Timočka Krajina



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Timočka krajina is a geographical region in east-central Serbia around the Timok River. Its name means "Timok Frontier". Timočka krajina corresponds to parts of two Serbian districts, with a total 2002 census population of 284,112.

Name

The toponym is derived from the hydronym Timok and krajina, named such due to its location and history as a borderland. It was introduced in the Interwar period as denoting the Timok confluence with the Negotinska Krajina and Ključ. The term has no historical or geographical basis. In Romanian, the term "Timoc Valley" is used for the area inhabited by the Romanian-speaking Vlachs. The region was sometimes known as Podunavia in Medieval times.

Geography

Timočka Krajina roughly corresponds to the Bor and Zaječar districts of Serbia. It includes six municipalities and two cities:
The largest city in the region is Zaječar, and therefore functions as its cultural, urban, and economic centre. It consists of four municipalities: Stari grad, Kotlujevac, Grljan and Salaš. The largest municipality is Koltlujevac, with a population of over 25,000.

History

Early Bronze Age pottery of the Kostolac-Kocofeni culture has been found throughout the region. During the Roman era, the area was administratively part of the Dacia Ripensis. During emperor Justinian's reign there were numerous fortifications in the area. Notable Roman sites include Timacum Minus, Trajan's Bridge, Diana Fortress, and others.
The Bulgarian ruler Ivan Stratsimir and Wallachian Voivode Mircea the Elder controlled the territory of Podunavia until the Ottoman conquest in the XIVth century
Several settlements in the region received Habsburg Monarchy frontier status after the Treaty of Passarowitz ; the area became a frontier towards the Ottoman Empire.
A peasant uprising took place in 1883 in Timok, in Eastern Serbia, known as the Timok Rebellion. The peasant movement of 1883 resulted from economic, political and social factors.
Between 1918 and 1922, two districts of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes existed in the area - Krajina District, with seat in Negotin, and Timok District with seat in Zaječar. In 1922, these two districts were merged into the newly formed Timok Oblast with seat in Zaječar. Timok Oblast existed until 1929 when it was included into the newly formed Morava Banovina with seat in Niš. At present there are two districts in the area: Bor District with seat in Bor; and Zaječar District with seat in Zaječar.

Culture

Ethnic groups

The region is inhabited by a majority of Serbs and minority of Vlachs. Based on the 2002 census and results in the Bor and Zaječar Districts, there were 85,58% Serbs, 8,31% Vlachs and 0,96% Romani. The Serb community traditionally speak the Kosovo–Resava dialect in the north and the Prizren-Timok dialect in the south, however, Standard Serbian is used in formal communication. The Vlachs speak the Vlach language, which awaits standardization, which in this region is a form of the Oltenian subdialect. Both Serbs and Vlachs are Eastern Orthodox by denomination. There is currently controversy regarding the ethnic identification of the Vlach community.

Economy

The region is rich in copper and gold mines, especially in the Bor and Majdanpek areas.

Gallery