BIJELJINA
The city of Bijeljina is located in the northeastern part of Republic of Srpska, on the crossroads of important travelling routes not far from the largest cities in Serbia – 120km away from Belgrade and 100km away from Novi Sad. As a center of the fertile plain Semberija, Bijeljina is one of the leaders in food production and trade. The city area stands on large underground reserves of geothermal water of around 75 Celsius, which is the warmest one in Republic of Srpska. So far, the archaeological research in this area has shown a continuous settlement in Semberija ever since the prehistory – Neolithic times.
In 1st century AD Semberija became a Roman province Pannonia, and during the Great Migration Period, this area was inhabited by Southern Slavs. The Museum of Semberija is located in the oldest building in Bijeljina, where the most attractive exhibition presents items from the prehistoric period. The oldest library was established in 1932 with around 100 000 books. City park in the center of Bijeljina has been present for more than 100 years and it is one of the largest ones in Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cultural heritage of Bijelina was vastly influenced by Filip Visnjic, as one the most famous gusle players and epic poets. In Bijeljina we also have 6 official national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina: monastery Tavna, Atik mosque, Sokol center, cathedral of Mary’s Immaculate Heart, Novo selo and Vanek’s mill.
The healing water of Banja Dorovi and its chemical and physical attributes is ideal for prevention and treatment of all types of rheumatic and all other diseases. The springs of geothermal water emerge from the depth of 1345m with temperature of 75 Celsius. In Veilno selo, where Drina flows into Sava, there is a unique natural reservation – Gromizelj swamp. It is a very important and mystical habitat, a silent oasis of legends and rare plants and animals. The forest slopes of Majevica hide true natural gems that will leave you breathless. Rivers Sava and Drina are considered the biggest natural wealth of this area. Their banks offer swimming refreshment during the hot summer days.
The region of Semberija and Bijeljina itself is famous for food production, especially cabbage due to the appropriate climate and fertile ground. The abundance of water streams contributes to the rich fish fund, with most common types such as carp, catfish, pike, grass carp, barbel, perch, zander, sneep and vimba bream.
Source: www.visitsrpska.org
