Niš

Nis redirects here. For the three letter acronym see NIS

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Niš

Niš or Nish (Serbian: Ниш or Niš, Latin: Naissus, Greek: Naissos) is a city in Serbia situated at 43.3° N 21.9° E, on the river Nišava. Its population is 250,518 (2002 census), and it is the third largest city in the republic. The city covers an area of about 597 square kilometres, including the city of Niš itself, the Niška Banja spa and 68 suburbs. Niš Constantine the Great Airport (Serbian Cyrillic: is its international airport with the destination code INI. Niš is the administrative center of the Nišava District of Serbia.

Situated at the crossroads of Balkan and European highways, connecting Asia Minor to Europe, Niš is one of the oldest cities in the Balkans, and has from ancient times been considered a gateway between the East and the West.

Niš is a university center. There are about 28,000 university students at the University of Niš, which comprises 13 faculties. Niš is also one of the most important industrial centres in Serbia, a center of electronics industry (see Elektronska Industrija Niš), industry of mechanical engineering, textile industry and tobacco industry.

Geography and climate

Niš is situated at the 43°19' latitude north and 21°54' longitude east in the Nišava valley, near the spot where it joins the Južna Morava River. It is in Niš that the trunk road running from the north down the Morava River valley forks into two major lines: - the south one, leading to Thessalonica and Athens, - and the east one, leading towards Sofia and Istanbul, and further on, towards the Near East. The central city area is at 194m altitude above sea level (the Main City Square). The highest point in the city area is Sokolov kamen (Falcon's rock) on Suva Planina Mountain (1523m) while the lowest spot is at Trupale, near the mouth of the Nišava (173m). The city area covers 596.71 square km.

The climate of the Niš area is moderate and continental, with an average temperature of 11.2°C. July is the warmest month of the year, with the average of 21.2°C. The coldest month is January, averaging at 0.2°C. The average of the annual rainfall is 567.25 mm/m². The average barometer value is 992.74 mb. There are 123 days with rain and 43 days with snow. On the average, the wind force is just below 3 Beaufort.

History

Early History

The city's early name under the Roman Empire remained Naissus ("city of the nymphs"), which is the Latin name derived from its original name Naissos, a Greek colony founded in antiquity. At the time of the conquest of the Greeks by Rome, Naissos was used as a base for operations. Niš is a possible location of Nysa, a mythical place in Greek mythology where the young god Dionysus was raised. Naissus was first mentioned in Roman documents near the beginning of 2nd century CE, and was considered a place worthy of note in the Geography of Ptolemy of Alexandria. The Romans occupied the town in the period of the "Dardanian War" (75-73 BC), and the city developed as a strategic crossroads, garrison and market town in the province of Moesia Superior.

Stone mallet found in the Nišava

In AD 268, during the "Crisis of the third century" when the Empire almost collapsed, the greatest Gothic invasion seen to date came pouring into the Balkans. The Goths' seaborne allies, the Heruli, supplied a fleet, carrying vast armies down the coast of the Black Sea where they ravaged coastal territories in Thrace and Macedonia. Other huge forces crossed the Danube in Moesia. An invasion of Goths into the province of Pannonia was leading to disaster. The Emperor Gallienus halted the Goths' progress by defeating them in battle in April of 268, and then that September, he came upon the main Gothic force at Naissus and defeated them at the carnage called the Battle of Naissus, the bloodiest battle of the 3rd century, which left thirty to fifty thousand Goths dead on the field. The battle earned Gallienus' chief general Marcus Aurelius Claudius his surname "Gothicus", although the cavalry commander Aurelian was the real victor. The battle of Naissus ensured another two centuries for the Empire in the West.

Four years later in 272, the son of military commander Constantius Chlorus and an innkeeper's daughter called Flavia Iulia Helena was born in Naissus and destined to rule as Emperor Constantine the Great. The remains of the 4th century Imperial villa at Mediana are an important archaeological site located close to Niš. Mosaic floors and other traces of luxury are preserved in the archaeological museum on the site. Other aristocratic suburban villas are clustered nearby. The 4th century Christian basilica in Niš is one of the oldest Christian monuments.

Though the emperor Julian strengthened the walls, the very prosperity of Naissus made it a target and it was destroyed by Attila in 443. Attila the Hun conquers Naissus with battering rams and rolling towers—military sophistication that was new in the Hun repertory. After the Huns captured the city of Naissus they massacred the inhabitants of the city. Years later river banks outside the city were still covered with human bones as a reminder of the devastation the Huns had inflicted.

When Priscus passed through in 448 on his way to Attila's court, Naissus offered a grim spectacle:

When we arrived at Naissus we found the city deserted, as though it had been sacked; only a few sick persons lay in the churches. We halted at a short distance from the river, in an open space, for all the ground adjacent to the bank was full of the bones of men slain in war.

Afterwards Justinian I did his best to restore it, but Naissa never recovered its 4th century urbanity.

Middle Ages

Last half of the 6th century CE saw the first major migrations of Slavs and Avars. During the 6th and 7th century CE, Slavic tribes attempted to take Niš eight times. During the final attack in 615 CE the invaders took the city, and most of the Roman population fled or perished, but some small traces survived in the local Vlach population. The city and the arable land in the area was settled by Slavs.

In the 9th century the Bulgarians became masters of Naissus, the Hungarians in the 11th century, during which the town's milita fought a successful battle against the People's Crusade on 3 July 1096. The Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus reconquered it once more in 1173, and towards the end of the 12th century the town was in the hands of the Serbian prince Stephen Nemanja, who received hospitably the German emperor Frederick Barbarossa and his crusaders.

In 1375 the Ottoman Turks captured Naissus for the first time from the Serbians. The fall of the Serbian state, conquered by Sultan Murad in 1385, decided the fate of Niš as well. After a 25-day long siege the city fell to the Turks. After the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, the Constantinopol-Wien road grew deserted.

In 1443, Niš fell into the hands of Ludanjin. The town itself was given back to the Serbs, while Branković gave it over to Đorđe Mrnjavčević. In the so-called Long Campaign, Christian armies, led by the Hungarian military leader Janos Hunyadi (known as Sibinjanin Janko in Serbian folk poetry) together with Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković, defeated the Turks and repelled them to Sofia. An important battle was fought near Niš, which remained a free city for a whole year after that.

Early Modern and Modern periods

Niš succumbed to Turkish rule again in 1448 and remained thus for the following 245 years. In the period of Turkish rule, Niš was one of the seats of Turkish military and civil administration. Niš Fortress, built in that period, still represents one of the most beautiful and best preserved edifices in the Balkans.

1723 The extant fortification is of Turkish origin, dating from the first decades of the 18th century (1719-1723). It is well-known as one of the most significant and best preserved monuments of this kind in the Mid-Balkans. The Fortress was erected on the site of earlier fortifications - the ancient Roman, Byzantine, and later yet Mediaeval forts. The Fortress has a polygonal ground plan, eight bastion terraces and four massive gates. It stretches over 22 ha of land. The rampart walls are 2,100 m long, 8 m high and 3 m thick on the average. The building stone, brought from the nearby quarries, was hewn into rather evenly-shaped blocks. The inside of the rampart wall was additionally fortified by a wooden construction, 'santrač', and an additional bulwark, 'trpanac'. On the outside, the Fortress was surrounded by a wide moat, whose northern part has been preserved to our days. Beside the massive stone rampart walls, the southern Stambol gate and the western Belgrade gate are pretty well preserved. Partly preserved are the water gates, while the northern Vidin gate and the south-east Jagodina gate are preserved only in remains. With a complete reconstruction of all the gates, Niš Fortress would once again become, arcitecturally and functionally, a closed fortification system. In 1737, Niš was seized by the Austrian army, in their campaign against the Turks. The war ended in 1739.

Monument to the liberators of Niš

At the beginning of the 19th century the crucial thing for the renewal of the Serbian state was the liberation of Niš from the Turks. The Serbian leader Karađorđe, in his talks with the representatives of Russia, as well as in his talks with Napoleon and the Turks, pointed out that Niš had to belong to Serbia. The Serbian insurrection army headed towards Niš in order to take it and go ahead towards Old Serbia and Kosovo. Karađorđe's suggestion was to use the whole army to liberate Niš, while the rest of the commanders demanded to attack Niš from four different points. The latter was accepted. On April 27, 1809, the Serbian insurrection army with its 16,000 soldiers approached the villages of Kamenica, Gornji and Donji Matejevac, near the town of Niš with Miloje Petrović as Commander-in-chief. The Serbian soldiers made six trenches. The first and biggest was on Čegar Hill with voivoda Stevan Sinđelić at the head. The second one was in the village Gornji Matejevac (near the newly rebuilt Latin Church) with Petar Dobrnjac as the commander. The third trench was north-east to Kamenica, with voivoda Ilija Barjaktarević. The fourth trench was in Kamenica with Miloje Petrović as the chief commander. The fifth trench was in the mountain above Kamenica and under the control of voivoda Pauljo Matejić, while the sixth one was made in Donji Matejevac. Miloje Petrović's request to attack Niš directly was not accepted. The demand was to wait and to besiege the town.

Language

The people of Niš struggle to speak real Serbian. They call it Torlakian but it is just a language form which they can't use cases properly, this is mostly due to peoplespoor education the further south in Serbia you go.

Meanwhile the Turkish army was reinforced with 20,000 soldiers from Adrianople, Thessalonica, Vranje and Leskovac. The Turks attacked the trench of Petar Dobrnjac on 30 May. The following day, on May 31, 1809, the most prominent trench on Čegar Hill, under the command of Stevan Sinđelić, got attacked. The battle lasted the whole day. As Milovan Kukić witnessed, "the Turks attacked five times, and the Serbs managed to repulse them five times. Each time their losses were great. Some of the Turks attacked, and some of them went ahead, and thus when they attacked for the sixth time they filled the trenches with their dead so that the alive went over their dead bodies and they began to fight against the Serbs with their rifles, cutting and sticking in their enemies with their sabers and knives. The Serbian soldiers from other trenches cried out to help Stevan. But there was no help," as Milovan Kukić said, "either because they could not help without their cavalry, or because Miloje Petrović did not allow it.

Anyway, when Stevan Sinđelić saw that the Turks had took over the trench, he ran to the powder cave, took out his gun and fired the powder magazine. The explosion was so strong that all the surrounding was shaken, and the whole trench caught in a cloud of dense smoke. Stevan Sinđelić who up to that moment had reached everywhere, helping and encouraging everybody went into the air." Three thousands Serbian soldiers and more than double of that on the Turkish side were killed on Čegar Hill. An important monument from early 19th century Serbian uprisings against Turkish reign is the Skull Tower (Ćele kula), a tower which incorporates human skulls (those of dead Serbian "rebels") in its construction, a monument likely unique in its design.

Following the rout of the Serbian army by the Austrians, Bulgarians and Germans in World War I, King Ferdinand of Bulgaria entertained the German Kaiser Wilhelm II at Niš in January 1916. The Kaiser was greeted by the following dubious mock-Roman salutation: Ave Imperator, Caesar et Rex. Victor et gloriosus es. Nissa antiqua omnis Orientis populi te salutant redemptorem, ferentem oppressis prosperitatem atque salutem, which translates as: "Hail Emperor, Caesar and King: You are victor and glorious. In ancient Niš all the peoples of the east salute you, bringer of prosperity to the oppressed."

During the time of German occupation in WWII, the first Nazi concentration camp in Yugoslavia was near Niš. In 1942 an armed revolt led to an escape. The escapees were guerrillas from Tito's movement who was captured by German forces during the Battle of Kozara. This escape is featured in Miomir Stamenković's film Lager Niš, 1987.

In 1996, Niš was the first city in Serbia to stand against the oppressive regime of Slobodan Milošević. A coalition of democratic opposition parties called Zajedno (Together) won the local elections in Niš in 1996. The first democratic mayor of City of Niš was Zoran Živković, who later became the Prime Minister of Serbia in 2003.

Historical Sites

• Skull Tower (Ćele kula)
• Tvrđava - Turkish fortress in the city center.
• Mediana - archaeological site, Roman imperial villa.
• Kazandžisko Sokače - example of original architecture from Ottoman period.
• Crveni Krst concentration camp built by occupying German forces during WWII.
• Bubanj monument to the fallen Yugoslav WWII fighters.

Economy

The city of Nis is the administrative, industrial, commercial, financial and cultural center of the south-eastern part of Republic of Serbia. The position of Nis is strategically important, located at the intersection of European highway and railway networks connecting Europe with Asia. Niš is easily accessible, having an airport - Niš Constantine the Great Airport and being a point of intersection of numerous railroad and highway lines. It is in Niš that the trunk road running from the north down the Morava River valley forks into two major lines: - the south one, leading to Thessalonica and Athens, along the Vardar River valley, - and the east one, running along the Nisava and the Marica, leading towards Sofia and Istanbul, and further on, towards the Near East. These roads have been widely known from ancient times, because they represented the beaten tracks along which peoples, goods and armies moved. Known as 'Via Militaris' in Roman and Byzantine periods, or 'Constantinople road' in Middle Ages, these roads still represent major European traffic arteries. Niš thus stands at a point of intersection of the roads connecting Asia Minor to Europe, and the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

Niš is one of the most important industrial centres in Serbia, well-known for its tobbaco industry, industry of electronics, construction industry, industry of mechanical engineering, textile industry, colour metal industry, food processing industry, industry of rubber goods.

Tobbaco industry

• Nis Tobacco Factory - was built and opened in 1930 at the present location at Crveni Krst. Its basic production is that of tobacco, cigarettes, filters, the elements of the tobacco machinery and equipment, adhesives etc. In 1995 a scientific - research institute was built. The Institute selects, produces and protects tobacco, and creates and designs new products.

In August 2003, The Philip Morris Corporation purchased the Nis Tobacco Factory (DIN) through the privatization process. Phillip Morris' total investment of EUR 580 million makes it the single largest foreign investor in Serbia of the Year 2003.

Construction industry

• Gradjevinar, stock company - originated from the construction firm of Niš County called Grapon in 1961. Gradjevinar has built large structural complexes as shopping centres, department buildings, entire campuses, sections of cities which can be found in Niš, Belgrade, East Serbia, Russia, Bulgaria, Israel, Jordan, United Arabic Emirates. The company has built:

- more than 30,000 apartments, of approximately 180,000 square meters, - clinics, health facilities and hospitals, of approximately 80,000 square metres, - department stores, malls of approximately 50,000 square metres, - hotels, tourist sites, banks, schools, theatres, sports facilities of approximately 50,000 square metres, - various warehouses, factories, farms and cold storage buildings of approximately 150,000 square metres.

Electronics Industry

• Electronics Industry - Holding Corporation, stock corporation - originated from the foundation of the Institute for the Production of Radio Sets and Roentgen Machines, "RR Niš", in 1948. The basic production encompasses acoustic equipment, electronic tubes, specific installations, printed plates, electronic machine elements, hydraulics, pneumatics, appliances, air-conditioners, medical equipment, roentgen machines.

Industry of rubber goods

• Vulkan, stock company was built and opened in 1937. Its production is large in scope and it comprises various rubber-technical articles with numerous applications in mining and construction industry (transporters and cranes).

Colour metal industry

• NISSAL - Stock corporation for aluminum produces tools, metal reproductive materials, metal, wooden and other material constructions, collects and treats for industrial refuse.

Machinery industry

• The Pump Factory "Jastrebac" founded in 1910., produces more than 1,000 of different types and sizes of mechanical pumps.

• MIN (Machinery Industry of Niš) Holding, stock corporation founded in 1884, produces various machines, various types of equipment: chemical, petrol-chemical, mining, metallurgic, railway-transport, diesel-locomotive, pump, hydro-thermo-nuclear, water and gas treatment. In 1993 MIN got transformed into a holding company of 37 joint-stock units, 24 of which deal with the basic production, 6 of which deal with services, and 7 with specialized business.

Food processing industry

• Žitopek, stock company for the production and trade of bakery goods was established on March 3, 1947 when 14 bakers formally signed a contract by which they were supposed to join their workshops into "Žitopek".

• The Brewery of Niš, stock company produces the beer and non-alcohol drinks. The brewery was founded 1884. by Jovan Apel.

Textile Industry

• Nitex - Niš Textile Industry produces fabrics, knitted material, continuous embroidery, clothes.. The company was founded 1897. by Niš capitalist Mile Ristić with his sons.

Museums

• Town Museum - Opening hours: 9am - 4pm
• Archeological Exhibition of the Town Museum - Opening hours: 9am - 4pm
• Mediana Museum - Opening hours: 9am - 4pm
• Skull Tower - 9am - 4pm (1 November- 31 March), 7:30am - 7:30pm (1 April- 31 October)
• Museum of Public Health Pasteur Institute - Opening hours: 7am - 2pm
• Crveni krst (Red Cross) Prison Camp Museum - Opening hours: 9am - 4pm
• Memorial Room of Branko Miljković - Opening hours: 9am - 4pm
• Memorial Room of Stevan Sremac - Opening hours: 9am - 4pm

Sport

The city of Niš is home to numerous sport clubs including the following:

• "Prvi srpski piloti" Aero-Club
• "Železničar" Athletics Club
• "Čair" Automobile And Motor-Racing Club
• "Železničar" Cycling Club
• "Radnički" Boxing Club
• Niš Bridge Club
• "Niš" Gymnastiscs Club
• "Student" University Go Club
• City Recreation Association
• "Niš" Weight-Lifting Club
• "Zoran Radosavljević" Sailing Club
• "Gusar" Kayak-Canoe Club
• "Khi" Karate Club
• "Omladinac" Karate Club
• "Samuraj" Karate Club
• "Čegar" Horse Riding Club
• "Alfa" Youth Basketball Club
• "Gimnazijalac" Ladies' Youth Basketball Club
• Basketball League Of Serbia Region 7 - Niš
• "Student" Ladies' University Basketball Club
• "Student" University Basketball Club
• "Niš-Put" Bowling Club
• "Gromig - Puršok" Small-Grounds Football Club
• "Ekonomist" Small-Grounds Football Club
• "Koska" Small-Grounds Football Club
• "Naisus" Small-Grounds Football Club
• "Palilula" Small-Grounds Football Club
• "Niš" Volleyball Club
• "Radnički" Volleyball Club
• "Student" Ladies' Volleyball Club
• "Albatros" Paragliding Club
• "Grunf" Paragliding Club
• "Niš" Mountaineers' Association
• "Železničar" Mountaineers' Association
• "Step" Dancing Club
• "Niš" Swimming And Water-Polo Club
• "Naisa" Handball Club
• "Železničar" Handball Club
• "Niš" Youth Handball Club
• "Niš" Safari Club
• "Niš" Skiing Club
• Niš Sports Association Of The Disabled
• Sports Association "Niški maraton"
• "Niš" Table Tennis Club
• "Niš" Archery Club
• "Niš 1881" Shooting Club
• "Tabu" Tae-Kwan-Do Club
• "Gimnazijalac" Tennis Club
• "Kostić" Tennis Club
• "Radnički" Tennis Club
• "Niš" Triathlon Club
• Fishing Sports Association
• "Železničar" Football Club
• "Mašinac" Ladies' Football Club
• "Niš" Youth Football Club
• "Palilulac" Football Club
• Radnički Football Club
• "Železničar" Judo Club
• "Kinezis" Judo Club
• "Niš" Judo Club
• "Niš" Chess Club
• "2M" Fitness&body building club[1]

Local Media

Newspapers

• Narodne Novine

TV stations

• TV 5 [2]
• Banker TV [3]
• BelleAmie TV [4]
• TV Nais
• Global
• RTV Nišava [5](in Romany)
• Čair (in Romany)
• NTV
• Art TV
• Puls TV
• Jumbo TV

Radio stations

• Fast radio (102.7)
• City radio (104.7)
• Blue Fm (103.1)
• Radio Niš (99.5/101.9)
• Banker radio [6](98.3)
• Radio 5 [7](105.5)
• Radio Nišava [8](104.0)
• OxyGen radio
• Radio 13 (90.5)
• Radio New Fair Play (88.3)
• Radio IPP (88.8)
• Radio Belle Amie [9](95.6)
• Radio Belle Amie Folk Kanal (98.7/100.7)
• Radio Cair (99.9)

Administrative Divisions

The city of Niš consists of five municipalities:

1. Pantelej
2. Medijana
3. Crveni Krst
4. Palilula
5. Niška Banja

The first four are located in city proper and fifth in Niška Banja spa.

Suburbs of Niš include:

In Medijana municipality:

• Centar
• Marger
• Trg Kralja Aleksandra
• Kičevo
• Čair
• Bulevar
• Medijana
• Trošarina
• Duvanište
• Brzi Brod

In Palilula municipality:

• Palilula
• Staro groblje
• Delijski Vis
• Apelovac
• Kovanluk
• Tutunović Podrum
• Kalac Brdo
• Bubanj
• Ledena Stena

In Pantelej municipality:

• Pantelej
• Jagodin mala
• Durlan
• Vrežina
• Čalije
• Somborska

In Crveni Krst municipality:

• Crveni krst
• Beograd mala
• Crni put
• Šljaka
• Komren

In Niška Banja municipality

• Broj 6 - Broj Šes'
• Niška Banja
• Jelašnica

External links

• www.nis.org.yu - Official Website
• City map and guide to Niš
• Tourist Organization of Niš
• University of Niš
• Narodno pozorište Niš - National Theatre of Niš
• World Gazeteer The population of Niš