Kragujevac is located in the central part of Serbia on the banks of the Lepenica River, between the branches of Rudnik, Crni Vrh, and Gledić mountains. It covers an area of 835 square kilometers, at an elevation ranging from 173 to 200 meters. The city is also the geographical center of Serbia, situated 8 kilometers northwest of the city center. In terms of size, Kragujevac is the fifth largest city in Serbia (after Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Priština) with around 190,000 inhabitants, and it plays a crucial role in the industrial, economic, cultural, and educational development of Šumadija and Pomoravlje.

The Kragujevac region holds numerous remnants of material culture from prehistory. Illyrians, Romans, and later Slavs significantly influenced the development of this area. The first mention of the town was recorded in a Turkish census book in 1476 as Kragujfoča, a former market with 32 houses (though it is mentioned in some records as Kragujevđa and Karagovindža). In the early 17th century, Turkish geographer Hadji Kalfa referred to Kragujevac as Karadžfoča, a large town. The city was founded as the seat of Turkish feudal authority, a center with numerous trade and craft shops, primarily inhabited by Turkish population. The name "Kragujevac" is associated with the bird "Kraguj," a type of hawk used for hunting.

The turbulent history of Serbia has shaped the growth and development of the city. During the Austro-Turkish wars, Kragujevac was twice under Austrian rule (from 1689 to 1690 and from 1718 to 1739). During this period, the first plan for construction and arrangement was made, and the fortification of the then Shanac Kragujevac was built according to European principles. The Treaty of Belgrade in 1739 returned the Turks to Serbia, and Kragujevac continued to develop as a Turkish town. The city was liberated from the Turks twice, in the First Serbian Uprising on April 5, 1804, and finally in the Second Serbian Uprising in 1815. Since then, Kragujevac has evolved as the political center of the renewed Serbia. It was chosen as the capital at the Assembly of People's Elders in the Vraćevšnica Monastery on May 6, 1818. During the subsequent period, Prince Miloš Obrenović rapidly built a new city center in today's National Museum and the Old Church, following all urban planning regulations. By 1832, the town had 600 houses and over 2,000 inhabitants. Numerous institutions were built, private houses were covered with tiles according to Miloš's order, streets were cobblestone-paved and illuminated. Three wooden and the first stone bridge were built over the Lepenica. This was a period without wars, marked by construction and prosperity. Kragujevac became the administrative, political, cultural, educational, health, military, and economic center of the Principality of Serbia. Before the capital was moved to Belgrade, Kragujevac developed as the first cultural and educational center. In 1807, the elementary school for boys was founded, followed by the Gymnasium in 1833, Lyceum (predecessor of the University of Belgrade) in 1838, General Craft School in 1845, Military Craft School in 1845, and Teacher Training School in 1870. A higher women's school for the education of female children was founded in 1891, and in 1903, the Women's Teacher Training School was opened. A whole series of institutions were founded for the first time in the history of the Serbian state, right in Kragujevac. The first judicial institution, the Kragujevac Court, was established in 1820. When the printing house with a typesetting machine was moved from Belgrade to Kragujevac in 1834, the first newspaper, "Serbian News," was printed on it, edited by Dimitrije Davidović. In that period, the Slavic-Serbian writer Joakim Vujić founded the Kragujevac Serbian Theatre in 1835, and as a supporting program, the Kragujevac-Serbian Band appeared under the leadership of the chapel master Josip Schlesinger. The first pharmacy was founded in 1836, along with a library, an art gallery, and a museum.

In Kragujevac, in 1830 and 1835, hattisherifs were published, making Serbia an autonomous principality under Turkish rule and under the protection of Russia. On Sretenje, February 15, 1835, a assembly was held where a Constitution was adopted. After a period of stagnation due to the relocation of the capital to Belgrade, Kragujevac's development revived in 1851 with the relocation of the Topolivnica from Belgrade (which later developed into the Military Technical Institute), and in 1853, the first cannon was cast. The first workers' demonstrations, known as the "Red Flag," were organized on February 15, 1876.

During World War I, Kragujevac again became the capital city where Regent Alexander Karađorđević resided, and it housed the Supreme Command of the Serbian army led by Radomir Putnik. Plans for the famous battles of Cer and Kolubara, studied in military academies worldwide today, originated here. As an important strategic center, Kragujevac experienced frequent destruction in both wars. In World War II, on October 21, 1941, in a mass shooting of civilians, the Germans killed around 7,000 people from Kragujevac, including 300 students and fifteen children aged 8 to 12. The city was liberated on October 21, 1944. The commemorative event "Great School Hour" was held for the first time in the Šumarice Memorial Park in 1957. The Memorial Museum October 21, dedicated to the executed citizens of Kragujevac, was erected in 1976.

In the post-war period, Kragujevac rapidly built and developed. The license agreement with Fiat was signed on August 12, 1954, and the first "Fića" was assembled at the "Zastava" factory in 1955, marking the beginning of the city's industrial development, a sudden increase in population, the development of the university, and other significant institutions.

The first faculties in Kragujevac were founded in the early sixties. The Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, as a department of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Belgrade, was established on October 16, 1972, and as an independent faculty on April 15, 1976. The University of Kragujevac was founded on May 21, 1976.

The NATO aggression on Serbia in 1999, along with all the historical, social, political, and other changes that followed in Serbia, left its mark on the functioning and development of Kragujevac. In some segments, the city developed, while in others, it stagnated.

In the end, every city, its history, and development are made by people, so the people of Kragujevac proudly tell their guests that they lived and created here: Radomir Putnik, Atanasije Nikolić, Đura Jakšić, Radoje Domanović, Jovan Ristić, Svetozar Marković, Živojin Mišić, Sima Marković, Andrej Mitrović, Svetolik Ranković, Dragoslav Srejović, Ljuba Tadić, Mija Aleksić, Milovan Ilić Minimaks, Olja Ivanjicki, Bora Dugić, Vidosav Stevanović, Gorica Popović, the Smak group, and many more. To avoid living off the past, in Kragujevac, work is done, efforts are made to achieve results worthy of its history. The city hosts numerous international events and festivals: Joakim Fest, International Theater Festival of Small Scenes Joakim Interfest, International Music Festival OKTOH, International Jazz Festival OF, International Festival of Anti-War Cartoons, International Chamber Choir Festival, Arsenal Fest, International Puppet Festival "Golden Spark," International Festival of Artistic Photography Photorama, Theater Meetings of Serbian Gymnasiums, etc.