Industrial heritage is an important part of cultural heritage and refers to tangible and intangible heritage created in the period from the beginning of industrialization to the present day. Industrialization as the bearer of modernization at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century in these areas marks the entry into the modern age, and therefore its legacy today represents an important part of the national identity.
In 2023, the Republic of Serbia is celebrating a significant jubilee that few countries can boast of – the century of the national aviation industry. From 1923 until the beginning of the Second World War, over 1,500 aircraft were produced in six aircraft factories and twenty aircraft component factories, which accounted for more than half of the aircraft in operational use in the Yugoslav kingdom.
The aviation industry was a significant factor in the development of a predominantly agrarian country and opened the way for the conquest of new technologies and their practical application. A special curiosity is the fact that airplanes were first produced in our country, and only then motor vehicles.
Highly educated professionals from the interwar period formed the basis for the continued development of the aviation industry after the war. In the changed social and political circumstances, airplanes, helicopters and supporting equipment were produced that formed the backbone of the Air Force, sports and commercial aviation, and there were no significant results on the international market.
