| Negotin Неготин |
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| — Municipality and Town — | |||
| Town center of Negotin at night | |||
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| Location of the municipality of Negotin within Serbia | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Serbia | ||
| District | Bor | ||
| Settlements | 39 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Vlajko Đorđević | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Municipality | 1,089 km2 (420.5 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2011 census)[2] | |||
| • Town | 16,716 | ||
| • Municipality | 36,879 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 19300 | ||
| Area code | +381 19 | ||
| Car plates | NG (BO being phased out as of 2008) | ||
| Website | www.negotin.rs | ||
Negotin (Serbian Cyrillic: Неготин [nɛ̂gɔtiːn] ( listen)) is a town and municipality in the Bor District of north-eastern Central Serbia. It is situated near the borders between Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. It is the judicial center of the Bor District. The population of the town is 16,716 while municipality has 36,879.
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The etymology of the town's name is unclear, and there are three possibilities as to its background:
Negotin is first mentioned in 1530 as a settlement.
The Thracians dominated the region with the Celtic Scordisci advancing after 279 BC. The Roman conquest in the 1st century BC weakened the Paleo-Balkan tribes. The Moesi, a Thracio-Dacian tribe, were defeated by the Roman army under the Marcus Licinius Crassus who was Roman consul in 30 BC. The region was organized into Moesia Inferior in 87 AD by Emperor Domitian.
Hellenistic religious influence is attested through archeological findings in Rovine and Tamnič where Heracles was worshipped, a relief of Zeus, Herakles and Dionysos found in Bukovo.[4]
The Roman site of Selište with necropolis has been excavated in the village of Rogljevo. Silver and Gold fibulae from 250-320 AD have been found at sites in Negotin.[5]
Until the beginning of the 18th century, Negotin was just a small town, with no strategic or cultural importance. At the beginning of the 18th century, however, Austrians conducted a major build-up of the town as a fortified town and their stronghold in their south-eastern territories (i.e. while they held it, in 1717–1739). After a period of renewed Turkish occupation, Negotin was once again liberated in 1804 by Hajduk Veljko's rebels during the First Serbian Uprising.
After being liberated in 1804-10, Negotin quickly gained on importance and size. The civilized life thrived and the government, as in the most parts of then-liberated Serbia, achieved much in matters of education and modernization. However, these great days were short lived - in 1813, after Napoleon had successfully taken Russia and Austria out of game and therefore helping Serbia, the Turks crushed the ill-fated state of the Serbs. The defenders of Negotin chose, however, not to evacuate and became ensieged in the then-fortified town. Eventually, a Turkish gunman sighted Hajduk Veljko and shot his cannon. Hajduk Veljko was hit in the chest by a cannonball and died immediately. His co-fighters buried him in an unmarked grave, so that the Turks couldn't exhume and decapitate him, like they used to do with all fallen Christian fighters. Once again, Negotin was conquered. The Second Serbian Uprising of 1815 brought nothing to Negotin initially, having only liberated Belgrade and its vicinity. However, thanks to the smart diplomacy of the PrinceMiloš Obrenović, this part of the country was once and for all liberated in 1833, with practically no fighting at all.
Until the formal declaration of independence in 1878, Negotin had already achieved very much in terms of build-up of its position as a regional cultural, educational and religious center. The first state school was opened in 1824, followed by a gymnasium in 1839. With the time, the old Church of Our Lady became too small for the bishop of Negotin, so a grand new cathedral church was built in 1876. At the very same time, many Negotinians went to famous European universities, seeking education and enlightenment, e.g. Stevan Mokranjac, one of the five most important Serbian composers ever and Đorđe Stanojević, a physicist and an astronomer who later became University of Belgrade Rector. The cultural life also thrived, with many choral and other artistic societies. Most of the educational institutions had been opened in the matter of months after being opened in Belgrade (Public Library etc.). It was in this period that the idea of moving the town to the banks of the Danube first took a stronghold with the government and local officials. However, this has never happened, although various administrations in various times have tried to do this. The town was simply too big for moving. Still, Negotin was not far away from the Danube, only approx. 4 miles, so the river transportation was still possible for its trade. However, the town's position also had a serious disadvantage - it was very close to the Danube, but lower than the river, so it had always been surrounded by many swamps and ponds. In the meantime, the town of Zaječar, being much closer to Niš and, therefore, to the rest of Serbia, was slowly taking over as a regional center. This advantage became much clearer especially with the construction of railroad. Negotin was though more to the north and thus closer to Belgrade and the rest of Serbia, but those roads led through inaccessible mountain terrain, whereas it was much easier to go to the south, so Zaječar was, in terms of transport, much better off than Negotin. Until the beginning of the First World War, Zaječar had overtaken Negotin in terms of size and importance.
The dynastic fights had little impact on the fate of the town. In 1903, rebellious officers killed the king and queen of Serbia, Aleksandar Obrenović and Draga Mašin. Although they helped the other dynasty, the Karađorđevićs, to come to power, they did this in such a monstrous and horrible way that even the new royal family distanced themselves from this terrorist group and subsequently tried and executed all of its members.
The Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 didn't bring much to this area. However, the units from this part of the country took part in almost all the battles of both wars, earning respect and glory. On July 28, 1914, ally-turned-enemy Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. After initial successes by the Serbian armies, in the winter of 1915/16, the vastly outnumbered Serbia couldn't repel anymore the attacks by combined armies of Austria-Hungary, Germany and Bulgaria. But, instead to capitulate, the Serbian government chose to go in exile, together with its army. Negotin was soon occupied and it remained so until the fall of 1918, when Serbian army came victoriously back to the country. Negotin now became a part of the newly-formed Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
The period between two world wars was very much like the pre-war years. Negotin continued to lose on its size and importance and Zaječar was becoming the new regional center. Much of this was also happening due to poor environmental conditions in Negotin and its surroundings, as already mentioned above. In the 1930s, the government and local officials started a huge irrigation project, aimed at getting rid of swamps around the town and gaining more agricultural land for the ever-growing population. As for the industry, there had been some modest investments in the area, but the town itself remained strongly committed to its previous roles of trading center and preserving its old manufactures, many of which were, by the way, by the time quite obsolete. Still, there had been some progress and it was unfortunately stopped by the World War Two in 1941.
As the war raged in Europe, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia had been spared, at least during the initial two years. Still, it hadn't helped much to prepare for the inevitable, mostly because of unsettled national problems in the Kingdom. Therefore, as the German, Hungarian and Italian forces attacked on April 6, 1941, Yugoslavia simply fell apart after only two weeks of fighting. Many officers and soldiers, mostly from Serbia, had been taken prisoners of war and transported to the PoW-Camps in Germany, Austria, Poland and as far as Norway. Although Negotin hadn't seen much of the fighting, already in the summer of 1941, some guerilla resistance had been reported. Most of these "partisan"-forces had been consequently taken out of action during the Summer and Fall of 1941, with their fighters captured and killed. As for the remainder of the war, there hadn't been any major battles or atrocities recorded in the area. Just as the Germans easily and without resistance came in in 1941, so did the Partisans and the Soviet troops, on their way to Belgrade and further. Negotin was liberated on September 12, 1944, after less than 3½ years of German occupation.
| Climate data for Negotin | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
4 (39) |
10 (50) |
16 (61) |
22 (71) |
25 (77) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
23 (74) |
16 (61) |
8 (46) |
4 (39) |
15.4 (59.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −3 (27) |
−2 (28) |
2 (36) |
7 (45) |
12 (54) |
16 (60) |
17 (63) |
16 (61) |
13 (55) |
7 (45) |
2 (36) |
−1 (30) |
7.2 (45.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 38 (1.5) |
38 (1.5) |
43 (1.7) |
48 (1.9) |
61 (2.4) |
69 (2.7) |
48 (1.9) |
33 (1.3) |
36 (1.4) |
33 (1.3) |
53 (2.1) |
53 (2.1) |
554 (21.8) |
| Source: Weatherbase [6] | |||||||||||||
According to the 2011 census the population of the Negotin municipality is 36,879, of which 16,716 live in the town of Negotin.
Ethnic groups in the Negotin municipality (2002 census):
According to the 2002 census, most of the settlements in the Negotin municipality have Serb ethnic majority. The settlement with a Romanian ethnic majority is Kovilovo. An ethnically mixed settlement with relative Romanian majority is Aleksandrovac. Older census results show a higher share of Romanian (Vlach) population, but due to the Serbianization process from the 20th century, their number dramatically decreased in favor of the Serbs. For example, the 1921-census counted 32,591 persons in the Negotin municipality, composed by 17,201 (53%) Romanians (Vlachs); 15,340 (47%) Serbs and mixt fammilies and 50 others.
The population of the villages around Negotin are mostly supported by the family members who work as guest-workers in the countries of western Europe, agriculture is a side activity more than an income-generating one.
The largest employer in this municipality is the Chemical Industry Prahovo, although this company, just like many others in Serbia, is in very poor financial shape.
Coming soon Muscat
The town has one orphanage, one kindergarten and day care center, three elementary and four high schools, some of which are vocational. There is also an elementary school for children with handicaps. The Negotin hospital offers all basic and many specialist services to this and neighboring municipalities.
Stevan Mokranjac the most famous Serbian composer of the 19th century was born and grew up in Negotin. His native house is a museum today.
Another famous Negotinian was Hajduk Veljko (aka Vojvoda Veljko Petrović), an early 19th century freedom fighter against Turkish rule.
Đorđe Stanojević is a renowned Serbian scientist; his statue is in the center of Negotin.
General Petar Živković was a minister and prime minister in several Kingdom of Serbia's and Kingdom of Yugoslavia's governments.
As a relatively young man Vuk Karadžić was sent to Negotin by the leadership of the First Serbian Uprising to work as a clerk in the city magistrate and a scribe for Hajduk Veljko. That was the only salaried employment he held during his entire life.
Jelena Tomasevic, a singer who represented Serbia in Eurovision Song Contest 2008.
The Negotin museum is home to many archeological findings, from Roman times to the more recent World War II era. The Negotin municipality is also home to many galleries, monuments, churches and monasteries, and archeological sites. The nearby Iron Gates national park offers breathtaking views, excellent hunting grounds, and many trails for hiking (most trails are not well marked or maintained, so hiking is recommended only for the experienced).
The highlight of the cultural life of Negotin is the annual musical celebration called Mokranjčevi Dani, after Stevan Mokranjac the famous Serbian composer.
Negotin municipality includes the town of Negotin and the following villages (population given in brackets):
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