| Zaječar | |
| Native Name Lang: | sr |
| Official Name: | City of Zaječar |
| Coordinates: | 43.9167°N 40°W |
| Parts Type: | Settlements |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | 41 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Area Blank1 Title: | Urban |
| Area Blank1 Km2: | 97 |
| Area Blank2 Title: | Administrative |
| Area Blank2 Km2: | 1069 |
| Elevation M: | 134 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 census |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Urban |
| Population Blank1: | 32448 |
| Population Density Blank1 Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Administrative |
| Population Blank2: | 48621 |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code: | 19000 |
| Area Code: | +381(0)19 |
| Blank Info: | ZA |
Zaječar (Serbian: Зајечар, pronounced as /zâjɛtʃar/; Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Zaicear or Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan: Zăiceari) is a city and the administrative center of the Zaječar 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 festival Gitarijada and for the ZALET festival dedicated to contemporary art.
In Serbian, the city is known as Zaječar (Serbian: Зајечар); in Romanian as Zaicear, Zăiicer (archaic name), Zăiceri, Zăicear or Zăiceari; in Macedonian as Macedonian: Заечар and in Bulgarian as Bulgarian: Зайчар (Zaychar).
The origin of the name is from the Torlak dialect name for "hare" = zajec / (in all other Serbian dialects it is zec / Serbian: зец, while in Bulgarian it is Bulgarian: заек / zaek"). It means "the man who breeds and keeps hares".
Folk etymology in Romanian, gives "Zăiicer" as meaning "the Gods are asking (for sacrifice)".
Early renderings of the city in English used Saitchar.
Three Roman Emperors were born in the city 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 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 between Bulgaria, 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.[1] [2] [3] [4] 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 the First Serb Uprising, Hajduk Veljko 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 ethnographer Milan 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 the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The German army occupied Zaječar on 14 April 1941, during the Second World War; it was administered as part of the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia from 22 April 1941. Zaječar was liberated on 7–8 October 1944 in a joint operation by Yugoslav Partisans and the Red Army.[5]
Zaječar has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfa), that's very close to a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa).
Aside from the urban area of Zaječar, the city administrative area includes the following settlements:
According to the 2011 census, the city of Zaječar has a population of 59,461 inhabitants, while the urban area has 38,165 inhabitants. The city has an urban area of over 97 km2.
The ethnic composition of the city:[6]
| Ethnic group | Population | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serbs | 51,291 | 86.26% | |
| "Vlachs" (Romanians) | 2,856 | 4.80% | |
| Romani | 753 | 1.27% | |
| Romanians (self-declared) | 204 | 0.34% | |
| Bulgarians | 181 | 0.30% | |
| Macedonians | 148 | 0.25% | |
| Montenegrins | 98 | 0.16% | |
| Yugoslavs | 89 | 0.15% | |
| Croats | 71 | 0.12% | |
| Albanians | 40 | 0.07% | |
| Muslims | 28 | 0.05% | |
| Gorani | 28 | 0.05% | |
| Slovenes | 23 | 0.04% | |
| Others | 3,651 | 6.14% | |
| Total | 59,461 |
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):[7]
| Activity | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 243 | |
| Mining and quarrying | 464 | |
| Manufacturing | 1,710 | |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 178 | |
| Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 236 | |
| Construction | 306 | |
| Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 2,011 | |
| Transportation and storage | 592 | |
| Accommodation and food services | 394 | |
| Information and communication | 158 | |
| Financial and insurance activities | 196 | |
| Real estate activities | 15 | |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 367 | |
| Administrative and support service activities | 349 | |
| Public administration and defense; compulsory social security | 1,147 | |
| Education | 990 | |
| Human health and social work activities | 1,322 | |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 156 | |
| Other service activities | 234 | |
| Individual agricultural workers | 676 | |
| Total | 11,473 |
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.
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.[8]
The Festival of Contemporary Art ZALET (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 as Bjesovi & Galija were winners in the Gitarijada competition during the '80s and '90s. The programme of the Gitarijada 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.
Elementary schools
High schools
University education
The city is the seat of the Megatrend UniversityFaculty of Management;Business School of Management.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Serbia.
Zaječar is twinned with:
The people listed below were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the city of Zaječar area.
