Vlasotince
Appearance
Vlasotince (Власотинце) is town and municipality in south-east Serbia. The municipality has 33,312 inhabitants, while the town itself has a population of 16,212 (2002 census). According to Turkish records, the town existed in the 15th century as a Turkish administrative center. After the Turks left Serbia locals started growing winegrapes as a kind of complementary business to their building activities. They made Vlasotince number one wine region in former Yugoslavia and furthermore the biggest wine exporter in the Balkans. The craftmenship and building skills of workers and builders from this region were very much appreciated in former Yugoslavia and its surrounding neighbours until the recent Balkan Wars.