Bela Palanka
Encyclopedia
Bela Palanka is a town and municipality located in the Pirot District
of south-east Serbia
. According to 2011 census, the population of the town is 8,112, while population of the municipality is 12,051. In ancient times, the town was known as Remesiana
. The name "Bela Palanka" means "white town".
to Pirot
, Babušnica
, Dimitrovgrad
and Sofia
.
and known under the ancient name of Aiadava
or Aeadaba. Thracians
inhabited the area until their assimilation into contemporary ethnic groups in the area.
After the Romans conquered Moesia
in the 75 BC, the new castrum (imperial domain with estates) and municipium was known initially as Ulpianorum and then Remesiana (Moesi
) and laid on the Via Militaris
road, between Naissus and Serdica.
Emperor Justinian had following strongholds in the district of Remesiana:
The patron saint
of Romania
, Nicetas of Remesiana
, was a 4th century bishop
at Remesiana. Peter the Hermit
was defeated by the Byzantines in the north and regrouped at a evacuated Bela Palanka, gathering the harvest before heading to Constantinople
.
Excavations include well-preserved castrum dating to 4th century, a hoard of 260 coins minted during the rule of Constantine I
, Theodosius I
, Tiberius Claudius Nero
(3rd century AD).
Pirot District
The Pirot District expands in the south eastern parts of Serbia. It has a population of 92,277. Its seat is in the city of Pirot.-Municipalities:It encompasses the municipalities of:*Bela Palanka*Pirot*Babušnica...
of south-east Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. According to 2011 census, the population of the town is 8,112, while population of the municipality is 12,051. In ancient times, the town was known as Remesiana
Remesiana
Remesiana was an ancient Roman city built after the Roman conquest of Moesia, in the area of the Dacian town Aiadava. It is located all around and under modern day city of Bela Palanka, Serbia....
. The name "Bela Palanka" means "white town".
Geography
Bela Palanka is a small town in the south-east of the country and is surrounded by beautiful countryside and mountains. The town is accessible from the nearby city of Niš by the "Niš Express" buses that run from NišNiš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
to Pirot
Pirot
Pirot is a town and municipality located in south-eastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 38,432, while the population of the municipality is 57,911...
, Babušnica
Babušnica
Babušnica is a town and municipality located in the Pirot District of Serbia. According to 2011 census, the population of the town is 4,578, while population of the municipality is 12,259.-Geography:...
, Dimitrovgrad
Dimitrovgrad, Serbia
Dimitrovgrad is a town and 483 km² large municipality located in the Pirot District of the Republic of Serbia. According to 2011 census, the municipality of Dimitrovgrad has a population of 10,056 people and the town 6,247.-Name:...
and Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
.
Demographics
Ethnic groups in the municipality (2002 census):- Serbs = 12,981
- Roma = 1,228
- others.
History
Originally settled by DaciansDacians
The Dacians were an Indo-European people, very close or part of the Thracians. Dacians were the ancient inhabitants of Dacia...
and known under the ancient name of Aiadava
Aiadava
Aiadava was a Dacian town in the Remesiana region, present day Bela Palanka, Serbia.After the Romans conquered Moesia in the 75 BC, the new castrum and municipium was known initially as Ulpianorum and then Remesiana and laid on the Via Militaris road, between Naissus and Serdica.Emperor...
or Aeadaba. Thracians
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
inhabited the area until their assimilation into contemporary ethnic groups in the area.
After the Romans conquered Moesia
Moesia
Moesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
in the 75 BC, the new castrum (imperial domain with estates) and municipium was known initially as Ulpianorum and then Remesiana (Moesi
Moesi
The Moesi were a Daco-Thracian tribe who inhabited present day Serbia and Bulgaria, part of the then Roman province of Moesia, which was named after them in 87 AD by the Romans after the Romans under Crassus defeated them in the 29 BC.- History :...
) and laid on the Via Militaris
Via Militaris
Via Militaris or Via Diagonalis was an ancient Roman road, starting from Singidunum , passing by Danube coast to Viminacium , through Naissus , Serdica , Philippopolis , Adrianopolis , and reaching Constantinople...
road, between Naissus and Serdica.
Emperor Justinian had following strongholds in the district of Remesiana:
Brittura Subaras Lamponiana Stronges Dalmatas Primiana Phrerraria Topera Tomes Cuas Tzertzenutzas Stens Aeadaba Destreba Pretzouries Cumudeba Deurias Lutzolo Rhepordenes Spelonca Scumbro Briparo Tulcoburgo Longiana Lupophantana Dardapara Dardapara Dardapara was two Thracian localities in the Dardania-Remesiana regions , present Serbia.Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I rebuilt Dardapara.A Dardapara has been connected with Grdelica, in Leskovac, southern Serbia.... Burdomina Grinciapana Graecus Drasimarca |
The patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Nicetas of Remesiana
Nicetas of Remesiana
Saint Nicetas was Bishop of Remesiana, present-day Bela Palanka in the Pirot District of modern Serbia, but which was then in the Roman province of Dacia Mediterranea.-Biography:...
, was a 4th century bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
at Remesiana. Peter the Hermit
Peter the Hermit
Peter the Hermit was a priest of Amiens and a key figure during the First Crusade.-Before 1096:According to Anna Comnena, he had attempted to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem before 1096, but was prevented by the Seljuk Turks from reaching his goal and was tortured.Sources differ as to whether he...
was defeated by the Byzantines in the north and regrouped at a evacuated Bela Palanka, gathering the harvest before heading to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
Excavations include well-preserved castrum dating to 4th century, a hoard of 260 coins minted during the rule of Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
, Theodosius I
Theodosius I
Theodosius I , also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War, establishing their homeland...
, Tiberius Claudius Nero
Tiberius Claudius Nero
-Roman Republic:* Tiberius Claudius Nero, the first man supposed to bear the name, son of Appius Claudius Caecus*Tiberius Claudius Nero * Three praetors whose lifetimes overlap:...
(3rd century AD).