History, tradition and cultural heritage

The excavations performed in Lepenski Vir have shown the existence of pre-Neolithic culture on the territory of Eastern Serbia. Vinca cultural group, which belongs to late neolith epoch, is acknowledged due to houses, tools and ceramics as well (four copies of the anthropomorphic figures of this period are preserved in the National museum in Zajecar).

Subsequent to the vinca phase in the Eastern Serbia, miscellaneous cultural influences had been mixing. Around 2000 BC, nomad cattlemen bulks started invading the Timok valley. Residents and newcomers formed later known inhabitants of our country Illyrians and Thracians. The oldest well-known residents of our region were Tribals. After the Tribals, the Mesis are mentioned in connection to this area. The first direct news on the Timok people refers to 818th when they are already formed Slavic group and, within the same year they renounced the Bulgarians.

Zajecar is mentioned for the first time in 1466 in a Turkish note referring to the residents of Vidin Pashadom, and from XVI – XVIII century there are minor data on the settlement. In 1806, due to the favorable conditions for the uprising in this area, Karadjordje has granted to haiduk  Veljko Petrovic, prince Milisav and priest Radosav to rise a rebellion together with the Timok  and Crna Reka People and after a series of successful battles the largest part of the region and Zajecar was liberated. Nevertheless, the crisis and downfall of the First Serbian Uprising had severe consequences in this area. In 1833, this region was finally liberated and incorporated in Serbia. The name is probably of a Turkish origin. Certain assumptions say that the name comes from a Said-Asir pasha who placed his army in the Timok valley during years of a crisis for Serbian despots.

The Timok Region lived peacefully until 1876 when Serbia and Montenegro entered a war with the Turks as a help to the Serbian uprising in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who raised a rebellion in 1875. Wounds from the horrors of war were not yet healed when the Timok rebellion commenced in the Eastern Serbia. The direct cause of the rebellion was the Government’s command on disarming the national army. In November 1883, after less than two months, the rebellion was eliminated, rebellions arrested, and a vast number of people, especially the leaders, were shot. November 1833 was the most tragic month in the history of Zajecar. The members of the Main Board of the National Radical Party were arrested in Belgrade and escorted to Kangaroo court in Zajecar. Nikola Pasic, the party leader, managed to escape to Bulgaria, wherefrom he proceeded with the political fight against the regime of King Milan.  

Around Zajecar, in October 15, 1918 peasants raised a rebellion against the occupiers, wherewith they aided the combat of Serbian and allied forces on the Timok area. After liberation from the Bulgarians, Zajecar became the capitol of Timok district formed out of the following counties: Zajecar, Zaglavlje, Timok and Boljevac.

Subsequent to two decades of life and work in peace, the whole country (Kingdom of Yugoslavia) including these areas was caught up in another war flame, considerably scarier and bloodier than the previous one. For the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and also Zajecar area the Second World War set off on April 6, 1941. Due to immense natural resources of the Timok Region (copper, pyrites, gold and silver mines in Bor and Majdanpek, coal mines in Rtanj, Bogovina, Vrska cuka, Podvis, Dobra Sreca and other finding places, wheat in the Region and other Timok planes, forests and livestock) and favorable geo-strategic position, this area was of a special significance for the Germans. Due to that, the Germans kept their stronger armed forces there. Unfortunately, this war was not only reciprocal. It was also a civil war, which has taken a lot of lives in the clash of opposed political and ideological options and also created new schisms and divisions, which are still ongoing.

The battles for liberation of Zajecar commenced on September 6, 1944 with an attack of 23rd division of the National liberation Army of Yugoslavia (NOVJ) to Zajecar. The units of this division entered the city the very next day, September 7 at 16 o’clock. However, 23rd division had to withdraw from the city on September 8, due to the rush of the German forces retreating from Greece (the parts of the E army group). In the evening of October 7/8 1944, the units of 45th division of the National liberation Army of Yugoslavia (NOVJ) and the parts of 64th corps and 4th mechanized corps of  the Red Army ended the several weeks fight and entered Zajecar. Thereby, this city finally became free and able to peacefully develop and build up to the present.