Majdanpek

Majdanpek (Serbian Cyrillic: Мајданпек) is a town and municipality in Bor District of Serbia. According to 2011 census, the municipality of Majdanpek had a population of 18,179 people, while the town of Majdanpek had a population of 7,367.

Name

The name "Majdanpek" is derived from the words majdan meaning "quarry" (from Arabic maydān) and pek meaning "much, big, very" in Turkish. In Serbian Vlach (and Romanian), the town is known as simply Maidan.

Settlements

Aside from the town of Majdanpek, the municipality includes the following settlements:

History

Eneolithic excavations exist in Kapetanova Pecina, Praurija, Kameni Rog and Roman site of Kamenjar.

The town is famous as a copper mine district, since the early 17th century. The origin of the name is based on words majdan (related to Turkish madän, mine) and river Pek - mine on river Pek. Throughout its history, mining development was held by many foreign owners (Czechs, Belgians, Austrians), and was extensively exploited. The town was industrialized in the mid-20th century, by the industrial program supported by SFR Yugoslavia's Government of that time, and the personal influence of J.B.Tito (marshal and lifetime prime minister since the end of WWII until 1980). Through the late 20th century, the town was in a period of industrial progress and one of the most developed areas in copper mining and metallurgy.