Overall History of the Region
In Valjevo you can find out much about not only this particular town's, but about the entire country's rich history. We suggest going to the National Museum that has modern art exhibitions (which you should definitely check out it you find the time), as well as an awesome permanent exhibition of local history reaching suprisingly deeply back into the past when Valjevo was first mentioned in some merchant's scrolls in the 14th century. And that's not everything, the museum also has a display of the whole Balkans' early history since the Roman ages! All in all, this museum is definitely worth a visit!
The Uprising
Valjevo is especially famous for its Knezes, or Dukes, Aleksa Nenadovic and Ilija Bircanin who are believed to have planned to start the First Serbian Uprising, but were prevented from actually doing it and beheaded, which earned them great fame and recognition in Serbia. For more information you can visit 'Muselimov konak' (Musellim's residence) museum, where there is a great permanent exhibition of the First Uprising. We also recommend 'Kula Nenadovica' (Nenadović Tower), which is another historical building from that period, built for storing ammunition by Jakov Nenadovic, a younger brother of the foregoing Duke Aleksa. It is located on a small hill just above the town and is guaranteed to knock your socks off :)
Old Part of the Town
Tesnjar is a part of Valjevo which people tried to save from the modern influence and surprisingly they succeeded in doing it. The major part of it was built during the 19th century while Serbia was under the Ottoman rule, which makes it a historic place of great importance. Tesnjar used to be a shopping and craft centre, but today mostly bars and cafes are located in it. It´s a great place for a light walk while enjoying the sight of wonderful historic buildings, but it´s also nice to sit in one of the local bohemian kafanas for a coffee (or a rakia) and just watch the world drift by!
