Dan grada je 22. srpnja-blagdan sv. Marije Magdalene.
GOSPIĆje najveći lički grad. Smješten je na zapadnom rubu Ličkog polja podno Velebita na rijekama Bogdanici i Novčici prije njihovog utoka u Liku.
Prema popisu iz 2001. imao je 6088 stanovnika.
Gospić je glavni poslovni i kulturno-politički centar Ličko-senjske županije. Status grada dobio je 1993. otkad je i sjedište županije, tu je i sjedište Gospićko-senjske biskupije od 2000. Od 2006. je grad Junak Domovinskog rata.
Radi OŠ dr. Jure Turića, te Gimnazija i Strukovna škola i Visoka učiteljska škola. Ljeti 2006. osnovano je Veleučilište N. Tesle povodom 150. obljetnice njegovog rođenja.
Grad leži zapadno od trase Ličke željeznice, koja je izgrađena 1924. i trase autoceste Zagreb-Split koja je s tunelima završena 2005. Istočno od grada je Lička a južno Jadranska magistrala. Do njih je pedesetak km.
PROŠLOST
Prostor na kojem se nalazi Gospić, bio je i u ranijim povijesnim razdobljima nastanjen. Godine 1263. tom se prostoru spominje posjed i naselje Kasezi. Listinom iz iste godine utvrđuje se zamjena posjeda između kralja Bele i Petra Tolmirovića. Kralj je Tolmiroviću za zemlje u Počitelju dao Kasege. Mjesto je ležalo nedaleko rijeke Kaseg (Novčica). Gospić leži upravo na području starog Kasega, gdje je bila izgrađena crkva, ali nije bio utvrđenje, jer je u neposrednoj blizini bilo više utvrđenja: Novi Grad (Lički Novi), Bilaj i Bogdanić. Kasezi su u to vrijeme, prije turskog prodiranja, imali središnji značaj u crkvenom iako ne u upravnom, trgovačkom i političkom smislu.
U XV. stoljeću Kasezi se spominju kao sijelo ličkog vikara i arhiđakonata ninske biskupije. Nakon 1527. i turskog osvajanja Like, stiže aga Senković koji grad kulu, oko koje naseljava muslimansko pučanstvo. Pred stalnim turskim napadima stanovnici mnogih naselja bježe i raseljavaju se, tako su Kasezi raseljeni a ime je zaboravljeno. Za vladavine Turaka područje Gospića ulazi u novski kotar.
Na Rizvan bega podsjeća ime sela Rizvanuša imao svoj perivoj s vodoskocima, a na agu Senkovića njive u središtu Bužima koje se zovu Senkuše.
Turci odlaze 1689. kad je pop Marko Mesić organizirao ustanak.
The town’s day is 22nd July – St. Mary Madeline’s holiday.
GOSPIĆ is the biggest town in Lika. It is situated in the west part of the Lika valley, at the foot of the mountain Velebit and on the Bogdanica and Novčica rivers before they confluence into the river Lika. It had 6088 inhabitants according to 2001 census.
Gospić is the main business, cultural, political and commercial centre of the Lika-Senj county. It has been ranked as a town since 1993 when it became the centre of the county and furthermore it has been a see of the Gospić-Senj diocese since 2000. In 2006 it became a town called Hero of the Croatian War of Independence.
There are: primary school Dr. Jure Turić, High School Gospić, Vocational School and the Teacher’s College. In summer 2006 the Associate-degree College Nikola Tesla was established at 150th anniversary of his birth.
The town lies on the west of the Lika railroad, which was built in 1925 and the Zagreb-Split motorway finished in 2005 and is with one tube tunnels. On the east there is Lika highway and on the south the Adriatic highway. It is about 50 km to each of them.
HISTORY
The area where Gospić is situated was inhabited in the earlier historical periods as well. In 1623 the possession and colony Kasezi was mentioned. The exchange of possessions between king Bela and Petar Tolimirović was determined by a charter. The king gave Kaseg to Tolimirović for the land in Počitelj. The place was situated near the river Kaseg (Novčica). Gospić is located on the very place of old Kaseg, where the church was built but it was not the fortification because there were few of them nearby: Novi Grad (Lički Novi), Bilaj and Bogdanić. At that time, before the Turkish invasion, the Kasezi had the most important role in the church life but not in the administrative, commercial and political sense.
In the XV century Kaseg was mentioned as a seat of the Lika’s vicar and archdeaconry of the Nin’s diocese. After 1527 and the Turkish invasion of Lika, agha Senković arrived to built a tower around which he settled Muslims. Because of their constant attacks people from the nearby settlements ran away so Kaseg was depopulated and the name was forgotten. During the Turkish ruling the area of Gospić became a part of the county Novi.
Rizvanuša village reminds us of Rizvan beg where he had his own gardens with fountains, so do the fields Senkuše in the centre of Bužim, reminding us of agha Senković.
The Turkish left in 1689 when priest Marko Mesić organised an uprising and liberated Lika of the Turkish oppression. Mesić was the one who started revitalisation and revival of the Christian religion as well as building churches.
