The Toplica ( sr-Cyrl, Топлица, ) is a river in southern
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. The river is 130 km long
and gives its name to the region it flows through, which constitutes most of the modern
Toplica District
The Toplica District ( sr, Топлички округ, Toplički okrug, ) is an administrative district in southern Serbia, named after the river Toplica. With a population of 91,754, it has the smallest population of all Serbian districts. It ...
of Serbia.
Upper course
The Toplica originates under the name of ''Duboka'' from the eastern slopes of the
Kopaonik
Kopaonik ( sr-cyr, Копаоник, ; sq, Kopaoniku) is a mountain range located in Serbia and Kosovo. The highest point is the Pančić's Peak with . The central part of the Kopaonik plateau was declared a national park in 1981 which today cove ...
mountain, just south of the highest peak,
Pančićev vrh. It flows to the southeast, on the western slopes of the
Lepa Gora
Lepa Gora (Serbian Cyrillic: Лепа гора) is a mountain in southern Serbia, near the town of Kuršumlija
Kuršumlija ( sr-Cyrl, Куршумлија, ) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of the Southern Serbia (Geo ...
mountain, next to the villages of Merćez, Selova, Žuč, Miljeviće and Dankoviće. At the monastery of Mačkovac, it reaches the northern side of the
Radan mountain and turns to the east. This is also where the Toplica receives from the right its major tributary,
Kosanica. Near the mouth are located city of
Kuršumlija
Kuršumlija ( sr-Cyrl, Куршумлија, ) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of the southern Serbia. It is situated near the rivers Toplica, Kosanica and Banjska, southeast of Mount Kopaonik and northwest of Moun ...
and medieval ruins of "Marina kula" (''The tower of Mara''), and this is where Toplica region begins.
Toplica region
The region is very fertile, especially for grains, fruits and grapes (famous ''prokupačko vino'', wine of Prokuplje). The central part of the region occupies ''Toplička (or Prokupačka) kotlina'' (Depression of Toplica/Prokuplje), between the mountains of
Veliki Jastrebac
Jastrebac (Serbian Cyrillic: Јастребац) is a mountain in central Serbia, between cities of Niš, Kruševac and Prokuplje. It consists of two massifs, Great (''Veliki'') and Small (''Mali'') Jastrebac. Its highest peak ''Velika Đulica'' ...
from the north and
Sokolovica,
Vidojevica
Vidojevica ( sr, Видојевица) is a mountain in central Serbia, near the town of Prokuplje. Its highest peak, Bandera, has an elevation of above sea level.
Astronomical station
On the top of the mountain, there is an astronomical obse ...
and
Pasjača from the south, with many smaller settlements on the river: Donje Krmčare, Grabovnica, Bogojeva, Barlovo, Donje Točane, Donji Pločnik, Tulare, Donja Konjuša, Donja Toponica, and the center of the whole region, the city of
Prokuplje
Prokuplje ( sr-cyrl, Прокупље, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Toplica District in southern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the city urban area has a population of 27,333 inhabitants, while the administrative area has 4 ...
. The river continues on the northern slopes of mountain
Pasjača, next to the villages of Podina, Voljčince, Badnjevac and the smaller regional center
Žitorađa
Žitorađa ( sr-cyr, Житорађа, ) is a village and municipality located in the Toplica District of the southern Serbia. The municipality includes 30 settlements. According to the 2011 census, the population of the municipality is 16,368 in ...
. After the Toplica reaches municipal center of
Doljevac
Doljevac () is a small town and municipality located in the Nišava District of the southern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the municipality has 18,463 inhabitants, while the town has 1,657.
Geography
The municipality borders Merošina munici ...
, it enters the most densely populated part of the south
Pomoravlje, turns north and flows into the
Južna Morava
The South Morava ( Macedonian and Serbian: Јужна Морава, ''Južna Morava'', ; sq, Lumi Morava) is a river in eastern Kosovo and in southern Serbia, which represents the shorter headwater of Great Morava. Today, it is 295 km lon ...
at the village of Orljane, across the medieval ruins of
Kurvin grad
Kurvingrad ( sr-cyr, Курвинград, "Whoretown") or Koprijan (Копријан), is a ruined fortress which sits above the town of Doljevac on the South Morava river, 11 km south of the town of Niš. , as Južna Morava's longest left tributary.
Characteristics
The Toplica belongs to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
with its own drainage area of 2,217 km
2.
The river is not navigable.
The river valley is a major traffic route in southern Serbia as both road and railway (Transbalkanic rail) pass through here. It connects northern and eastern Serbia with
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
over the Prepolac ridge and
Merdare
Merdare ( sr-cyr, Мердаре) is a village located in the municipality of Kuršumlija, Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 151 people. The administrative crossing between Serbia and Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, K ...
.
Above the Prokuplje, the Toplica curves around the huge rock, almost making it an island. The picturesque hill, the ''Hisar'' is the symbol of the city
Despite being fertile, the Toplica region is one of the highest depopulating areas of Serbia (population of 129.542 in 1971, or 58 per km
2; population of 102.075 in 2002, or 45 per km
2; down 22%).
Toplica rebellion
The region was the site of a rebellion of the local Serbian population against Bulgarian occupational forces in 1917 during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The
Toplica rebellion
The Toplica Uprising ( sr, Топлички устанак) was a mass uprising against Bulgarian occupation force, that took place in Bulgarian occupied Serbia during the First World War. The rebels were motivated by grievances against the Bu ...
(Serbian: Toplički ustanak/Топлички устанак) broke out because of the many atrocities of the Bulgarian army (mass slaughters, pillage and burning of the houses and forceful drafting of the Serbian population into the Bulgarian army). Initially, under the leadership of
Kosta Vojinoviċ
Kosta may refer to:
* Kosta, Estonia, a village in Vihula Parish, Lääne-Viru County, Estonia
* Kosta, Greece a community in Greece
* Kosta, Sweden, a village in Sweden
* Coastal Andhra, region in India
* Kosta Glasbruk, a glassworks in Swede ...
(1890-1917), rebels had some success, liberating many places in the area (at that time, ''Niški okrug''). All three occupying forces in Serbia,
Austro-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and Bulgaria, joined forces and brought three artillery divisions into the area, crushing the rebellion (several thousand killed, mostly civilians).
See also
*
Banjska reka, tributary
References
* ''Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija'', Third edition (1985); Prosveta;
* Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): ''Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije''; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; {{ISBN, 86-01-02651-6
Rivers of Serbia