Pločnik
Pločnik (Serbian: Плочник) is a village in the municipality of Prokuplje, Toplica District, Republic of Serbia. According to the 2002 population census, it's populated by 182, all of whom declared Serbs.
Pločnik Плочник | |
---|---|
Pločnik train station | |
Pločnik Location of Pločnik | |
Coordinates: 43°12′12″N 21°21′33″E | |
Country | |
Municipality (Општина) | Prokuplje |
Elevation | 420 m (1,380 ft) |
Population (2002) | |
• Total | 182 |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Area code(s) | 027 |
License plate | PK |
It was the site of the historically notable 1386 Battle of Pločnik. Ottoman Sultan Murad I led a sizable Turkish Army in an invasion of Serbia. Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović led the Serbian Army to intercept him. The Ottoman army suffered a defeat. However, though beaten, the Turkish forces were still strong enough to conquer Niš from the Prince on their return.
Not long ago, published in 2007, an important European-archaeology excavation site was found in Pločnik. At this site, and in Belovode,[1] archaeologists have found the earliest current evidence of copper smelting, dating from between 5500 BCE and 5000 BCE.[2][3] This shows that the Copper Age started 500 years earlier than previously thought, and probably somewhere near this region.