Timok

The Timok , in Serb Cyrillic and in Bulgarian Тимок, in Latin Timacus, is a river of Eastern Serbia and Western Bulgaria. It belongs to a connecting whole of many small rivers, a great number of them bearing the same name (Timok) which is distinguished only with the assistant adjective. The most remote source (as a Svrljiški Timok) to its confluence with the the Danube (as a Veliki Timok), Timok traverses 203 km. The river crosses the Serbia and on its last 15 kilometers is used as border between Serbia and the Bulgaria.

Timok belongs to the basin of draingage of the Black Sea. Its own basin covers a surface of: 4630 km ².

Timok gave its name to an area, the Timočka Krajina, but also with the Révolte of Timok (Timočka buna), a rebellion against the king of Serbia Milan Ier which took place in 1883.

Svrljiški Timok

Timok takes its source under the name of Svrljiški Timok , in Serbe Cyrillique СврљишкиТимок (the " Timok de Svrlijg") in the north of the mounts Svrljig close to the village of Šesti Gabar. It directs its race in direction of the west, circumventing the septentrional slopes of the Svrljig mounts. It crosses many small villages: Periš, Lozan, Okruglica, Crnoljevica, Beloinje, before reaching the town of Svrljig, which gives its name to the river. Then the river is directed towards north. It passes to Niševac and Varoš and forks towards the North-East. It crosses then Palilula, Podvis and Rgošte and reached Knjaževac, where it meets Trgoviški Timok after a race of 64 km and form with him Beli Timok. The surface of its basin is of 720 km ².

Trgoviški Timok

The Trgoviški Timok , in Serb Cyrillic ТрговишкиТимок, the " Timok de Trgovište") is also known under the name of Korenatac , in Serbe Cyrillique Коренатац.

Trgoviški Timok takes its source on the Western slopes of the Stara Planina with the foot of the mount Midžor, with less than one kilometer of the border between the Serbia and the Bulgaria. It bears then the name of Strma reka (Стрмарека).

The river directs its race in direction of the east. It crosses the villages of Balta Berilovac and Inovo. At the village of Kalna, known for its mine of Uranium, it obliques towards the North-East and takes the name of Trgoviški Timok. The river crosses then Gornja Kamenica, Donja Kamenica, Štrbac, Žukovac and Trgovište. This village gives its name to the river; located near Knjaževac, it is one of the rare localities of the surroundings not to know the depopulation. The river runs then on the slopes of the mount Tresibaba and reached Knjaževac, where it joined Svrljiški Timok coming from south-west, and forms with him Beli Timok.

Under the name of Strma reka or of Trgoviški Timok, the river has a 50 km length; it receives on its line two affluents, the Žukovska reka and the Balinačka reka (in Serbe Cyrillique: Жуковскарека and Балиначкарека). Its basin covers a surface of 520 km ².

Beli Timok (Knjaževački Timok)

The Beli Timok , in Serb Cyrillic БелиТимок, the " Timok blanc") its race in direction of north continues. It parallel to runs the border between Serbia and Bulgaria (in the east) and skirts the Eastern slopes of the mount Tupižnica (in the west). It is generally considered that it is at this place which the Timočka Krajina begins (the valley of Timok).

The river crosses the villages of Donje Zuniče, Debelica, Drenovac, Borovac and Vratarnica, before reaching the more important locality of Grljan. In this sector, Beli Timok receives two affluents on its left, the Grliška reka and the Lubnička reka (in Serbe Cyrillique: Грлишкарека and Лубничкарека). A few kilometers after Grljan, the river reached Zaječar, the most important city which is located on its course. There, Beli Timok meets the Crni Timok which comes from the east and the river, thus increased, continues its race under the name of Veliki Timok.

The length of Beli Timok is of 51 km (115 km by counting Svrljiški Timok). Its basin covers a surface of: 2167 km ². Formerly the river was also known under the name of Knjaževački Timok (in Serbe Cyrillique: КњажевачкиТимок, the " Timok off Knjaževac ".

Crni Timok

Veliki Timok

In the last part of its course (88 km), the river is known under the name of Veliki Timok (in Serbe Cyrillique: ВеликиТимок, the " large Timok") or, more simply, under the name of Timok .

After Zaječar, Timok directs race towards the North-West. It crosses the villages of Vražogrnac, Trnavac and Čokonjar, where it leaves Timočka Krajina and enters the Negotinska Krajina.

In the lower part of its course, Timok does not cross any major locality on the Serb side (it passes to 7 km of Negotin). 15 km before throwing itself in the Danube, from which it is a right affluent, Timok becomes a river border between the Serbia and the Bulgaria. It passes in the Bulgarian city of Bregovo and in the Bulgarian village of Baleï.

Its principal affluents in this sector are the Crna reka , the Salaška reka , the Sikolska reka and the Čubarska reka (in Serbe Cyrillique: Црнарека, Салашкарека, Сиколскарека and Чубарскарека).

Economy and ecology

With Čokonjar, the hydroelectric station of Sokolovica was built between 1947 and 1951. The river offers a more electric hydroelectric potential more important which is not exploited yet.

In the recent years, the river was polluted by the industry of heavy metals, in particular with Bor and Krivelj. Consequently, Timok also pollutes the Danube in Plomb, Cuivre and Cadmium.

The valley of Timok is used as natural way for the road and the way ferrovière Niš - Prahovo.

References

Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija , 3rd edition (1985); Prosveta; ISBN 86-07-00001-2
Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije ; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; ISBN 86-01-02651-6

Internal bond

List of the rivers of Serbia

Random links: