Negotin - Неготин

Negotin (Serbian: Negotin or Неготин) is a town and municipality in the Bor District of north-eastern Serbia. It is situated near the borders between Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. It is the judicial and cultural center of the Bor District.Name and historySome historical sources indicate that the Negotin settlement was first mentioned in 1530, although home historians think it has much older roots. In book "Red and white - Serbian-Celtic Parallels" (Crveno i belo - srpsko-keltske paralele, Glas srpski,Banja Luka , 2000.) by Prof. Dr. Ranka Kuić (PhD in Anglistic and Celtic Studies), she postulated that the name "Negotin" had been derived fromCeltic words NEGES and TIN, meaning "The fortress of war". She also postulated that many, of not most of, geographical names in formerYugoslavia also had Celtic origins (and a lot of it has also been proven by some leading Serbian archaeologists, e.g. Prof. Dr. D. Srejić). MunicipalityNegotin municipality includes the town of Negotin and the following villages: Aleksandrovac, Braćevac, Brestovac, Bukovče, Veljkovo, Vidrovac, Vratna, Dupljane, Dušanovac, Jabukovac, Jasenica, Karbulovo, Kobišnica, Kovilovo, Mala Kamenica, Malajnica, Miloševo, Mihajlovac, Mokranje, Plavna, Popovica, Prahovo, Radujevac, Rajac, Rečka, Rogljevo, Samarinovac, Sikole, Slatina, Smedovac, Srbovo, Tamnič, Trnjane, Urovica, Crnomasnica, Čubra, Šarkamen,Štubik.PopulationAccording to the 2002 census the population of the Negotin municipality is 43,551, of which 17,762 live in the town of Negotin.Ethnic groups in the Negotin municipality (2002 census):* Serbs = 38,263 (88.13%)* Vlachs = 3,000 (6.91%)* others.According to the 2002 census, most of the settlements in the Negotin municipality have Serb ethnic majority. The settlement with Vlach ethnic majority is Kovilovo. Ethnically mixed settlement with relative Vlach majority is Aleksandrovac.EconomyThe population of the villages around Negotin is mostly supported by the family members who work as guest-workers in the countries of westernEurope, agriculture is a side activity more than an income-generating one.The largest employer in this municipality is the Chemical Industry Prahovo, although this company, just like many others in Serbia, is in very poor financial shape.Town featuresThe town has one orphanage, one kindergarten and day care center, three elementary and four high schools, some of which are vocational. There is also an elementary school for children with handycaps. The Negotinhospital offers all basic and many specialist services to this and the neighboring municipalities.Culture, tourism, and famous peopleThe highlight of the cultural life of Negotin is the annual musical celebration called Mokranjčevi Dani, after Stevan Mokranjac the famous Serbian composer. Another famous Negotinian was Hajduk Veljko (also known as Vojvoda Veljko Petrović), a hajduk from the early 19th century, as well as Đorđe Stanojević, well known Serbian scientist, whose statue is in the center of the town.The Negotin museum is home to many archeological findings, from Roman times to the more recent World War II era. The Negotin municipality is also home to many galleries, monuments, churches and monasteries, and archeological sites. The nearby Iron Gates national park offers breathtaking views, excellent hunting grounds, and many trails for hiking (most trails are not well marked or maintained, so hiking is recommended only for the experienced).