CULTURE

The oldest cultural institution in Bijeljina is the People's Library "Filip Visnjic", opened in 1932, thanks to the prominent intelectuals, who lived and worked in the town. The library has 100,000 titles and constantly participates in all the cultural activities and events in the town, especially "Visnjic's Days", held every year at the beginning of October. The event is a field-day of all art and popular art in Semberija and is organised by the Serbian Educational and Cultural Society "Prosvjeta", which has been active since 1905. A Bosniac's Educational and Cultural Society "Preporod" was revived at the end of last year. The Museum of Semberija began its life as a museum collection in 1972, and later became a museum with 10,000 items of ethnological, historic and archeological value.

The place which is a "must-see" when you come to visit Bijeljina is the "Milenko Atanackovic" Gallery which organises several exceptional art exibitions a year, which are visited by many true art-lovers, in a unique space.

The Serbian Culture and Art Society "Semberija" promotes and nurtures Serbian and all other people's cultural heritage and has folk dance, drama and poetry clubs. Thanks to the talent and enthusiasm of its young members the culture club "Semberija" is a frequent guest on the stages of European countries. There has been a Serbian Choir Society "Srbadija" since 1896. It was revived in the early 1990s and has represented itself and the town with great success at choir festivals throughout Europe. The May Choir Festival, organised by the Society, has become a traditional cultural event in Bijeljina. There are 90 active non-governmental organisations in the town, profesional and cultural organisations with citizen of all ages and walks of life, which individually or in cooperation with the municipality are working to create a better and more humane society.

HISTORY

Archeological findings are the proof that Semberija was inhabited even in prehistoric times. In the first cenutry A.D. the area of Semberija became part of the Roman Province Panonia. After the fall of the Roman Empire and the great migrations in the 7 century the area of Semberia was inhabited by the Old Slavs, the ancestors of the present inhabitants. Bijeljina, as a setlement, was mentioned for the first time in 1446 in a document in Dubrovnik archives. The name "Bijeljina" is of a Slavic origin, and most likely comes from the world "white".

In the Middle Ages Semberija was an integral part of The Austro-Hungarian monarchy, medieval Bosnia, The Serbian Kingdom and Despotovina.
Until the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy ruled the region, which made Semberija, after centuries of Turkish rule, closer to European civilisation. In the period from 1918 till 1992 this region was an integral part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, i.e. SFRY. Since the Civil War ended in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Dayton Agreement was signed in 1995 the Municipality of Bijeljina has remained within the Republic of Srpska.

The Coat of Arms of Bijeljina

The history and the past of Bijeljina are expressed on its coat of arms and the flag of the town which, besides having the national symbols and a heraldic expression on the natural characteristics of this area, are dominated by two outstanding figures- Duke Ivo of Semberija and Filip Visnjic.

Duke Ivo of Semberija -Ivan Knezevic (1760 - 1840) is a great and unexcelled Serbian benefactor and a humanist who sold his entire property during the 1st Serbian Uprising in order to buy out the Serbian slaves.

Filip Visnjic (1765-1835) is the greatest Serbian national poet, gusle-player that had followed the Serbian rebels as of 1809. He met Vuk Karadzic in 1815 and then Vuk wrote down Visnjic's poems about the 1st Serbian Uprising that abuond in historical data. The best poem of the blind gusle-player "The Beginning of the Upraise against Dayis" is considered to be one of the best Serbian epic poems in general .

The presence of Duke Ivo of Semberija and Filip Visnjic on the coat of arms of Bijeljina is an expression of respect that all generations of this town and the entire Semberija feel for their famous compatriots.