Golubac ( sr-cyr, Голубац, ; ro, Golubăț) is a village and municipality located in the
Braničevo District
The Braničevo District ( sr-cyr, Браничевски округ, Braničevski okrug, ; ro, Districtul Braničevo) is one of nine administrative districts of Southern and Eastern Serbia. It expands in the north-eastern parts of Serbia. Accordi ...
of
eastern Serbia. Situated on the right side of the
Danube river, it is bordered by
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
to the east,
Veliko Gradište
Veliko Gradište ( sr-cyr, Велико Градиште, ; ro, Grădiștea Mare) is a town and municipality located in the Braničevo District of the eastern Serbia. It is situated the right bank of the Danube river and left bank of the Pek ri ...
to the west and
Kučevo
Kučevo ( sr-cyr, Кучево, ; ro, Cuciovă) is a town and municipality located in the Braničevo District of the eastern Serbia. In 2011, the population of the town was 3,944, while the population of the municipality was 15,516.
History
In ...
to the south. The population of the village is 1,655 and the population of the municipality is 8,331. Due to many nearby
archeological sites and the
Đerdap national park, the village is a popular tourist, fishing and sailing destination.
Name
In
Serbian, the town is known as ''Golubac'' (Голубац), derived from ''golub'' ("pigeon" or "dove") and is therefore often translated as "the town of doves." Other names: ro, Golubăț (also known as ''Golumbacu Mare'' or ''Columbacu''), hu, Galambóc, german: Taubenberg and tr, Güvercinlik meaning "dovecote."
Historically, it was known as ''Columbria'' in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, a contraction of (castrum) Columbaria meaning "city of pigeons" (Latin: Columba, Greek: kòlymbos), and as a city derived from Cuppae during pre-Roman times.
History
It was a stronghold called Cuppae during Roman and Early Byzantine times (1-6th century) and turned into a city (Columbria) in 554/5 AD.
[Notitia Dignitatum, the Synekdêmos and Prokopios’s Buildings IV.v.-vii, x]
Archeological sites include the remnants of one of
Roman Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Trajan's tables near
Trajan's Bridge, found along his road through the Danube's
Iron Gates; and the
Roman fortress Diana.
Golubac fortress, 4 km downstream, is from the 14th century and also of interest. The fortress was the scene of a battle against the Turks in 1428, where the Polish knight
Zawisza Czarny was captured and executed by the
Turks
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...
.
Charles I of Hungary conquered the castle in 1334. In 1387 Lazar of Serbia sieged it.
Becoming a Hungarian ally in 1403–04, he received large possessions, including the important Belgrade and Golubac Fortress. The Turkish occupied it for the first time in 1391, but after that, Péter Perényi recaptured it. King Sigismund of Hungary acquired Golubac by a contract in 1427, but its Serbian captain sold it to the Turks for twelve thousand golds. Sigismund sieged the fortress in spring 1428 in response, but the mission was a failure, the King himself was almost killed by the Turks. In 1458, Matthias Corvinus tried to recapture it, but the siege was interrupted by
Hungarian internal conflicts.
From 1929 to 1941, Golubac was part of the
Morava Banovina of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census results, the municipality of Golubac has a population of 8,331 inhabitants.
Ethnic groups
The ethnic composition of the municipality:
Economy
The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity (as of 2017):
Tourism
The
Iron Gate national park is noted for its natural environment and its hunting grounds, as well as its hiking trails. The village's
quay
A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locatio ...
along the
Danube river is popular for more relaxed hiking.
Sailing
Golubac has become a well-known sailing site. The Sailing Center of the
Sailing Association of Serbia, which the Serbian National Team uses for ground preparations before major sailing events, is located in Golubac. One of the events is a sailing
Regatta, which is traditionally held in August. During the summer, the Center holds an Optimist Class sailing camp, where beginners can learn from the best Serbian sailors and their international guests.
See also
*
List of places in Serbia
This is the list of populated places in Serbia (excluding Kosovo), as recorded by the 2002 census, sorted alphabetically by municipalities. Settlements denoted as " urban" (towns and cities) are marked bold. Population for every settlement is gi ...
References
External links
{{Castles, fortresses and palaces in Serbia, state=autocollapse
Populated places in Braničevo District
Municipalities and cities of Southern and Eastern Serbia