The City municipality of Kostolac ( sr-cyrl, Градска општина Костолац, Gradska opština Kostolac is a town in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
and one of two
city municipalities which constitute the City of
Požarevac
Požarevac ( sr-cyr, Пожаревац, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Braničevo District in eastern Serbia. It is located between three rivers: Danube, Great Morava and Mlava and below the hill Čačalica (208m). As of 2011 ...
. It is situated on the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
river. The remains of the Roman capital of the province of
Moesia Superior
Viminacium
Viminacium () or ''Viminatium'', was a major city (provincial capital) and military camp of the Roman province of Moesia (today's Serbia), and the capital of ''Moesia Superior'' (hence once a metropolitan archbishopric, now a Latin titular see). ...
are located near Stari Kostolac some 2 km to the east of Kostolac. Kostolac is also a center of area called Stig and home of thermal power plants and coal mines.
History
A 1.5 million year old mammoth skeleton was uncovered in the Viminacium site in June 2009.
The tribes of
Autariatae
The Autariatae or Autariatai (alternatively, Autariates; grc, Αὐταριᾶται, ''Autariatai''; la, Autariatae) were an Illyrian people that lived between the valleys of the Lim and the Tara, beyond the Accursed Mountains, and the v ...
and
Scordisci
The Scordisci ( el, Σκορδίσκοι) were a Celtic Iron Age cultural group centered in the territory of present-day Serbia, at the confluence of the Savus (Sava), Dravus (Drava), Margus (Morava) and Danube rivers. They were historically n ...
are thought to have merged into one in this area after 313BC, since excavations show that the two groups made burials at the same exact grave field in
Pecine, near Kostolac. Nine graves of Autariatae dating to 4th century BC and scattered Autariatae and
Celtic graves around these earlier graves show that the two groups mixed rather than made war and this resulted in the lower
Morava valley becoming a Celto-Thracio-Illyrian interaction zone.
The Celtic Invasions of Greece in 279 BC formed the sub-Celtic group of Scordisci who would according to Strabo, defeat and push the powerful Triballians towards the
Getae, the Scordisci self-rule in different regions of Serbia gradually ended with the Roman conquest of the Balkans in the 1st century AD.
Viminacium
Viminacium () or ''Viminatium'', was a major city (provincial capital) and military camp of the Roman province of Moesia (today's Serbia), and the capital of ''Moesia Superior'' (hence once a metropolitan archbishopric, now a Latin titular see). ...
, a major city of the Roman province of
Moesia, and the capital of
Moesia Superior was situated 20 km east to the present centre, in the area of ''Stari Kostolac'' (Old Kostolac). Viminacium was the base camp of
Legio VII ''Claudia'', and hosted for some time the
IV ''Flavia Felix''. It was destroyed in 440 by the
Huns, but rebuilt by
Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renova ...
. During
Maurice's Balkan campaigns
Maurice's Balkan campaigns were a series of military expeditions conducted by Roman Emperor Maurice (reigned 582–602) in an attempt to defend the Balkan provinces of the Roman Empire from the Avars and the South Slavs. Maurice was the only E ...
, Viminacium saw destruction by the
Avars and
Slavs in 584 and a crushing defeat of Avar forces on the northern Danube bank in 599, destroying Avar reputation for invincibility.
Đorđe Vajfert
Đorđe Vajfert ( sr-cyr, Ђорђе Вајферт, german: Georg Weifert; 15 July 185012 January 1937) was a Serbian industrialist, Governor of the National Bank of Serbia and later Yugoslavia. In addition, he is considered the founder of the m ...
opened coal mines in Kostolac. During World War II, Germans constructed first power plant "Mali Kostolac" ("small Kostolac"). After the war, people from everywhere came to build it.
Settlements
Aside from the town of Kostolac, the city municipality includes the following settlements:
*
Klenovnik
*
Ostrovo
*
Petka
*
Selo Kostolac
Features
*
Ostrovo, the biggest island of Serbia is located near Kostolac.
Tourism
In Kostolac is the archaeological site of
Viminacium
Viminacium () or ''Viminatium'', was a major city (provincial capital) and military camp of the Roman province of Moesia (today's Serbia), and the capital of ''Moesia Superior'' (hence once a metropolitan archbishopric, now a Latin titular see). ...
, a former Roman outpost with wide streets, luxurious villas, extensive baths and an amphitheater, just recently opened to the public.
Industry
Kostolac has two thermal power plants which comprise the
TPP Kostolac. These are:
* TPP "Kostolac A" – with 2 blocks – total available capacity of 310 MW and production of 716 GWh
* TPP "Kostolac B" – with 2 blocks – total available capacity of 700 MW and production of 3,027 GWh
In addition to electric power, TPP "Kostolac A" produces heating energy for heating of Kostolac and Požarevac.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has a population of 13,637 inhabitants.
Ethnic groups
See also
*
Municipalities of Serbia
*
Cities and towns in Serbia
*
Populated places of Serbia
*
Viminacium
Viminacium () or ''Viminatium'', was a major city (provincial capital) and military camp of the Roman province of Moesia (today's Serbia), and the capital of ''Moesia Superior'' (hence once a metropolitan archbishopric, now a Latin titular see). ...
*
Kostolac Airport
References
External links
Municipality of Požarevac
{{Authority control
Populated places in Braničevo District
Municipalities of Požarevac