WORLD RECORD HOLDERS: This place in Serbia has a TAVERN on every 19 CITIZENS!

On every 19 people there is a tavern! That is statistical data that only applies to the village Gruza in Sumadija, half way between Kragujevac and Kraljevo. This is probably the place with most taverns per persons. 

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The village spreads over 12 hectares, and almost entire village is located in one street. The wonders do not stop there. 15 years ago, there were 16 taverns, one on every 10 people. And everybody is working, at least they say they do. Competition is on good terms. Everybody is proud to have that many taverns, while some municipalities don't have half as they do.

Foto: Telegraf

It's Thursday. Old man Arsenije Djordjevic (88) from the neighboring

village Cestic, came down to Gruza for the market day. He said that its good to hear his advice because he has 70 years of tavern experience behind him.

Foto: Telegraf

- These taverns are needed because when its market day, people from several villages around Gruza come here. First you go to the tavern at Putar, its been here even before the village - he shows the way with his cane and grandpa Arsa is going with his way.

Radoslav Veljovic is the leaseholder of the oldest tavern, build in 1880, the same year when the first light bulb shined in Belgrade's taverns. This tavern in Gruza iz not called "at Putar" as the locals say, but its called "Gruza".

Foto: Telegraf

- People are used to the former name, the tavern changed its name more times, depending on the owner. The building is the oldest in the neighborhood, in the central part of the street, its probably here longer than any other tavern and most of the houses. It was build by Milos Tucakovic, so it was called "Tucakovic tavern". I have been renting it for 10 years from the owner that now lives in Germany. Once it was a tavern where young gathered, for parties, around 400 square meters - explains Veljkovic who renovated the place, but left the brick walls naked, because those bricks are older than a century.

Foto: Telegraf

Next to "Gruza" is the tavern "Guster", before "Guster" is "Miler", more of a coffee house than a tavern. Down the road there is a roast shop "Ronja". Its not even a roast shop, and its not called "Ronja" 

- The tavern is named "Rasa gurman", and there is no roast for a long time. I am old enough not to be able to do it all. I have the tavern since 1980, and my father since 1936. My children are in other lines of work, people left the village, there is less and less guests. While the legs hold, ill work, then ill close too - said Miodrag Rafailovic Ronja who still has the wage for measuring roast.

Foto: Telegraf

The smell of roast is still spreading around the street, close to Ronja. It smells from the tavern "Luis", said the passer by who is heading towards the stall on the street, its market day, and the wife calls him to buy her some underwear. The tavern is not called, again, as the man said. Its called "Nasa oaza". The owner is Dejan Milojevic Luis, the youngest owner in the village, with the 3 year experience.

Foto: Telegraf

- Outside tavern, inside a restaurant, on the second floor a coffee shop, that's us. In the garden - drinks, in the restaurant you eat roast every day, on the second floor, you drink espresso and cocktails. There's work of course! You can't say there is no work, you have to make one! Provide quality and decent prices and there's work - claims Dejan Milojevic Luis, the youngest tavern owner and when a customer shows up, he runs to provide service to them.

Foto: Telegraf

Peasant in rubber buts said that he needs a kilo of roast meat for the guests "but make it good" he adds. Dejan said "ill make it", and the roast is cut and packed in several minutes. In that time guests call for him to pay the bill, who just had breakfast of hot roast in 10 AM.

While next to "Nasa oaza" is a coffee shop, next to the shop, over the road is the tavern "At samara". It is held by a mother and son, Jovanka and Branko Zlatic.

Foto: Telegraf

- Our tavern is here since 25th May 1985. It was opened by y father, and its called like that because its our nickname from our grand grand father. We have all cooked meals and roast every day, if only there were more customers. But, i have no intentions of doing anything else, why would i, i have the most beautiful tavern - said young Branko.

Foto: Telegraf

And that' s not it, on few hundred meters away from "Samara" is the tavern "At Sneza". She has customers, from years before.

Foto: Telegraf

All these taverns, especially where there were 16 of them, have significantly improved the village because, for many waitresses, it was a stepping stone to get marred. Boss Ronja had 12 of his waitresses marred, and one married 2 days after she started working. 

Gruza village was called Slepak once, and a century ago, it got the name it has today, and the whole area of the Sumadija is called like that now - Gruza. There are 153 residents and 8 taverns in Gruza village.

(Telegraf.co.uk / Marija Raca)