|
 Niš
is one of the oldest cities in the Balkans. It is the second largest
city in our country, and the centre of the Administrative District of the
Nišava.
Situated at the crossroads, Niš connects the Balkans to
Europe, and Europe to the Near East. That is why it has always been
considered a gateway between The East and The West.
The climate of Niš area is moderate, continental. The
average temperature is 11.2°C. July is the warmest month of the year,
with the average of 21.2°C. The coldest month is January, averaging at
0.2°C. The average annual rainfall is 567.25 mm/m2. The
average barometer value is 992.74 mb. There are 123 days with rain and 43
days with snow. On the average, the wind force is just below 3 Beaufort.
Niš is very easily accessible, having an airport and being a
point of intersection of numerous railroad and highway lines. Niš
is a modern university centre, and a city of more than 300 000
inhabitants. It is the centre of the whole
south-eastern
part of Serbia - the natural, social, economic, educational, medical,
cultural and sports centre. The city covers an area of about 597 square kilometres, including the city of Niš itself, the Niška
Banja Spa and 68 suburbs.
Niš is one of the most important industrial centres in
Yugoslavia, well known for its industry of electronics, its industry of
mechanical engineering, the textile industry and the
tobacco industry.
Statistics show that the system of education is quite elaborate in our
city: there are 50 000 pupils attending 32 primary and 21 secondary
schools. There are 14 000 students at Niš University, which
comprises 10 faculties. Health facilities in Niš are modern
and very well developed: there are 30 clinics, medical centres and
institutes which are, on one hand, open to students of the Faculty of
Medicine and their obligatory training programs, and, on the other hand,
offer the citizens of Niš and the south-eastern Serbia a wide
range of modern methods and services for the prevention and treatment of
their health problems.
 Niš
has celebrated the hundredth anniversary of its first Grammar School, of
its
National Theatre, the Public Library, and the local literary magazine.
The cultural life in Niš is shaped by the numerous
institutions - the National Theatre, the Public Library, the National
Museum, the Symphony Orchestra, the Puppet Theatre, Zavod za zaštitu
spomenika (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments), the
University Library, the City Archives, the Gallery of Contemporary Art,
Dom kulture (Culture Club), Kulturno-prosvetna zajednica (the Centre for
Culture and Education), several publishing houses, and many amateur
organizations in arts and culture. Several famous cultural manifestations
have already become part of Niš's tradition: Filmski susreti,
the Yugoslav Festival of Actors' Achievements, Yugoslav Choral Festival (YCF),
the international festival of amateur choirs, as well as the Art Colony in
Sićevo, the oldest of its kind in Yugoslavia.
Niš has a lot to offer to tourists. In Niška Banja Spa
there are many tourist objects that can be used for the purposes of
recreation or convalescence, as well as for organizing congresses and
conferences, or various sports and cultural happenings. Besides, there are
several popular picnic sites in the close vicinity of the city. More than
40 local sports clubs include both professional and amateur ones. The
citizens of Niš love sports, whether they go in for sports
themselves or just cheer the professionals. Some of Niš sports
clubs have achieved remarkable results in Yugoslav and international
competitions.
The
National Theatre of Niš
was founded on March 11, 1887. It is one of the oldest theatres in Serbia.
Many a great actor has trodden its stage during these 111 years. The
theatre company has given over 10,000 performances, which have been seen
by more than six million spectators not only in Niš but also all over
Serbia, Yugoslavia, and abroad.
The National Theatre
performs national and foreign, classical and modern plays. It has five
premieres a year on average and about 200 repeat performances. It takes
part in theatre festivals all over the country, successfully representing
the town. In 1998. its production of "I, Claudius" won seven
awards in the "Joakim Vujić" theatre festival and one in
the "Days of Ljubiša Jovanović", theatre festival in
Sabac.
The idea to found the Symphony Orchestra of Niš was conceived in
1951, after the State Symphony Orchestra of Serbia had a concert in the
town. Stojan Andrić, Headmaster of Primary Music School at that time,
and Božidar Perić, conductor of the Army Orchestra, made the
proposal.
The Town Symphony Orchestra of Radio-Niš was founded on March 12,
1952. The stars of the first concert were Ljudevit Pap, violin-player, and
Stojan Andrić, conductor.
Until 1960 the Orchestra had its name changed several times. It used to be
called: the Symphony Orchestra of the National Theatre (Music Section);
the Philharmonic Orchestra of Niš; the Town Symphony Orchestra;
finally it became the Symphony Orchestra of Niš. In its almost
fifty-year long history, many artists (such as: Stojan Andrić, dr
Ilija Marinković, Lambra Dimitrijević, Nikola Bojadžijev,
Jurij Ferik, Dejan Savić, etc.) have invested their efforts and
talents in the development of this institution. Their devotion and love of
music made the Symphony Orchestra of Niš, as a critic says, "the
pillar of music life in this city.
The Orchestra also owes a lot to numerous full- and part-time musicians,
as well as enthusiasts and assistant for their
contribution to its success.
This Orchestra is the only Symphony Orchestra in Serbia outside Belgrade,
so it gives concerts not only in Niš but also all over Serbia. Last
year, the Orchestra had two successful concerts in Greece. In 1999 the
Symphony Orchestra is planning twelve premieres and fifty concerts and
visits.
Pasteur's
Institute was founded in 1900. as the first public health facility in the
field of health care in Yugoslavia. In the period between 1923. and 1926.
the Institute became the Epidemiological, i.e. Health Care Institute.
The building flanks an already existing edifice; however, the symmetry of
the façade and the beauty of the decorations are not marred by the
extension.
Today this reconstructed building is the home of the Museum of Public
Health, the School of Health Care Education, and the Serbian Doctors'
Society
September 4, 1998. will be marked in Serbian history as the date when the
first diplomatic mission outside Belgrade
was opened.
On March 24, 1999, NATO forces hit hard
on Ni¹
and its suburbs. The justification for
that attack was questionable. What is certain, though, was the fact that
many of NATO bombs were directed against both military and non-military
targets. This photo of a bombarded Secondary Technical School bears
testimony of this fact. |
