Bajina Baà ¡ta (, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of western Serbia. The town lies in the valley of the Drina river at the eastern edge of Tara National Park.
According to the 2022 census, the town's population is 8,971 inhabitants, while the municipality has 23,533 inhabitants.
The name comes from the vast orchards and vegetable gardens, that used to be located on the left bank of the Pilica River, which belonged to a Turkish feudal owner, Baja Osman, who established the town's modern image in the mid-19th century. In English, the name ' literally means "BajaâÂÂs Garden".
The areas around Bajina Baà ¡ta have significant historical heritage. In the village of Pilica, there are archeological remains of Roman architecture dating from the 2nd and 3rd century and ornamented tombstones. Other archeological sites lie in the Kremna valley (43 tombstones), Mokra Gora (38), PeruÃÂac, Rastià ¡te and Dub. The oldest historical findings in this area date from the Neolithic period (5,000 year B.C.) â remains of these communities, Kremenilo and Jokin Breg, are found near Vià ¡esava. The remnants of these settlements show that people lived in about 2.5 m deep dugouts, on three underground levels. Judging by their characteristics, these remains are considered to have belonged to the StarÃÂevo culture. Additionally, there is much evidence of the Iron Age material culture of the Autariatae. During Roman, Byzantine and Medieval period, Bajina Baà ¡ta was an important trade center and the cross-border with Bosnia.
In 1834 Bajina Baà ¡ta was established on the site of the village of Pljeskovo which was situated on the right bank of the Drina river, between the RaÃÂa and Pilica rivers, under the eastern foothills of the Tara mountain. In accordance with the Serbian-Ottoman agreement, the local Muslims in the area moved to the other side of the Drina (in Bosnia and Herzegovina), where they established the villages of Skelani and Dobrak. In 1858 the town became the administrative center of the RaÃÂa District. On September 15, 1872, Milan ObrenoviàIV issued a decree that recognized Bajina Baà ¡ta its status as a town. A decade later, Bajina Baà ¡ta received its urban plan, long before many places in Serbia.
During the Ottoman Empire, the RaÃÂa region was part of the Soko nahiya of the Sanjak of Zvornik, and later on part of the Uà ¾ice nahija. In the following tumultuous decades, Bajina Baà ¡ta belonged to the Uà ¾ice District, Uà ¾ice canton, and region. Today, the town lies in the Zlatibor District. In 1875 a mixed craftsmen guild was founded with 88 different occupations, based on forestry and stock farming. In attempts to improve trade links between Serbia and Bosnia, the first customs station was opened in Skelani in 1880. The following year, the first post office with a telegraph was opened. The number of inhabitants increased from 374 in 1864 to 1,306 by 1910. Residents in the nearby village of RaÃÂa made a major contribution in the Serbian-Turkish War (1876âÂÂ1878). In the following Balkan Wars and World War I (1912âÂÂ1918), over 300 people from the small village died.
The RaÃÂa monastery (7 km southwest) is considered the most significant historical treasure of the area. Built by King Stefan Dragutin (1276âÂÂ1282), the monastery was the center of transcription and illumination of medieval religious manuscripts of Serbia. These monks became known as the RaÃÂani. Abundant wall paintings and iconostasis cover the walls, dating after the church's reconstruction in 1835. The monastery houses a treasury and a library containing over 1,200 books and manuscripts. In the village of Dub (10 km from Bajina Baà ¡ta) there is a wooden church from 1792, of a specific architecture, covered with shingle roof. A variety of ornaments and icons, a gate from the 17th century, make this church one of the more memorable churches in Serbia.
During the unification of the Southern Slavs of Europe and creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Bajina Baà ¡ta continued its urban expansion. In 1926, a metal bridge that linked to Skelani was built, replacing the ferry that crossed the Drina River. The electrification of the town started in 1928 and two years later the first town's hospital was built. The utilization of forests, the famed bajinac tobacco and the construction of elementary schools in the region greatly helped improve the standard of living and educational level of the inhabitants. In 1940, the downtown area built its first water piping and sewage system and cobblestone streets.
During World War II, Bajina Baà ¡ta was severely damaged. Events that marked human history in the period between 1939–1945, were reflected in this region as well in a form of civil war and liberation fights against the occupying Axis army. A RaÃÂan militia was formed in the first stages of the armed resistance against the occupants. From August 3–23, 1941, the militia solidified into a military formation consisting of 62 soldiers. The first free territory in the occupied Europe â "Republic of Uà ¾ice", brought only temporary liberation to Bajina Baà ¡ta. In this region, the first People's Liberation Committee NOO was formed. During the war, especially in 1943, Bulgarian forces caused many civilian casualties. Bajina Baà ¡ta was liberated from Nazi forces on September 12, 1944.
After the World War II ended, Bajina Baà ¡ta continued to develop into an economical, cultural and administrative center of the municipality which extended 672 km<sup>2</sup> (418 milesò) around the town. The second half of the 20th century is marked by the expansion of trade, banking, agricultural cooperatives, sawmills and craftsmen guilds. Intensive economic growth began in 1966 when the Bajina Baà ¡ta Hydroelectric Power Plant in PeruÃÂac was put in operation. This is the second largest hydroelectric power plant in Serbia today, after ÃÂerdap on the Danube River.
During the turmoil in Bosnia-Hercegovina 1992âÂÂ1995 (Bosnian War) Bajina Baà ¡ta came under occasionally shelling from Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) offensive operations in early 1993. Several villages north of Bajina Baà ¡ta along the Drina river on the Serbian side came under fire in this period. First when the VRS (Bosnian Serb army) later during 1993 launched counter offensive operations the sporadic attacks stopped.
The town has preserved architecture from the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, which goes along well with the more recent urban structures. Rural settlements are more archaic in layout and building structure, the most attractive and significant ones are RogaÃÂica, the former center of the RaÃÂa district, as well as KostojeviÃÂi, Pilica, and other localities.
The expansion and development of Bajina Baà ¡ta by the modern urbanization plan was directed along the main streets which are part of the main routes from Uà ¾ice to PeruÃÂac (Kneza Milana ObrenoviÃÂa Street) and RogaÃÂica to Tara (Svetosavska Street). These routes intersect in the town's center. Bajina Baà ¡ta is considered a modern urban settlement with potential for horizontal expansion. Downtown Bajina Baà ¡ta is a mixture of commercial, residential, and administrative buildings of different facades and height. The heart of the town is Duà ¡ana JerkoviÃÂa Square, which is surrounded by the old-style architecture found in Serbia during the mid to late 19th century.
Bajina Baà ¡ta's climate is moderate continental with four distinct seasons. Summers are warm and pleasant with cool nights, and winters are sunny, with snow levels high enough for widespread winter sports. However, the humidity of the air increased greatly after the construction of the power plant in PeruÃÂac and the formation of the artificial PeruÃÂac Lake and Zaovine Lake, in the mountains. The average annual rainfall is 700âÂÂ800 mm locally, contributing to a marked agricultural environment.
Bajina Baà ¡ta has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb) that's very close to a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfb). <div style="width:80%;">
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According to the 2011 census results, the municipality of Bajina Baà ¡ta has 26,022 people. The town itself hosts 9,148 people while the other 16,874 live in thirty-five outlying villages and non-urban areas surrounding the town.
Most of the residing population are immigrants, who after the liberation of the area from the Turks in the 19th century, settled these areas, originally coming from Herzegovina, the northwestern parts of Montenegro, Sandà ¾ak, Osat (Bosnia), Dalmatia (Pepelj) and Kremna. At present, a considerable decrease in population is recorded due to economic migrations towards the regional centers of Serbia, such as Uà ¾ice, Valjevo, ÃÂaÃÂak, and Belgrade.
Ethnic composition of the municipality:
The greatest natural resources of the municipality are the Drina River and Tara Mountain. The Drina is especially significant for its water power potentials. Specialists have estimated that it is possible to erect several hydroelectric power plants on this river. The annual flow of the Drina River is about 12.5 cubic kilometers of water. The Bajina Baà ¡ta Hydroelectric power plant was built on the Drina to harness that energy. The dam is located 12 km west of Bajina Baà ¡ta, near PeruÃÂac. Its average annual production amounts to 1,625 GWh of electric power. For the sake of better utilization of water power potential, the first reversible hydro-electric power plant in Europe was built in Zaovine, near the top of Tara Mountain.
Tara Mountain has long been a well-known tourist resort owing to its pleasant moderately continental and sub-continental climate. In 1981, Tara became a national park. It covers an area of 300 square kilometers and is the largest natural park in Serbia. The mountain has an abundance of flora and fauna. Apart from white pine tree, maple-trees and famous Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika), here you can find rare game including bear, roe deer, and chamois. The Drina River is a part of the local cultural identity and has great potential in rafting sports and fishing.
Moderate continental and mountainous climatic conditions are especially suitable for recovery and medical treatment of patients with bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, anemia and other diseases. Special attention is paid to tourism development and different tourist manifestations utilizing the clean and clear air of Tara Mountain.
Industry had developed fairly well in Bajina Baà ¡ta, but recently saw a major downturn due to economic hardships and the civil wars that raged across the region in the 1990s. The major employers before the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars were:
The closing of some of these companies threw a majority of Bajina Baà ¡ta's and surrounding region's population into unemployment which lasted from 1990 until 2015. The only company from old days still functioning well is Drinske Hidroelektrane (Drina Hydroelectrics), headquartered in downtown Bajina Baà ¡ta. Drina Hydroelectrics are the owners of the PeruÃÂac and Vià ¡egrad hydroelectric power plants. Since 2015 economy is in full swing and unemployment rate is below average of the republic. Well known employers in real sector are BB KlekovaÃÂa (brandy producer), Temelj (construction company), Elektroizgradnja (wires and electrical services), Pinus (wooden products) and Rolomatik (aluminum doors and windows, engineering constructions).
Thanks to exceptionally good climatic conditions, Bajina Baà ¡ta has exceptional potential for agricultural profit. High-quality types of tobacco and medicinal herbs flourish in the valley of the Drina, grown by Bajinovac, an agriculture company. Plums, used for the making of Bajina Baà ¡ta's own regional juniper brandy KlekovaÃÂa, grow in abundance. Wheat is a mainstay of the valley, growing well during both the summer and winter growing seasons. The Bajina Baà ¡ta municipality is famous for its raspberry farms and Buà ¡insko polje, which is a part of Bajina Baà ¡ta, is famous for its organic strawberry farms.
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):
There are some traces of the Neolithic age, Iron Age Illyria, and Roman settlements for those interested in history. The ruins of the ancient town Solotnik, the log cabin church in the village Dub and RaÃÂa Monastery are important parts of Serbia's cultural legacy. In Tara National Park, KaluÃÂerske bare and the hotels Omorika (spruce), Javor (maple) and Beli bor (white pine), as well as the children's resort of Mitrovac, are the representative tourist destination which offer swimming pools, skiing and sports facilities.