The fruitful river Timok, gold-bearing mountain streams, and Stara Planina have always been interesting for settlers!
Many armies have marched through these regions. There was a lot of war, burning, destruction and rebuilding and rebuilding.
Hordes of Huns and Avars passed through here, and behind them the vast valley of the Timok was inhabited by the Slavs. The first news about the Slavic tribe of Timočani and their prince Borna dates back to the year 818 Year.
The people of Timok changed their masters.
They lived under the rule of the Franks, Bulgaria and Byzantium, as evidenced by the remains of numerous medieval settlements and churches, preserved in the vicinity of the city.
The Turks conquered the area in 1396. Year. Turkish sources mention that in 1455. years show that there were about a hundred villages in Timok nahija, among which is the village of Gurgusovče.
Three hundred years later, it was written about Gurgusovac that it is located on Mali Timok, which passes through a small town, over which there is a wooden bridge.
The Timok palanka, as the Turks called it, had 120 Serbian and 46 Turkish houses, two mosques, one brick and the other wooden. It had two taverns and two inns. There was a Turkish settlement on the hill, enclosed by a palisade, with a garrison of about 100 men and several cannons. Below, the road from Niš to Vidin went through. In the middle, there was a square, suggesting that Knjaževac, then known as Gurgusovac, was a trading center.
Old Knjaževac
The oldest evidence of human homeland in the territory of the municipality of Knjazevac is a cave drawing, in the area of the village of Gabrovnica, which dates back to prehistoric times.
The area around Knjaževac, formerly Gurgusovac, was inhabited by various tribes of Tribali, Meza and others, who named the largest river here “Tim aqua” (Black Water). Pliny mentions the tribe of Timahi, who lived in this area. At the dawn of the new era, the Romans arrived in these lands and called the river Timahus. During the period of Roman rule, it is known that there were two sites in this territory: Timacum maisus (Great Timok) and Timacum minus (Small Timok).
The origin of the name Gurgusovac
There are several versions regarding the origin of the name Gurgusovac. According to one version, the name of the city originated after Grgur, the eldest son of Despot Đurđe.
According to the second, after the pigeons of Gurgus, which were many in the surrounding forests, and according to the third, the name originates from Đurđeva voda near Mileta’s church, not far from Knjazevac, which the Turks called Gjurgu-su (“su” means water).
After the liberation from the Turks and the annexation of Serbia in 1833. , Gurgusovac developed all the city’s functions, although most of the population still lived from agriculture.
The appearance of the town in the middle of the 19th century is evidenced by the “Serbian Newspaper” from 1851. :
“Whoever saw and knew Gurgusovac fifteen years ago, and then its condition is compared to the current one, he will not deny him great progress.
Then they could see in it mostly the houses covered with straw, baskets, and now they could also see everything beautifully built and covered with tile. In addition, there are more taverns and shops than before. The large and opulent bazaar stretches on two sides of the old wide main street filled with taverns and shops.
But what serves as the greatest decoration of the town and makes every Serb happy, is a large and beautiful church, and next to it a beautiful school. Moreover, Gurgusovac takes pride in a well-built municipal hospital, one of the first in Serbia.”
The name Knjaževac
Knjaževac acquired its name on January 17 , 1859. after Prince Miloš Obrenović, who stayed in Gurgusovac on that day, ordered the burning of the infamous Gurgusovac Tower (which was a symbol of darkness and slavery for the people).
By the Law on Places in 1886, Gurgusovac was formally declared a town.
During the period from 1875 to 1877, the town was briefly reoccupied by the Turks. 1883. In 1883, after the liberation wars, unresolved political and economic conditions led to the outbreak of the Timok Rebellion. The immediate cause of the revolt was the confiscation of weapons from the people’s army by order of King Milan Obrenović, and its leaders were Aleksa Aca Stanojević, Gavra Aničić, Ljuba Božinović and others.
From 1913. during the Balkan Wars, this region was frequently attacked by Bulgaria, and in 1915. it was even occupied. The Serbian army and the French cavalry brigade liberated Knjaževac on October 15, 1918 They freed the Prince.
During the Second World War, the area was occupied by the Germans (1941) until the final liberation of the 10th century. October 10, 1944 Year.
After the liberation, the city developed rapidly. The mines in the surrounding area were reopened, industrial plants replaced former small craft workshops, and all of this led to significant population migrations from rural areas to the town.
Identification Card
Bordered by the slopes of Stara Planina, Tresibaba and Tupižnica, intersected by rivers, whose banks are connected by numerous bridges, the municipality of Knjazevac is a romantic meeting place, which can enchant and delight with its offer.
Today, the municipality of Knjaževac is based on a combination of rich tradition and modern trends.
With an area of 1,202 km², it is the fourth municipality in Serbia. The municipality consists of one urban and 85 rural settlements. The range from the lowest point, in the valley of the Timok River (about 170 m above sea level), to Babin zub (1780 m above sea level) on Stara Planina, is a creative space in which everyone can find themselves.
According to the last census, there are about 25,000 inhabitants in the municipality.
Knjaževac is Little Venice, it lies on three rivers, which are crossed by a large number of bridges, and in the center of the city there is an old city trade and craft core “Old Bazaar”.