Lebane

Lebane is a town and municipality located in Jablanica District of the southern Serbia. The municipality is located at 41°45'N and 21°45'E and has a population of 21,802 while the town itself has 10,062 inhabitants (according to 2011 census). The elevation of the town of Lebane is between 275.2 and 420 MASL.GeographyThe town is located at the confluence of the rivers Jablanica and Šumanska Reka, in the alluvial plain created by the former. Just northeast of the town a larger plain called Leskovačko polje extends toward the town of Leskovac, which is the district seat.DemographicsEthnic groupsEthnic composition of the municipality:HistoryPrehistory and Medieval timesThe favorable location and the richness of nature made Jablanica valley important place since the earliest times. Traffic affordable and fertile, Leskovac valley has provided favorable conditions for the settlement of population. Archaeological findings, of which the most important are Hissar and Caričin grad (Iustiniana Prima) show that life in this area, continuously evolved from prehistoric man to date.First mention of Lebane as Hlebane dates back to 1512.After the liberation from the OttomansLebane is formed as a village of the same name after the liberation in 1878. Visiting Serbia in 1880s, M. Rakic writes about it as a "big village populated by Serbs, in a valley, on the river Jablanica, on its left bank." Only when Lebane got the role of Jablanica district headquarters, it began to gradually develop in a direction of a small town.