Gorobilje

Gorobilje occupies the Požega municipality in western Serbia's Zlatibor District, positioned between the cultural centers of Užice and Arilje in a landscape shaped by the mountains and river valleys that define this part of the Balkans. The village square features the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint John the Baptist, marking Gorobilje as a community substantial enough to maintain its own religious institution.

The broader region carries deep historical significance. Užice, approximately 30 kilometers distant, became the capital of the Republic of Užice in 1941—a short-lived Yugoslav Partisan mini-state during Nazi occupation that represented organized resistance in occupied Serbia. The nearby town of Arilje has roots extending to 1219, when Saint Sava proclaimed the Arilje monastery as seat of the Moravica episcopate covering Arilje, Užice, Valjevo, and Čačak. Villages like Gorobilje developed within this ecclesiastical and cultural framework.

With approximately 1,117 residents as of the 2022 census, Gorobilje maintains a robust population by Serbian rural standards—likely reflecting the region's agricultural productivity and tourism development. The western Serbian mountains have become important for agritourism, with Arilje earning the title 'Raspberry Capital of Serbia' for its high-quality fruit production. By 2026, Gorobilje will continue benefiting from the regional tourism economy while facing the pressures of youth emigration common to rural Serbia, its church and agricultural traditions providing anchors for community continuity.