Nikšić (Cyrillic: Никшић, ) is Montenegro's second-largest city, with an urban population of 66,700 as of the 2023 census. It lies in the western region of the country, at the heart of the expansive Nikšić field, nestled at the base of Trebjesa Hill.
Nikšić serves as the administrative center of the Nikšić Municipality, which encompasses a population of 65,705 and spans the largest area among all Montenegrin municipalities. By territory, it was also the largest municipality in the former Yugoslavia. The city plays a key role as a hub for industry, education, and culture in the country.
Name
In classical antiquity, the area of Nikšić was the site of the settlement of the Illyrian tribe of the Endirudini and was known in sources of the time as Anderba or Enderon. The Roman Empire built a military camp (castrum Anderba) in the 4th century AD, which was known as the Ostrogothic fortress Anagastum (after 459. AD). After Slavic settlement in the region, Anagastum became Slavic Onogošt, which was the name of the town and župa (county) in the Middle Ages. Onogošt was renamed as Nikšić in the middle of 15th century after the Nikšići, a Montenegrin tribe.
History
Antiquity
The region formed one of the core areas of the Illyrian kingdom with its capital in Rhizon. It was inhabited by the Endirudini, who figure in the list of tribes which surrendered to Octavian in 33 BC. The Endirudini were one of the tribes who were included in the administrative reorganization of the tribal units in the early Roman Empire and became part of the Docleatae with Doclea as their administrative center. Evliya Çelebi mentioned Serbs who live in the villages around Nikšić. The name "Nikšić" was used alongside Onogošt until 1767, when the name Nikšić was officially implemented after an ayan council, a high-profile meeting of Ottoman feudal lords which was relatively common at the time. During the later years of Ottoman occupation, the town served as a significant fortified military stronghold. During the course of Ottoman rule, a total of four mosques were built in Nikšić. The first one, Donjogradska, was constructed between 1695 and 1703. The people of Nikšić relied on and cooperated with the harambašas from Popovo Polje, Trebinje and Trebinje Šuma, (), and calculated that 19,000 Serbs could rise up in revolt, while weapons were to arrive from Russia, via Greece. The Turks reacted to that by sending 10,000 soldiers led by pasha Kauzlarić to quell the rebellion. After the suppression of the uprising by the Turks, in which local Slavic Muslims probably took part, there was no more mention of the wider rebellion in historical sources. English archaeologist Arthur Evans witnessed the negotiations between Nicholas I of Montenegro (Nikola I) and the remaining Bosniaks (Muslims) after the siege, and subsequently wrote about them in his diary: