K N JA Ĺ˝ E VA C t he p la ce wher e friend s a r e
Češka
Slovačka
Ukrajina
Austrija Mađarska Slovenija Rumunija
Hrvatska
Bosna i Hercegovina
Beograd
Srbija Knjaževac Niš Sofija
Italija nija Alba
Makedonija
Grčka K nj a ževa c - B eogra d 2 8 0 km K nj a ževa c - N i š 6 0 km K nj a ževa c - S ofij a 1 5 0 km
G U R GU S OV A C I ts na me w a s Gur gus ovac. The legend sa y s th a t it wa s n a m e d a fte r a t y pe of p igeons called “gur gus an“(Colu m b a p a lu m b u s). It wa s a to wn t h a t numerous tr avel-wr iter s wr ote abou t, le a v in g u s n o te s to stu d y ou t t he t ow n on thr ee r iver s , at the foo t o f th r e e m o u n ta in s. In th e a n cient t imes, Gur gus ovac was famous fo r a d u n g e o n -to we r a s w e ll,w here t he r uler s clos ed their politic a l o p p o n e n ts. W h e n M ilo š O brenovic, Prin ce of Ser bia( Knjaz Sr pski), in 1 8 5 9 o r d e r e d to c r a sh a n d b urn t he so called “Ser bian Bas tille “ , p e o p le c h a n g e d th e n a m e of the t ow n in his honor . Gur gus ovac be c a m e Kn ja ž e v a c .
Knjaže vac is s ituated o n cataco mb s b uilt b y t he Turk s fo r their o wn s afety , b ecaus e the former G ur g us o vac was at the cr o s s r o ad s t owa rds Vid in p as halic and So fi a.
T o d a y, t here a r e almos t 40,000 inhabita n ts in Kn ja ž e v a c - th e to wn a n d a b out 80 v illages belonging to its te r r ito r y . T r a v e lle r s p a ssin g t h rough usua lly s ay that it r es embles a h e a lth r e so r t, a n d it h a s a l wa ys b een t he town of wine and gr ap e , so u r c h e r r ie s, in te r e stin g c u st oms, rich c ultur e and fr iendly peop le .
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O L D TO W N T h e m ost b ea utiful par t of Knjaževac is its c e n te r , ” T h e O ld T ow n“.C olourfu l facades of commer cial a n d c r a ft sh o p s, an d ca fes w it h ter r aces , r eflect thems elv e s in th e c le a r wa ter of t he Svr ljiš ki Timok , embr aced b y th e m o d e r n life r o ut ine a nd p ro tected as par t of cultur al a n d h isto r ic a l h e r it a ge. T h e O ld Tow n h as been a r ecognizible im a g e o f th e to wn f or m ore t ha n a centur y, a ver y s pecial m a te r ia l d o c u m e n t ab o ut a n id yllic al life in a s mall eas t Se r b ia n to wn a t th e e n d of 1 9 t h a nd beginning of 20th centu r y .
“ It wa s a s lo ng ag o as in 1 9 1 0 . I ar r ived in Knjaže vac o ne evening , well s haken in a wo o d en coa ch.They immed iately to o k me to the taver n “ P a ris“ . T her e I s aw p eo p le’ s j ar s mad e o f b aked eart h. To mo r r o w, I d id my b es t to g et them. “ Le Co r b us ier I n the first d ecade of 20th centur y, pr e c ise ly in 1 9 1 0 , tra v elling t o t he Eas t, a famous ar chitec t L e Co r b u sie r , v i s it ed K nja ževac.I ns pir ed by the picture sq u e str e e ts a n d archit ect ure, he made a dr awing of Kn ja ž e v a c , in th e te c hniq ue of Van Gogh.This valuable do c u m e n t o f prep a ring K nja ž evac for the “ Eur opean lo o ks“ , is ke p t a t th e Na t iona l Mus eum in Belgr ade.
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BRIDGES T h e y ca lled t he “Ser bian Venice“ and “ L ittle Pa r is“ , m a in ly be ca use of t he s even br idges , acr os s th e b a n ks o f th e S v r ljiški a nd Trg oviš ki Timok . Sometime s th e b o a ts sa ile d th at w a y,a nd many gr eat loves s tar ted th e r e . T h e m o st f a mous a m ong them,“Stone br idge“, wa s d e sig n e d b y a n e n g ineer Borivoje Radenk ović in 1913. W ith a sp a n o f 3 0 m, it w a s t he lar ges t br idge of the kin d in a little S e rb ia .
A ci vi l en gi n ee r Borivoje Rade nko vić was b o r n in K njaževac, and more t han 50 ye ar s p ar ticip ated i n con s tr u cti o n of t he most impor tant facilities i n S er bi a. A mong ot he r buildings, he co ns tr ucted St Mar k’s ch urc h in Belgrade .
Com munica t ively, the mos t impor tant br id g e is th e o n e o n th e Trgoviški Timok , which was built on fiv e wo o d e n v ault s, in 1 8 5 1. Later , it was demolis he d a n d b u ilt a s o f ten a s t here wer e war s on this ter r ito r y . T h e b r id g e s like to “p ose“ t o p hotogr aphs and painter s , a n d lo c a l p e o p le s i mp ly ca ll t hem “wooden“, “white“, “co n c r e te “ , o r r o ma nt ica lly “t he br idge of love“.
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P RO M E NA DE S K n j a ževa c ca n be intr oduced in differ en t wa y s. T h o se wh o h a v e a lr e a d y b e en t o K nja že vac s ay that the bes t way is to g o d o wn th e lin d e n str e e t, or t he chest nut s tr eet, which ar e actua lly two a lle y s o f th e to wn , o n th e ri ght a nd left side bank of the Svr ljiš ki T im o k, d e v id in g th e to wn in to th e “ u pp er“ a nd “lower “ par t. I n the alley of lin d e n , th e r e is a m o d e r n b u ild in g of Dom kult ure, and in the alley of chestn u t, th e r e is a sc h o o l n a m e d a f t er a fa mous conducter P r edr ag Milo še v ić , wh ic h g r o ws m u sic a l ta le n ts f o r t he w orld a n d us . The ches tnut alley le a d s u s to th e fo u n ta in , b u ilt in t h e sp ring of 1 953. The s culptur e of tw o fish e r m e n , c r a ftsm e n v o lu n ta r y c o nt rib ut ion, w as made in br onze by a sc u lp to r fr o m Ko r č u la - Pe ta r P a la vičini. The alley of linden leads to th e O ld to wn .
In 1969, a fi lm d ir ecto r Ž ivo j in P avlo vić mad e his fa mous fi lm “Amb us h“. So me o f the s cenes o f this lege nda r y fi lm wer e fi lmed in the O ld to wn. The le adi ng acto r s o f the fi lm wer e I vica Vid o vić, Milena Dr avić, Slo b o d an Alig r ud ić, b ut als o many pe ople fr o m Knj až evac.
W a lking a long a few hundr ed meter s pa th , y o u c o m e to “ S r e d o r e k” . A c o b b led p rom e nade, s por ts cour t, play g r o u n d fo r c h ild r e n , a n d a ll o f t h ese a re loca ted by the r iver , in a pea c e fu l o a sis a n d th e m o st c e n tr a l p art of t he t ow n.
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T AVE R NS C h roniclers w rote down that s ocial, cu ltu r a l, e v e n p o litic a l life of Knja ževa c in the per iod between the two wo r ld wa r s to o k p l ace in t a verns. They wer e the places wh e r e th e fir st c i n em a s w ere o pened, books wer e r ead , p a r ty m e e tin g s we r e h e l d a nd p erfor mances wer e s hown. Al t hough t he t imes have changed, the b o h e m ia n sp ir it a n d l ove of t a vern life do not leave the peop le o f Kn ja ž e v a c . T h e y a r e st ill t he p la ces wher e, s ince the ear ly m o r n in g , with th e fi r s t coffee a nd “r akija“(br andy), people sta r t p a in tin g th e c o l ourful p ict ur e of the town' s ever yday life . .
Bet ween Wo r ld War I and I I , Knj až evac had fi ve t housand inhab itants and ab o ut fi fty taver ns . Tha t is one taver n p er a hund r ed p eo p le
Y oung p eop le and thos e who do not ca r e a b o u t th e ir a g e , sp end most of their time in cafes .Othe r s like ta v e r n s wh ic h “ h ave a soul“,c har m of pr ivacy, wher e e v e r y b o d y kn o ws e a c h ot h er, a nd w a iter s ar e familiar with eve r y g u e st. I n t he sum mer days , taver ns and cafes u n d e r g o a to ta l m a keover, w a sh t hems elves , “dr es s up like a d o g ' s d in n e r “ , a n d op e n t heir t erraces .The people of Knjaž e v a c th e n ta ke th e ir gu est s on t he g r ill and cold s pr icer s . R u n n in g a wa y fr o m th e sl e e p , t hey usually end up with a band p la y in g b y th e ir ta b le .
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F RO M T H E A NC I E N T T I ME S TILL T O D AY
Dragan Bosnić
THE HOUSE OF ACA STANOJEVIĆ I n Njegoševa S tr eet, one of the mos t b e a u tifu l in Kn ja ž e v a c , in th e sh ad ow of a n o ld walnut tr ee, the Tow n ' s M u se u m is situ a te d . N o w a lega cy of the town, it us ed to b e th e fa m ily h o u se o f A c a St anojević,a radical pioneer , a clos e a sso c ia te o f N iko la Pa šić , p r e sid ent of t he National A s s embly of S e r b ia . T h e house is a monument, built in 191 0 , a c c o r d in g to th e p la n s o f a V i ennese ent re pr eneur Volk er , and mod e lle d a fte r th e Ita lia n v illa in A r t N o uvea u st yle.
Ale ksa A ca Stano j ević was the o p p o nent o f the r e g i m e o f M i l a n Obrenovi c. He was accus ed o f taking p ar tin the T i m o k Rebe llion , and s entenced to d eath. He s aved hims e l f b y e scaping to B ulg ar ia. After the Seco nd Wo r ld War ,M a sh a l T i t o welcomed him in the White P alaceas a d is ting uis h e d fi g h t e r for human r ig hts .
An a t t ra ct ive wooden por ch leads to th e r o o m s wh e r e a s if tim e h a s st o p p ed a t t he end of the nineteenth c e n tu r y . T h e sp a c io u s lo u n g e , st u d y, clocks, vas es , por celain, ever yth in g e x u d e s a wa r m r e fin e m e n t. P e r sona l it em s of A ca Stanojevic, and m a n y e x h ib its o b ta in e d fr o m o ld f amilies, rem ind us that the for mer Gurg u so v a c , a n d th e n Kn ja ž e v a c , is on e of t he old es t towns in Ser bia.
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L OC A L MU S E U M F r o m t he p rehis tor ic and Roman times th r o u g h th e Byza nt ine a nd medieval times , the Tur k ish p e r io d , th e T i mok reb ellion, and to this day ... in th e L o c a l M u se u m , t h e house b uilt a centur y ago, the mem o r y o f th e p a st life of Knja ževa c is kept. On about a thousa n d sq u a r e m e te r s, e v e ryt hing foun d on ar chaeological s ites o r c o lle c te d in a n u mb er of forgotten little villages of Knja ž e v a c m u n ic ip a lity i s st ored . During thr ee decades of work, th e L o c a l M u se u m h as form ed repr es entative ar chaeologica l, e th n o lo g ic a l, ge o logica l, histor ical and ar tis tic collectio n s.
The Local M us eum is lo cated in the b uild ing co ns t r u c t e d i n 1906. It was the ho us e o f theSib ino vić family , fo r m e r owne rs o f the mine"G o o d luck". I t was b uilt in Ar t N o u v e a u st yle . Th eb uild ing is und er the s tate p r o tectio n.
T h e L oca l Museum of Knjazevac is ofte n a g a th e r in g p la c e of art ist s. Here they or ganize exhibitions, c o n c e r ts a n d va r ious ed uca t ional wor ks hops . Thus , c o m b in in g th e b e a ut iful a nd us eful, affir ming the value o f th e r e g io n , th e M u seum ha s found a way to be at the sa m e tim e a so u r c e of k now led ge and s er vice to its town.
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TWO- STRING KNITTED SOCKS T h ey w ere w or n at weddings , fair s , wer e a n e sse n tia l p a r t of pa ra p herna lia, they wer e given to we d d in g g u e sts . . . T o d a y t hey ha ve a s pecial place in the L o c a l M u se u m o f K n ja zeva c. U n iq ue in t he wor ld – two- s tr ing k nitte d so c ks o f th e T im o k re g ion. I t a ll st a rt ed w hen teacher s Vida and S v e to z a r Po p o v ic b e q uea t hed t heir collection of 300 woo lle n so c ks to th e m useum. Tod ay, this collection has ov e r 6 0 0 p a ir s o f socks, d a t ing fr om the eighteenth to th e twe n tie th c e n tu r y .
Replic as o f two - s tr ing knitted s o cks o f the T imo k r e g i o n , which a r e no w mad e in Knj až evac, the p r o to co l o f t h e Serbian Go ver nment has p ut in thelis t o f g ifts to f o r e i g n diploma ts .
T wo- st ring knit ted woollen s ocks ar e the m o st b e a u tifu l p a r t of the na t iona l cos tumes of the Knjaže v a c r e g io n . Kn itte d w i th five need le s and each is unique, d e c o r a te d with d e signs t a ken fr om natur e- flower s , leav e s, sta r s, b ir d s. T h e et hnogra p h ic collection of woollen two -str in g kn itte d socks w a s d ec lar ed the Cultur al Monum e n t o f S e r b ia in 1965.
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TIM A C U M MI NU S At the eight h kilometer fr om the town, in th e v illa g e o f Ra v na , on t he bank of the Beli Timok , th e R o m a n s b u ilt t h e old est milit ar y for t in the Timok ar ea . T h e y h a d th e ir c amp , t heir b a rn, and their baths . T h e p uzzle ca lled Timacum minus bega n to m a tc h a s lo n g a g o a s in 1 8 9 9, but the tr ue pictur e beg a n to a p p e a r a s l a te a s in 19 7 5, thanks to the A r chaeo lo g ic a l In stitu te in Be lgra d e a nd the Local Mus eum of Knja 탑 e v a c .
W it h t he Ro mans , the Latin alp hab et ar r ived in th e a r e a o f Knja 탑e vac. I t was no t in us e amo ng the p o p ulation , but for militar y need s and ins cr ip tio ns o n mo nume n t s.
T h e fort w a s b uilt in the fir s t centur y A D a n d la ste d u n til t h e rest ora t ion of the J us tinian Empir e in th e six th c e nt ury. Going in s ear ch of k nowledge, a r c h a e o lo g ists h ave d iscovered that the ear lies t and mo st sig n ific a n t t r aces of Rom an pr es ence in this r egio n a r e p r e c ise ly l oca t ed in t he village of Ravna. Roman to m b sto n e s fr o m T i ma cum m inus belong to the per iod fro m th e fir st to th e t h i rd cent ury.
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Ethno-archaeological park E thno- a rcha eological par k in the village o f R a v n a , e ig h t m ile s n o rt hern from Knjazevac, an unus ual de stin a tio n o f a d m ir e r s o f c u st om s a nd t radition, the s etting that b r in g s u s b a c k two h u nd red yea rs ago to the village life of th e la te n in e te e n th a n d e arly t w ent iet h centur y. A n old Mor avia n h o u se , b u ilt o f h a lft i mb ered , w a s moved fr om the Star a Pla n in a M o u n ta in . Y o u c a n i m a gine how t he hos t on a wooden vera n d a we lc o m e s g u e sts a n d a ccomod ates them on a s tool, ar o u n d th e h e a r th . In th e c o urt ya rd t here is a �gr ound floor buildin g � with p a p r ika ga r la nd s, ha ng ing on uneven walls , and a little fu r th e r , c a u ld r o n f o r t he b ra nd y with a pipe made of che r r y tr e e s.
Nearby, a t the ancient Ro man s iteT imacum minus, t he st at u e o f Dio ny s us , g o d o f wine o f the ancient R o m a n s, was foun d and ther e is awine mus eum with a wine r y i n t he basement o f o neo f the ho us es in Ar cheo - ethn o p a r k .
I n t he old villa ge s chool, ther e is a r es e a r c h sta tio n fo r stu d e n ts a n d scient ist s, and near by is a lapidar iu m with R o m a n m onument s, fo und at the ancient Roma n site T im a c u m m in u s. T h us, in t he village of Ravna, ethno mo tifs a n d tr a d itio n i n tert w ine in a wonder ful way with dis ta n t h isto r y .
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SAINT GEORGE’S CHURCH I t w a s in July 1833. I n honor of the fir st a r r iv a l o f Pr in c e M ilo s in th e fo r m e r G urgusova c, building of an Or thodox c h u r c h b e g a n , d e d ic a te d to th e H o ly Gr e a t M art yr G eorge. Geor ge Bakalović painte d ic o n o sta sis, a n d its c o n str u c tio n wa s c o mp let ed in 1835. On completion and c o n se c r a tio n , th e Pr in c e g a v e two b e lls t o t he C hurch and the Gos pel as well, p u b lish e d in 1 8 0 5 , in R u ssia . H o we v e r , t h e t imes w ere har d, new war s s tar ted , th e c h u r c h a n d th e ic o n o sta sis we r e b u rned , a nd t h e Tur k s car r ied away an d so ld th e Go sp e l in Ky u ste n d il in 1 8 7 6 . F o rt una t ely, t he Bulgar ian Metr opolitan H ila r io n o r d e r e d th a t th is h o ly b o o k h a d t o b e b rought back to town. Ther efor e , it h a p p e n e d . T h e c h u r c h wa s r e b u ilt in 1 8 78 . The a cademic painter N ik ola Ma r ko v ic m a d e th e n e w ic o n o sta sis.
The G osp el, which was d o nated to the Chur ch of Sa int G eo r g e b y P r ince M ilo s , the mer chant Ilija Je re mić b r o ug ht fr o m Bulg ar ia to Knj až evac in 1878. At that time, he was the b attalio n c omma nd er o f the ar my o f Knj až evac.
U s t a roj sIn t he Chur ch of St. Geor ge in Kn ja z e v a c th e r e is a m e m o r ia l p la q u e d e d ica t ed t o t he k illed par ticipants of t h e T im o k r e b e llio n . T h e p la q u e wa s se t b y p rominent member s of the A s s ociat io n o f th e T im o k a n d N e g o tin r e g io n , o n t h e occa sion of celebr ating the centen a r y o f lib e r a tio n fr o m th e T u r ks.
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THE CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN a nd the Holy Trinity Monastery At the foot of t h e Star a P lanina Mountain , 1 5 kilo m e te r s e a ste r n f r o m K nja zeva c, in the village of D onja Ka m e n ic a , o n th e le ft b ank of t he Trgoviš ki Timok , an unk nown n o b le m a n b u ilt th e C h urch of t he Holy Vir gin at the beginn in g o f th e fo u r te e n th c e nt ury. I t i s now p a rt of Ser bian cultur al her itag e a n d a v a lu a b le a r tistic m onum ent of t h e Timok Epar chy, with its a r c h ite c tu r e , wh ic h is a c o m b ina t ion of Romanes que, and Gothic a r c h ite c tu r e a n d th e M o ra via n st yle. Some of the fr es coes ar e u n iq u e to th e S e r b ia n m ed ieva l a rt .
Spe cial v alue o f the chur ch ar e p o r tr aits o f theno b i l i t y i n rich robes , and the p r es entatio ns o f“T he Las t Sup p e r ” , “ Ascent o f the Vir g in, ”“Annunciatio n”, and emb r ac e d h o l y warriors T heo d o r e T y r o n and T heo d o r e Str atelate s o n horse ba ck.
T h e Holy Trinit y Monas ter y is located o n th e slo p e s o f th e S ta r a P l a nina Mount ain. I t was bur nt and destr o y e d , so th e r e is o n ly on e w rit t en rec or d about its pas t, locate d in th e n a v e o f th e c h urch. The m o nk P anteleimon found an d r e sto r e d it in 1 8 4 8 . P e o p le b elieve that D es pot Lazar Br anko v ic , th e y o u n g e st so n o f D j u ra d j Bra nkov ic, built the temple.The H o ly T r in ity m o n a ste r y g o t i t s fina l form in 2005, becoming a r efug e fo r th o se wh o wa n te d t o d evot e t hems elves to God. Ther e is a n a c tiv e ic o n -p a in tin g w o rkshop in t h e monas ter y nowadays .
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Y O U M US T NO T MIS S
YOUTH CULTURE FESTIVAL OF SERBIA F o r five d eca d es , Knjaževac has been a h o st to y o u n g p e o p le t al ent ed for m u s ic, poetr y, theater game s, v isu a l a r ts, c o m ic s, p h ot ogra p hy, and film at a unique fes tiv a l o f y o u n g p e o p le in S e r b ia , w h ere t hey ca n s how their top achieve m e n ts. Y o u th Cu ltu r e F e stiv a l o f Se r b ia w a s init iated by s tudents fr om s e v e r a l to wn s o f th e T im o k re g ion, ga t hered at Belgr ade Univer s ity . T h e sim p le id e a to " c u t lo n g su mmer d a ys shor t" at home dur ing the h o lid a y s, g r e w in to a m a n ifest a t ion, and ver y s oon s ur pas s e d th e e x p e c ta tio n s o f its orga nizers a nd became an inevitable pla c e o n th e c u ltu r a l m a p o f th e c o unt ry.
Almost all s ig nifi cant ar tis ts in Ser b ia have a p ar t i c i p a t i o n in Fe st iva l in Knj až evac in their b io g r ap hy . T hes e a r t i st s st a r t e d t he ir care er her e: Stefan M ilenko vić, M ir j ana Kar a n o v i ć , Ljiljana B lag o j ević, G o r an P as kalj ević, “G alij a”, “K e r b e r ” , “ Riblja č o r b a”, numer o us T V p r es enter s , camer am e n , d i r e c t o r s.
Y out h C ult ure Fes tival of Ser bia tak es pla c e e v e r y Ju ly in K n j a zeva c.The town always “dr es s es u p ” fo r th e o c c a sio n , a n d p r ep ares it s st a ge. I nitially, the s cene was se t in a se c o n d a r y sc h o o l ya r d, Sred orek, the Tower of Gur gus ov a c , D o m v o jske a n d in th e c e nt er of t he t own- on the Timok. Today , th e p la c e wh e r e th e F e stiv a l t ak e s p la ce is o ne of the mos t beautifu l b u ild in g s in th e c o u n tr y - D o m k u l t ure. The festival is or ganized under th e sp o n so r sh ip o f th e M in istr y of Cult ure of Ser bia and the Municipality o f Kn ja ž e v a c .
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M A NI FE S TA TI O N S T h ere, w here t he path opens towar ds B a b in Z u b , wh e r e th e c e n tu r ie s-o ld tr a d itio n s, cu s t o m s , f o l k songs a nd ga mes have been pr es er ved to th is d a y , th e r e is a m a n ife sta tio n o f " Pr a y e r u n de r Mi dz o r" , t h e fea st in t he glor y of natur e and the fa r m e r s. A b o u t “ Đ u r đ e v d a n ” , th e y o u n g a n d th e o l d g e t t o get her in t he villages of Vr tovac and B a lta B e r ilo v a c , m a ke g a r la n d s o f th e fir st wild fl o w e rs an d t h rough rit es t he wor s hip of natur e is tr a n sm itte d to p e o p le a n d c a ttle . T ab les w it h t he colour ful old times dis he s, o r g a n iz e d c o m p e titio n s in sh e p h e r d g a m e s , m ak i n g “ b elm už”, choos ing the bes t chees e, a ttr a c t th e to u r ists fr o m a ll o v e r th e c o u n tr y . Yo u c an s e e t h e o l d c r aft s a nd hea r the for gotten s ongs . P r o u d o f its p e o p le , B a b in Z u b sh o ws itse f a t its g re at e s t be au t y .
The rit ua l s acr ifi ce o f a lamb - p r ay er , takes p lace i n t h e v i l l a g e o f Vrt ovac, in the cell, wher e St. G eo r g e is car ved in a l o w r e l i e f , whic h bas ically has the imag e o f ap r ehis to r ic de it y - Th r acian ho r s eman.
At the foot of S tar a P lanina, in the villa g e o f Ja lo v ik Iz v o r , e v e r y y e a r o n 2 8 A u g u st, a t t h e t i m e o f V e l ika Gosp ojina,"Panadžur " Sabor of o r ig in a l fo lk m u sic ta ke s p la c e . S in g e r s, a c c o r d i o n , pi pe an d t r u m p et p la yers compete among each o th e r . T h e b e st o n e s g e t r e c o g n itio n a n d r e wa rds , an d t h e n al l c o nt est a nt s a n d s pectator s can join in tn e tr a d itin a l d a n c e “ ko lo ” . K n j a ževa c a nd the adjacent Belogr adch ik in B u lg a r ia a r e twin n e d m u n ic ip a litie s. S o c ia l i z i n g t h e t w o t o w ns a nd t w o peoples culminates at th e F a ir o f Ka d ib o g a z , in th e a r e a o f th e v illa g e o f No v o K o ri t o , w h ich b elongs to the Municipality of Kn ja ž e v a c . E v e r y su m m e r , fo r th r e e d a y s, p e o p le c ro s s bo rde rs w i thout p a ssp o r ts , meet their fr iends an d r e la tiv e s, sin g a n d d a n c e .
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R GO ŠTE S PA I t i s not know n for cer tain when people , in se a r c h o f a r e m e d y , b e ga n t o com e to the Rgoš te s pa. The R o m a n le g io n s b a th e d in it, a s is evid enced by the r emains of Roma n b a th s. S itu a te d o n th e b anks of t he Svr ljis k i Timok, five miles so u th we st o f Kn ja z e v a c , th e r e i s t he a rea of t h e village of Rgoš te. The A u str ia n tr a v e l-wr ite r F e lix K anit z left not es about healing power s o f th e sp r in g , in 1 8 0 4 . C h em ica l a na ly s es have s hown that in wa te r , wh e r e th e te m p e r a tu r e i s const a nt ly 2 80C, ther e is magnes ium , se le n iu m a n d m a n g a n e se . T h ousa nd s of v is itor s of “Banjica”as pe o p le o f Kn ja ž e v a c c a ll it c la im t h a t it s w a t er really helped them cur e a v a r ie ty o f d ise a se s.
S ome peopl e a sked an old ma n Rad e S t an ojev i c f r om Rgošt e what is t he s p a t hat S er bi a talks a bout like. " I do no t k n o w, bu t people bring t he man in a car , a n d af ter two or t hree weeks he g o es h o me on f oot ," St a nojevic replie d .
T h e sw imm ing pool “Banjica” is s upplie d b y wa te r s fr o m t h e R g o šte sp a, t oo. The complex of s por ts and r e c r e a tio n a l fa c ilitie s c o n sists o f t h e op en O lympic pool, the depth of 2. 2 5 m e te r s a n d a sm a ll p o o l f o r child ren, a maximum depth of 60 ce n tim e te r s. In b o th p o o ls, th e t h erm a l w a t er o f 28oC is us ed. Locate d o n ly fiv e kilo m e te r s fr o m K n j a zeva c, d uring the s eas on, the poo l is n o t o n ly a fa v o r ite r e so r t o f t h e p eop le of Knjaževac, but als o people fr o m th e wh o le r e g io n .
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T U PI ŽN I C A T h e nort hw est of Knjaževac. A ltitude 11 6 0 m e te r s. M o u n ta in T u p ižnica . Mys ter ious ly beautiful, unexp lo r e d . Its in h a b ita n ts a r e w o rkers w ho maintain telecommunicatio n r e la y s, sh e p h e r d s, wh o p u t sh e ep a nd cows out to pas tur e, mounta in c lim b e r s, wh o m a ke f r i e nd s w it h na tur e, hang- glider s who sta r t th e ir flig h t fr o m its h i g hest rock a nd together with eagles wa tc h v illa g e s, fo r e sts a n d m ea d ow s b eneath them. They call it th e " isla n d m o u n ta in " b e c a u se i t i s surround ed by low land fr om all s ide s. T r a v e l wr ite r s h a v e h a d t h e im p ression that they ar e at a place fo r g o tte n b y th e p e o p le , w h ere only deer and r abbits can acc o m p a n y th e m . M o r e o v e r , T u p ižnica hid es a s ecr et in its bos om – a n ic e p it.
“ I int e nd ed to d emo ns tr ate thes e p heno mena in e a st e r n S e r b i a , where t he mo s t b eautiful kar s t d evelo p ed and wh e r e w e c a n showoccur r ences and fo r ms that ar e r ar ely s een i n o t h e r k a r st a r e a s. ” J o van C v i j i c
T h e ice p it in Tupižnica is one of the o ld e st in S e r b ia th a t p e o p le h ave hea rd of, or r ead about.The pit w ith ic e a n d sn o w th r o u g h o u t t h e w hole yea r, with temper atur e of 6o C, is a h a b ita t o f a b o u t 4 0 p l ant a nd a nimal s pecies . I n liter atur e, it wa s m e n tio n e d in th e m i d d le of 1 9 t h centur y. Since then geo g r a p h e r s, sp e le o lo g ists a n d b i o logist s ha ve vis ited and explor ed it.It is lo c a te d a t 1 0 6 0 m a b o v e t h e sea level a n d pr es ents an inter es tin g to u r ist o b je c t.
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Y o u ca n meet K njaževac in many ways : m o u n ta in c lim b in g , c y c lin g , h a n g glid ing, skiing, at the s wimming po o l, o n th e te n n is c o u r t, f oot ba ll p it ch, p laying bas k etball... G r e ek na t iona l s wimming team, Olympian s N a đ a H ig l a n d M ilo r a d Ča v ić, a s w ell a s s ome water polo teams , c h o se to h a v e tr a in in g s a t th e sp ort s a nd recr eational complex “Ba n jic a ” . T h e O ly m p ic swim m in g pool w it h t hermal water at 28oc, childr e n ’ s swim m in g p o o l, sp o r ts c ou r t s, a nd a ll o f them only a few k ilome te r s fr o m th e to wn . J e l e na L olović, Mar ija Tr mčić i Nevena I g n ja to v ić , th e b e st skie r s o f S e rb ia , cla im t hat ther e ar e not better ter r a in s fo r skiin g th a n th o se in S ta r a Pla nina .
S PO RT I n sea rch of w onder s of the Knjazevac r e g io n , m a n y p e o p le g o h i k ing in t he countr ys ide, in or der to fin d a little e x c ite m e n t a n d b r ea t he some fr es h air , climbing toward s M id ž o r . O th e r s n e e d a l i t tl e more a ct io n, and tur ning the bik e p e d a ls “ c r u ise ” a r o u n d th is a r e a , a rriving wher e no one has ever ste p p e d b e fo r e . T h e th ir d k i n d , t hose t he mos t dar ing of all, hang g lid e r s, “ c a tc h th e win d " f r o m Tup ižnica .
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G ASTR ON OM Y People live a slow life, and eat with pleasure. The day starts with a warm pie, or “proja”.Everybody can make them for you at their home, but you can also buy them in many bakers’ shops. Since early morning, you can smell fresh bread around the town. Even then, your body will start to vibrate and sing with joy, in a sweet expectation of lunch. As a polite guest, you will allow your hosts to make a real feast for you. You will start with”šljivka” (brandy made of plums), or”dunja” (brandy made of quince), together with high quality kinds of cheese (soft or semi-hard). After that, you can have a stew made of young nettles, followed by rolled wild greens. If you are in Knjaževac at Đurđevdan time, you will be offered roast lamb, accompanied by a salad of “crevmuž” (wild garlic).Recommendation: The best way is to eat with fingers. After you have tried some home made wines, you will smell a warm sour cherry cake covered with powdered sugar, or pancakes with wild berries.In the valley of the Timok, you must not miss “ajvar”, made of fleshy red peppers, and in Stara planina “belmuž”, a traditional shepherds’ meal.
Y ou put young chees e o n fi r e and mix it until it co mp l e t e l y m e l t s. Then you add white co r n fl o ur and mix it ag ain, until t h e f a t i s se t a si d e . That is “ be lmuž ”. P e ople sa y t h at the man who eats b elmuž r emains g o o d - l o o k i n g t o t he old age , when his hair tur ns white.
I n t he rest a ura nts of Knjaževac, as a r u le , y o u will g e t m o r e th a n y o u h a v e e x p e c te d . W e re c o m m e n d g ri l l “ o n c h a rcoa l” in va rious for ms : fr om the fam o u s “ p r e p r ž o lj” to “ b r iz la ” a n d “ kr e z la ” (lo c a l spe c i al i t i e s m ade o f m e at ) , sm oked p ork meat. You will be deeply m o v e d wh e n th e y p u t o n th e ta b le a p o r tio n o f h o m e m ade s m o k e d m ea t a nd sa usages . That is their way to sa y “ H a v e a n ic e tr ip , a n d v isit u s a g a in !” M o reover, you will have to tr y it, not to o ffe n d th e c h e f, b e c a u se h is m issio n is to m a k e y o u l e ave t he t a vern with a s mile, s atis fied a n d e n jo y in g y o u r life .
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W I NE P e o p le sa y t ha t the Roman legions bef o r e sta r tin g th e ir m ilita r y o p e r a tio n s re f reshed t hems elves with wines of this r e g io n . T h e a n c ie n t wr ite r s o f th e t h i rd a nd fourt h centur y des cr ibed Knjaž e v a c a s a v in e y a r d a r e a . W in e is i n s e p a ra b le from his tor y and tr adition, g r a p e s a r e g r o wn with lo v e , a n d th e l oc al grow ers t end to s ay that the top q u a lity d e p e n d s o n a n h o n e st re l at ionship w it h it. The vineyar d ar ea o f Kn ja ž e v a c b e lo n g s to th e T im o k re g ion.In t his re gion, s ome indigenous v a r ie tie s a r e g r o wn , su c h a s” p r o kup a c”, “vranac” and “plovdina”, but a lso “ b u r g u n d y ” , “ sm e d e r e v ka ” , “ I ta lia n Riesling ”. The Winer y "J ovic" in Po tr ka n je " in v e n te d " th e " Visn jic a " , a u n i q ue fruit w ine made of s our cher r ies .
The olde st viney ar d s in Knj az evac wer e s et up o nthe h i l l o f D ž e r v i n a bove t he t ow n. I n 1 9 2 7 , a wine- ag r icultur alco o p er ativ e w a s e st a b l i sh e d a t t ha t pla ce, the thir d o f its kind in Ser b ia.
P e o p le in K nja ž evac believe that when th e e n d c o m e s to e v e r y th in g , Go d a n d w ine w ill remain, s o the winer y ow n e r s d e c id e d to e sta b lish th e a s s ocia t ion of wine pr oducer s , to take c a r e o f th e Go d s’ d r in k to g e th e r . Su pp ort ed b y t he Local mus eum, they fo r m e d th e W in e m u se u m in Ra v na .There you can s ee bar r els with th e b e st so r ts o f win e , win e c o l lect ions a nd old time’ s inventions fo r sto r in g a n d ke e p in g win e c o ld .
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ON THE ROOF OF SERBIA
S PR I NG T h ere a re st orie s about ancient people wh o tr ie d to u n d e r sta n d a n d e x p la in t n e Ba lka n M ountains . I n the Gr eek my th o lo g y , th e A th la se s wh o su p p o r t th e sk i es a re ment ioned, but ther e is als o a le g e n d a b o u t th e m o st b e a u tifu l a n d h i g hest m ount ain, Star a planina, the r o o f o f S e r b ia . Pe o p le b e lie v e th a t th e sk i es w ould fa ll down on the Ear th and its in h a b ita n ts with o u t it. S ta r a p l anina is a na tur al bor der between Se r b ia a n d B u lg a r ia . F r o m its h ig h e st p e a k, Mid žor (2169m) you cannot s ee “ a ll se a s o f th e B a lka n s” , a s th e l e g end sa ys, b ut you can s ee vas t mead o ws, str e a m s fu ll o f g o ld , o ld f o rest s, w ild b lu eber r y fields . I n the ear ly m o r n in g , y o u c a n se e a s fa r a s th e b l u e Da nub e.
Diverse fl o r a, fauna, and hab itats o f r ar e b ir d s an d p l a n t s, w e r e a r e a so n more t o p r o claim the vas t s p ace o f Star a p lanina i n t h e M u n i c i p a l i t y of Knja ž evac a Natur e p ar k o f Ser b ia.
F r e ed om, infinity and beauty, ar e the wo r d s th a t d e sc r ib e S ta r a p la n in a b e st. N o t even t he moder n age could des tr o y its b e a u ty . It ke p t its m y ste r y , sa c red p la ces, and old cus toms . Moun ta in c lim b e r s, a d v e n tu r e r s a n d n at ura list s, young and old, vis it it r epeate d ly , b u t c a n n o t d e c id e wh e n it l ooks m ost b eautiful. Still, they agr ee o n o n e th in g : wh e n a t d a wn , y o u r e a c h M i džor, a nd t he r e is nothing above you b u t “ a g r e a t b a ll o f fir e ” , y o u h a v e a f e eling t ha t you ar e fr ee to do anything y o u wa n t.
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S um m er Stara planina has a wonderful climate, and in the summertime, it is a real pleasure to go hiking. In this wonderful mountain, you can see aromatic herbs and the Stara planina fritillary- a type of butterfly that lives only here. The air purified by a sudden summer rain, and the breath of the pine trees- you simply cannot describe them in words.Around you there is milfoil, thyme, numerous types of orchids and as a cherry on the top of a cake, the “Sundew"(Drosera rotundifolia), a carnivorous plant, which uses insects as food. It likes to pose in front of the camera.
“ I can w r ite ab o ut Star a p lanina fo r d ay s , b ut y o u h a v e t o e xp e r i e n c e i t . There a r e immaculate r iver s , vas t fo r es ts and me a d o w s, fi e l d s o f w i l d b e r r i e s, wat e rfalls that few p eo p le have hear d o f, b r eatht a k i n g si g h t s, meet ings with kind and g ener o us p eo p le”. E x tr acted fr o m a tr av e l - w r i t i n g o n t h e i n t e r n e t
W hen you run out of br eath while walk in g a n d wa n t to h a v e so m e r e st, y o u a r e w e lcom e t o t he gr as s among ladybugs. Y o u ju st r e a c h o u t y o u r h a n d a n d y o u a l r e a d y ha ve a good quality fr uit meal in th e fo r m o f b lu e b e r r y , wild r a sp b e r r y , or cra nb erry. It will be a moment when y o u r e a liz e a lo n g tim e a g o r e a d se n t ence- w e ar e par t of the ear th and th e e a r th is p a r t o f u s.
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A U TUM N I f you ha ve nev er been ther e, imagine th e c e n tu r ie s-o ld fo r e sts sp r ea d ing in fro nt of you, r eefs , mounta in str e a m s a n d wa te r fa lls of incred ib le b eauty. This is Star a Plan in a . T h e T r g o v iški T im o k w at ers flow d own its s lopes in the s pr in g , c a ttle d r iv e n to th e m ea d ow s remain ther e until the autumn , a n d o r c h id flo we r s e merge und er the las t s now. Her ds of h o r se s c o m e to th e str e a m a n d you ca n a lmos t hear the leaves op e n in g o n a g e n tle b r e e z e . Y ou ca n rea ch the highes t peak Midzo r e a sily , b e c a u se it is fl at tened a nd t ame. However , at over two th o u sa n d m e te r s, th e w e a t her cha nges quick ly, and hiker s wh o sta r te d th e ir wa lk in th e su n , oft en get s ur pr ized by a blizzar d.
One of the the b es t kno wn b o tanis ts o f E ur o p e b e f o r e W o r l d W a r I , Lujo Ada mo vič, b o r n in Ro vinj , was the fi r s t to r e a c h M i d ž o r i n 1 8 9 0 . There is a s to ne ins cr ip tio n ab o ut that in Star a p l a n i n a .
T h e t ra d ema rk of Star a Planina is Babin Z u b , 1 7 5 8 m e te r s h ig h . It h as a form of a few ver tical cliffs , the big g e st o f wh ic h r e se m b le s a n old t oot h. A t fir s t glance, it s eems u n r e a c h a b le . A c tu a lly , y o u c an ea sily clim b it, s o that you can s ee th e e a g le s c o n q u e r in g th e m ount a in sky.
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W I NT E R F o r severa l year s , Star a Planina has bee n p r e p a r in g fo r th e fu tu r e a n d th e rol e of t he la rge s t and mos t impor tant to u r ist c e n te r in S e r b ia T h e sy ste m of lift s a nd t ra ils , cons tr uction of accomm o d a tio n fa c ilitie s, will h e lp it b e come a va luable tour is t ar ea. The s n o w p e r sists fo r 1 5 0 d a y s a y e a r o n t h e p ea ks a round Midžor and Babin Zu b , a n d in sh e lte r e d p la c e s som et imes st a ys until J une. I n winter , u p to 1 5 0 0 skie r s p e r h o u r u se p at hs “K onja rnik ” and “Sunčana dolina” (S u n sh in e Va lle y ) with a fo u r -se a t l i f t a nd a n “a nchor ”. The younges t can u se th e a m u se m e n t ski p a r k a t “ M arkova liva d a” (Mar k' s s ki field). I n add itio n to c la ssic a l skie r s, S ta r a P l a nina mount ain has been vis ited by so m e ” m o r e e x tr e m e ” p e o p le , so it is m ore oft en t he”tar get” of thos e who en jo y sn o wb o a r d in g .
“ Beaut iful natur e, s un, g r eat time, well- p r ep ar ed a n d b e a t e n t r a i l s, pre sent s a r eal s kiing enj o y ment. I f we co uld imag i n e a p e r f e c t d a y f o r sk i i n g , it was Fr id ay , the fi fth o f Feb r uar y 2 0 1 0 . We felt h a p p y l i k e l i t t l e c h i l d r e n . Free a nd fulfi lled . I t was the b es t d ay o f s kiing in m y l i f e . " E x tr acted f r o m a t r a v e l - w r i t i n g o n t h e i n t e r n e t
At the end of 2011, a moder n s ki r es o r t is p la n n e d to b e b u ilt in S ta r a p l anina , simila r to thos e in Eur ope. The in v e stm e n t, wo r th 6 0 m illio n E U R , i s ob t a ined b y Spanis h companies “Sol M e lija " a n d " H G h o te ls" , in v e stm e n t f u nd "Sigm a C apital" and the Republic o f S e r b ia . H o te ls will h a v e fo u r sta r s a n d w ork a ll ye ar r ound. The plan is to a r r a n g e a n o th e r 2 0 km o f n e w ski t r ai ls, t w o lift s and the fir s t gondola in S e r b ia .
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A GRI TOUR I S M W hen you b reak off a piece of hot home m a d e b r e a d a n d d ip it in so m e sa lt, a n d t he m oment you s tep into s omebo d y ’ s h o u se th e y a sk y o u if y o u a r e h u ngry, you w ill k now you ar e in the r ig h t p la c e - in o n e o f th e v illa g e s o f K n j a ževa c municipality. Good manner s - e tiq u e tte is n o t im p o r ta n t h e r e . Yo u h e l p yourselves to hot br andy and hone y in th e “ r o o m fo r g u e sts’ r e c e p tio n ” W hen you, ea rly in the mor ning, wak e u p to th e b ir d s o r th e so u n d o f th e c r e ek a nd w a t e r fall, and after a cup of fr e sh m ilk, y o u g o fo r a wa lk, y o u will b e show n vot iv e s tone cr os s es , wild s tr a wb e r r ie s, m u sh r o o m s. Yo u c a n jo in i n the ext ra ct ing of honey, or the collectio n o f p lu m s, o r jo in in th e “ ko lo ” ( a t y pe of na t iona l dance)at one of the po p u la r fe stiv itie s a n d le a r n h o w to p la y " ru menka ". Be s ur e to peek ins ide s ome o f th e o ld h o u se s.
Carpent e r s fr o m the lo cal villag es , kno wn wid ely f o r t h e i r sk i l l s, built be autiful ho us es , making s mallmo numents o f p o p u l a r a r c h i t e c t u r e . For five b r o ther s in a p ar t o f the villag e o f Balta B e r i l o v a c c a l l e d “ M i n i ć ” , five identical, nice ho us es wer e b uilt a centur y ag o , so t h a t t h e y would no t q uar r el.
K n j a ževa c, w it h its 86 villages , is one o f th e la r g e st m u n ic ip a litie s in S e r b ia . I n m a ny of t hem, hous es ar e open for to u r ists wh o wa n t to b r in g b a c k m em ories of t h eir childhood. I n the vall e y o f T im o k, in th e p la in , y o u c a n p ic k orga nic fruit s a nd vegetables , and fis h g u d g e o n a n d c h u b in r iv e r r a p id s (th e n t h ey a re fried and “cold" beer is dr unk in fr o n t o f a r u r a l c o o p e r a tiv e ). In S ta r a P l a nina a nd Bu džak , with bak ed potato e s a n d p o p c o r n , y o u c a n liste n to o ld st o ries from t he mill. I ns tead of s ouvenir s, fr o m th e v illa g e s o f Kn ja ž e v a c y o u c an b ring ja rs o f tomato jam or honey, o r sp ic y ” a jv a r . ”
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A N I MAL W OR L D G oing a long goat paths , wher e only a m in o r ity o f sh e p h e r d s g o , c y p r e ss a n d p ine forests , meadows , or near the r iv e r , in th e a r e a o f Kn ja ž e v a c y o u c an meet a ra bbit, or doe, deer , or a f o x . F r o m th e b r a n c h e s o f tr e e s o r rocks, t he p a rt ridge, pheas ant, cr ow, o wl, o r a ja y will wa tc h y o u . M a n y b i r ds nest in t he Star a Planina Mountain s, m a n y a r e p r o te c te d a s n a tu r a l ra r it ies, so it is a r eal luck to s ee and p h o to g r a p h th e m . I n a d d it ion, St ar a P lanina is one of the r a r e g r iffo n v u ltu r e h a b ita ts. In w i nt er, you w ill hear the wings of wild g e e se th a t fly fr o m th e D a n u b e to t h e sout h.
Expert s o f the I ns titute fo r Natur e p r o tectio n s ay t h a t t h e r e i s a r e a l p o ssi b i l i t y t hat St ar a P lanina is o ne o fthe ear lies t d ino s aur p a r k s i n t h e w o r l d , because the uniq ue tr aces o f a d ino s aur , at leas t 2 5 0 m i l l i o n y e a r s o l d h a v e been dis co ver ed ther e! Ser b ian "J ur as s ic P ar k"
C l ea r st rea m s and r iver s of the Knjazev a c a r e a a ttr a c t fish e r m e n , h ike r s, t i r e less seekers of tr anquility, dis tur bed o n ly b y th e n u m b e r o f b u tte r flie s a n d t he sound of water . Gudgeon, tr ou t, a n d c h u b liv e in th e T im o k ( Svrljiški, Trgov iš k i, Beli).
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Ethno-archaeological park Ravna
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Church of the Holy Virgin
3 Holy Trinity Monastery 4 The Rgošte spa 5 Swimming pool Banjica 6 Ski center in Stara Planina
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Tupižnica
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Accommodation in rural households Hotels
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Information on accommodations is available at the Tourist Organization of Municipality Knja탑evac
Tourist organization of Knja탑evac Milos Obilic 1, 19350 Knja탑evacTel. 019 735 230, 731 623 Faks 019 735 230 e-mail: toknjazevac@open.telekom.rs www.toknjazevac.org.rs
Development agency of Knjaževac Cara Dušana 19, 19350 Knjaževac Tel.-Fax 019 731 256 office@ark.rs www.ark.rs
The European Union funds this project
Knjaževac municipality Milošа Obilićа 1; 19350 Knjаževаc Tel. +381 (19) 732 730, 733 119, centrаlа +381 (19) 731 601 Fаks +381 (19)732 730 soknjazevac@ptt.rs ; www.knjazevac.rs
This publication was produced with financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are solely responsibility of Knjaževac municipality and do not represent an official attitude of the European Union.