Zaječar Зајечар (Serbian) | |
|---|---|
| City of Zaječar | |
 Zaječar City Hall  Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos  Ljuba Nešić elementary school  Zaječar Central Park | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of the city of Zaječar within Serbia | |
| Coordinates:43°55′N22°18′E / 43.917°N 22.300°E /43.917; 22.300 | |
| Country |  Serbia |
| Region | Southern and Eastern Serbia |
| District | Zaječar |
| Settlements | 41 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Boško Ničić (SNS) |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 97 km2 (37 sq mi) |
| • Administrative | 1,069 km2 (413 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 134 m (440 ft) |
| Population (2022 census)[2] | |
| • Urban | 32,448 |
| • Urban density | 330/km2 (870/sq mi) |
| • Administrative | 48,621 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 19000 |
| Area code | +381(0)19 |
| Official languages | Serbian[3] |
| Website | www |
Zaječar (Serbian Cyrillic:Зајечар,pronounced[zâjɛtʃar];Romanian:Zaicear orZăiceari) is acity and the administrative center of theZaječar District in eastern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city administrative area had a population of 48,621 inhabitants. Zaječar is widely known for its rock music festivalGitarijada and for theZALET festival dedicated to contemporary art. Roman EmperorGalerius was born inGamzigrad, near Zaječar, where he built the city of Felix Romuliana.[4]
InSerbian, the city is known asZaječar (Зајечар); inRomanian asZaicear,Zăiicer (archaic name),Zăiceri,Zăicear orZăiceari; inMacedonian asЗаечар and inBulgarian asЗайчар (Zaychar).
The origin of the name is from theTorlak dialect name for "hare" =zajec /зајец (in all otherSerbiandialects it iszec /зец, while inBulgarian it isзаек / zaek"). It means "the man who breeds and keeps hares".
Folk etymology in Romanian, gives "Zăiicer" as meaning "theGods are asking (for sacrifice)".
Early renderings of the city in English usedSaitchar.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(September 2011) |
Three Roman Emperors were born in the city of Zaječar:Galerius (r. 293–311),Maximinus (r. 305–312) andLicinius (r. 308–324).
The Late Roman fortified palace compound and memorial complex ofGamzigrad-Romuliana at the outskirts of Zaječar was commissioned by Emperor Caius Valerius Galerius Maximianus, in the late 3rd and early 4th century. It was known as Felix Romuliana, named after the Emperor's mother Romula. The site consists of fortifications, the palace in the north-western part of the complex, basilicas, temples, hot baths, memorial complex, and atetrapylon. The site offers a unique testimony of the Roman building tradition marked by the ideology of the period of theSecond Tetrarchy. The group of buildings is also unique in its intertwining of ceremonial and memorial functions. The relation between two spatial ensembles in this site is stressed by the tetrapylon which is placed on the crossroads between the worldly fortification and palace on the one side and the other-worldly mausoleums and consecration monuments on the other.
Slavs entered the region during the 7th century, and the tribe living in the area was called Timočani. During the Middle Ages, the area of Zaječar was contested betweenBulgaria, Hungary and Serbia. During periods in the 9th-11th centuries and the 13th century the territory of modern-day Zaječar was a part of the Bulgarian Empire.[5][6][7][8][9] It finally fell under Ottoman rule during the first half of the 15th century. The oldest preserved rendering of Zaječar listed in an Ottoman defter dates from 1466. At the time, there were only eight extended families (zadrugas) living there.
In theFirst Serb Uprising,HajdukVeljko Petrović liberated the area from Ottoman rule in 1806. The Ottomans retook the area in 1813 but finally ceded it to Serbia in 1833.
The population of the city and of the area to the south of it was partly Bulgarian, as the Serbian ethnographerMilan Đ. Milićević recognized. The city actively participated in the Serbo-Turkish War of 1876–1878. In 1883, it was partially engulfed in the famous Timok Uprising, a reaction against a governmental order to confiscate peasants' firearms and against a law replacing the militia with a standing army.
Bulgaria occupied Zaječar from 1915 to 1918, during the First World War. From 1929 to 1941, the city was part of theMorava Banovina of theKingdom of Yugoslavia. The German army occupied Zaječar on 14 April 1941, during the Second World War; it was administered as part of theTerritory of the Military Commander in Serbia from 22 April 1941. Zaječar was liberated on 7–8 October 1944 in a joint operation byYugoslav Partisans and theRed Army.[10]
Zaječar has ahumid continental climate (Köppen climate classification:Dfa), that's very close to ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification:Cfa).
| Climate data for Zaječar (1991–2020, extremes 1961–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 23.0 (73.4) | 25.1 (77.2) | 28.5 (83.3) | 34.2 (93.6) | 35.7 (96.3) | 40.4 (104.7) | 44.7 (112.5) | 41.7 (107.1) | 38.4 (101.1) | 32.3 (90.1) | 28.4 (83.1) | 24.6 (76.3) | 44.7 (112.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.9 (40.8) | 7.7 (45.9) | 13.0 (55.4) | 18.7 (65.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 27.8 (82.0) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.3 (86.5) | 24.6 (76.3) | 17.9 (64.2) | 10.6 (51.1) | 5.6 (42.1) | 17.9 (64.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.1 (31.8) | 1.8 (35.2) | 6.4 (43.5) | 11.8 (53.2) | 16.8 (62.2) | 20.9 (69.6) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.1 (71.8) | 16.7 (62.1) | 10.9 (51.6) | 5.6 (42.1) | 0.9 (33.6) | 11.4 (52.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) | −2.9 (26.8) | 0.4 (32.7) | 4.8 (40.6) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.2 (55.8) | 14.6 (58.3) | 14.2 (57.6) | 10.1 (50.2) | 5.7 (42.3) | 1.7 (35.1) | −2.9 (26.8) | 5.4 (41.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29.0 (−20.2) | −25.6 (−14.1) | −17.5 (0.5) | −6.5 (20.3) | −1.5 (29.3) | 1.8 (35.2) | 5.0 (41.0) | 4.3 (39.7) | −5.0 (23.0) | −8.8 (16.2) | −17.4 (0.7) | −22.2 (−8.0) | −29.0 (−20.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 43.6 (1.72) | 40.4 (1.59) | 44.9 (1.77) | 49.9 (1.96) | 61.0 (2.40) | 60.3 (2.37) | 61.8 (2.43) | 46.8 (1.84) | 45.9 (1.81) | 53.5 (2.11) | 47.6 (1.87) | 54.7 (2.15) | 610.4 (24.03) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 11.2 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 11.5 | 12.6 | 9.9 | 8.3 | 6.7 | 8.7 | 9.6 | 10.7 | 11.2 | 121.4 |
| Average snowy days | 7.3 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 5.3 | 24.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 79.6 | 75.3 | 69.6 | 68.2 | 69.9 | 68.0 | 64.4 | 65.8 | 71.1 | 78.0 | 81.3 | 81.6 | 72.7 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 70.3 | 90.8 | 133.3 | 167.4 | 219.2 | 250.0 | 286.3 | 262.4 | 176.6 | 121.3 | 64.5 | 57.5 | 1,899.6 |
| Source: Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia[11][12] | |||||||||||||
Aside from the urban area of Zaječar, the city administrative area includes the following settlements:
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 62,887 | — |
| 1953 | 64,907 | +0.63% |
| 1961 | 68,616 | +0.70% |
| 1971 | 73,147 | +0.64% |
| 1981 | 76,681 | +0.47% |
| 1991 | 72,763 | −0.52% |
| 2002 | 65,969 | −0.89% |
| 2011 | 59,461 | −1.15% |
| 2022 | 47,991 | −1.93% |
| Source:[13] | ||
According to the 2022 census, the City of Zaječar has a population of 47,991 inhabitants, while the urban area has 32,448 inhabitants. The city has an urban area of over 97 km2.
The ethnic composition of the city:[14]
| Ethnic group | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Serbs | 41,978 | 86.26% |
| Vlachs | 1,476 | 4.80% |
| Romani | 637 | 1.27% |
| Romanians | 192 | 0.34% |
| Bulgarians | 132 | 0.30% |
| Macedonians | 91 | 0.25% |
| Montenegrins | 44 | 0.16% |
| Yugoslavs | 133 | 0.15% |
| Croats | 49 | 0.12% |
| Albanians | 27 | 0.07% |
| Muslims | 22 | 0.05% |
| Gorani | 26 | 0.05% |
| Slovenians | 10 | 0.04% |
| Others | 3,116 | 6.14% |
| Total | 47,991 |
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2022):[15]
| Activity | Total |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 217 |
| Mining and quarrying | 440 |
| Manufacturing | 1,732 |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 222 |
| Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 231 |
| Construction | 441 |
| Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 2,122 |
| Transportation and storage | 643 |
| Accommodation and food services | 442 |
| Information and communication | 160 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 201 |
| Real estate activities | 13 |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 377 |
| Administrative and support service activities | 263 |
| Public administration and defense; compulsory social security | 1,126 |
| Education | 963 |
| Human health and social work activities | 1,350 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 197 |
| Other service activities | 246 |
| Individual agricultural workers | 411 |
| Total | 11,798 |
Zaječar hosted 2006 Serbiantriathlon championship. The city has two sport-recreation centers, "Popova plaža" and "SRC Kraljevica" home ofŽRK Zaječar, while a third, "Kotlujevac", is under reconstruction.
Zaječar is home to the "Zoran Radmilović" theatre built 2 February 1947 under the name of the "Oblasno narodno pozorište". The first play ever performed in the new theatre was "Žita cvetaju". The theatre was renamed during its 45th (1992) anniversary as "Zoran Radmilović" to celebrate a famous and beloved actor who was born there. Every year, this theatre is home to the "Dani Zorana Radmilovića" art festival.[16]
The Festival of Contemporary ArtZALET (stylised as ZA*73T) organizes manifestations, such as exhibitions, concerts, literary evenings and experimental theater.
Gitarijada (Serbian Cyrillic: Гитаријада, trans. Guitar fest) is a musical festival held during the summer in order to promote demo bands. Held since 1969, Gitarijada is one of the longest-lasting festivals in Serbia and in South Eastern Europe. The festival started its life in Zaječar during 1970. Some of notable bands from Serbia such asBjesovi &Galija were winners in theGitarijada competition during the '80s and '90s. The programme of theGitarijada festival has several parts. Demo battles as a main item, with performances of artists and art exhibitions involving themes like rock, blues, metal and similar ones.
Many local bands from Zaječar have participated in past events:
Zlatni Prsti, Visoko Mišljenje, Zoster, Crna Ruža,Civili, Blood Eruption, Priručnik Janga Trovača, Hate-tech, Brain Damage, Plood , Mind Reflection, VIS Novi Dan, Huti Ota Tre...
Elementary schools
High schools
University education
The city is the seat of the Megatrend UniversityFaculty of Management;Business School of Management.
Zaječar istwinned with:
The people listed below were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the city of Zaječar area.
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