Djavolja Varoš

Djavolja Varoš (Devil’s Town) is currently ranked second on the list of the New Seven Wonders of Nature in the caves, rock formations and valleys category. Voting to choose the finalists of the New Seven Wonders of Nature lasts through July 7, 2009.

Text & Photo by Dragan Bosnić

Southern Serbia is well known for its mineral and thermal waters so that a rather large region there is called Toplica (a toponym associated with hot water). Springs whose waters are overly mineral, and there is no vegetation in their immediate vicinity, are located at the southernmost section of Toplica, on the slopes of Mt. Radan. Where there is no vegetation, erosion of soil shapes the landscape in a most unusual way. It was the wind, the rains and torrents over a lengthy period of time that washed out the lose soil from the bare slope of Mt. Radan. By some "devil’s play", some heavy andesite rock slabs happened to lie on the loose soil. They exerted pressure on the loose soil beneath it and prevented the erosive forces from washing it out. With time, this resulted in the slow forming of unusual columns. People have from the earliest times avoided the spooky columns, and because they could not explain how they were formed, they resorted to spinning tales and legends. According to one such legend, the site was created by devils from ruined churches (it is interesting that in the site’s immediate vicinity there are foundations of a church the locals know nothing about). According to another tale, the devils were intended on marrying brother and sister in the aforementioned church. Some unknown force was determined to prevent such a sin and turned the wedding party to stone. A third legend has it that two groups of a wedding party were coming to fetch the same girl at the same church when this same unknown force petrified them. Interestingly enough, as one looks downhill, one can discern two lines of columns as if coming together. There are also other stories about the pupils and devils betting against each other, and when the pupils outwitted the devils, the latter transformed them into stone. And finally, let us make mention of yet another story about a brutal Turkish aga according to which the aga turned the disobedient "rayah" (subjects) into stone.

The locals claim that these spooky "lines of people" move, which is partly true. When at some point the heavy andesite "hat" falls from the petrified pyramid, the rain and wind begin to wash away the "hatless" pyramid and a new one is gradually formed where the "hat" fell. This, of course, is a process that takes a long time and by far outlasts a human lifetime.

The water that washed out the vegetation from the slope is reddish in colour due to the significant presence of iron. Red water indicated to medieval Saxon miners that there was iron at this location and the remains of two old mines near the stream are still visible. Today these mines are closed, the dark forces inspire fear among people, and Djavolja Varoš has become an interesting tourist destination.

From the regional Kuršumlija-Merdare road leads an asphalt concrete road, which is narrow and which has a damaged surface. There, beyond the last village houses, begins an attractive recently-lighted trekking path. The path is some 1,200 metres long and leads along the stream with wooden bridges. It passes through a fairy-like forest, by the abandoned Saxon mines and the springs that gush the devil’s red-coloured water. Two lookouts have been erected so to afford a better view of Djavolja Varoš, and a fine bridge over the dry bed occasionally visited by thundering torrential waters. The appearance of Djavolja Varoš alters depending on season and time of day. The morning light sharpens its silhouettes, the strong midday sunlight brings forth to a maximum its "compressed material" structure, while a setting sun enhances its reddishness. The rain and wind best reflect its "satanic" origins as waters and pebbles spookily roll around its petrified "wedding party". The locals seem to know exactly who is who among the petrified "wedding party". As currently the "priest" is hatless, it is realistic to expect that the rest of the "wedding party" will also become so at some future time. Perhaps, the diversity of Djavolja Varoš has best been perceived by participants of the photo art colony held here each year for a number of years.

A luncheon is usually offered for organised groups on a piece of clear ground at the start of the trekking path. This is where exceptional culinary skills and the hospitality of the people in this part of Serbia come fully to the fore. The people from Toplica are said to offer practically all the food they have in the house when they have guests. This means the dining table is overflowing with all kinds of very tasty food. They are also in the habit of apologising – had they known guests would be arriving, they would have prepared better to welcome them! For many guests the greatest challenge is the famous Toplica toast. The host offers a toast to one of the guests with a one-deciliter (slightly over three fluid ounces) glass of brandy and drains it in a single go. Then the guest makes a toast to someone else and the glasses are drained again. The toasts continue until at least one full circle is completed in this way.

Some 10 kilometres to the north, the local waters have made it through kinder layers of soil and surfaced at a village called Prolom. These are the so-called light waters with low dry matter residue and with a large number of trace minerals that have pronounced diuretic and bacteriostatic qualities. They have been found to help in the treatment of diseases of the kidneys, urinary tract, gastrointestinal system, peripheral blood circulation, non-joint rheumatism and skin afflictions. The treatment in the Prolom Spa involves a course of drinking the water, hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, kinesytherapy, massage done by hand and peloido-therapy, that is beneficial mud treatment. The Prolom Spa also offers a healing climate. It has solid accommodation capacities and is visited year round.

In addition to the already mentioned Djavolja Varoš, in the spa’s immediate vicinity is also a log church devoted to Holy Prince-Martyr Lazar. This is the only log church in the Toplica region, and it is interesting also for the plum trees that grow next to it and which all curl to the same side. With time, a plum tree would dry up and die, but a new one would emerge and, as it grows, begin to curl in the same direction as the others. The only explanation for such an unusual phenomenon is offered by a legend that appeared after the Battle of Kosovo. According to tradition, the army from the Toplica region rallied here, at the log church, to take communion before going to battle. After communion, they made six circles around the church and then headed towards Kosovo. The story has it that the mothers and young wives sat by the church for days on end waiting for the army to return, twisting their necks as they looked out for their dear ones. But none returned from the battle! From that time on, the plum trees by the log church twist as they grow in the same direction that the army circled around the church and the women twisted their necks looking out for them. The plum threes at some distance from the log church, grow in quite the ordinary way.

Visitors to the Prolom Spa who want to see more are recommended to visit the nearby city of Kuršumlija that has two major endowments of medieval Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja. These are the church devoted to the Most Holy Mother of God and the Church of St. Nicholas. Legend has it that the lead roof of the Church of St. Nicholas was used to make kuršums (bullets) so that the settlement came to be known as Kuršumlija.

Voting for Djavolja Varoš   Djavolja Varoš is Serbia’s sole candidate for electing the New Seven Wonders of Nature. It completed the first stage of voting by placing very high – eleventh – from among some 400 candidates worldwide), and were the best placed European "wonder"! Currently, the second stage of voting is under way and all those who had already voted can vote again (www.djavoljavaros.com). All those who vote must – apart from Djavolja Varoš – cite six more candidates, and also confirm their vote by e-mail. Our candidate is currently leading in the Rock Formations group, and it is important for it to remain among the top 77 best placed sites through July because it is from among them that the panel of experts will choose the 21 favourites to be followed by a world promotion. That is why the organisers have reiterated from the outset that it is not enough to have millions of votes, because in competition with China, India or the Latin American countries, no one else could stand a chance of winning, but it was most important to what degree a nation accepts its own candidates. Just how proud the Serbs are of Djavolja Varoš may best be illustrated by the fact that 60,000 tourists visited this site last year. Over the past 30 years, Djavolja Varoš was not visited by more than 5,000 people! Over the past year, Djavolja Varoš got a new road (something that was 30 years in coming), night path lights, lookouts, parking, rest rooms, a small train, specialised guides and everything else a popular tourist destination must have. Thanks to this selection, the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia in January nominated Djavolja Varoš for UNESCO’s World Heritage list as a one of a kind European wonder. (А.М.)