MEDIEVAL TOWN UŽICE

On the entrance to the tower, there is a built-in stairway. Next to it is a smaller room with semi-circular dome and next to it two rectangular casemates, vaulted, above which there was an earthen embankment that represented a cannon platform.
Archaeological research revealed a well-cistern built into the rock.
Middle part of the fortress is of rectangular shape, as dictated by the configuration of the terrain. It surrounds the citadel with ramparts in such a way that only the main tower remains protruded. On the corners, there used to stand towers, main gate being next to one of them. Today this is the least preserved part of the fort.
The inside of the middle town was filled with numerous edifices meant for the accommodation of crew, equipment, and food. One drawing, left by Felix Kanitz, represents a two-storey building. From the ground floor of this building one could enter the lagums – two elongated rooms built into the rock and connected with the hallway, most probably representing dungeons.
The biggest edifice of the middle town is actually a complex towards the citadel, made of staircase and two rooms. The edifice probably had two floors and the staircase was covered, as suggested by the traces of arch-bearing pilasters.
On the east side, there are preserved traces of two more edifices, built on flat platforms. They probably had upper constructions made of wood, as suggested by preserved drawings.
Along the southern rampart there are the remains of eight separate rooms, of unclear purpose. One of them may have been a workshop for producing gunpowder that was evidently being produced in Užice in late 16th century.
The ramparts that cascaded down from the upper town were 1-1.5m-2m wide, since they were on a cliff and could not be approached. Here as well the ramparts were built of the crushed stone bound by lime mortar, without foundations, built on the rock. In some places, there were platforms placed alongside the ramparts, because it was impossible to build walking paths. The platforms were closed off with walls towards the outer side, likely with prongs, and later may have contained loopholes.
Where northeast and southeast rampart meet, there used to be an eastern tower, as testified by visual sources, but it disappeared in later iterations.
Lower town, the lowest point of Užice town spreads from the city gates in the south all the way to Water tower connected to the river. This elongated space used ramparts to protect the exit to the river in order to secure water supply during sieges. The rampart is built of crushed stone following the edge of the cliff determining the direction of the walls. In this inaccessible part, the rampart is hardly 1,2 m thick.
The Water tower was semi-circular in the base, over 20 metres high, divided into 8 floors with wooden constructions. The walls of the tower were massive, between 2 and 3 meters thick. They were built in the same way as the ramparts, the outer layer was under a mild incline and the upper floors contained one or more narrow windows.
The Lower town appears to have contained two more edifices, based on discovered remains. One of them is supposed to have been wheat barn.
In front of the city gates there was a trench over which there was a wooden bridge. Approaching the bridge, there used to be a cobblestone road next to the ridge. The remnants of the sub wall and cobblestone have been preserved.

Dating:

Užice town was built in the 14th century and used until the mid-19 century, more precisely until 1862, when the fortress was mined, according to the contract with the Turks.

Folk belief, legends:

Serbian nobleman Altoman was the lord of Užice town and its surroundings. He had a significant spot among the lords of emperor Dušan and ruled the province near Dubrovnik in mid-14th century. He also owned lands in Gruža. It is known that, during his wedding ceremony in 1347, he asked to hire ships from Dubrovnik, with the approval of Serbian emperor Dušan. Towards the end of his life, he was awarded the title of Grand Župan, as testified by the tombstone of his wife Ratoslava.
His son Nikola Altomanović was born in 1348 and as early as 1367 he is mentioned as the lord of Rudnik, because he inherited the lands from his uncle, Vojislav Vojinović. The young župan became the strongest landlord of the former Serbian empire after the defeat of Serbian army at Marica. He held the areas from Rudnik and Kosovo up to the Coastal area. He ran the coastal areas of Dračevica, Konavli and Trebinje. His aggressive politics endangered the surrounding lords. At one moment, he made the mistake of asking for the alliance with the Venetians instead of King of Hungary. The King had Nikola Altomanović assassinated, in alliance with king Lazar and Bosnian ban Tvrtko, with the help of corruptible lords.

Јулка Кузмановић Цветковић
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