Bijeljina (Бијељина) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the provincial center of Semberija, 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 after Banja Luka.
The first documented mention of the name Bijeljina occurred in 1446. The city fully fell to the Ottomans in 1530. Following the Great Turkish War, it was incorporated into Austrian possession. Upon the conclusion of the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718, Bijeljina was to be transferred to the Habsburg monarchy.; It was retaken by the Ottomans in 1739. Many of the settlements were decimated as a result of unsuccessful Serb rebellions against the occupation.
Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina rule lasted from 1878 until 1918. The name Bijeljina was only used after 1918 and World War I. During Austro-Hungarian rule, the town had the name Bjelina and, before that, Belina or Bilina.
In front of City Hall is a statue of King Peter I of Serbia, who ruled the Kingdom of Serbia between 1903 and 1918. During the Second World War, the Ustaša removed it. After World War II, the communist government refused to return the monument. The first non-communist local government returned the monument in the early 1990s.
The village of Batković in the municipality of Bijeljina was the site of the Batković camp, believed to be the first concentration camp in operation during the Bosnian War. It was run by Serbs from 1 April 1992 until late January 1996. The prisoners were predominantly ethnic Bosniaks, who were tortured, sexually assaulted, and killed. 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, a Major in the SDG.
| +Population of settlements – Bijeljina municipality | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 34,479 | 38,455 | 47,468 | 58,002 | 58,142 | 78,602 | 63,877 | 86,826 | 78,890 | 86,826 | 92,808 | 96,988 | 107,715 | |
| 1 | Amajlije | 1,110 | 1,112 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Balatun | 1,305 | 1,245 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Banjica | 406 | 265 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Batar | 382 | 225 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Batković | 3,483 | 2,515 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Bijeljina | 12,660 | 14,303 | 17,340 | 24,761 | 31,124 | 36,414 | 42,278 | ||||||
| 7 | Bjeloševac | 639 | 442 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Brodac Donji | 735 | 668 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Brodac Gornji | 866 | 767 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Bukovica Donja | 794 | 568 | |||||||||||
| 11 | Bukovica Gornja | 574 | 324 | |||||||||||
| 12 | Čađavica Donja | 1,524 | 577 | |||||||||||
| 13 | Čađavica Gornja | 973 | 676 | |||||||||||
| 14 | Čađavica Srednja | 693 | 533 | |||||||||||
| 15 | Čardačine | 370 | 471 | |||||||||||
| 16 | Čengić | 1,284 | 859 | |||||||||||
| 17 | Ćipirovine | 274 | 622 | |||||||||||
| 18 | Crnjelovo Donje | 2,963 | 2,011 | |||||||||||
| 19 | Crnjelovo Gornje | 1,840 | 1,279 | |||||||||||
| 20 | Dazdarevo | 435 | 522 | |||||||||||
| 21 | Dijelovi | 669 | ||||||||||||
| 22 | Donji Zagoni | 305 | ||||||||||||
| 23 | Dragaljevac Donji | 463 | 339 | |||||||||||
| 24 | Dragaljevac Gornji | 603 | 418 | |||||||||||
| 25 | Dragaljevac Srednji | 1,041 | 741 | |||||||||||
| 26 | Dvorovi | 1,814 | 4,716 | |||||||||||
| 27 | Glavičice | 1,293 | 1,070 | |||||||||||
| 28 | Glogovac | 436 | 402 | |||||||||||
| 29 | Gojsovac | 475 | 683 | |||||||||||
| 30 | Golo Brdo | 198 | 377 | |||||||||||
| 31 | Gradac - Stupanj | 509 | ||||||||||||
| 32 | Hase | 341 | 938 | |||||||||||
| 33 | Janja | 10,458 | 10,542 | |||||||||||
| 34 | Johovac | 338 | 284 | |||||||||||
| 35 | Kacevac | 351 | 268 | |||||||||||
| 36 | Kojčinovac | 794 | ||||||||||||
| 37 | Kovačići | 383 | ||||||||||||
| 38 | Kovanluk | 158 | 508 | |||||||||||
| 39 | Kriva Bara | 255 | 345 | |||||||||||
| 40 | Ljeljenča | 967 | 913 | |||||||||||
| 41 | Ljeskovac | 483 | 969 | |||||||||||
| 42 | Magnojević Donji | 613 | 419 | |||||||||||
| 43 | Magnojević Gornji | 665 | 333 | |||||||||||
| 44 | Magnojević Srednji | 332 | 318 | |||||||||||
| 45 | Mala Obarska | 305 | ||||||||||||
| 46 | Međaši | 896 | 858 | |||||||||||
| 47 | Modran | 1,411 | 963 | |||||||||||
| 48 | Novo Naselje | 1,290 | 832 | |||||||||||
| 49 | Novo Selo | 122 | 1,153 | |||||||||||
| 50 | Ostojićevo | 595 | 440 | |||||||||||
| 51 | Patkovača | 646 | 2,569 | |||||||||||
| 52 | Popovi | 1,134 | 1,238 | |||||||||||
| 53 | Pučile | 769 | 2,090 | |||||||||||
| 54 | Ruhotina | 446 | 276 | |||||||||||
| 55 | Suho Polje | 1,503 | 1,154 | |||||||||||
| 56 | Triješnica | 290 | 496 | |||||||||||
| 57 | Trnjaci | 639 | 1,074 | |||||||||||
| 58 | Velika Obarska | 3,549 | 3,902 | |||||||||||
| 59 | Velino Selo | 451 | 342 | |||||||||||
| 60 | Vršani | 1,249 | 614 | |||||||||||
| 61 | Zagoni | 1,766 | 619 |
| +Ethnic composition – Bijeljina city | ||||
| Total | 42,278 (100,0%) | 36,414 (100,0%) | 31,124 (100,0%) | 24,761 (100,0%) |
| Serbs | 35,798 (84.67%) | 10,450 (28.70%) | 7,866 (25.27%) | 7,630 (30.81%) |
| Bosniaks | 4,469 (10.57%) | 19,024 (52.24%) | 15,015 (48.24%) | 14,929 (60.29%) |
| Others | 632 (1.495%) | 3,122 (8.574%) | 521 (1.674%) | 349 (1.409%) |
| Unaffiliated | 502 (1.187%) | |||
| Roma | 338 (0.799%) | 976 (3.136%) | 104 (0.420%) | |
| Croats | 315 (0.745%) | 366 (1.005%) | 409 (1.314%) | 677 (2.734%) |
| Yugoslavs | 127 (0.300%) | 3,452 (9.480%) | 6,028 (19.37%) | 637 (2.573%) |
| Unknown | 35 (0.083%) | |||
| Montenegrins | 29 (0.069%) | 60 (0.193%) | 71 (0.287%) | |
| Macedonians | 14 (0.033%) | 64 (0.206%) | 63 (0.254%) | |
| Slovenes | 11 (0.026%) | 17 (0.055%) | 20 (0.081%) | |
| Albanians | 8 (0.019%) | 144 (0.463%) | 237 (0.957%) | |
| Hungarians | 24 (0.077%) | 44 (0.178%) |
| +Ethnic composition – Bijeljina municipality | ||||
| Total | 107,715 (100.0%) | 96,988 (100.0%) | 92,808 (100.0%) | 86,826 (100.0%) |
| Serbs | 91,784 (85.21%) | 57,389 (59.17%) | 56,029 (60.37%) | 60,595 (69.79%) |
| Bosniaks | 13,090 (12.15%) | 30,229 (31.17%) | 24,282 (26.16%) | 23,343 (26.88%) |
| Others | 793 (0.736%) | 4,452 (4.590%) | 1,155 (1.245%) | 649 (0.747%) |
| Unaffiliated | 674 (0.626%) | |||
| Croats | 515 (0.478%) | 492 (0.507%) | 500 (0.539%) | 806 (0.928%) |
| Roma | 496 (0.460%) | 1,359 (1.464%) | 168 (0.193%) | |
| Yugoslavs | 151 (0.140%) | 4 426 (4.563%) | 9,090 (9.794%) | 747 (0.860%) |
| Unknown | 102 (0.095%) | |||
| Montenegrins | 36 (0.033%) | 80 (0.086%) | 90 (0.104%) | |
| Macedonians | 33 (0.031%) | 89 (0.096%) | 81 (0.093%) | |
| Slovenes | 22 (0.020%) | 25 (0.027%) | 24 (0.028%) | |
| Albanians | 17 (0.016%) | 164 (0.177%) | 258 (0.297%) | |
| Turks | 1 (0.001%) | |||
| Ukrainians | 1 (0,001%) | |||
| Hungarians | 35 (0,038%) | 65 (0,075%) |
The Serbian Orthodox Church ( Svetog Đorđa) of Saint 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.
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.
The Basil of Ostrog Monastery in the center of Bijeljina is a newly built monastery (2001) dedicated to St Basil of Ostrog. 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.
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.
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 chronicles of monasteries Tronoša and Peć say it was built by Stefan Dragutin's sons Vladislav and Uroš II Milutin. 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 the Second World War. Between 1941 and 1945, Tavna was bombed by the Ustaše. 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. Tavna monastery infosite , Bijeljina.net; accessed 9 July 2015.
Since 1953, a basic music school has been operating in the city.
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. The University of Bijeljina has several faculties: Law, Economics, Business Economics and Education. The main private universities in the city are Slobomir P University and University Sinergija.
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| 25 |
| 3,706 |
| 454 |
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| 1,129 |
| 5,813 |
| 935 |
| 1,096 |
| 551 |
| 514 |
| 22 |
| 809 |
| 312 |
| 1,836 |
| 1,774 |
| 1,461 |
| 330 |
| 482 |
| 22,035 |
The first railway line through Bijeljina was the narrow gauge Bosanska Rača–Ugljevik railway built in 1916-1918. In 1950, Bijeljina was linked to Šid in Serbia when the normal gauge railway was opened. 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.
The Dvorovi 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, near Dvorovi village in Semberija. The depth of the source is at 1350 meters, the water is oligomineral, and the water temperature is 75°C.
OFK Zenit Bijeljina is a young club from Bijeljina but their youth teams had earned a lot of medals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania, Austria, and Germany. 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 with Zvijezda 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.
Basketball clubs include:
Volleyball clubs include:
Handball clubs include:
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