Bijelo Polje ( cnr, Бијело Поље, ) is a town in northeastern

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

on the

Lim River The Lim (Serbian Cyrillic: Лим, ) is a river that flows through Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and is long.

. It has an urban population of 15,400 (2011 census). It is the administrative, economic, cultural and educational centre of northern Montenegro. Bijelo Polje is the center of

Bijelo Polje Municipality Bijelo Polje Municipality ( Montenegrin: ''Opština Bijelo Polje'', Општина Бијело Поље) is one of the municipalities of Montenegro, and is located in northeastern Montenegro, in the Lim river valley, being part of Raška region ...

(population of 46,051). It is the unofficial center of the north-eastern region of Montenegro. Bijelo Polje means 'white field' in

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...

History

Bijelo Polje's Saint Peter and Paul Church is the place where the UNESCO Miroslav's Gospel of Miroslav, brother of Serbian ruler

Stefan Nemanja Stefan Nemanja (Serbian Cyrillic: , ; – 13 February 1199) was the Grand Prince ( Veliki Župan) of the Serbian Grand Principality (also known as Raška, lat. ) from 1166 to 1196. A member of the Vukanović dynasty, Nemanja founded the Nemanji ...

was written. During World War II, Bijelo Pole was a prominent location for the anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia, Montenegro in particular.

Population

Bijelo Polje is the administrative centre of the Bijelo Polje municipality, which in 2011 had a population of 46,251. The town of Bijelo Polje itself has 15,400 citizens. Population of Bijelo Polje (town): *1981 - 11,927 *1991 - 16,464 *2003 - 15,883 *2011 - 15,400 Population of Bijelo Polje (municipality): *1948 - 36,795 *1953 - 41,432 *1961 - 46,651 *1971 - 52,598 *1981 - 55,634 *1991 - 55,268 *2003 - 50,284 *2011 - 46,051 Religion (2011 census): * Orthodox (53.25%) * Islam (46.18%) * Catholic (0.17%) * Atheist (0.17%) * Christians (0.17%) Ethnic composition in 2011

Culture and sights

Bijelo Polje was the birthplace of the oral poet

Avdo Međedović Avdo Međedović ( – 1955) was a ''guslar'' (gusle player and oral poet) from Sandžak, modern-day Montenegro. He was the most versatile and skillful performer of all those encountered by Milman Parry and Albert Lord during their research on th ...

and of many prominent writers such as

Ćamil Sijarić Ćamil Sijarić (18 December 1913 – 6 December 1989) was a Yugoslavian novelist and short story writer. He enrolled in law school in 1936 and earned his degree four years later. Sijarić died in a car crash at the age of 75. Life He was born i ...

Miodrag Bulatović Miodrag Bulatović ( cnr-Cyrl, Миодраг Булатовић; 20 February 1930 – 15 March 1991), was a writer, novelist, journalist and playwright. He is considered to be one of the best Montenegrin novelists and remains the most translated M ...

Risto Ratković Risto Ratković (3 September 1903 – 18 June 1954) was a Serbian avant-garde (surrealist) writer and diplomat. Biography He was born in an impoverished trading family in Bijelo Polje in Montenegro. He finished Gymnasium in Novi Pazar, and in ...

and

Dragomir Brajković Dragomir Brajković ( sr-cyr, Драгомир Брајковић; 10 December 1947 – 29 November 2009) was a Montenegrin Serb writer, journalist, editor of Radio Belgrade, poet and member of the Association of Writers of Serbia. Biography He ...

as well as basketball player

Nikola Peković Nikola Peković (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Пековић; born 3 January 1986) is a Montenegrin businessman, basketball executive and former professional player who is the current president of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro. He beg ...

and Swedish footballing brothers Ajsel and

Emir Kujović Emir Kujović ( Cyrillic: Емир Кујовић; born 22 June 1988) is Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker. He has won five caps for the Sweden national team, and was a squad player at UEFA Euro 2016. Club career Halms ...

Sports

The major football team is Jedinstvo, who have spent several seasons in the country's top tier. They share their Gradski stadion with lower league team OFK Borac. The town's basketball teams are Jedinstvo and

KK Centar KK Centar was a professional basketball club from Bijelo Polje, Montenegro. The team competed in First Erste League. A school for all ages and categories has been organized within the club. External links Eurobasket.com KK Centar Page Centar ...

Transport

Bijelo Polje is connected to the rest of Montenegro by two major roads. It is situated on the main road connecting Montenegro's coast and

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

with northern Montenegro and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

( E65, E80). Bijelo Polje is also a station on

Belgrade–Bar railway The Belgrade–Bar railway ( sr, Пруга Београд–Бар, Pruga Beograd–Bar) is a railway connecting the Serbian capital of Belgrade with the town of Bar, a major seaport in Montenegro. Overview The Belgrade–Bar railway is a stan ...

, the last station in Montenegro for trains leaving for

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, and it serves as a regional train station.

Podgorica Airport Podgorica Airport ( cnr, Аеродром Подгорица, Aerodrom Podgorica, ) is an international airport serving the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica and the surrounding region. It is one of two international airports in Montenegro, the ...

is away, and has regular flights to major

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an destinations.

Climate

Bijelo Polje has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Dfb'') with warm summers, cold winters, and abundant precipitation year round.

Notable people

guslar The gusle ( sr-cyrl, гусле) or lahuta ( sq, lahutë) is a single- stringed musical instrument (and musical style) traditionally used in the Dinarides region of Southeastern Europe (in the Balkans). The instrument is always accompanied by ...

, writer *

, writer * Nastasja Vojinović, musician *

Milutin Karadžić Milutin ( sr, Милутин) is a Serbian masculine given name of Slavic origin. The name may refer to: *Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia (1253–1321), king of Serbia *Milutin Bojić (1892–1917), poet *Milutin Ivković (1906–1943), football ...

, actor * Ajsel Kujović, footballer *

, footballer *

Duško Ivanović Duško Ivanović (born September 1, 1957) is a Montenegrin professional basketball coach and former player who currently serves as head coach for Crvena zvezda of the Adriatic League and the EuroLeague. Professional playing career As a player, I ...

, basketball coach *

, basketball player *

Predrag Drobnjak Peja Drobnjak (born 27 October 1975) is a Montenegrin professional basketball scout and former player. At , he played at the power forward and center positions. Throughout his nineteen-year career, Drobnjak has spent three full seasons playing in ...

, basketball player * Suad Šehović, basketball player * Sead Šehović, basketball player

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Bijelo Polje is twinned with: *

Bila Tserkva Bila Tserkva ( uk, Бі́ла Це́рква ; ) is a city in the center of Ukraine, the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (after Kyiv, which is the administrative center, but not part of the oblast), and part of the Right Bank. It serves as the admi ...

, Ukraine *

Burhaniye Burhaniye is a coastal town and district of Balıkesir Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. The district is located on the Aegean coast and is known for its olive oil. Burhaniye has a port and a museum of archeology. A museum for the Turk ...

, Turkey *

Hrubieszów Hrubieszów (; uk, Грубешів, Hrubeshiv; yi, הרוביעשאָוו, Hrubyeshov) is a town in southeastern Poland, with a population of around 18,212 (2016). It is the capital of Hrubieszów County within the Lublin Voivodeship. Througho ...

, Poland *

Maardu Maardu (german: Maart) is a town and a municipality in Harju County, Estonia. It is part of Tallinn metropolitan area. The town covers an area of 22.76 km² and has a population of 16,170 (as of 1 January 2021). The Port of Muuga, ...

, Estonia *

Strumica Strumica ( mk, Струмица, ) is the largest city2002 census results
in English and Macedon ...

, North Macedonia *

Svishtov Svishtov ( bg, Свищов ) is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svishtov Municipalit ...

, Bulgaria

References

External links

Visit-Montenegro.com

njegos.org; accessed 12 August 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bijelo Polje Populated places in Bijelo Polje Municipality Sandžak