Bela Palanka

History

Ancient Bela Palanka

The town was originally settled by the Dacians and was known under the ancient name of Aiadava or Aeadaba. Thracians inhabited the area until their assimilation into contemporary ethnic groups in the area.

After the Romans conquered Moesia in 75 BC, the new castrum (imperial domain with estates) and municipium was known initially as Ulpianorum and then Remesiana (Moesi) and stood along the Via Militaris between Naissus and Serdica.

Emperor Justinian had following strongholds in the district of Remesiana:

The patron saint of Romania, Nicetas of Remesiana, was a 4th-century bishop at Remesiana. Peter the Hermit was defeated by the Byzantines in the north and regrouped at an evacuated Bela Palanka, gathering the harvest before heading to Constantinople.God's war: a new history of the Crusades-Christopher Tyerman 2006

Excavations include well-preserved castrum dating to 4th century and a hoard of 260 coins minted during the rule of Constantine I, Theodosius I, Tiberius Claudius Nero.Ancient diseases: the elements of palaeopathology-Srboljub Živanović 1982 During the 1096 People's Crusade the town, left abandoned by its inhabitants, was briefly occupied by the pilgrims led by Peter the Hermit, Walter of Breteuil and Rainald of Breis.

Ottoman Empire

During the centuries of Ottoman control, Bela Palanka was the site of a major caravanserai (or han) along the Tsarigrad Road. Ottoman authorities ordered the first such caravanserai be built in the settlement (then named Izvor) from wood in 1598-99, during the Long Turkish War, largely due to persistent attacks on travelers by hajduks. This structure deteriorated after a few decades and was replaced by a larger and more durable caravanserai made of stone, commissioned by the local governor, Musa Pasha. This han differed from others in the region because of its large size and because it had separate large rooms for harems of dignitaries. The interior of the han was painted by an artist brought from Buda. To honor its patron, the name of the settlement was then changed to Musa-paša Palanka, from which the town's current name was derived.

Modern Serbia

From 1929 to 1941, Bela Palanka was part of the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Geography

Bela Palanka is a small town in the southeast of the country and is surrounded by countryside and mountains such as Golaš. The town is accessible from the nearby city of Niš by the Niš Express buses that run from Niš to Pirot, Babušnica, Dimitrovgrad, and Sofia.

Climate

Bela Palanka has a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csb), that's very close to a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa).

Settlements

Aside from the town of Bela Palanka, the municipality consists of the following villages:

• Babin Kal
• Bežište
• Bukurovac
• Veta
• Vitanovac
• Vrandol
• Vrgudinac
• Glogovac
• Gornja Glama
• Gornja Koritnica
• Gornji Rinj
• Gradište
• Divljana
• Dolac (naselje)
• Dolac (selo)
• Donja Glama
• Donja Koritnica
• Donji Rinj
• Draževo
• Klenje
• Klisura
• Kozja
• Kosmovac
• Kremenica
• Krupac
• Lanište
• Leskovik
• Ljubatovica
• Miranovac
• Miranovačka Kula
• Moklište
• Mokra
• Novo Selo
• Oreovac
• Pajež
• Sinjac
• Tamnjanica
• Telovac
• Toponica
• Crvena Reka
• Crveni Breg
• Crnče
• Čiflik
• Šljivovik
• Špaj

Demographics

|1948|29641 |1953|28756 |1961|24982 |1971|21325 |1981|18744 |1991|16447 |2002|14381 |2011|12126 |2022|9947

According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has 12,126 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):

Gallery

File:Bela Palanka nocu.jpg|Bela Palanka by night File:BelaPalankaFontana.JPG|Fountain File:BelaPalankaVrelo.JPG|Spring File:Donja Koritnica.jpg|Donja Koritnica File:BelaPalankaIskopine.jpg|Basilica Apse under excavation in Remesiana File:Bela Palanka Sept Sev.jpg|3rd century Septimius Severus monument in Bela Palanka. File:Rajko_Mitic_monument.jpg|Rajko Mitić Monument

References

References

1. {{Serbian municipalities 2006
2. "Census 2022: Total population, by municipalities and cities".
3. "Roma Victrix".
4. (6 April 2021). "The Balkan Route: Historical Transformations from Via Militaris to Autoput". De Gruyter.
5. "Climate: Bela Palanka, Serbia". Climate-Data.org.
6. "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia". Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.
7. (25 December 2019). "MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA, 2019.". [[Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia]].