| Zaječar Зајечар |
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| Coordinates: 43°55′N 22°18′E / 43.917°N 22.300°E | ||
| Country |  Serbia |
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| District | Zaječar | |
| Settlements | 41 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Boško Ničić (LS) | |
| Area[1] | ||
| • Municipality | 1,069 km2 (413 sq mi) | |
| Population (2011 census)[2] | ||
| • Town | 38,165 | |
| • Municipality | 59,461 | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 19000 | |
| Area code | +381 19 | |
| Car plates | ZA | |
| Website | www.zajecar.info | |
Zaječar (Serbian: Зајечар, pronounced [zâjɛtʃar]) is a city in the eastern part of Serbia. According to the 2011 census the town has a population of 43,860, and its coordinates are 43.91° North, 22.30° East. Zaječar has a number of primary and secondary schools as well as the first private college established in Serbia, the Faculty of Management Megatrend University. Zaječar is widely known for its rock music festival Gitarijada which has existed for more than 40 years and for the festival dedicated to contemporary art, ZALET. It is the administrative center of the Zaječar District and a main town in the Timočka Krajina region.
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Name [edit]
In Serbian, the town is known as Zaječar (Зајечар); in Vlach/Romanian as Zăiicer (archaic name), Zăiceri, Zăicear or Zăiceari; and in Bulgarian as Зайчар (Zaychar).
The origin of the name is from the Torlak dialect name for "hare" = zajec / зајец (in all other Serbian dialects it is zec / зец, while in Bulgarian it is "zaek"). It means "the man who breeds and keeps hares".
Folk etymology in Vlach, a language of a local minority, gives "Zāiicer" as meaning the "Gods are asking (for sacrifice)", but this is clearly not the origin of the city name.
Early renderings of the town in English favoured, Saitchar.
Municipal settlements [edit]
The municipality of Zaječar includes the following settlements:
History [edit]
![[icon]](http://wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section requires expansion. (September 2011) |
Ancient [edit]
Three Roman Emperors were born in the municipality of Zaječar: Galerius (r. 293–311), Maximinus (r. 305–312) and Licinius (r. 308–324).
The Late Roman fortified palace compound and memorial complex of Gamzigrad-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 a tetrapylon. The site offers a unique testimony of the Roman building tradition marked by the ideology of the period of the Second Tetrachy. 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.
Middle Ages [edit]
Zaječar was first mentioned in Turkish defter in 1466. At the time, there were only eight families living there. A Roman imperial palace Felix Romuliana dating from the third century AD is located nearby.
Modern [edit]
In the First Serbian Uprising, Hajduk Veljko Petrović liberated the area from Ottoman rule.
Culture [edit]
Sport [edit]
Zaječar hosted 2006 Serbian triathlon championship. The city has two sport-recreation centers, "Popova plaža" and "SRC Kraljevica" home of ŽRK Zaječar, while a third, "Kotlujevac", is under reconstruction.
Theater [edit]
Zaječar is a home of theater "Zoran Radmilović" built 2 February 1947 by the name "Oblasno narodno pozorište". The first play ever performed in the new theater was "Žita cvetaju". Theater is being renamed during its 45th (1992) bithday into "Zoran Radmilović" to celebrate a famous and beloved actor who was born there. Every year, this theater is a home of art festival "Dani Zorana Radmilovića".[3]
ZA*73T [edit]
The Festival of Contemporary Art ZALET (stylised as ZA*73T) organizes manifestations, such as exhibitions, concerts, literary evenings and experimental theater, with innovative and progressive aspects of artistic expressions: performance, art comics, low-fi video, video-art, conceptual art, the synthesis of fine and conceptual arts.
Gitarijada [edit]
Gitarijada (Serbian Cyrillic: Гитаријада, trans. Guitar fest) is a musical festival held during 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. Festival started its life in Zaječar during 1970. Some of notable bands from Serbia such as Bjesovi & Galija were winners on Gitarijada during '80s and '90s. The program of Gitarijada fest has a few parts. Demo battles as a main, performances of famous artists and art exhibitions surrounding themes like rock, blues, metal and similar. So far, Gitarijada has reached its 44th birthday and it is considered to be the biggest rock festival in South Eastern Europe.
Education [edit]
Elementary schools
- OŠ "Desanka Maksimovic"
- OŠ "Ljuba Nesic"
- OŠ "Djura Jaksic"
- OŠ "Ljubica Radosavljevic Nada"
- OŠ "Hajduk Veljko"
- OŠ "Vladislav Petkovic Dis"
- OŠ "Vuk Karadzic"
- OŠ "Jeremija Ilić Jegor"
- OŠ "Dositej Obradovic"
- OŠ "15.maj"
- OŠ "Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj"
High schools
- Gymnasium (since 1836)
- Medical Assistant/Nurse high school
- Technical high school
- Business Assistant and Accountancy high school
- Machine technician high school
University education
The city is the seat of the Megatrend University Faculty of Management; Business School of Management.
Demographics [edit]
Ethnic groups in the town [edit]
In 2002 census, the population of the Zaječar town numbered 49,491 people, and was composed of:
- Serbs = 48,631 (94,95%)
- Others
Ethnic groups in the municipality [edit]
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This article is outdated. (November 2011) |
In 2011 census, the population of city of Zaječar numbered 58,547 people, and was composed of:
- 59,867 (90.75%) Serbians
- 2,981 (4.52%) Vlachs (Romanians)
- others
In 2011, the city of Zaječar has a population of 58,547 people, and the town has 42,916. The city has grown quickly in the last five years, and has an urban area of over 50 km².
Population through history [edit]
- 1948 - 11,861
- 1953 - 14,489
- 1961 - 18,690
- 1971 - 27,599
- 1981 - 36,958
- 1991 - 39,958
- 2002 - 49,491
- 2011 - 58,547
Consulate [edit]
Twin cities [edit]
Zaječar is twinned with:
Notable citizens [edit]
The people listed below were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the city of Zaječar area.
- Galerius, a Roman Emperor born in Gamzigrad, near Zaječar.
- Veljko Petrović, one of the leaders Voivoda of the First Serbian Uprising rebellion against the Ottoman Empire. His birthplace is in Lenovac near Zaječar circa 1780-1813.
- Nikola Pašić was Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat born in 1845 in the eastern Serbian village Veliki Izvor, near Zaječar.
- Svetozar Marković, an influential Serbian political activist born in Zaječar circa 1846.
- Zoran Radmilović, a beloved Serbian actor born in Zaječar in 1933.
- Sava Datsov, Bulgarian scholar and public figure.
- Ivana Sert, Serbian-Turkish TV personality, model, and fashion designer.
- Boban Marjanović, Serbian basketball player.
See also [edit]
External links [edit]
- Official page of Zaječar
- Online portal of Zaječar City
- Official page of Gitarijada
- Official page of ZALET
- Official page of theatre "Zoran Radmilović"
- Zajecar news
Notes [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zaječar |
- ^ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ^ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in The Republic of Serbia: Ethnicity - Data by municipalities and cities". Statistical Office of Republic Of Serbia, Belgrade. 2012. ISBN 978-86-6161-023-3. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
- ^ "Zajecar - Arhiva". "Zoran Radmilovic". Retrieved 2012-11-07.
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