From top, left to right: The assembly building of Bijeljina, Pavlović bank, the inside of the Church of theHoly Great Martyr George, the outside of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr George, Residential buildings, the Atik mosque,Semberija Museum and the Five LakesMonastery.
Bijeljina (Serbian Cyrillic:Бијељина) is a city and municipality inRepublika Srpska,Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the provincial center ofSemberija, a geographic region in the country's northeast. As of 2013, it has a population of 107,715 inhabitants, making it the sixth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity afterBanja Luka.[2]
Bijeljina is located inBosnia and Herzegovina's northeast, bound by theSava andDrina rivers, extending over theMajevica mountains and covering a land mass of 734 km2.[3] It is a part of the entity ofRepublika Srpska and is the center of theSemberija region. Semberija is a flat region with a fertile land ideal for agriculture.[4] Due to this, Bijeljina is a major place for food production and trade, particularly wheat and vegetables.[3]
The earliest established evidence of human life in the area of today's Bijeljina date from theNew Stone Age (5000–3000BC). Characteristics of pottery, tools and weapons confirm cultural connections of indigenous inhabitants of Semberija with the eneolithic and Bronze Age cultures – Vučedol, Kostolac andBaden culture.[3][6][7]
The oldest archeological site of this period is located on both sides of the Bistrik channel, between the villages of Batković and Ostojićevo and it consists of four smaller sites which date from the period of the 7th to the 12th century. At Jazbina and Oraščić, remains were found of a settlement with half-buried huts, but the most significant discovery was a complex of metallurgical workshop at Čelopek where iron was melted in the 8th century and iron tools were manufactured. The oldest religious building, theTavna Monastery, was built in the Middle Ages. The region was incorporated into theBosnian banate during the reign ofStephen Kotromanić. At this time the village Bistrik was called Bistrica and it was the center of the parish, which covered the entire territory of present-day city of Bijeljina.[8]
The first documented mention of the name Bijeljina occurred in 1446. The city fully fell to the Ottomans in 1530. Following theGreat Turkish War, it was incorporated into Austrian possession. Upon the conclusion of theTreaty of Passarowitz in 1718, Bijeljina was to be transferred to theHabsburg monarchy.[9] It was retaken by the Ottomans in 1739. Many of the settlements were decimated as a result of unsuccessful Serb rebellions against the occupation.[8]
In 1838, the first confessional elementary school was opened. A modern school building was built in 1902. In this schoolJovan Dučić, famous Herzegovinian Serb poet, writer and diplomat, worked between 1893 and 1895.[10]
In front of City Hall is a statue of KingPeter I of Serbia, who ruled theKingdom of Serbia between 1903 and 1918. During theSecond World War, theUstaša removed it. AfterWorld War II, the communist government refused to return the monument. The first non-communist local government returned the monument in the early 1990s.[citation needed]
In September 1991,Bosnian Serbs proclaimed aSerbian Autonomous Oblast with Bijeljina as its capital. In March 1992, theBosnian referendum on independence was passed with overwhelming support from Bosniaks andBosnian Croats.[11] Local BosniakPatriotic League had been established in response to the Bosnian Serb proclamation and started the clashes.[11] On 1–2 April, the SDG and the JNA overtook Bijeljina with little resistance; Amassacre was carried out and involved the killing of at least 48 civilians bySerbparamilitary groups.[12] The majority of those killed wereBosniaks (or Bosnian Muslims). The dead included members of other ethnicities, such as Serbs deemed unloyal by the local authorities.
The village ofBatković in the municipality of Bijeljina was the site of theBatković camp, believed to be the first concentration camp in operation during theBosnian War. It was run by Serbs from 1 April 1992 until late January 1996.[13] The prisoners were predominantly ethnicBosniaks, who were tortured, sexually assaulted, and killed.[14][15] A "State Commission for the Free transfer of the Civilian Population" or "Commission for the Exchange of Population" was created and headed by Vojkan Đurković, aMajor in the SDG.
Bijeljina municipality by population proportional to the settlement with the highest and lowest population
TheSerb Democratic Party (SDS) governed Bijeljina for 28 years since 1992. Following the2018 Bosnian general election, in March 2020 mayorMićo Mićić (governing the city since 2004) left the party to found the Party of Democratic Srpska of Semberija (SDSS) and signed a coalition agreement withMilorad Dodik'sSNSD. In June 2020, SDSS and SNSD put SDS in minority in the local council. At the2020 Bosnian municipal elections, SDS's Ljubiša Petrović became the new mayor, succeeding Mićić.
The assembly building of BijeljinaThe Atik mosque (demolished during thewar and reconstructed since) by the town square
The Atik Mosque was built between 1520 and 1566, during the period ofSultanSuleiman the Magnificent. It was used as a defensive bastion in theAustro-Turkish War and converted to a Catholic church by the Austrians during 1718-1739. After theTreaty of Belgrade, it reverted back to a mosque, and went through several renovations in the 19th and early 20th centuries.[16] The mosque was completely destroyed on 13 March 1993 and rebuilt where it stood before.
The Serbian Orthodox Church (Svetog Đorđa) ofSaint George is located at the site of an older church, which was first mentioned in 1735. The current building dates back from the early 1870s and represents a mix of Russian and Byzantine style architecture, with a dome and a tall tower.[17][18]
The Semberija Museum is located in a historic building and has four exhibition halls. The exhibitions span a vast historical period, ranging from the Neolithic, through the Roman era and the Middle Ages, all the way to the 20th century.[19]
The Basil of Ostrog Monastery in the center of Bijeljina is a newly built monastery (2001) dedicated toSt Basil of Ostrog.[20] The bell tower with a clock of over 30 meters dominates the surroundings and is a symbol of the monastery. The monastery includes a museum, dining room, library, hermitages for monks. Inside, the temple is painted with magnificent frescoes. Particularly valuable is a copy of the Trojeručica miraculous icon, a gift from the Hilandar monastery. In Bijeljina are also located: the Holy Temple, the Church of St. Petka, and the old Catholic church.
Church in Bijeljina
Filip Višnjić Library is the oldest cultural institution in Bijeljina - founded in 1932 thanks to prominent people including Dr Vojislav Kecmanović, Dr Joakim Perendija, and Professor Nikola Mačkić among others. It played a major role in raising the cultural level in Semberija and has over 120,000 books.[21][22]
TheTavna 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 chronicles of monasteriesTronoša andPeć say it was built byStefan Dragutin's sons Vladislav and Uroš II Milutin.Stefan Dragutin was the King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282 and king ofSrem 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 the Second World War. Between 1941 and 1945, Tavna was bombed by theUstaše. One of the gravestones says"Zdravko Jovanović - Killed 1943 by the Ustaša Blue Division protecting and defending the monastery". After World War II, the Tavna monastery was rebuilt.[23]
The first primary school in Bijeljina was opened in 1938. AfterWorld War II, changes were made to the school system, and in 1951 the first elementary school was opened. In 1956, a second elementary school was opened. The third and fourth elementary schools opened in 1959 and 1966, respectively.[10]
Since 1953, a basic music school has been operating in the city.[10]
Primary schools in Bijeljina include the following: OŠ Sveti Sava, OŠ Knez Ivo od Semberije, OŠ Vuk Karadžić, OŠ Jovan Dučić. There are several high schools operating in the city, such as Filip Višnjić Gymnasium, Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac Music School, an agricultural high school, a medicine highschool, an economic and a technical school. TheUniversity of Bijeljina has several faculties: Law, Economics, Business Economics and Education. The main private universities in the city areSlobomir P University andUniversity Sinergija.
The main bus station in Bijeljina is located in the central zone of the city and is owned bySemberija Transport.
The first railway line through Bijeljina was the narrow gaugeBosanska Rača–Ugljevik railway built in 1916-1918. In 1950, Bijeljina was linked toŠid inSerbia when thenormal gauge railway was opened.[25] The narrow gauge railway was abandoned in 1979, after which Bijeljina remained as a terminus. The Bijeljina–Šid railway was abandoned in 2005, and there has been no rail traffic in the city since then.[26]
Bijeljina holds an international folklore festival known as theSemberija folk fest.
TheDvorovi Spa is one of the most famous spas in Republika Srpska.Dvorovi Spa was formed after the discovery of thermal water, while drilling for oil in 1956, nearDvorovi village inSemberija. The depth of the source is at 1350 meters, the water is oligomineral, and the water temperature is 75°C.[27]
OFK Zenit Bijeljina is a young club from Bijeljina but their youth teams had earned a lot of medals inBosnia and Herzegovina,Serbia,Slovenia,Romania,Austria, andGermany. Their home ground is "Zenit Arena" in Novo Selo, located 5 minutes away from the city center. OFK Zenit competes in the leagues of the Football Association of Republika Srpska (FSRS). They have a contract withZvijezda 09 (team in the Premier League of BiH) to Zenit's youth teams play like Zvijezda 09's players.
Bijeljina was designated a European City of Sport in 2020.[28]
^abc"Bijeljina"(PDF).osbih.ba. Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.Archived(PDF) from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved25 September 2022.
^Lommen, André (2000).Bosnia and Hercegovina: Unfinished Business : Return of Displaced Persons and Other Human Rights Issues in Bijeljina, Volume 12, Issue 7. Human Rights Watch. p. 11.The municipality of Bijeljina, consisting of the town of Bijeljina, the village of Janja, and around forty smaller settlements, is located in the northeast corner of Bosnia and Hercegovina, in the Republika Srpska.. Moreover, the Semberija region, of which Bijeljina is the center, is a flat, fertile area which is very suitable for agriculture.
^"Bijeljina Climate Normals 1991–2020".World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived from the original on 4 September 2023. Retrieved4 September 2023.
^Udruženje književnika BiH (1985).Information Bulletin of the Association of Writers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Yugoslav Author's Agency for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Issues 7-9.
^Nikolova, Lolita; Manzura, I. V.; Schuster, Cristian, eds. (1999).The Balkans in Later Prehistory: Periodization, Chronology and Cultural Development in the Final Copper and Early Bronze Age (fourth and Third Millennia BC). J. and E. Hedges. p. 34.ISBN9781841711089.
Pelidija, Enes (1989).Bosanski ejalet od Karlovačkog do Požarevačkog mira 1699 - 1718 (in Serbo-Croatian). Sarajevo. pp. 237–259.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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