New exploration borehole just four kilometres from Felix Romuliana

The Ministry of Mining and Energy has approved applied geological exploration for copper, gold and other mineral ores by Tilva d.o.o. in the “Nikoličevo West” exploration area. The borehole sits on the edge of Malka Golaja, four kilometres from Felix Romuliana, two and a half kilometres from Gamzigrad Spa and five kilometres from Zaječar.

The Eko Istok association warns that the final boundaries of the future mining complex have still not been set, so the public has no way of knowing how far mining activity will actually reach. It also points out that protecting Felix Romuliana as a UNESCO site means protecting its buffer zones: the cultural and historical landscape around the monument, not only the palace itself.

In spring 2026, the same area was where great androsace was rediscovered, a protected plant thought to have disappeared from Serbia.

The full article was published by Mašina (in Serbian).