| Bijeljina Бијељина |
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| Coordinates: 44°45′N 19°13′E / 44.75°N 19.217°E | |||
| Country | Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
| Entity | Republika Srpska | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Mićo Mićić (SDS) [2] | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 734 km2 (283.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population [1] | |||
| - Total | 100,000 | ||
| - Municipality | 150,000 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Area code(s) | 55 | ||
| Website | www.sobijeljina.com | ||
Bijeljina (Cyrillic: Бијељина) is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija. Bijeljina is located at 6 km (4 mi) from the border of Serbia and 40 km (25 mi) from Croatia.
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Architecture
Serbian Orthodox church (Svetog Djordja) Saint George which was built in 1872. The second oldest building is the Semberija Museum which was built in 1876.
The City park (Gradski Park) was founded in 1892.
Atik Mosque was built between 1520 and 1566. It was destroyed by Serb forces during the Bosnian war (1992-95) [3]. It has been rebuilt where it stood before the war.
Transportation
There is only one railway line in Bijeljina. That railway line stretches from Bijeljina to Šid in Serbia. From Šid it joins another line going east towards Belgrade or going west to Croatia.
Geography
Semberija is a flat region which is bound by the rivers Sava, Drina and the Majevica mountains. The entire Semberija area is typically an agricultural region which has fertile land and suitable weather conditions.
Semberija has the most developed agricultural area in Republika Srpska. The focus of the production is on wheat and corns, vegetables, cabbage, paprika, tomato and water-melon. Also, cattle-breeding (fattening of cows and pigs) and growing fruits.
Tourism
Bijeljina holds many events.[citation needed] Bijeljina holds an international Folklore Festival known as Semberija folk fest, Rhythm of Europe. The aim of the Festival is to cherish and promote the folklore tradition of the people from all over the world.[citation needed] Banja Dvorovi is also a popular tourist destination. It has swimming pools and restaurants. Also located in Banja Dvorovi is the hotel Sveti Stefan (Saint Stefan). Ethno village Stanišić is a well known tourist location in the country. Ethno village Stanišici takes people back in time making people closer to nature and ancestors, and making people admire the simplicity of rural life of the past.[citation needed] Ethno village Stanišić contains the Serbian Orthodox Monastery Sveti Nikola (St Nicolas), Hotel Pirg, and ethno restaurant.[citation needed]
 SKUD Semberija at the Semberija folk fest in Bijeljina 2006 |
 Ethno village Stanišić |
History
Although the name Bijeljina was first mentioned in 1446, this name was in use only after 1918. During Austro-Hungarian period, the town had the name Bjelina and, before that, Belina or Bilina.
In 1838 the first confessional elementary school was opened. A modern school building was built in 1902. In this school worked Jovan Dučić between 1893-1895.[2] Jovan Dučić was a famous Hercegovinian Serb poet, writer and diplomat. Today a street in central Bijeljina is named after him.
In front of the city hall is a statue of King Petar Karadjordjevic. The monument is of the Serbian king from 1903-1918. During the Second World War the Ustaše removed it. After World War Two the communist government refused to return the monument. The first non-communist local government returned the monument in the early 1990s.
Tavna Monastery
The Tavna Monastery is located in the southern part of the Bijeljina municipality. The date of foundation is hidden somewhere in the shadows of the far past. The cronichles of monasteries Tronosha and Pech say it was built by Dragutin's sons Vladislav i Urosic. Stefan Dragutin was the King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282 and king of Srem from 1282 to 1316. The present church of monastery Tavna, is built in the same place as the original one. The Tavna Monastery is older than the other monasteries in the region such as Ozrena, Liplja, Vozuce and Gostovica. Tavna was damaged in the first years of Turkish rule, but was restored by the people. This was not the only time the monastery was damaged. It was damaged many times during the Turkish period and also during World War Two. Between 1941 and 1945 Tavna was bombed by the Ustase. On one of the gravestones it says "Zdravko Jovacnovic Killed 1943 by the Ustasa Blue Division protecting and defending the monastery". After World War Two Tavna was rebuilt.[3]
War in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995
In 1991-1992 Bijeljina was the center of the local Serb Autonomous Region, organized by the local Serb authorities - SAO Semberija i Majevica.
Bijeljina was one of the first places to be dragged into the war, being located at a key strategic location. According to contemporary news reports[which?][citation needed], up to 100 civilians were killed. It is surmised that war in Bijeljina started among the first because of its strategic location in the north-eastern corner of Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the Serbian border.[4]
During the war, Bijeljina saw a large influx of Serb refugees from other regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Demographics
1991
At the 1991 census, Bijeljina municipality had 96,796 inhabitants, including:[5]
- 57,541 (59%) Serbs (See: Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- 30,314 (34%) Bosniaks
- 517 Croats (See: Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- 4,168 others
Present
At present (2005), the municipality has 150,000 inhabitants[6]
Bijeljina Coat of Arms
The two red lines on the shield represents the two rivers Sava and Drina. The image of the church represents the Serbian Orthodox Tavna Monastery. The person on the left represents Filip Višnjić (1767–1834) who was a popular poet and guslar (gusle player). The person on the right is Prince Ivo of Semberija, who lost all his property by ransoming slaves from the Ottoman Turks during the Serbian uprising against Ottoman rule. The crown has the image of the city hall. Maize and corn represents the main agricultural products of the region.
Saint’s Day
Bijeljina municipality's Saint is Saint Panteleimon (Sveti Pantelejmon).
Municipal subdivisions
Places in Bijeljina municipality: Amajlije, Balatun, Banjica, Batar, Batković, Bijeljina, Bjeloševac, Brijesnica, Brodac Donji, Brodac Gornji, Bukovica Donja, Bukovica Gornja, Crnjelovo Donje, Crnjelovo Gornje, Čađavica Donja, Čađavica Gornja, Čađavica Srednja, Čardačine, Čengić, Ćipirovine, Dazdarevo, Dragaljevac Donji, Dragaljevac Gornji, Dragaljevac Srednji, Dvorovi, Glavičice, Glavičorak, Glogovac, Gojsovac, Golo Brdo, Hase, Janja, Johovac, Kacevac, Kojčinovac, Kovanluk, Kriva Bara, Ljeljenča, Ljeskovac, Magnojević Donji, Magnojević Gornji, Magnojević Srednji, Međaši, Modran, Novo Naselje, Novo Selo, Obrijež, Ostojićevo, Patkovača, Piperci, Popovi, Dijelovi, Pučile, Ruhotina, Suho Polje, Triješnica, Trnjaci, Velika Obarska, Velino Selo, Vršani, Zagoni.
Sport
Football clubs: Bijeljina has one major stadium known as Bijeljina Gradski Stadion. That Stadium is home to FK Radnik Bijeljina, which plays in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first football was brought to Bijeljina in 1916. The first football club was FK Podrinje which was formed in 1919. Later came the clubs FK Zora in 1920, FK Građanski in 1923, and FK Semberija in 1935. After World War Two, FK Radnik Bijeljina was formed.
Basketball clubs: KK Budućnost Bijeljina, KK Radnik Bijeljina and KK Bijeljina Plus.
Mountaineering: Bijeljina has also the Hiking Club Majevica that exists more than twenty years. PED "Majevica" members for many years are marking recreational mountain path that starts from the Tavna Monastery to "Novakova pecina" where, there is a nice view of the straight Semberija and valley of the river by the name Tavna(Domana).
Boxing: Boxing is becoming ever popular in Bijeljina as its fighters and youth are becoming known as every event is held there, Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Notable people from Bijeljina
- Nešo Lazarević - Basketball player
- Savo Milošević - Football striker
- Đorđe Milovanović - Football striker
- Branimir Bajić - Footballer
- Miloš Bojanić - Singer
- Nevenka Tadić - Psychiatrist
- Branislav Ivković - Politician
- Bojan Vidaković -
- Sofka Nikolić - Folk singer
- Slaviša Mitrović - Football striker
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Other forms of cooperation and city friendship similar to the twin/sister city programmes:
Gallery
 Bijeljina Town Hall |
See also
References
- ^ Prostorni plan Republike Srpske do 2015. Banja Luka, April 2008. p. 67 & 69
- ^ Bijeljina na Internetu - skolstvo
- ^ Tavna monastery / english lang
- ^ * Noel Malcolm - Bosnia - a short history (Macmillan, 1994)
- ^ [1] Bosnia and Herzegovina 1991 census. Retrieved on 3 May 2007.
- ^ Prostorni plan Republike Srpske do 2015. Banja Luka, April 2008. p. 69
External links
- Site about old and new Bijeljina
- City of Bijeljina
- Paintball klub "Extraordinary gentlemens"
- Bijeljina Forum site
- Bijeljina.com
- SKUD Semberija Bijeljina
- Semberija Folk Fest
- Bijeljina forum
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