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.

[3] The Roman Empire built a military camp (castrum Anderba) in the 4th century AD, which was known as the Ostrogothic fortress Anagastum (after 459.

[3] During the Early Middle Ages, it was located within the South Slavic (Sklavenoi) tribal provinces of Travunia or Duklja (which were under the authority of the Serbian Principality of the Vlastimirović dynasty).

[citation needed] Onogošt was first referred to as "Nikšić" in a document titled Radonia Pribisalich de Nichsich printed in 1518.

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.

[9] On July 18, 1876, the Principality of Montenegro defeated Ottoman forces in the Battle of Vučji Do in the western edge of the municipality of Nikšić.

On 27 August 1877, the rest of Nikšić was taken by the Montenegrin Army under the command of Vojvoda Mašo Vrbica after a 47-day siege against the Ottoman authorities.

[11] 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: "Prince Nikola upon entering Nikšić directly invited representatives of Muslim citizens and informed them that whoever decides to stay is guaranteed complete personal freedom, freedom to retain homes, land, and all property, complete freedom of religion and that they will enjoy all the rights of Montenegrin citizenry, even including the right to carry arms.

On the other hand, those who decide to leave will be allowed to bring any mobile goods and the Montenegrin government will issue a horse and an envoy up to the border.

[12] The ousting of King Nikola and the context of the transition to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes resulted in considerable tension and even violence in Nikšić.

On December 28, 1923, 11 Montenegrin "Komiti" who continued guerilla activities after the Christmas Uprising were executed in Nikšić by the Serbian Gendarmery.

[15] A gate was decorated in front of the new station, on which a portrait of King Petar II was installed with "Long Live Yugoslavia!"

[15] During the delay, much of the public was reportedly impatient, with two war veterans leading a kolo dance on the railroad tracks before the train arrived.

The first Partisan advances were violently repressed, as Nikšić became the site of a large number of public executions, including those of notable communists Ljubo Čupić and 16-year old Joka Baletić.

On September 24, 1948, six unmarked Supermarine Spitfire aircraft landed at Kapino Polje Airport, where they were retrofitted and delivered to the Israeli Air Force in a secret operation.

[18] One of the biggest changes in Nikšić were the construction of new factories, particularly the metal processing plant "Boris Kidrič", which Josip Broz Tito first visited in May 1959.

[19] During his second visit to Nikšić, Tito insisted that negative business results be addressed by modernizing machinery in the factory, as opposed to placing responsibility solely on workers.

[26] After a period of twenty days during which six suicides and two murders took place, clergymen in Nikšić decided to start an annual public liturgy, or Litija, which was attended by tens of thousands of worshipers who walked all the way from Ostrog Monastery in May 1996.

It is located at the centre of the spacious Nikšić field (Nikšićko polje), a karst plain[27] with an area of 48 km2, and an elevation of 640 m AMSL.

Nikšić receives 2,238 hours of sunshine per year, with warm and moderately wet summers, and cool and rainy winters.

The city layout visible today still follows the 1883 urban plan commissioned by King Nicholas and designed by Croatian architect Josip Slade.

According to this plan, the streets of Nikšić radiate to the north and east from the central city square (today a roundabout), locally known as Skver.

Thus, closest to the central roundabout is the historical core of Nikšić, formed after the liberation from Ottoman Empire, and serving as a nucleus for Slade's urban plan.

The area is composed of mostly single or two storey row housing with basic designs, an architecture typical for late 19th and early 20th centuries Montenegro.

Farther from the central roundabout, the historical core is encircled with a layer of mass residential blocks, built during the SFRY era.

The building of the highrise residential blocks facilitated housing of the large population drawn to the city by rapid post-World War II industrialisation.

Vučje ski resort is 18 km away from the city center, making winter sports a popular recreation among the citizens of Nikšić.

Today those industry giants cannot employ as many workers as they could back in the days of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the economy of Nikšić is slowly transforming into one that is more service-oriented.

After reaching Čapljina, the line used to run to the south, to the Ploče harbour in Croatia, and to the north, to the rest of the world via Mostar and Sarajevo.

Podgorica Airport is some 60 km (37 mi) away from Nikšić, and has regular flights to Belgrade, Sarajevo, Budapest, Zürich, Frankfurt, Ljubljana, Paris, Rome and Vienna.