Pirot Град Пирот (Serbian) | |
|---|---|
| City of Pirot | |
 Panorama of Pirot  Pirot City Hall  Pirot Courthouse _003.jpg) Church of Holy Dormition  Monument to fallen soldiers during the Serbian-Ottoman War  Pirot Employment Service building  Pirot Central Square  Pirot Gymnasium | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of the city of Pirot within Serbia | |
| Coordinates:43°10′N22°36′E / 43.167°N 22.600°E /43.167; 22.600 | |
| Country |  Serbia |
| Region | Southern and Eastern Serbia |
| District | Pirot |
| City status | March 2016 (2016-03) |
| Settlements | 72 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Vladan Vasić (SNS) |
| Area | |
| • Rank | 5th |
| • Urban | 29.53 km2 (11.40 sq mi) |
| • Administrative | 1,232 km2 (476 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 367 m (1,204 ft) |
| Population (2022 census)[2] | |
| • Urban | 34,942 |
| • Urban density | 1,183/km2 (3,065/sq mi) |
| • Administrative | 49,601 |
| • Administrative density | 40.26/km2 (104.3/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 18300 |
| Area code | +381(0)10 |
| Official languages | Serbian[3] |
| Website | www |
Pirot (Serbian Cyrillic:Пирот) is acity and the administrative center of thePirot District in southeasternSerbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative area has 49,601 inhabitants.
The city has rich geographical features, including the mountains ofStara Planina,Vlaška Planina,Belava,Suva Planina; rivers which flow through the town, includingNišava,Jerma, Rasnička Reka, Temštica and the Visočica; and four lakes, the Zavoj Lake, Berovacko Lake, Krupac Lake and Sukovo Lake.
It also has a rich culture, with notable Orthodox church buildings, including theChurch of St. Petka, and the monastery of St. Georges andSt. John the Theologian from the late 14th century, both of which display an example of medieval architecture. Pirot is known for its traditional woven carpet, thePirot carpet (Pirot ćilim).[4]
The municipality of Pirot covers an area of 1,235 km2 (476.84 sq mi), with over seventy settlements, including the city of Pirot. According to the 2002 census report, in the municipality of Pirot lived 63791 residents. Around 45,000 people live in the city itself and about 22,000 people live in the villages around the city.
The riverNišava divides the Pirot into two districts: Tijabara and Pazar.
Pirot has several mountains in the vicinity, includingStara Planina,Vlaška planina,Belava, andSuva Planina.
The following rivers flow through Pirot: theNišava,Jerma, Rasnička Reka, Temštica, and Visočica. Pirot also has four lakes: Lake Zavoj, Lake Berovacko, Lake Krupac, and Lake Sukov.
Pirot has aTemperate oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification:Cfb)[5] with warm summers and cold winters.
| Climate data for Pirot | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) | 5.1 (41.2) | 10.1 (50.2) | 15.6 (60.1) | 19.9 (67.8) | 23.5 (74.3) | 25.8 (78.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 21.2 (70.2) | 15.7 (60.3) | 10.3 (50.5) | 4.1 (39.4) | 15.0 (59.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.6 (29.1) | 0.5 (32.9) | 5.2 (41.4) | 10.6 (51.1) | 15.3 (59.5) | 19.0 (66.2) | 21.2 (70.2) | 21.3 (70.3) | 16.4 (61.5) | 10.8 (51.4) | 5.6 (42.1) | 0.1 (32.2) | 10.4 (50.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.5 (22.1) | −3.7 (25.3) | 0.4 (32.7) | 5.3 (41.5) | 10.2 (50.4) | 14.0 (57.2) | 16.1 (61.0) | 16.2 (61.2) | 11.8 (53.2) | 6.4 (43.5) | 1.7 (35.1) | −3.2 (26.2) | 5.8 (42.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 54 (2.1) | 50 (2.0) | 67 (2.6) | 84 (3.3) | 93 (3.7) | 89 (3.5) | 74 (2.9) | 54 (2.1) | 56 (2.2) | 54 (2.1) | 52 (2.0) | 62 (2.4) | 789 (30.9) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[5] | |||||||||||||
During the rule of Roman EmperorTiberius (14–37),Ponišavlje was part ofMoesia, and duringVespasian (69–79) it was, as the rest of Serbia, organized intoUpper Moesia (as opposed to most of Bulgaria,Lower Moesia).[6] At the end of the 4th century the basin of theNišava was organized into the province ofDacia Mediterranea.[6] The Roman settlement of Turres (Latin for "towers"), which was a military residence, is mentioned in the first half of the 3rd century.[6] Later, theByzantine town ofQuimedava is mentioned here, with remains that have survived.[6]
The town was set to enable control and defence of the main road in this part of the empire. Besides, travellers could sleep here overnight, as well as get refreshments and new horses or vehicles. In time, the settlement advanced because of the important road passing through. It was also disturbed very persistently by invasions of theGothic tribes throughout the 4th century, as well as theHuns in the 5th century.
According to the written accountsOn Buildings byProcopius of Caesarea, writing during the reign of the emperorJustinian I (527 – 565), the emperor ordered the reconstruction of thirty fortresses in the area fromNiš toSofia, including the towers of Pirot. He also gave the detailed description of those construction works. In times when the Slavs and Avars were invading the Balkans, the settlement was named Quimedava, and was situated on the southern slope of the Sarlah Hill.
Corresponding to the archaeological investigations, the town back then, surrounded by forts and fortified walls, also included an early Christian basilica,thermae (public baths), anecropolis, and other facilities. Beside the military fortress, a civil settlement (vicus) existed on the site calledMajilka. By the late 6th century and early 7th century, successive barbarian invasions had broken through the ByzantineDanube frontier, and Slavs settled in large numbers across the Balkans.
.JPG)
By the mid-6th century Slavs had settled the area.[6] In 679 theBulgars crossed the Danube into Lower Moesia, and eventually expand to the west and south.[7] Since the beginning of the 9th century the region of Pirot is part of theFirst Bulgarian State. The Byzantine emperorBasil II (r. 960–1025) reconqueredthe Balkans from the Bulgars.[8]
In 1153, Arab geographer Burizi crossed the country, and recorded the place ofAtrubi at the site of old Turres, describing it as situated by a small river which arrives from the Serbian mountains and was a tributary of the Morava.[8][verification needed] In 1182–83 the Serbian army led by Grand PrinceStefan Nemanja conquered Byzantine territories from Niš to Sofia. The Serbians were expelled by the Byzantine emperorIsaac II Angelus in 1190.[9] Pirot and Bela Palanka (Remesiana) were not mentioned as they were in ruin since the rebellions in the 940s.[8] Since the end of the 12th century the region of Pirot was part of therestored Bulgarian state.[10] The region was for some time in the domains of Bulgarian noblesevastokrator Kaloyan. In 1331-1332Church of St. Petka in Staničenje was built - at the time ofBulgarianEmperorJoan Asen (Ivan Alexander) andVidin masterBelaur.[11]
Some authors suggest that during the 1370s the region of Pirot was included in the Serbian state.[12] Pirot was part ofPrince Lazar'sstate, in which it was an important strategical point.[13] The city was captured by the Ottomans in 1386.[14] The name of the city, Pirot, dates to the 14th century and is derived from Greekpirgos ("tower").[6]
At the beginning of the 15th century, the region of Pirot was one of the centres of theUprising of Konstantin and Fruzhin. A significant blow to the efforts of the Bulgarian princes for the restoration of the Bulgarian state was imposed by the Ottoman ruler Sulejman, who conquered the Bulgarian fortress of Temsko, near today's village ofTemska, to the north of Pirot.[15][16]
Its Turkish name,Şehirköy (meaning "city, town village"[17]), is first mentioned in 1443.[18] It was organized into theSanjak of Niš.[17] In 1469, the body ofSerbian kingStefan Milutin was transferred via Pirot.[19] In 1561,hieromonk Isaija from Pirot visitedHilandar where he contributed a book.[19] Hilandar had dependencies in Pirot up until the 19th century.[20] Travel writer Stephen Gerlach (fl. 1578) recorded that Pirot Christians claimed that the town was the earlier estate ofMiloš Obilić, the slayer ofSultan Murad at Kosovo.[20] He also noted that Pirot was a significant place inBulgaria.[21] In 1659, Austrian deputy August von Mayern visited the town and described it as "Schiarchici, a town called by the Orthodox as Pirot, but is not surrounded by walls and inhabited by Turks andRascians" (Rasciani according to the author were even the citizens ofSofia,Ihtiman etc.).[22] In 1664, Austrian deputy Leslie and English nobleman John Burberry visited the town, the latter noting that there were three churches, one of which was earlierDominican.[22] In 1688 Ottoman renegade Yegen Pasha resided in the town.[23]
During theGreat Turkish War, after taking Niš on 25 September 1689, Austrian general Piccolomini with his army of Serb volunteers and some Germans chased Turks towards Sofia. Arriving at Pirot, the town was empty of Turks, and he reported that the town was in flames and some parts in ash.[23] In August 1690 a large Ottoman army took Pirot, defended only by 100 Germans, and then besieged Niš, taking it after three weeks.[24] Hungarian detachments retreating viaTemska ravaged the monastery and terrorized the surrounding population, as inscribed by a priest on the church walls.[24] That year, many locals fled northwards with PatriarchArsenije III.[24]
During theAustro-Turkish War (1737–39) the Austrian army took Pirot on 23 July 1737. In 1739, upon Ottoman return, the town was burnt down and its churches destroyed (one transformed into a mosque). 140 houses were burnt down which is evidence thathajduks of the region participated. Many locals from the region fled northwards with PatriarchArsenije IV.[24]
The first known literary monument, influenced byTorlakian dialects is the Manuscript fromTemska Monastery from 1762, in which its author, the MonkKiril Zhivkovich from Pirot, considered his language as "simple Bulgarian".[25]
In 1768, the town is described as half in ruins.[17] From 1761 to 1878, Pirot was the seat of the Metropolitan of Nišava.[17]
In 1806, during theFirst Serbian Uprising (1804–13),Hajduk-Veljko attackedBela Palanka.[26]Ibrahim Pasha, unable to enter Serbia crossAleksinac andDeligrad, planned to attack from Pirot and Lom with the intent to clash with the Serbian army before Niš; the Serbian army went to stop this and defeated him in the mountains between Pirot,Knjaževac andChiprovtsi.[26] Rebel leaders from Pirot included Mita and Marinko, who were tasked to defend the border towards Pirot (in Ottoman hands).[26] After theSerbian Revolution, some of the population in the area migrated to avoid Ottoman retribution.[27] It was estimated in 1836 that there were 6–8,000 inhabitants.[27]Carpetry was the main occupation, there were many shops and cafés in the centre, the population was mixed, and it was the domain of the sister of the Sultan.[27] On 24 May 1836 arebellion broke out in the town, which was suppressed by early June, and then another one broke out in August, also unsuccessful.[28] The rebels corresponded with Prince Miloš Obrenović.[29] TheNiš Uprising (1841), which included the Pirot area, was also suppressed by the Ottomans. In 1846–1864 Pirot was administratively part of theNiš Eyalet. During this period, in 1863, first branch ofZiraat Bank, largest bank of modern Turkey specializing in agricultural banking, was opened in Pirot. With the establishment of theBulgarian Exarchate in 1870 Pirot was the part of theNishava eparchy [bg].
Jérôme-Adolphe Blanqui, traveling across Bulgaria in 1841, describes the population of theSanjak of Niš as Bulgarians.[30] In the 19th centuryJohann Georg von Hahn stated that the Christian population of Pirot is Bulgarian.Philipp Kanitz claimed that some inhabitants "Did not imagine that six years later the cursed Turkish rule in their city would end, and even less, because they always felt that they are Bulgarians, that they would belong to the Principality of Serbia".[31]
During theExodus of Muslims from Serbia in 1862, some Turkish families moved from Belgrade to Pirot.[32]
In 1877. The urban population of Pirot consisted of 29,741 Christian and 5,772 Muslim males, with total number of 3,000 Serbian houses and 400 Muslim houses. However, after the Serbian-Ottoman war in 1878 the population of Pirot changed via emigration process of Muslim population. In 1884. Pirot had 77,922 inhabitants, 76,545 being Serbs and 36 Turks.[33]
On 16 December 1877, during theSerbian-Ottoman War (1876–1877), the Serbian army entered Pirot.[34] This raised a conflict between the Serbian authorities and the local Bulgarian citizens led byEvstatiy of Pelagonia [bg], the bishop of theBulgarian Exarchate's Nishava eparchy.[35][36] Pirot and its region were part of liberatedBulgaria according to theTreaty of San Stefano. TheTreaty of Berlin (1878) saw Pirot andVranje ceded to Serbia.[34] A part of the local Bulgarians left the town and settled inBulgaria.[35][37]
The 1879 Serbian regional population census registered that Pirot had a population of 76,892 people, and 11,005 households.[38] It was temporarily occupied by the Bulgarian army after theSerbo-Bulgarian War, between 15 November and 15 December 1885 [O.S.].[39] DuringWorld War I,the Bulgarian army entered Pirot on 14 October 1915 and occupied the city as well as the wholePomoravlje region.[40]
In theInterwar period, theInternal Western Outland Revolutionary Organization engaged in repeated attacks against theYugoslav police andarmy. From 1929 to 1941, Pirot was part of theMorava Banovina of theKingdom of Yugoslavia. DuringWorld War IIBulgaria occupied the so-calledWestern Outlands, as well as Pirot andVranje. After theSecond World War, these regions were returned to Yugoslavia. After thedissolution of Yugoslavia, these areas remained within the Serbian state.
Pirot was granted city status in February 2016.[41]
Aside from the city of Pirot itself, the city territory covers over 70 settlements:
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 11,868 | — |
| 1953 | 13,175 | +11.0% |
| 1961 | 18,415 | +39.8% |
| 1971 | 29,298 | +59.1% |
| 1981 | 36,293 | +23.9% |
| 1991 | 40,267 | +10.9% |
| 2002 | 40,678 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 38,785 | −4.7% |
| 2022 | 34,942 | −9.9% |
| Source:[42] | ||
According to the 2022 census results, the municipality of Pirot has a population of 49,601, while the settlement proper has a population of 34,942.
The ethnic composition of the municipality:
| Ethnic group | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Serbs | 53,232 | 91.89% |
| Romani | 2,576 | 4.45% |
| Bulgarians | 549 | 0.95% |
| Gorani | 80 | 0.14% |
| Macedonians | 67 | 0.12% |
| Yugoslavs | 47 | 0.08% |
| Croats | 42 | 0.07% |
| Montenegrins | 23 | 0.04% |
| Albanians | 19 | 0.03% |
| Others | 1,293 | 2.23% |
| Total | 57,928 |
Notable brands of Pirot include thePirot carpet,Pirot opanak,Pirot cheese, andironed sausage.
On the territory of the city of Pirot operates tire manufacturerTigar Tyres which is one of top Serbian exporters in the period from 2013 to 2017. As of September 2017, Pirot has one of 14free economic zones established in Serbia.[43]
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):[44]
| Activity | Total |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 163 |
| Mining and quarrying | 117 |
| Manufacturing | 5,792 |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 178 |
| Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 291 |
| Construction | 640 |
| Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 1,645 |
| Transportation and storage | 510 |
| Accommodation and food services | 590 |
| Information and communication | 217 |
| Financial and insurance activities | 245 |
| Real estate activities | 9 |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 321 |
| Administrative and support service activities | 692 |
| Public administration and defense; compulsory social security | 927 |
| Education | 857 |
| Human health and social work activities | 1,191 |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 183 |
| Other service activities | 394 |
| Individual agricultural workers | 124 |
| Total | 15,088 |
Local football clubRadnički (Workers) has competed in the second tiers of Yugoslav, Serbia and Montenegro and Serbian football.
На запад по-значителни опорни точки на царството били Сталак (дн. Сталач на сръбски), Соколица (дн. Сокобаня), Свърлиг, Ниш, Пирот, Белоградчик, Вратица (дн. Враца), Каменец (при Плевен) и др.
ва дни благовернаго цара . Иоана . Асена : и при господине Бе(лауре)..
Средином 70-тих година XIV века пиротски краj изгледа улази у оквир старих српских земља под влашћу кнеза Лазара
па затим закључуjе "да jе ово било значаjно место у Бугарскоj и да су овде живели кнезови"
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
