Bileća ( sr-cyrl, Билећа) is a town and municipality in

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. As of 2013, the town has a population of 7,476 inhabitants, while the municipality has 10,807 inhabitants.

History

The first traces of civilization in Bileća date from the

Neolithic period The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wid ...

, although archaeological sites are insufficiently explored. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, Bileća was located on the border with the

župa A župa, or zhupa, is a historical type of administrative division in Southeast Europe and Central Europe, that originated in medieval South Slavs, South Slavic culture, commonly translated as "county" or "parish". It was mentioned for the first t ...

of Vrm and the nearby Vlach

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

, and was often mentioned as an important crossroad location for caravans on the route from

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...

and Ključ, near Gacko. The town became part of the Bosnian state for the first time in 1373, after the defeat of Nikola Altomanović, but the first mention of the town under its present name was from 25 January 1387, while it was also mentioned as ''Bilechia'' in 1438. A document dated from 8 September 1388 mentions that the army of the duke Vlatko Vuković defeated the

Turkish army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...

at the

Battle of Bileća The Battle of Bileća was fought in August 1388 between the forces of the Kingdom of Bosnia, led by Grand Duke Vlatko Vuković, and the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Lala Shahin Pasha. The Ottoman army broke into Hum, the kingdom's so ...

. The period from the 13th to the 16th century was marked by the building of a large number of stećci. There were 1724 stećak monoliths recorded in Bileća area during the 1970s, with later research suggesting a higher number. Grebenice-Bunčići site of stećak monuments near Baljci is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. Bileća was held by the Turks from 1466, although it was a rebellious area that was difficult to control. During Herzegovina Uprising one of the crucial battles occurred in July 1876 about 6km east of Bileća. Led by Prince Nikola, joint forces of Montenegrin and Herzegovian battalions defeated the Turks in the Battle of Vučji Do, forcing them to withdraw towards

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of the Trebišnjica river in the region of East Her ...

. The

Congress of Berlin At the Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878), the major European powers revised the territorial and political terms imposed by the Russian Empire on the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of San Stefano (March 1878), which had ended the Rus ...

in 1878 included Bileća in the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

, which brought economic development to the region. The first primary school in Bileća was opened in 1880. File:Bileća - panoramio (2).jpg, Necropolis of stećak tombstones in Bileća File:Stara fortifikacijska utvrda Drakuljica kod Bilece - panoramio.jpg, Old fortification Drakuljica File:Korička jama i spomenik korićkim žrtvama 11.jpg, A pit in which

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

threw killed Serb civilians from Bileća, a part of the wider Genocide of Serbs File:Bilećki partizanski bataljon.jpg,

Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...

from Bileća File:Парк Народних хероја са костурницом, Билећа.jpg, Park of People's Hero

Settlements

Aside from the town of Bileća, the municipality includes the following settlements: * Baljci * Bijela Rudina * Bijeljani * Bodenik * Bogdašići * Brestice * Čepelica * Deleuša * Divin * Dlakoše * Dola * Donja Meka Gruda * Donji Davidovići * Đeče * Fatnica * Golobrđe * Gornja Meka Gruda * Gornji Davidovići * Granica * Hodžići * Kačanj * Kalac * Korita * Krivača * Krstače * Kukričje * Kuti * Lađevići * Milavići * Mirilovići * Miruše * Mrežica * Narat * Njeganovići * Oblo Brdo * Orah * Orahovice * Pađeni * Panik * Plana * Podgorje * Podosoje * Preraca * Prijevor * Prisoje * Rioca * Selišta * Simijova * Skrobotno * Šobadine * Todorići * Torič * Trnovica * Vlahinja * Vranjska * Vrbica * Zasada * Zaušje * Zvijerina * Žudojevići

Demographics

Population

Ethnic composition

According to the 1910 census, the absolute majority in the Bileća municipality were Orthodox Christians (82.27%). According to the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

1931 population census, the majority was held by Orthodox Christians at ''81.27%''.

Economy

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

Sports

The local football club FK Hercegovac has spent one season in the country's second tier —

First League of the Republika Srpska The First League of the Republika Srpska ( / ) is a Association football, football league in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Together with the First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it forms the second level of footb ...

Climate

Notes

* Th
Diocese of Zahumlje-Herzegovina and Littoral (official site in Serbian)Serbian Orthodox Church (official site in English)

Hydroelectric power plants on the Trebisnjica River (near Bileća)
* Lake Bileća (''Bilećko jezero'') is located south of the town.

Notable people

* Safet Isović, singer * Beba Selimović, singer *

Fadil Hadžić Fadil Hadžić (23 April 1922 – 3 January 2011) was a Croatian and Yugoslav film director, screenwriter, playwright and journalist, mainly known for his comedy films and plays. He was born in Bileća in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but mainly ...

, movie director and writer *

Dušan Vukotić Dušan Vukotić ( Serbo-Croat Cyrillic: Душан Вукотић; 7 February 1927 – 8 July 1998) was a Yugoslav and Montenegrin, with Croatian citizenship, cartoonist, author and director of animated films. He is the best known member of ...

, Oscar for the best animated short in 1961 for Surogat * Karlo Mijić, painter * Jevto Dedijer, writer * Nenad Mišanović, basketball player * Prokopije Čokorilo, priest * Ervin Eleskovic, Swedish tennis player *

Tijana Bošković Tijana Bošković ( sr-Cyrl, Тијана Бошковић; born 8 March 1997) is a Serbian professional volleyball player of VakıfBank S.K., VakıfBank. A left-handed Opposite hitter, opposite, she has won gold medals with the Serbia women's n ...

, Serbian volleyball player, World and European champion, silver medalist at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bileca Populated places in Bileća