city of Bor, Serbia, August 2010

Bor is a city in eastern Serbia which revolves around one of Europe's biggest copper mines, once the pride of ex-Yugoslavian industry. In the 1990s, during the time of sanctions on Serbia, production in this mine dropped significantly and many people left the area. Outdated technology and the fact that the copper melting plant is in the center of the city have made Bor one of the most polluted cities in the Balkans, with the highest level of sulphur-dioxide (SO2) concentration in Europe.