Duisburg

The Rhine metropolis of Duisburg has a population of about 496,000 people and is located on the Lower Rhine. The history of the town dates back to the Roman era and is thus one of the oldest cities in Germany. In the Middle Ages it developed into a flourishing trading city and is now a major industrial city in North Rhine-Westphalia.

 Although Duisburg got its popularity from its steel mills, which produce up to 35% of steel in whole Germany, Duisburg also has a lot of other cultural and historical landmarks to offer, such as the following:

The Galeria Duisburg: The Galeria Duisburg is a shopping center and it is situated in an impressive glass palace. Here you can shop to your heart's content and recover yourself in the restaurant after a whole day shopping.. The Studio 47 station in Duisburg is based here.

The Theater Duisburg: The Theater Duisburg was opened in November 1912 and is located in the inner city. Its characteristics are the Roman columns. Theater, opera and philharmonic concerts take place here.

The Casino Duisburg: The Casino Duisburg is located in the entertainment complex City Palais and is one of the biggest casinos in Germany. After a game of roulette, poker or slot machines, the restaurant and bars invite you to satisfy your sophisticated palate with their culinary experience.

The Old Reichsbank: The Old Reichsbank is a building of the former Reichsbank and has been built in an impressive Italian palazzo style. Today, a Brauhaus is housed on the ground floor and is open for the visitors.

Citibank Tower: The Citibank Tower is the tallest building in Duisburg with a height of 72 meters and 16 floors. The office tower was built within ten months near the main station and opened in 1999. There is situated the main center of Citibank Private Customers AG.

Duisburg Zoo: The Duisburg Zoo was opened in 1934 and is the home of over 2100 animals, which can be admired. These include, for example, fossils, belugas, red river hogs or gorillas. Since 1994, koalas have also been raised here.

Duisburger Six-Lakes-Plate: The Duisburger Six-Lakes-Plate is a large recreation area in the district Weldau. The six lakes Wambachsee, Haubachsee, Böllertsee, Masurensee, Wolfs-See and Wildförstersee form the lake plateau. On the Wolfs-See the Wolfsberg was built in 1967 and features a view tower, which  offers a wonderful view over the landscape and an outdoor pool available for visitors to swim. It is allowed to sail and swin in each lake.

Duisburg Cultural and Historical Museum: it was founded in 1902 and it givesa glimpse into the city's history. It is located at the inner harbor of the city and offers an insight into the history of Duisburg. Close to the museum is the partially preserved city wall.

Enjoy the benefits of urban life. From the small street festival in the neighborhood to the big live concert: Duisburg has so much to offer. Particularly at the weekend it attracts with many events and parties in Duisburg. Numerous cinemas, restaurants, bars and pubs ensure a successful start into the nightlife. Whether musicals, theaters or comedy - at present 8209 events in the event calendar in Duisburg is the right thing for every taste.

 

Bijeljina

Bijeljina is the city and center of the municipality of the same name in the northeastern part of the Republic of Srpska. The municipality's area is 734 km² and the total population is approximately 114,663. The city is the historical center of Semberija and one of the richest cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a fertile plain town, it is one of the centers for the production and trade of food. Bijeljina is recognizable by the spacious central square, whose beauty enhances the pleasant ambience of the City Park.

In May 2012, the Government of the Republic of Srpska made a decision to change the status of the municipality of Bijeljina by which Bijeljina was granted the status of the city in 1992.

In the area of ​​Bijeljina municipality, for now the oldest confirmed traces of human life originate from the young Stone Age (5000-3000 BC). Remains from the period of the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age and Antique period were also recorded. Locations Gradac and Agricultural Land were searched in Batković, Glavičice, Kućerina in Dvorovi, Kočinovac village, Brodić in Triješnica, and from the ancient period, a Roman villa was discovered at the location of Prekaja in Brodac, and in Velika Obarska was found a lead tile of cult purposes with a play 'Danubian horsemen'.

The most famous Old Serbian and Old Slavic site was explored on both sides of Bistrica between the villages of Batković and Ostojićevo and consisted of 4 localities between the 7th and 12th centuries. It is especially important that a large complex of workshops in the metallurgical settlement where the ancestors in the 8th century dissolved iron and produced iron tools was explored at the Čelopek locality, as clearly evidenced by the finding of the gus - graphite pot kept in the Bijeljina Museum. At this time, the settlement of Bistrica, the likely name of Bistrica, was undoubtedly the center of the parish which encompassed the entire plain before Bijeljina emerged.

The first mention of the name Bijeljina is lost in the distant past. In the "Yearbook of Pop Dukljanin" one victory of Zahumski prince Bele - Pavlimiro against Hungarians "is mentioned in the Belina plain". Today in science it is believed that the first sure significance of the settlement of Bijeljina was that of March 3, 1446, when a Dubrovnik merchant was robbed by the people of Ilica Ban.

Bijeljina is a rare city that has only changed the entire population in only the last 500 years. For the first time it was with the arrival of the Turks in 1520, and the second time with the arrival of the Austrians in 1716. According to the Zvornik Sandzak census in 1533, only 4 villages are mentioned in the abandoned Bijeljina region: Cetvrtkovište, Mirkovci (Dašnica), Grm (Galac) and Čukojevići (Modran) with 55 houses in total. In the next census of 1548, there were 17 villages with 772 houses, of which 554 were Orthodox and 218 Muslim. From this time also is the oldest building in the Bijeljina municipality, which is the spiritual center of the Serbs of this region - the Tavna Monastery, the non-Banjanic endowment.