by	Milan Obrenović IV
Settlements	22
Government
• Mayor	Predrag Maslar (SNS)
Area [1]
• Town	3.94 km2 (1.52 sq mi)
• Municipality	349.06 km2 (134.77 sq mi)
Elevation	350 m (1,150 ft)
Highest elevation	1,328 m (4,357 ft)
Population  (2022 census)[2]
• Town	6,639
• Town density	1,700/km2 (4,400/sq mi)
• Municipality	17,063
• Municipality density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	31230
Area code	+381(0)31
Car plates	UE
Website	www.arilje.org.rs

Geography

The municipality of Arilje is in western Serbia in the river basins of the mountain rivers of the Rzav and Moravica. It has an altitude of 330 to 1,382 meters.

The municipality's seat is at the confluence of the Rzav and Moravica rivers.

Climate

Arilje has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfb), that's very close to an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb).

Climate data for Arilje
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	3.6 (38.5)	6.5 (43.7)	11.9 (53.4)	15.9 (60.6)	20.6 (69.1)	24.3 (75.7)	26.4 (79.5)	26.7 (80.1)	23.1 (73.6)	17.5 (63.5)	9.9 (49.8)	5.3 (41.5)	16.0 (60.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	0.0 (32.0)	2.4 (36.3)	6.7 (44.1)	10.5 (50.9)	15.1 (59.2)	18.7 (65.7)	20.4 (68.7)	20.4 (68.7)	16.9 (62.4)	12.1 (53.8)	6.0 (42.8)	2.0 (35.6)	10.9 (51.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−3.6 (25.5)	−1.7 (28.9)	1.6 (34.9)	5.2 (41.4)	9.7 (49.5)	13.1 (55.6)	14.5 (58.1)	14.2 (57.6)	10.8 (51.4)	6.8 (44.2)	2.1 (35.8)	−1.3 (29.7)	5.9 (42.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	64 (2.5)	59 (2.3)	60 (2.4)	70 (2.8)	91 (3.6)	87 (3.4)	77 (3.0)	64 (2.5)	67 (2.6)	71 (2.8)	83 (3.3)	78 (3.1)	871 (34.3)
Source: Climate-Data.org [3]

History

In 1219 Sava Nemanjić proclaimed the Arilje monastery the seat of the Moravica episcopate that covered the territory of Arilje, Užice, Valjevo and Čačak. The first Serbian Orthodox Archbishop and later Metropolitan held court here. In 1296 king Dragutin Nemanjić erected a church, also called St. Achileus.

The Klisura monastery, 13 km away from Arilje, on the road to Ivanjica, is dedicated to the archangels Michael and Gabriel, and was destroyed and reconstructed several times during its turbulent history. Today it is a convent. The oldest secular buildings preserved to this day are the house of colonel Jovan Mićić from 1823 and the old school founded in 1834.

In 1880, by decree of prince Milan Obrenović, Arilje was awarded the status of town.

King Milan Obrenović declared Arilje a municipality in 1882.^[4]

Settlements

Aside from the town of Arilje, the municipality includes the following settlements:

• Bjeluša
• Bogojevići
• Brekovo
• Cerova
• Dobrače
• Dragojevac
• Grdovići
• Grivska
• Kruščica
• Latvica
• Mirosaljci
• Pogled
• Radobuđa
• Radoševo
• Severovo
• Stupčevići
• Trešnjevica
• Vigošte
• Virovo
• Visoka
• Vrane

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1948	20,316	—
1953	20,882	+0.55%
1961	20,001	−0.54%
1971	19,581	−0.21%
1981	20,111	+0.27%
1991	20,335	+0.11%
2002	19,784	−0.25%
2011	18,792	−0.57%
2022	17,063	−0.87%
Source: [5]

According to the 2011 census results, the municipality of Arilje had a population of 18,792 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Ethnic group	Population	%
Serbs	18,407	97.95%
Roma	120	0.64%
Montenegrins	22	0.12%
Muslims	10	0.05%
Macedonians	9	0.05%
Bulgarians	8	0.04%
Croats	8	0.04%
Others	208	1.11%
Total	18,792

Economy

As of 2012, Arilje has a total of 4,793 registered agricultural entities (farmsteads).^[6]

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2022):^[7]

Activity	Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	55
Mining and quarrying	7
Manufacturing	3,166
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	27
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	148
Construction	191
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	598
Transportation and storage	181
Accommodation and food services	164
Information and communication	26
Financial and insurance activities	47
Real estate activities	-
Professional, scientific and technical activities	110
Administrative and support service activities	134
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security	172
Education	339
Human health and social work activities	158
Arts, entertainment and recreation	49
Other service activities	74
Individual agricultural workers	419
Total	6,065

Music festival

The classical music festival "Arlemm" is held annually in the municipality of Arilje.^[8]

Gallery

• 
  Town center promenade, monument to the "Unknown soldier"
• 
  Church of St. Achillius
• 
  Church of St. Achillius
• 
  Klisura Monastery
• 
  Monument to the fallen soldiers in town park
• 
  Town park
• 
  Town center street
• 
  Town center promenade
• 
  Footbridge over River Rzav at the City Beach
• 
  View of the part of the town