This message, summed up in two lines, best expresses what is the secret of this region and the
people who inhabit it. With preserved and sometimes boundless Slovenian hospitality, people are
welcoming passangers from all the world, regardless of origin, language or religion, if they are
coming with good intensions and hand of friendship, but also wholeheartedly discourage those
with dark motives. So it is understandable that one soldier in World War II wrote this in his letter
home: 'Here – every tree is an enemy'.

Until the first decade of last century, geographical knowledge about this part of Serbia was not
just scarce, but also inaccurate. The longest retained, even more than eighteen centuries, was so-
called 'Strabon's misconception'. It is about the existence of the mauntain range called Catena
Mundi, as the specific fact of the relief, which was mapped to the cartographers to 1870 year.
That is how this geographer Strabon expressed inaccessibility to center area of Balkan Peninsula.
Confusion about this was broken by french traveler Ami Bue.

Topola and region of Topola have turbulent history. Topola was built in the peaceful times and it
shared the destiny of its country and its people in the war times. Preserving the spirit and the
tradition of their people, the inhabitants of this area are fighting for the prosperity and faster
development by their knowledge and skills. The locality,tradition, historical role and hospitality
of the people of Topola are famous. People are determined to develop their home, to enrich it,
make it more beautiful and arrange it so that all the citizens and all the friends who will help can
be joyful and proud of it. The home of Tribune, upraises, kings, builders, merchants, craftmen,
winegrowers, townsmen and peasants. Throughout centuries Topola kept all of them on the same
ground, under the same roof of heaven. Once demolished and again renewed, today it still stands
in the heart of a country and you can feel its pulsing the moment you step on its ground.

The name of Topola and Oplenac echoes in Serbian history and mind of all people who
experienced its spirit and amenities. As Karadjordje’s canon did in the past for important
decisions, Topola’s well known name gathers people with its hospitality, but today for joy and
celebrations. Topola, the birthplace of Karadjordjevic Dinasty is a small town in the very heart of
Sumadija. According to the legend, the town arose at the crossroad, a place of gathering and
waits on, where a poplar tree sprang up and branched. In time, the town of Topola(Poplar) got its
name after this tree.

Topola’s historical importance begins after the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, when Serbian
people started their fisht against the Turks. Karadjorjde(kara-black in Turkish), Serbian leader,
was a great warrior and a brave fighter, but also a great visionary. At the time when he built a
block-house on the place of today’s Karadjordje’s town, there were about forty houses. . The
development of the town continued with the accession to power of Karadrdje’s son,
Prince(Knez) Aleksandar Karadjordjevic. He restored the fortification, the residences and the
Church, and then built a tavern for travelers, barracs for cavary and municipality building and