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Bijelo Polje

Bijelo Polje
Бијело Поље
BERJAYA
BERJAYA
BERJAYA
From the top: Bijelo Polje at Night, Church of St. Nicholas, Town Centre
Flag of Bijelo Polje
Coat of arms of Bijelo Polje
Bijelo Polje is located in Montenegro
Bijelo Polje
Bijelo Polje
Location of Bijelo Polje in Montenegro
Coordinates: 43°02′N 19°45′E / 43.04°N 19.75°E / 43.04; 19.75
CountryMontenegro
RegionNorthern
MunicipalityBijelo Polje
Settlements98
Government
  TypeMayor-Assembly
  MayorPetar Smolović (DPS)
Area
  Town and municipality
924 km2 (357 sq mi)
Elevation
578 m (1,896 ft)
Population
 (2011 census)
  Rank6th in Montenegro
  Urban
12,900
  Rural
30,651
  Municipality
46,051
Demonym(s)Belopoljese
Bjelopoljci
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
84000
Area code+382 50
ISO 3166-2 codeME-04
Car platesBP
ClimateCfb
Websitewww.bijelopolje.co.me

Bijelo Polje[a][b] (Cyrillic: Бијело Поље, pronounced [bîjɛlɔː pɔ̂ʎɛ]) is a town located in the Northern Region of Montenegro, situated along Lim River. It has an urban population of 12,900 (2011 census). It is the administrative, economic, cultural and educational centre of northern Montenegro.

Bijelo Polje is the center of Bijelo Polje Municipality (population of 38,662). Bijelo Polje means 'white field' in Serbo-Croatian.

History

[edit]

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 was written.

During World War II, Bijelo Polje was a prominent location for the anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia, Montenegro in particular.[1]

Demographics

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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 12,242 citizens.

Ethnicity

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The ethnic composition of the town of Bijelo Polje in the 2023 census was as follows: 40.16% Bosniaks, 25.25% Serbs, 20.89% Montenegrins, 8.41% ethnic Muslims. A total of 1.82% of the population are part of other ethnic groups and 3.47% are undeclared. [2]

Religion

[edit]
Religion in Bijelo Polje (2023) [3]
  1. Islam (49.1%)
  2. Eastern Orthodoxy (45.2%)
  3. Irreligion (1.00%)
  4. Other religion (1.15%)
  5. Undeclared (3.61%)

Bijelo Polje is religiously diverse, with the majority of the population adhering to Islam and Eastern Orthodoxy. Islamic community primarily consists of Bosniaks and ethnic Muslims, while the Orthodox Christianity is predominantly practiced by Serbs and Montenegrins. Religious institutions, such as mosques and churches, are an integral part of the town's cultural and social fabric, reflecting its multi-ethnic and multi-religious character. Despite historical challenges, Bijelo Polje is known for its peaceful coexistence and tolerance between different religious communities.

Culture and sights

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Bijelo Polje was the birthplace of many prominent writers such as Ćamil Sijarić, Miodrag Bulatović, Risto Ratković and Dragomir Brajković as well as basketball player Nikola Peković.

Sports

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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.

Transport

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BERJAYA
Bijelo Polje is the end of the Montenegrin part of the Belgrade–Bar railway

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 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 for Belgrade, and it serves as a regional train station. Podgorica Airport is 130 km (81 mi) away, and has regular flights to major European destinations.

Climate

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Bijelo Polje has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb) with warm summers, cold winters, and abundant precipitation year round.

Climate data for Bijelo Polje (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1950–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.0
(64.4)
27.0
(80.6)
26.5
(79.7)
30.8
(87.4)
33.5
(92.3)
35.5
(95.9)
39.0
(102.2)
39.8
(103.6)
36.5
(97.7)
32.0
(89.6)
25.5
(77.9)
20.1
(68.2)
39.8
(103.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 5.0
(41.0)
8.4
(47.1)
13.1
(55.6)
17.7
(63.9)
22.4
(72.3)
26.3
(79.3)
28.4
(83.1)
29.1
(84.4)
24.0
(75.2)
18.1
(64.6)
11.6
(52.9)
5.0
(41.0)
17.4
(63.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.8
(25.2)
−2.7
(27.1)
0.3
(32.5)
4.3
(39.7)
8.7
(47.7)
12.3
(54.1)
13.8
(56.8)
13.7
(56.7)
10.4
(50.7)
6.4
(43.5)
1.9
(35.4)
−2.2
(28.0)
5.3
(41.5)
Record low °C (°F) −27.6
(−17.7)
−24.5
(−12.1)
−18.2
(−0.8)
−8.6
(16.5)
−4.0
(24.8)
−0.8
(30.6)
1.2
(34.2)
2.6
(36.7)
−4.0
(24.8)
−7.2
(19.0)
−15.4
(4.3)
−21.7
(−7.1)
−27.6
(−17.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 63.6
(2.50)
77.3
(3.04)
69.0
(2.72)
70.9
(2.79)
80.8
(3.18)
73.9
(2.91)
69.8
(2.75)
51.3
(2.02)
87.2
(3.43)
85.3
(3.36)
100.0
(3.94)
88.3
(3.48)
917.4
(36.12)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 8.2 8.7 7.9 9.2 10.3 8.5 7.5 6.4 8.1 8.2 8.9 9.1 101.0
Average relative humidity (%) 82 76 71 69 72 75 74 74 78 79 82 85 76
Source 1: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration[4]
Source 2: Hydrological and Meteorological Service of Montenegro (humidity 1961–1990)[5][6]

Notable people

[edit]
BERJAYA
A street in Bijelo Polje.

Twin towns – sister cities

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Bijelo Polje is twinned with:[7][8]

Notes

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  1. Ottoman Turkish: آق اووه; Turkish: Akova
  2. Albanian: Akovë

References

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  1. Morrison, Kenneth (2008). Montenegro: A Modern History. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 0857714872.
  2. "Broj stanovnika po naseljima i nacionalnoj odnosno etničkoj pripadnosti, Popis 2023. godine" (in Montenegrin). Uprava za statistiku Crne Gore - MONSTAT. Retrieved 2026-04-05.
  3. "Broj stanovnika po naseljima i vjeri, Popis 2023. godine" (in Montenegrin). Uprava za statistiku Crne Gore - MONSTAT. Retrieved 2026-04-05.
  4. "Bijelo Polje Climate Normals for 1991-2020" (CSV). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  5. "Climate: Bijelo Polje" (in Montenegrin). Hydrological and Meteorological Service of Montenegro. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  6. "Dnevni prosjeci i ekstremi" (in Montenegrin). Hydrological and Meteorological Service of Montenegro. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  7. "Gradovi i Opštine pobratimi sa Opštinom Bijelo Polje". bijelopolje.co.me (in Montenegrin). Bijelo Polje. Archived from the original on 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
  8. "Bratimljenje" (PDF). database.uom.me (in Montenegrin). Zajednica opština Crne Gore. January 2013. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  9. "Міста-побратими". bc-rada.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Bila Tserkva. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  10. "Bijelo Polje (Czarnogóra)". miasto.hrubieszow.pl (in Polish). Hrubieszów. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  11. "Maardu partner cooperations". maardu.kovtp.ee. Maardu linn. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
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