Кошарка и конструкција локалног идентитета

English title: Basketball and the Creation of the Local Identity of Čačak 

The article examines basketball as one of the key elements of the local identity of Čačak. Its starting point is the idea that sport is not only competition, but also a cultural practice through which a community shapes its self-image, preserves the memory of outstanding individuals, builds local pride and presents itself to a wider public.

During the second half of the twentieth century, Čačak acquired a recognizable status as a “basketball city.” This identity did not arise only from sporting results, but also from the long duration of basketball tradition, the work of clubs, schools and sports institutions, the presence of outstanding players and coaches, and the strong connection between sport and the everyday life of the town.

The article pays special attention to the concept of the Basketball Museum in Čačak. The museum is conceived as an institution that connects sports history, cultural heritage and public history. Its permanent exhibition is intended to present the development of basketball in Čačak, but also to explain why this sport became an important symbol of the town.

Basketball is interpreted as a mechanism of cultural memory. Objects, photographs, documents, trophies, biographies, public memories and family stories transform sporting history into shared heritage. The Basketball Museum is therefore not only a sports museum, but also a place where urban history, social mobility, generational memory and local self-awareness are interpreted.

Through the case of Čačak, the article contributes to the understanding of local modernity in Serbia. It shows that the identity of a town can also be built through sport, especially when sport becomes a stable part of public life, media representation, education, family memory, cultural policy and museum representation.