Kotraza

Kotraža exists because the Dragačevo valley between mountains Ovčar, Jelica, and Čemerno created a sheltered basin with distinctive cultural traditions. The village sits in Lučani municipality, approximately 30 kilometers from Čačak via roads winding through western Serbia's mountainous interior. This is trumpet country—the heartland of Serbian brass band tradition that exploded into global visibility through the Guča Trumpet Festival.

The Dragačevo Trumpet Festival began in 1961 in nearby Guča's churchyard, with four village orchestras competing. A journalist suggested adding trumpeters as 'special musical heritage of this part of Serbia' to an existing folk festival. By 2017, it had grown into the world's largest trumpet festival, drawing up to 700,000 visitors for the 50th anniversary in 2010. President Boris Tadić opened that celebration; in 2024, an estimated 150,000 visitors arrived daily.

Kotraža's population of approximately 806 (2011) places it among the larger Dragačevo villages. The Bjelica River flows through nearby Lučani, first mentioned in Turkish records in 1476. The region's isolation preserved musical traditions while limiting economic development—until trumpet tourism created a peculiar export economy based on cultural performance.

In 2026, Kotraža's trajectory depends on whether Dragačevo can extend trumpet festival benefits beyond the August weekend into year-round cultural tourism. The 64th festival (August 8-10, 2025) brings temporary economic surge; the question is whether village infrastructure can capture spending that currently flows to Čačak hotels and Belgrade tour operators. The brass band tradition persists—the challenge is converting three days of global attention into sustainable local development.