How to Pronounce Kragujevac

Meaning and Context

Kragujevac is a major city in central Serbia, situated within the Šumadija region along the banks of the Lepenica River. Historically significant as the first capital of modern Serbia from 1818 to 1841, it was a cradle of Serbian constitutionalism and education, hosting the country's first university and printing house. Today, Kragujevac is profoundly recognized for the poignant Šumarice Memorial Park, commemorating the victims of the World War II massacre where thousands of civilians, including schoolchildren, were executed by Nazi forces in October 1941. Simultaneously, the city evolved into a formidable industrial center of Serbia, most famously as the home of the Zastava Automobiles factory, which produced the iconic "Yugo" vehicle. This blend of solemn historical memory and robust economic activity makes Kragujevac a pivotal hub for tourism in Serbia, automotive industry history, and cultural heritage, attracting visitors to its museums, annual theater festival, and memorial complexes.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The standard and correct spelling is Kragujevac. Common misspellings and typographical errors often arise from phonetic interpretations in non-Serbian languages. Frequent variants include "Kragujevatz" or "Kragujevaz," attempting to capture the sound of the final 'c', which in Serbian is pronounced as 'ts'. Other errors involve letter omission or transposition, such as "Kragujevac" (missing the 'j'), "Kragujevac" (incorrectly adding an 'i'), or "Kragujevac" (swapping 'u' and 'j'). When using the diacritical marks of the Serbian Latin alphabet, it is correctly written as Kragujevac, with a 'c' without any additional marks. In the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, it is written as Крагујевац. Travelers and writers should be mindful that online searches may require using the correct Latin spelling to find accurate information about the city's history, industrial profile, or memorial sites.

Example Sentences

Many visitors to Serbia make a solemn pilgrimage to Kragujevac to pay their respects at the hauntingly beautiful Šumarice Memorial Park.

The city's identity is deeply intertwined with its industrial past, as generations worked at the Zastava factories that once made Kragujevac the automotive heartland of Yugoslavia.

Exploring the historic center of Kragujevac reveals its 19th-century importance, with landmarks like the Old Assembly building where Serbia's first constitution was drafted.

To understand the scale of the tragedy during the occupation, one must visit the "October in Kragujevac" museum.

Despite its historical burdens, Kragujevac is a vibrant university city with a lively cultural scene, most notably during its annual international theater festival.

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