The town of Despotovac was first mentioned in 1381 under the name of Vojnik in a charter of Prince Lazar and had only about thirty Christian households. After the fall of the despotate of Serbia in 1459, the city passed, like the rest of the country, under the domination of the Ottoman Empire. After two uprisings, the city became Serbian again and in 1882 it was named Despotovac, in honor of Stefan Lazarević (a Serbian ruler born in Kruševac in 1374 and who died in Crkvine near Mladenovac in 1427), who held the title of prince from 1389 to 1402 and then that of despot, the second title after that of emperor. In the 7th century, this region was populated by Slavs. After the battle of Kosovo Polje in 1389, the center of the Serbian state moved north, and the Resava region (named after the river that runs through it) became a great center of culture and spirituality. The monastery of Manasija, founded between 1407 and 1418, testifies to the importance of the region in the early 15th century. In the 19th century, the town owes its development to the exploitation of forests and mines in the area. The Rembas coal mine, in particular, was discovered in 1849 and became one of the most important in Serbia. It still provides a living for about 2,000 people in the area. Today, the large quarry from which stone is extracted for construction purposes is a great source of income for the town. Despotovac is also a must-see because of the surrounding tourist attractions: it is an ideal starting point to visit Manastir Manasija, Lisine Veliki Buk waterfalls, the famous Resavska Pecina cave, Busursko Jezero lake, Beljanica, Senjski Rudnik coal mine turned into a natural museum... The town survives a little thanks to the many expatriates who come to spend vacations on their native lands; some even invest, shyly, which injects some money into the local economy. Honey is a popular local product, as well as the famous Boletus edulis (or vrganj in Serbian) boletus, with its truffle-like taste, which is one of the typical species of the region and is mainly exported to Italy

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Monastère de Manasija. Pavle - Fotolia
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