Golubac
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Golubac ( sr-Cyrl, Голубац, ; ) is a village and municipality located in the
Braničevo District The Braničevo District (, ) is one of administrative districts of Serbia. According to the 2022 census, it has a population of 156,367 inhabitants.https://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2023/Pdf/G20234001.pdf Braničevo District is named after the vi ...
of eastern Serbia. Situated on the right side of the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
river, it is bordered by
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
to the east, Veliko Gradište to the west and Kučevo to the south. The population of the village is 1,445 and the population of the municipality is 6,599. Due to many nearby archeological sites and the
Đerdap The Iron Gates (; ; ; Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Vaskapu-szoros'') is a Canyon, gorge on the river Danube. It forms part of the boundary between Serbia (to the south) and Romania (north). In the broad sense it encompasses a route of ; ...
national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
, 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: (also known as ''Golumbacu Mare'' or ''Columbacu''), , and meaning "dovecote." Historically, it was known as ''Columbria'' in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, 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 The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...
's tables near
Trajan's Bridge Trajan's Bridge (; ), also called Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube, was a Roman segmental arch bridge, the first bridge to be built over the lower Danube and considered one of the greatest achievements in Roman architecture. Though it was ...
, 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.
Charles I of Hungary Charles I, also known as Charles Robert (; ; ; 128816 July 1342), was King of Hungary and Croatia in the union with Hungary, Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of Charles Martel of A ...
conquered the castle in 1334. Lazar of Serbia besieged it and acquired it, possibly in 1382. The Turks occupied it for the first time following the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, lost it to the Hungarian captain Péter Perényi in 1391, then recaptured it later the same year. King Sigismund of Hungary took over the fortress in 1392. When Lazar's son
Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall (), was a Serbian ruler as prince (1389–1402) and Despot (court title), despot (1402–1427). He was also a diplomat, legislat ...
became a Hungarian vassal in 1403–04, he received large possessions from King Sigismund, including the important fortresses of
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
and Golubac. A contract between King Sigismund and Stefan in 1426 stipulated that the king was to receive Golubac back on Stefan's death, but its Serbian captain, Jeremija, sold it to the Turks for twelve thousand golden coins. Sigismund besieged the fortress in spring 1428 in response, but the siege was a failure, and the King himself was almost killed by the advancing troops of the Ottoman sultan
Murad II Murad II (, ; June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1421 to 1444 and from 1446 to 1451. Early life Murad was born in June 1404 to Mehmed I, while the identity of his mother is disputed according to v ...
. The Polish knight Zawisza Czarny was captured and executed by the Turks. Golubac remained in Ottoman hands until the
Peace of Szeged The Treaty of Edirne and the Peace of Szeged were two halves of a peace treaty between Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire and King Władysław III of Poland, Vladislaus of the Kingdom of Hungary. Despotes, Despot Đurađ Branković of the Ser ...
in 1444, when it was ceded to the Serbian despot Đurađ Branković. In 1458, it was reclaimed by the Turks. King
Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and ...
of Hungary tried to recapture it, but the siege was interrupted by Hungarian internal conflicts. When Matthias finally succeeded in taking over the fortress in 1481, he evacuated it soon thereafter. It remained under Ottoman rule until the 19th century, with few interruptions (notably,
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
Austrian rule in 1688–1690). By the 18th century, the civilian settlement associated with the fortress was described as a prosperous town. Modern Serbia definitively acquired Golubac from the Ottoman Empire in 1868. From 1929 to 1941, Golubac was part of the Morava Banovina of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
.


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 ( or wharfs), 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 Berth (mo ...
along the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
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 Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
, 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 ...


References


External links

{{Authority control Populated places in Braničevo District Municipalities and cities of Southern and Eastern Serbia