Stari Grad (Serbian Cyrillic: Стари Град, pronounced [stâːriː ɡrâd], "Old Town") is a fortress near the city of Užice, in central Serbia.

Historians believe it was built in the second half of the 14th century to control movement along nearby roads, and the town of Užice.

[2] The fortress is located on top of the tall, steep rocky hill which sharply declines into the Đetinja river.

The fortress actually sits on a cliff, elevated above the final section of the deep canyon-like gorge of the Đetinja.

The Staparska Gradina, near the Stapari village was thoroughly explored in the late 1950s when the three levels of human habitation were discovered.

It hasn't been explored much, but the remnants of the large, above-ground and regularly shaped stone plates were discovered.

[5] The fortress was built in the second half of the 14th century by the local Vojinović noble family, which ruled the vast areas from Rudnik, over Polimlje, Podrinje, east Herzegovina with Trebinje, to Konavle and Dračevica, neighboring the Republic of Dubrovnik.

United forces of Altomanović's neighbors, Prince Lazar of Serbia, on the east, and King Tvrtko I of Bosnia, on the west, attacked him.

Their coalition was supported by the Hungarian units sent by King Louis I of Hungary and headed by the ban of Mačva, Nicholas I Garai.

Nobleman Stefan Musić, with silent approval from his commander and maternal uncle Lazar, blinded Altomanović.

[8] The fortress remained like this until the 17th century, when, due to the Austro-Turkish wars, the fortification was again expanded and upgraded.

[1] By the protocols of the 1862 Kanlıca Conference, the Turks had to evacuate some of the fortresses they held in, now, autonomous Serbia.

The protocols, signed by the ruling Prince Mihailo Obrenović, also stipulated that the abandoned fortresses had to be demolished and made unusable for any future military purpose.

Stari Grad is a typical medieval fortress built for the melee weapon fighting.

The other, lower part of the town, was encircled by the walls which descended along the ridge's edge all the way to the river.

The fortress allows for an excellent overview on the entire Užice depression and the western section of the West Pomoravlje.

[2] A possible modernization of the feature, which would include the bridge connecting the fortress with the Zlatibor road, cable car, museum, hotel, etc., was also considered by the city administration.

The citadel tower now hosts artistic exhibitions while the plateau around it serves for various cultural and public gatherings.

[10] The plans are to include the reconstructed fortress into the group of tourist attractions located along the Đetinja.

[15] The path now starts at the Užice city beach and curves through the natural environment for 5 km (3.1 mi) to Staparska Banja.