Arilje


Arilje 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.

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, that's very close to an oceanic climate.

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.

Settlements

Aside from the town of Arilje, the municipality includes the following settlements:
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 groupPopulation%
Serbs18,40797.95%
Roma1200.64%
Montenegrins220.12%
Muslims100.05%
Macedonians90.05%
Bulgarians80.04%
Croats80.04%
Others2081.11%
Total18,792

Economy

As of 2012, Arilje has a total of 4,793 registered agricultural entities.
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity :
ActivityTotal
Agriculture, forestry and fishing55
Mining and quarrying7
Manufacturing3,166
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply27
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities148
Construction191
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles598
Transportation and storage181
Accommodation and food services164
Information and communication26
Financial and insurance activities47
Real estate activities-
Professional, scientific and technical activities110
Administrative and support service activities134
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security172
Education339
Human health and social work activities158
Arts, entertainment and recreation49
Other service activities74
Individual agricultural workers419
Total6,065

Music festival

The classical music festival "Arlemm" is held annually in the municipality of Arilje.