Bijelo Polje

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Bijelo Polje
Бијело Поље
[[Image:|125px|Coat of arms of Bijelo Polje]]
Coat of arms
Location of Bijelo Polje
Coordinates 43.04° N 19.75° E
Mayor Tarzan Milošević (DPS - SDP)
Municipality area 924 km²
Population (2003 census)
 - city
 - municipality
 - density

15,883
50,284
54.4 p/km²
No. of Settlements 98
Time zone
 - Standard
 - Summer (DST)

CET (UTC+1)
CEST (UTC+2)
Founded
Area code +382 84
Car plates BP
Postal code 84000
ISO 3166-2 code ME-{{{iso}}}
Official Website www.bijelopolje.cg.yu


Bijelo Polje (Serbian Cyrillic: Бијело Поље) is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 15,883 (2003 census).

Bijelo Polje is the center of the municipality of the same name (population of 50,284), which is part of geographical region of Sandžak. It is unofficial center of north-eastern region of Montenegro. Bijelo Polje means literally "White Field" in Serbian

Contents

[edit] History

Bijelo Polje was within the Ottoman Empire until its liberation by a multi-national force during the Balkan Wars (1912). Under Ottoman rule the city was known as Akova.

Bijelo Polje's Church of Saint Peter and Paul is the location of composition of the famous UNESCO Miroslav's Gospel of Miroslav, brother of the Serb ruler Stefan Nemanja.


[edit] Population

Bijelo Polje is administrative center of Bijelo Polje municipality, which in 2003 had a population of 50,284. The town of Bijelo Polje itself has 15,883 citizens.

Population of Bijelo Polje (city):

  • 1981 - 11,927
  • 1991 - 16,464
  • 2003 - 15,883

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

Ethnic groups (1991 census):

Ethnicity in 2003

Ethnicity Number Percentage
Serbs 20,743 36.31%
Bosniaks 14,409 25.22%
Muslims 9,896 17.18%
Montenegrins 9,214 16.13%
Roma 146 0.26%
Croats 49 0.09%
Albanians 35 0.06%
Other 165 0.29%
not declared 1,033 1.81%
no data 1,514 2.65%
Total 57,124 100%

[edit] Culture and sights

Bijelo Polje was the birthplace of the oral poet Avdo Međedović and of many prominent writers, such as Ćamil Sijarić, Miodrag Bulatović, as well as Risto Ratković, who wrote the first Montenegrin novel "Neviđbog", a story actually set in the city of Bijelo Polje.

City's best known brand is Rada mineral water, vastly consumed in Montenegro during summer months.

[edit] Transport

Bijelo Polje is connected with rest of Montenegro by two motorways. It is situated on the main road connecting Montenegro's coast and Podgorica with northern Montenegro and Serbia (E65, E80).

Bijelo Polje is also a station on Belgrade - Bar railway, the last station in Montenegro for trains leaving towards Belgrade, and it serves as regional train station.

Podgorica Airport is 130 km away, and has regular flights to major European destinations.

[edit] External links

[edit] References