Raška, Serbia

For other uses, see Raška.

Raška (Serbian Cyrillic: Рашка, pronounced [râʃkaː]) is a town and municipality located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. The municipality has a population of 21,498 people, while the town has a population of 6,291 people (2022 census).^[2] It covers an area of 670km² (259 sq. mi.). The town is situated on the rivers Raška and Ibar.

Raška Рашка (Serbian)
Town and municipality
Raška
Coat of arms
Location of the municipality of Raška within Serbia
Coordinates: 43°17′31″N 20°36′56″E
Country	Serbia
Region	Šumadija and Western Serbia
District	Raška
Settlements	61
Government
• Mayor	Darko Milićević (SNS)
Area [1]
• Town	3.90 km2 (1.51 sq mi)
• Municipality	670 km2 (260 sq mi)
Elevation	497 m (1,631 ft)
Population  (2022 census)
• Town	6,291
• Town density	1,600/km2 (4,200/sq mi)
• Municipality	21,498
• Municipality density	32/km2 (83/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	36350
Area code	+381(0)36
Car plates	RA
Website	www.raska.org.rs

History

The town and municipality bears the name of the historical Raška region. It was the first Nemanjić’s independent country and the center of culture and the statehood of Serbs in the middle ages.^[3]

Raška as a settlement was first mentioned in 1835 and the first Urban Plan of Raška dates back to 1844.^[3] From 1929 to 1941, Raška was part of the Zeta Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1948	25,837	—
1953	28,008	+1.63%
1961	29,856	+0.80%
1971	29,367	−0.17%
1981	29,475	+0.04%
1991	28,747	−0.25%
2002	26,981	−0.57%
2011	24,678	−0.99%
2022	21,498	−1.25%
Source: [4]

According to the 2011 census results, the municipality of Raška has 24,678 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality:^[5]

Ethnic group	Population	%
Serbs	24,135	97.80%
Romani	202	0.82%
Montenegrins	45	0.18%
Macedonians	21	0.09%
Albanians	12	0.05%
Gorani	12	0.05%
Others	251	1.02%
Total	24,678

Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2022):^[6]

Activity	Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	94
Mining and quarrying	335
Manufacturing	1,017
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	111
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	124
Construction	254
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	766
Transportation and storage	353
Accommodation and food services	1,090
Information and communication	72
Financial and insurance activities	50
Real estate activities	119
Professional, scientific and technical activities	113
Administrative and support service activities	203
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security	456
Education	478
Human health and social work activities	210
Arts, entertainment and recreation	258
Other service activities	156
Individual agricultural workers	57
Total	6,318

Gallery

• 
  Town center square
• 
  Town center square
• 
  Train station in Raška
• 
  Church of St. Archangel
• 
  Park in Jošanička Banja
• 
  Baljevac na Ibru town panorama
• 
  Brvenik village panorama
• 
  Brvenik village panorama

Notable people

• Branko Jovicic, Serbian and Red Star football player
• Savatije Milošević, Serbian hajduk and Chetnik commander, born in Pavlica
• Serbian Patriarch German
• Goran Bogdanović, Serbian politician
• Milenković family (Svetozar Milenković (1907-1983), Vida Milenković (1912-1992), and Aleksandar Petrović), Righteous Among the Nations
• Mihailo Petrović (1871-1941), Chetnik
• Milunka Savić, Serbian WWI hero
• Saša Knežević-Gurman, Serbian gerila

See also

• Varevo