In Ni\u0161, January 11 marks the day when, in 1878, the city was liberated from the Turks. After nearly five centuries of enslavement, the city of Ni\u0161 was freed from the Turks on January 11, 1878. On that day, the Serbian flag was raised on the Fortress, and Prince Milan entered the city several days later. In the fighting, 120 Serbian soldiers were killed and nearly 800 were wounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The battles for the liberation of Ni\u0161 began in mid-December 1877, when the Ibar, Morava, and Danube divisions crossed the Serbian-Turkish border and took positions northwest of the city, approaching it to within five to eight kilometers. The Ibar Division advanced farther south and cut the connection between Ni\u0161 and Leskovac. The Serbian army then captured Pirot and Bela Palanka, preventing communication between the Turkish garrison in Ni\u0161 and the troops in Sofia, and reached Mount Seli\u010devica, closing the encirclement of Ni\u0161 from the south as well. The total Serbian forces numbered 15,000 soldiers and 102 cannons, while the Turkish forces had 5,000 soldiers and 267 cannons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n