Veliko Gradište is located in a part of the area Old Romans built in the first century A.D. – the fortress settlement of Pincum. Pincum, named after the river Pincus (Pek), soon became a trade and crafts centre and an important river port. It reached the peak of its development during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (2nd c. B.C.). At the time, Pincum had great autonomy, including the right to coin its own money.

With the invasion of the Turks to these regions, Pincum lost its significance. At the beginning of the 18th c. the town was mentioned in Turkish books under the name of Ipek. It had 100 Turkish and 70 Serbian houses.

The town started to develop with the banishment of the Turks. During the reign of Miloš Obrenović it had a significant role in trade. Together with Ram, it became a great port for exporting cattle to other parts of Europe. In time, it became the strongest town in the region. It was among the first Serbian towns to receive the telegraph, post office, steamboat station, and customs offices.

Thanks to well-developed trade, its eminent inhabitants frequented European centres of the period, especially Vienna and Pest. That was the source of strong cultural influences. By the end of the 19th c., the city already had a high school, hospital, and pharmacy. The town had the local newspapers “Pek”, “Gradištanac”, and “Iskrena reč”. The town was among the first towns to receive electric power – the first light bulb was lit here in 1913, powered by the hydroelectric plant built on the river Pek.

Preserved from the period there is the old town centre with most of its buildings erected at the end of the last century. The buildings are decorated by rich façade ornamentations and splendour, which in their own way talk about the economic power and delicate European taste of their architects and owners. The town centre as an ambient cultural and historical whole was declared a monument of culture.

The municipality of Veliko Gradište occupies the area of 328 km2 and consists of 28 communities with about 28,000 inhabitants. This municipality lies on twenty-kilometre long bank of the Danube, which separates this town from the neighbouring Romania.

Gradište and the surrounding area are characterized by a temperate continental climate with long and dry summers and extremely severe winters. Gradište is most often the coldest town in Serbia during winter. This is also because of the košava, a very strong southeast wind which reigns in this region.

The town has a river port for home boats sailing towards Kladovo and Prahovo, as well as all the foreign boats sailing on the Danube towards Budapest and Vienna. The port of Gradište gained significance with the opening of Rhine-Main-Danube-Black Sea Canal, which created the longest waterway in Europe, more than 3,000 km long.

The town is in friendly relations with Moldova Noua, Romania, which has many Serbian inhabitants. Every day, there is a travel boat sailing between Gradište and Moldova.

The main traffic connection of the town with the rest of Serbia is the motor road of Đerdap – the road Požarevac-Kladovo, which leads through the heart of the town. Gradište is via this road located 110 km from Belgrade and 34 km from Požarevac. One can reach Belgrade in an hour and a half of driving.

Silver Lake is located 3 km from Veliko Gradište, and because of its proximity to Belgrade (115 km) and other towns in Serbia, it became a very popular destination for tourists and fishermen. It is 14 km long, with the average width of 300 m. It used to be a branch of the Danube, and nowadays it is closed by two dams. It is abundant in fish (catfish, pikeperch, carp, grass carp…) and is mentioned in Guinness World Records because it is the place where the biggest carp was caught, with around 44 kg of weight. The conditions for water sports are ideal. In the last few years Gradište has experienced a huge tourist expansion. In addition to the large number of private guest-houses and hotels, there is a marina for tourist boats, tennis courts, well-developed infrastructure, and there is a plan for constructing golf fields.