Niš

Niš

 or Nish

City (pop., 2002: 173,724), southeast of Belgrade, Serbia. The ancient Roman city was mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. It was the birthplace of Constantine I (c. 280), who adorned it with many buildings. Bomb damage in World War II and postwar construction erased much of its Turko-Byzantine style. It was held at various periods by Bulgarians, Hungarians, and Turks. During the Turkish period it became an important station on the route from Istanbul to Hungary. It was ceded to Serbia by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878 and was its capital for a period. It is a railroad junction and commercial centre.

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Niš 

a city in Yugoslavia, in the Socialist Republic of Serbia, on the Nišava River near its confluence with the Juina Morava River. Population, 127,700 (1971). The city is an important transportation junction. It has machine-building, textile, and food and condiment industries. The popular balneological health resort of Niška Banja is 10 km southeast of Niš.