У лавиринту унутрашњих граница – положај Чачка у територијалној подели Србије 1804–2009. године

English title: In the Labyrinth within Internal Boundaries – Location of Čačak in the Territorial Division of Serbia 1804–2009

The article examines the position of Čačak in the territorial division of Serbia from 1804 to 2009. Over a long chronological span, it follows changes in internal administrative boundaries, the names of administrative units, the status of towns and relations between local and state levels of authority.

Čačak’s position in different territorial divisions shows that administrative status was not merely a formal issue. When the town held the status of a district, county or regional center, it had greater institutional weight, more administrative functions, stronger economic potential and a clearer place in Serbia’s urban network. When it lost such status, its position in relation to other towns weakened.

The article shows that territorial divisions depended on state centralization, political decisions, legal reforms, military and security needs, economic policy, demography and local initiatives. In this process, Čačak moved through different administrative roles: from a local and district center to a town that had to struggle for regional status.

Particular importance is given to competition among towns. Internal boundaries did not only divide space; they also created centers, peripheries, administrative hierarchies and symbolic orders. For that reason, the territorial position of Čačak was simultaneously a question of local administration, urban development, political power and collective perceptions of the town’s significance.

Through the case of Čačak, the article contributes to the understanding of local modernity in Serbia. The history of internal boundaries shows how the modern state was built through the administrative organization of space, and how individual towns, depending on their position within that system, could advance, stagnate or lose part of their earlier significance.