Timok Valley
TheTimok Valley(Serbian:Тимочка Крајина,romanized:Timočka Krajina;Bulgarian:Тимошко,romanized:Timoshko;Romanian:Valea Timocului) is ageographical regionin eastSerbiaaround theTimok River.The Timok Valley corresponds to parts of two Serbian districts (BorandZaječar), with a total 2022 census population of 200,785.
Name
[edit]The Serbian name is derived from thehydronymTimokandkrajina( "frontier,march"), named such due to its location and history as a borderland. It was introduced in theInterwar periodas denoting the Timok confluence with theNegotin ValleyandKljuč,which are part of the Timok Valley.[1]The term has no historical or geographical basis.[1]InRomanian,the term "Timoc Valley" (Valea Timocului) is used for the area inhabited by the Romanian-speakingVlachs.[2]"Tribalia" is also used in Romanian.[3]The region was sometimes known as Podunavia in Medieval times.[4]
Geography
[edit]The Timok Valley roughly corresponds to theBorandZaječardistricts of Serbia. It includes sixmunicipalitiesand twocities:
- Zaječar– 66,000
- Bor– 44,000
- Negotin– 37,000
- Knjaževac– 32,000
- Sokobanja– 19,000
- Kladovo– 21,000
- Boljevac– 15,000
- Majdanpek– 20,000
The largest city in the region isZaječar,and therefore functions as its cultural, urban, and economic centre. It consists of four municipalities: Stari grad (old parts of the city: Vlačić, Kraljevica, Karađorđev venac, Šljivarsko brdo, Lubničko brdo,Oskoruša,Pazaršte, Zvezdan, Podliv, Veliki izvor), Kotlujevac (Ključ 1,2,3,4, Živinarnik, Selište, Vlaško brdo, Beli breg), Grljan (south suburban parts and Višnjar) and Salaš (north suburban parts). The largest municipality is Koltlujevac, with a population of over 25,000.
Climate
[edit]Zaječar, the biggest city in the region, has ahumid continental climate(Köppen climate classification:Dfa), bordering on ahumid subtropical climate(Köppen climate classification:Cfa).
| Climate data for Zaječar (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) |
7.0 (44.6) |
12.1 (53.8) |
18.1 (64.6) |
23.6 (74.5) |
27.3 (81.1) |
29.7 (85.5) |
29.6 (85.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
17.8 (64.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
5.1 (41.2) |
17.4 (63.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.2 (31.6) |
1.2 (34.2) |
5.9 (42.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
16.8 (62.2) |
20.4 (68.7) |
22.4 (72.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
16.6 (61.9) |
10.8 (51.4) |
4.8 (40.6) |
0.7 (33.3) |
11.0 (51.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.2 (24.4) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
0.3 (32.5) |
4.7 (40.5) |
9.5 (49.1) |
12.7 (54.9) |
14.2 (57.6) |
13.9 (57.0) |
9.9 (49.8) |
5.4 (41.7) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
5.1 (41.2) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 38.4 (1.51) |
39.8 (1.57) |
40.6 (1.60) |
53.2 (2.09) |
52.4 (2.06) |
58.1 (2.29) |
56.3 (2.22) |
43.9 (1.73) |
44.3 (1.74) |
48.0 (1.89) |
52.3 (2.06) |
54.0 (2.13) |
581.4 (22.89) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 122 |
| Average snowy days | 8 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 28 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 79 | 75 | 71 | 69 | 69 | 68 | 64 | 66 | 71 | 78 | 81 | 82 | 73 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 71.7 | 92.2 | 129.3 | 165.7 | 223.4 | 254.1 | 286.5 | 266.4 | 188.0 | 125.8 | 72.9 | 55.9 | 1,932 |
| Source: Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia[5] | |||||||||||||
History
[edit]EarlyBronze Agepotteryof theKostolac-Kocofeni culturehas been found throughout the region.[6]During the Roman era, the area was administratively part of theDacia Ripensis.During emperor Justinian's reign there were numerous fortifications in the area. Notable Roman sites includeTimacum Minus,Trajan's Bridge,Diana Fortress,and others. The Bulgarian rulerIvan Stratsimir(Vidin principate) and Wallachian VoivodeMircea the Eldercontrolled the territory of Podunavia until the Ottoman conquest in the 14th century.[4]Several settlements in the region receivedHabsburg monarchyfrontier status after theTreaty of Passarowitz(1718); the area became a frontier towards theOttoman Empire.[7]
A peasant uprising took place in 1883 in the Timok Valley, in Eastern Serbia, known as theTimok Rebellion.The peasant movement of 1883 resulted from economic, political and social factors.
Between 1918 and 1922, two districts of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenesexisted in the area – Krajina District, with seat inNegotin,and Timok District with seat inZaječar.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 formedMorava Banovinawith seat inNiš.At present there are two districts in the area:Bor Districtwith seat inBor;andZaječar Districtwith seat in Zaječar.
Culture
[edit]Ethnic groups
[edit]
The region is inhabited by a majority ofSerbsand minority ofRomanians/Vlachs.Based on the 2002 census and results in the Bor and Zaječar Districts (which together had 284,112 inhabitants), 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, StandardSerbianis used in formal communication. The Vlachs speak a variety of two dialects (BanatandOlteniandialects) of the Romanian language, which awaits standardization into a hypothetical new language for the Vlachs.[8]Both Serbs and Vlachs are Eastern Orthodox by denomination. There is currently controversy regarding the ethnic identification of the Vlach community and whether they are Romanians or not.
Gallery
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^abŽivković 2014,p. 409.
- ^Timoc, Cristea Sandu (1988).Povești populare românești(in Romanian). București: Editura Minerva. pp. 19–.
- ^Sandu Timoc, Cristea (2007).Poezii populare de la românii din Timoc: Nord-estul Serbiei și nord-vestul Bulgariei(in Romanian). Bucureşti: Editura Ager.ISBN978-973-7961-42-6.
- ^abComan, Marian (2016). "Frontiera sârbească a Țării Românești în vremea lui Mircea cel Bătrân".Putere și teritoriu: Țara Românească medievală (secolele XIV-XVI)(in Romanian). Iaşi: Polirom.ISBN978-9-73463-403-3.
- ^"Monthly and annual means, maximum and minimum values of meteorological elements for the period 1981–2010".Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia(in Serbian).RetrievedFebruary 25,2017.
- ^Srejovic, Dragoslav (n.d.)."Kulture bakarnog i ranog bronzanog doba na tlu Srbije".Projekat Rastko(in Serbian).
- ^Dabić, Vojin S. (2011)."The Habsburg-Ottoman War of 1716-1718 and Demographic Changes in War-Afflicted Territories".In Ingrao, Charles W.; Samardžić, Nikola; Pesalj, Jovan (eds.).The Peace of Passarowitz, 1718.West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. pp. 200–.ISBN978-1-55753-594-8.
- ^"Romanii din Valea Timocului, recunoscuti drept minoritate nationala".România liberă(in Romanian). 16 August 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-09-26.Retrieved2007-10-19.
Sources
[edit]- Paunović, Marinko (1970).Đerdap i Timočka Krajina(in Serbian). Binoza.
- Timočka KrajinaТимочка Крајина(in Serbian). Beograd: Izd. Udruženja Timočana i Krajinaca. 1928.
- Istorijski institut; Međuopštinski odbor za obeležavanje sto pedesetogodišnjice oslobođenja Timočke krajine od Turaka (1988).Timočka krajina u XIX veku: zbornik radovaТимочка крајина у XIX веку: Зборник радова(in Serbian). Istorijski institut.
- Božić, Sofija (2014).Историја и географија: Сусрети и прожимања / History and geography: Meetings and permeations(in Serbian and English). Beograd: Institut za nоviju istоriju Srbije, Geоgrafski institut "Jоvan Cvijić" SАNU, Institut za slavistku Ran. pp. 409–.ISBN978-86-7005-125-6.
External links
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