This is one of the most beautiful mountains of Serbia whose name embodies all the wealth it has to offer: dense evergreen forests, sweet-smelling meadows with white patches of sheep, a blend of Mediterranean and mountain climates, salubrious air enriched with ozone, stunning panoramas…

Text & photo by Svetlana Dingarac

Recently declared an "air spa", this mountain with some 2,000 insolation hours per year is a veritable factory of red blood cells, and is highly favourable for the development of sport, recreation, health, hunting and village tourism. Nevertheless, the greatest wealth of Mt. Zlatar is surely its inhabitants. These proud and cordial highlanders continue to preserve their folk customs, legends and old values. To be their guest, one must sample the specialties for which they are known far and wide, and to hear their stories about bygone times, all of which is an unforgettable experience.

Together with a ranger from the nature reserve of the "Uvac River Canyon" and the sturdy guys from the "Wolves of Zlatar" sports club, I embarked on an unusual adventure across Mt. Zlatar. The departure point was Nova Varoš, now a somewhat forgotten mountain town with a population of 10,000.

Huddled between steep mountain sides, Varoš has always been at the proverbial crossroads of the East and the West. It was a place where caravans would invariably seek respite and a place through which one often passed, but rarely settled. This has remained true to this day, as a majority of tourists remember Nova Varoš as a good place a stop while travelling to the Adriatic coast. Only true nature lovers know that some of Serbia’s most stunning natural beauty is located here: the age-old forests of Mt. Zlatar, the Ušac cave system (more than six kilometres long), three breathtaking lakes and the 1,000-metre cliffs of the Mileševka River canyon. My guides, who know the terrain well, give absolute precedence to the mysterious and unique canyon of the Uvac River, the first point on our tour.

Riding in a small tourist seat while the boat cut the cold water of the Uvačko Jezero Lake, I listened to stories about the Uvac when it was still a fast and wild mountain river. Due to its great hydro-electrical power potential, the Uvac today has three artificial lakes: Zlatarsko Jezero, Uvačko Jezero and Radoinjsko Jezero. A recent decree by the Serbian has declared the entire area a special natural reserve, as it is home to the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvous), one of the rarest and most threatened birds in Europe. The griffon vulture, with a wingspan of nearly three metres, is the true king of the skies. Its impressive size has always invited awe and was frequently used as a symbol by the mediaeval Serbian nobility. The belief in the magical powers of this bird has been preserved to this day among local country folk. It is said that the griffon vulture can forecast an oncoming storm, that it is capable of dispersing clouds, and that it can foretell misfortune and death. In actual fact, the bird is benign and useful in that it feeds on animal carcasses. The bird, unfortunately, has been driven to the edge of extinction in both Serbia and Europe, largely through destruction of its habitat.

The ranger uses his field glasses to watch young griffon vultures that still lack coordination as they look out of a nest perched high on the steep sides of the canyon. He later informs me about the strict rules of conduct in the reserve.

After some forty minutes of riding in the boat, we passed under the remains of the place known as Nemanja’s City, about which very little is known. It is believed that this fortification was one of the stations on the caravan road that passed through the area in the Middle Ages. At its foot is the opening to the Ledena Pećina Cave, whose halls, dips and intricate cave ornamentation are the most interesting part of the Ušac cave system, Serbia’s second largest cave.

After a while, the "Wolves of Zlatar" arrived in their jeeps, which signalled that the next leg of our journey was about to begin. The mighty engines of their jeeps took us on a scenic tour of all of Mt. Zlatar, from Vodena Poljana in the northeast all the way to a barely passable canyon of the Mileševka River on the mountain’s south-western slopes.

Along the way we stopped at a village called Radijevići to see a log church that has been declared a monument of exceptional importance due to its unique construction. As we lit candles inside the church, our host Ilija told us about how the church was built by a certain Vasilije Purić, a priest, who is an ancestor of our host. Father Purić built the church in 1808 despite the fact that Turkish authorities had issued an express order to the contrary. Its log construction was meant to disguise its function. It was built with all the features of an old Serbian lay house of the period, with a cellar, a so-called magaza and badža on the roof, and in this respect it is unique among the Serbian Orthodox churches.

One should never turn down the hospitality that is offered on Mt. Zlatar, and so we moved to our host’s house which was in the immediate vicinity. As we listened to the legend about Winged Relja, about the long and cold winters and wolf chases, Ilija’s wife Dana brought us famous Mt. Zlatar delicacies: buckwheat pie, peppers in thick sour cream, smoked beef ham, wild strawberry preserve and brandy distilled from wild pears. This hardworking highlander woman is particularly proud of the prize she won in the Sirijada, a competition for the best cheese in the Raška region held each year in the nearby village of Štitkovo.

Although it is hard to say goodbye to our cordial hosts, we must move on as many other things still await us. Our Jeeps, like unsaddled horses, whipped up clouds of dust as we rushed through the dense Mt. Zlatar forests, down ravines and valleys, cut across creeks and clearings. Finally, thoroughly shaken by such a ride, we arrived at the lowest point of the Mileševka River. On the canyon’s steep sides, reaching up to nearly 1,000 meters in places, are the dwellings of Pančićeva omorika (an indigenous spruce variety called Picea omorica) as well as a smaller colony of griffon vultures. This is the reason that this exceptionally beautiful and barely accessible twenty-kilometer long canyon has been placed under government protection. At the exit from the canyon, like some giant eagle’s nest, are the ruins of the old town Mileševac, dating back to the thirteenth century. Access to the ancient town is possible only from its south side, from a village called Hisardžik, while the other three sides cut down vertically to the river. At the foot of the wall ruins are Hesychast cave dwellings, where monks from the nearby Mileševa Monastery lived in medieval times. This monastery, a pivotal spiritual and artistic center in the history of the Serbian people, is also an appropriate last destination on our journey. Built by King Vladislav Nemanjić in the first half of the thirteenth century, the monastery became the source of a special breed of Serbian Orthodox Christianity in 1236 when the relics of the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church – St. Sava – were transferred here. Despite frequent destruction during the Ottoman occupation, the Mileševa Monastery resisted misfortunes, and continually renewed its spiritual life and artistic activity. One of Serbia’s oldest schools continued to be active during this period. The frescoes of the Mileševa Monastery, and especially the portrait of St. Sava and the image of White Angel on Christ’s tomb, are masterpieces of Serbian and European art of the thirteenth century. It is interesting to note that the image of the White Angel was the first image that was broadcast by satellite from Europe to America, and it has been sent into the universe as part of NASA’s research of other civilizations.

I bid a warm farewell to my guides with a promise to return just as the monastery bells begin their deep chime. Farewell, till we meet again for another Mt. Zlatar adventure.