Municipality of Veliko Gradiste

The municipality of Veliko Gradiste is located in the northeastern part of Serbia, by the Danube, 114 km downstream from Belgrade and belongs to Podunavlje region (Branicevo District). It covers an area of 344 km2 with 26 settlements. The seat of the municipality is town Veliko Gradiste and is the administrative, economic and cultural center of the municipality. To the north it is bounded by the Danube, which apartsit from neighboring Romania in a length of 20 km. Veliko Gradiste has the dock for all the ships on the Danube that are coming from the Black Sea ports on their way to Vienna. In part of its flow through Veliko Gradiste, Danube reaches the width up to 2,000 meters, and rightly carries the epithet “Danube sea”. On the right bank of the Danube is located Ram fortress. A few miles upstream from the ancient Byzantine fortress, in 1483, the new fortress was built by order of Bajazit II. It was an important cornerstone of the Turkish defensive line from Hungary. Silver Lake is 2.8 km far from Veliko Gradiste. Because of the closeness and good connections with major cities in Serbia, it is very popular for tourists and fishermen. Tourists who spend their vacation at Silver Lake, among other things to enjoy, have the opportunity to visit the attractive historic and cultural sites - Iron Gate, Viminacium, archeological site Lepenski vir and Golubac fortress. Veliko Gradiste is located on the part of the area in which the Romans, following the ore, built Castrum in the first century BC - important military fort and civilian settlement Pincum, named after the eponymous river Pincus (Pek). Soon it becomes commercial and craft centerand an important river port. Itexperienced the peak of development during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (second century AD). Pincum then enjoyed substantial autonomy, including the right to coin its own money. The name of Veliko Gradiste was mentioned for the first time in Ravanica charter from the year 1381, according to which Prince Lazar leaves 13 villages in Pek area, including Gradiste, to the Monastery Ravanica.