Bela Palanka

Bela Palanka
Bela Palanka; Бела Паланка
	Municipality and Town
	View from heights
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	; Location of the municipality of Bela Palanka within Serbia
	Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country	Serbia
District	Pirot
Settlements	46
Government
• Mayor	Goran Miljkovic (DS)
Area
• Municipality	551 km2 (213 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
• Town	8,112
• Municipality	12,051
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	18310
Area code	+381 18
Car plates	PI[verification needed]
Website	www.belapalanka.org.rs

Bela Palanka (Serbian Cyrillic: Бела Паланка, pronounced [bɛ̂ːlaː pǎlaːŋka]) 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".

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 Niš to Pirot, Babušnica, Dimitrovgrad and Sofia.

Demographics

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Ethnic groups in the municipality (2002 census):

Serbs = 12,981
Roma = 1,228
others.

History

Originally settled by Dacians 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^[3] (Moesi) and laid on the Via Militaris 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 Burdomina Grinciapana Graecus Drasimarca

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 an evacuated Bela Palanka, gathering the harvest before heading to Constantinople.^[4]

Excavations include well-preserved castrum dating to 4th century and a hoard of 260 coins minted during the rule of Constantine I, Theodosius I, Tiberius Claudius Nero (3rd century AD).^[5]

From 1929 to 1941, Bela Palanka was part of the Morava Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

By night
Fountain
Spring
Donja Koritnica
Basilica Apse under excavation in Remesiana. Basilica is found under modern residential building.
3rd century Septimius Severus monument in Bela Palanka.
Rajko Mitic monument.jpg

Rajko Mitić Monument