The Gruža ( sr-Cyrl, Гружа, ) is a river in central
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
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, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
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. The river is a 62 km long left tributary to the
Zapadna Morava
West Morava (, ) is a river in Central Serbia, a 184-km long headstream of the Great Morava, which it forms with the South Morava. It was known as Brongus in antiquity.
Origin
The West Morava originates in the Tašti field, east of the town ...
.
The Gruža originates in the central part of the
Rudnik mountain, right under the mountain's main settlement, the village of
Rudnik, northeast of the town of
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data).
...
, central
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
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, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. The river flows south next to the village of
Majdan, around the Rudnik mountain into the
Takovo region and at the village of
Nevade, just few kilometers away from
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data).
...
, makes a sharp turn to the east.
After the villages of
Vraćevšnica and
Ljuljaci, the Gruža turns south into the
Gruža region, a direction it will generally follow for the rest of its course. After the villages of
Oplanić and
Dragušnica, the river enters the depression of Gruža, a main part of its valley, situated between the mountains of
Kotlenik
Kotlenik (Serbian Cyrillic: Котленик) is a mountain in central Serbia, near the town of Kraljevo
Kraljevo ( sr-Cyrl, Краљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central S ...
(on the west) and
Gledićke planine (on the east). Near the
Gruža village, the river is dammed, creating artificial
Gruža Lake
Gruža Lake ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Гружанско језеро, Gružansko jezero), is an artificial lake located to the southwest of Knić, Serbia. The lake was created in 1983 as a water reservoir for the city of Kragujevac and the surrounding set ...
, with a bridge over the middle of the reservoir.
The Gruža receives the left tributary of Kotlenjača and continues to the south next to the villages of
Balosave,
Guberevac
Guberevac ( sr-cyrl, Губеревац) is a village in the municipality of Sopot, Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem ...
,
Itkovac,
Milavčić and
Vitanovac, before it enters the West
Pomoravlje region and empties into the
Zapadna Morava
West Morava (, ) is a river in Central Serbia, a 184-km long headstream of the Great Morava, which it forms with the South Morava. It was known as Brongus in antiquity.
Origin
The West Morava originates in the Tašti field, east of the town ...
near the village of
Čukojevac.
The Gruža drains and area of 617 km
2,
belongs to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
and it is not navigable.
References
* ''Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija'', Third edition (1985); Prosveta;
* Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): ''Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije''; Svjetlost-Sarajevo;
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruza (river)
Rivers of Serbia
Šumadija