Kocane

Kočane exists because the South Morava valley's alluvial plain offered some of Serbia's most productive agricultural land. The village sits in Doljevac municipality, where the Toplica River meets the South Morava approximately 14 kilometers from Niš—positioning it in the gravitational field of Serbia's third-largest city while retaining rural character.

This stretch of the Morava corridor has channeled movement since antiquity. The medieval Koprijan fortress (also called Kurvingrad) perches on hills above nearby Doljevac, controlling passage along the valley. Pan-European Corridor X now follows this same route, connecting Niš through Leskovac to Vranje and the North Macedonian border. Kočane's position places it adjacent to but not directly on this transport spine—close enough for agricultural market access, far enough to avoid transit disruption.

The village contains the Church of Holy Archangel Gabriel, marking Orthodox parish presence. Doljevac municipality's 2022 population of 15,837 represents continued decline from earlier peaks, with most residents clustered in the municipal seat while satellite villages like Kočane thin.

The South Morava Valley economic development strategy aims to retain population through agricultural modernization and light industry distribution along Corridor X. In 2026, Kočane's trajectory depends on whether infrastructure investment reaches beyond the highway corridor to electrify agricultural production in surrounding villages, or whether Corridor X accelerates rather than arrests depopulation—making it easier for young residents to commute to Niš for work, then eventually relocate entirely.