Pirot

Pirot Град Пирот
City
City of Pirot
Panoramic view of Pirot
Coat of arms
Location of the city of Pirot within Serbia
Coordinates: 43°10′N 22°36′E / 43.167°N 22.600°E / 43.167; 22.600Coordinates: 43°10′N 22°36′E / 43.167°N 22.600°E / 43.167; 22.600
Country	Serbia
Region	Southern and Eastern Serbia
District	Pirot
City status	March 2016 (2016-03)
Settlements	72
Government
• Mayor	Vladan Vasić
Area
• City	1,232 km2 (476 sq mi)
Elevation	367 m (1,204 ft)
Population (2011 census)
• Urban	38,785
• Administrative	57,928
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	18300
Area code	+381(0)10
Car plates	PI
Website	www.pirot.rs

Pirot (Serbian Cyrillic: Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in eastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 38,785, while the population of the city administrative area has 57,928 inhabitants.

The city has rich geographical features, including the mountains of Stara Planina, Vlaška Planina, Belava, Suva Planina; rivers which flow through the town, including Nišava, Jerma, Rasnička Reka, Temštica and the Visočica; and four lakes, the Zavoj Lake, Berovacko Lake, Krupac Lake and Sukovo Lake.

The city has a rich culture, with notable Orthodox church buildings, including the Church of St. Petka, and the monastery of St. Georges and St. John the Theologian from the late 14th century, both of which display a fine example of medieval Serbian architecture. Pirot is known for its traditional woven carpet, the Pirot kilim (Pirotski ćilim).

The city, which covers an area of 1,235 km² (476.84 sq mi), has several mountains in the vicinity, including Stara Planina, Vlaška planina, Belava, and Suva Planina.

The following rivers flow through Pirot: the Nišava, Jerma, Rasnička Reka, Temštica and the Visočica. Pirot also has four lakes: Zavoj Lake, Berovacko Lake, Krupac Lake and Sukov Lake.

Thracians ruled the region prior to the Roman conquest and Romanization of Serbia in the 1st century BC. Turres, the first settlement in the vicinity, dates to the 2nd century AD. At the Maglić monastery of village Blato, a 2nd-century AD stone depiction of the Thracian horseman was found in September 2008. An inscription dating to 211 AD mentions the Thracian cult of Sebazianos (Sabazios); the name corresponds with the variations seen in Pautalia. The inscription was dedicated by a horion (cult society), headed by a leader (high priest); these were not Roman citizens.