Bela Palanka

Bela Palanka ( Бела Паланка ) is a city and municipality in the Pirot District in the southeast of Central Serbia. Administrative center of the municipality is the city of Bela Palanka.

In 2002 the town had 8,626 inhabitants, while the population of the municipality was 14,381. The name " Bela Palanka " means " white town ".

The city is located 25 km west of Pirot on the European road 80 of Niš on the highway Belgrade - Presevo ( European Route 75) in an easterly direction via Pirot and Dimitrovgrad across the border to Sofia ( Bulgaria) leads.

Bela Palanka is located at about 300 m altitude in the valley of Nis, Nis the flows right through the city. In 40 km north-east of the boundary with Bulgaria. Neighboring community is Opština Knjaževac.

The municipality of Bela Palanka, which comprises 46 villages, has an area of 517 km ².

History

In Roman times the city was situated on the Via Militaris, between Naissus ( Niš ) and Serdica ( Sofia). It was originally a settlement of the Dacians with the name Aiadava or Aeadaba. After Thracians settled in the region. After the Romans conquered Moesia 75 BC, they built a castrum, which was initially known under the name Ulpianorum and later under the name Remesiana ( Moesi ).

In the 11th century, Bela Palanka station on the People's Crusade, a forerunner of the First Crusade. The People's Crusade, which is also known as a farmer and arms crusade crusade lasted about six months - from April to October 1096.

On October 13, 1944 Bela Panka was the scene in the so-called Belgrade Operation during World War II. It was a " major offensive of the Red Army, supported by Yugoslav partisans and Bulgarian forces. She led in 1944 to the capture of the city of Belgrade and threatened the retreat of the German Wehrmacht units from the Balkans. "