Jagodina

Jagodina is a city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in Šumadija, an historically densely forested region of central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica River. The city itself has a population of 43,311 inhabitants, while its administrative area comprises 76,712 inhabitants.

The town was first mentioned in 1399 as "Jagodna", derived from the Serbian word for 'strawberry' - Jagoda. From 1946 to 1992 the town was renamed Svetozarevo after the 19th-century Serbian socialist Svetozar Marković.

Jagodina built the largest artificial waterfall in the Balkans in 2014-2015. It is 8 meters high, and 12 meters wide, and at night the colors on the water change to different hues. The waterfall is in the city park where outdoor performances are held in the summer; it is part of a larger plan of reconstruction of the city. In the decade of 2005-2015, the city has progressed as a tourist destination. Plans have been made to reconstruct all of the parks in the city and the city center.

When the Aqua Park and Zoo opened, the tourism rate in Jagodina started to rise exponentially. More attractions were added in order to increase tourism. Jagodina attracted around 500,000 people in 2014 and 2015, and that number is expected to increase in the future. Besides those attractions, the city has a stadium and a sport centre, which provide space for sporting events.

Herceg Novi

Herceg Novi, with approximately 200 sunny days a year, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Montenegro.

Located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen, Herceg Novi offers to tourists a rich monumental heritage, monasteries and churches, and numerous fortifications such as Španjola, Kanli Kula, Sat Kula and famous staircase, after which it takes its nickname “City of the stairs”.

Herceg Novi was founded as a fortress in 1382 by Bosnian King Stjepan Tvrtko I and was called Sveti Stefan or Castelnuovo. After the death of Tvrtko, Duke Sandalj Hranić of the Herzegovinian Kosačas acquired Castelnuovo. During his reign, Herceg Novi picked up trading salt, what bothered their neighbors from Dubrovnik, which in this part of Europe held a monopoly over salt trade in that time.

When Hranić died, his nephew, Herzog Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, inherited Castelnuovo. Under Stjepan, Castelnuovo expanded and thus became a city, renaming it to Herceg Novi.

The Turks conquered Herceg Novi in 1482, and ruled for 200 years, until 1687. In that period various nations and civilizations interspersed on its soil, leaving deep marks on the history, culture and overall development of the region.

Herceg Novi is known by a very rich cultural program in the summer months, which includes above all the traditional film and music festivals. Of course, the event are also organized during other months, which contributes to recognizable cultural life of the city.