Novo Brdo

Novo Brdo grew around the rich silver mines of medieval Serbia, beneath a fortress on a high hill. Saxon miners brought their skills to the district, while Ragusan merchants carried its precious metals into wider trade. The town's ores included silver mixed with gold, known as argentum de glama, and its mint made it a source of wealth for Serbian rulers.

First recorded by name in 1326, Novo Brdo became one of the great mining centres of the Balkans. Its inhabitants included Serbian and Albanian miners and craftsmen, as well as merchants from Ragusa. The Ottomans took the town in 1441, but it was returned to Serbian rule before another siege in 1455. After the fortress surrendered, some of its inhabitants were killed or carried away, among them boys taken for service in the Ottoman army.