10,000 years in Serbia
We set out on a two-month long road trip through most of the Balkan states, hoping to make our way along the Adriatic and across Greece to the Aegean Sea. This log chronicles our return transit through Serbia.
Coordinates
Eastern Serbia
After a night in the vicinity of Vranje and another near Niš either side of a short visit to Kosovo (no problem re-entering Serbia with Kosovo stamps), we were ready to explore some highlights of Serbia. From Niš the van headed northeast, traversing some pretty shoddy road initially. However, the roadside scenery was stunning and for the most part agricultural, as in the vicinity of Rsovac (first photo). We got to enjoy alpine meadows around Jezero (second photo) and dense forest before descending towards Sokobanja (third photo). Rural eastern Serbia is easy on the eye—if you overlook the ever-present fly tipping. All these meadows looked like ideal environs for butterflies; this native species is Brintesia circe | the great banded grayling, whom we encountered at our first stop of the day (final photo).
Felix Romuliana (also called Gamzigrad) is a late Roman fortified palace and memorial complex in eastern Serbia near Zaječar. It was built by Emperor Galerius Valerius Maximianus about 298–311 CE, co-ruler and son-in-law of Emperor Diocletian—the founder of Tetrarchy. The ruin incorporates older/ third century and younger/ fourth century fortifications; the latter were built using the “opus mixtum” architectural technique of alternating stone blocks with three rows of bricks, as seen in the partial reconstruction of the monumental western gate (first photo), flanked by two of the 20 polygonal towers that were linked by 3.6m thick ramparts. Protected within the ramparts was the Palace of Galerius; this was the central courtyard with fountain and surrounding peristyle (second photo). Detail of one of the in-situ palace floor mosaics (third photo). Although many original artifacts are now displayed at a museum in Zaječar, there are sizeable relics still on site to inspire wonder (final photo). The site became a church estate in 4th-5th C. CE; an early Byzantine settlement from 5th-7th C. CE; an 11th C. medieval settlement and served as a temporary shelter during the 14th and 15th C. Ottoman conquests.
The lavender was in bloom as we reached the car park beside the 14th C. convent of Manastir Vratna, near Jabukovac in eastern Serbia (first photo). This is the trailhead for a short hike to Prerasti Vratne | Vratna Gates, a set of three natural arches in the Vratna River canyon that are part of the Djerdap UNESCO Geopark. These “prerasts” or stone bridges—among the tallest in Europe—are what remains of the mostly collapsed ceiling of a limestone river cave, subject to both underground and surface karst erosion. МАЛА ПРЕРАСТ | Prerast Mala | Small Prerast is hard to see from the trail, but it’s an easy/ short walk downstream for a better look at the ~34m tall arch (second photo). ВЕЛИКА ПРЕРАСТ | Prerast Velika | Big Prerast is ~26m tall, but broader (third and final photo). We got within ~250m of СУВА ПРЕРАСТ | Prerast Suva | Dry Prerast (~3km upstream, with some scrambling and stream crossings) but turned around on hearing vicious barking. Wild dogs are everywhere in the Balkans and we didn’t need a bite or rabies! We met a local on the return leg who advised beating the ground with a stick to scare snakes from the path. As the convent was still open when we got back to the van, we visited the elaborate and pristine church—and checked with a nun that it was OK to sleep in the car park.
Along the Danube
From the Vratna Gates we drove east to intersect the Danube, Europe’s second longest river and a crucial boundary during the Roman and Ottoman eras. Travelling upstream, ~5km east of Kladovo, are ruins of Trajan’s Bridge (first photo). Built 103–105 CE to aid Rome’s intended wider conquest of Dacia, it was 1,070m long, 20m wide and 45m high—such a feat of bridge engineering was not repeated for another thousand years. On the western outskirts of Kladovo, Fetislam Fortress features a lesser fort built in 1524 as part of the Ottoman defensive line (second photo), then surrounded by a greater fort built during the Austro-Turkish wars of 1717–39. Diana Fortress is just downstream from the “Iron Gate I” hydro dam/ border crossing; it guarded the Moesia Superior Limes from 100 until 600 CE when, as an early Byzantine fortress, it was destroyed by successive waves of invading Goths, Huns, Avars and Slavs (third photo). Iron Gate Gorge runs almost 100km from Golubac to Kladovo (final photo); we planned a 3km hike to the Ploče Viewpoint, but a sign at the trailhead said that access without a national park ranger was strictly prohibited.
Lepenski Vir is a prehistoric archeological site relocated and reconstructed to save it from submerging via construction of the “Iron Gates I” dam. It provides insight into the lives of a hunter-gatherer culture from the Early (9500–7500 BCE) and Late (6300 to 5900 BCE) Mesolithic, and Early Neolithic (5900–5500 BCE) periods—marking the transition to farming in the Balkans. It’s incredible to think that our lives are closer to those of Romans than are those of a people dwelling here more than 10,000 yrs ago. Aside from the characteristic trapezoidal stone bases of multiple huts and ritual burials (first photo), among other recovered artefacts are monumental sandstone sculptures—the oldest found in Europe. The idols are thought to have represented deities, depicted as full figures or as boulder-like heads only, such as this Late Mesolithic “Family Founder” (second photo); they were fitted to votive altars in the hut floors with limestone mortar (only replicas on site; the originals are in Belgrade). Also saved from flooding and moved on site are Moravian-style buildings that were a feature in Djerdap; a traditional house had a raised “cinda” porch above a stone basement that led to three rooms (third photo). The current residents seemed to find their accommodations “purrfectly” satisfactory (final photo)!
Replica “Undine” sculpture from 6300–5900 BCE
Golubac Fortress stands directly on the Danube at the entrance to the Iron Gates, as seen here approaching from downstream (first photo). It is first mentioned as hosting a Hungarian garrison in 1335 CE and saw extensive reconstruction during 2014–19. Curiously, entry ticket price varies according to which zoned areas of difficulty you wish to access (a liability waiver must also be signed); the complex comprises nine towers and a palace (second photo). Golubac played a strategic role in 14th and 15th C. conflicts between Serbia, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire; for the latter it represented either a springboard or an obstacle to bringing Islam into more of Europe. The “Cannon Tower” was an Ottoman addition designed to defend the boat harbour (third photo). Seen here from Tower 3, Tower 1 or the “Hat Tower” is the main and tallest tower within the fortress; it is also part of the oldest, Inner Fort (final photo). The palace now exhibits weaponry/ military equipment uncovered during the reconstruction project; it explores how the fort’s architecture was reshaped by the transition from “cold” weapons to firearms.
Cross-country heading west
We rested for the night in Zatonje on the edge of Srebrno jezero | Silver Lake before making our final stop on the Danube at Ram Fortress, built in 1483 by the Ottomans to defend against Hungarian incursions—until 1521, when the Empire’s border moved further north (first photo). 36 canon holes in the fort’s walls and towers signify a defensive artillery deployment—the first in Serbia. Ram had earlier been the site of a 4th C. BCE Celtic settlement, within which the Romans later built their own first–second century CE fort of Lederata. The drive for three hours heading southwest from the Danube was through mostly uninspiring industrial landscape; the scenery dramatically improved beyond Valjevo for the fourth hour of the drive, becoming mountainous. The views at Kapija Podrinja | Gate of Podrinie on the 170 descending towards the Drina River were spectacular (second and third photos). Drina River House near Bajina Bašta was first built in 1968 by local swimmers; the current wood cabin perched on a midstream rock at Serbia’s border with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) dates from 2011 (final photo).
What was Serbia’s role in the breakup of Yugoslavia?
We spoke with our Serbian hosts about the legacy of Tito (who is still revered by some), attitudes towards Putin’s Russia, and the ongoing stand-off with Kosovo. It soon became clear there are discordant narratives about political motivations and historical entitlements.
Although no side was blameless in the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia (and all sides committed atrocities), in most “Western” narratives (and international courts) Serbia is typically viewed as the main perpetrator—particularly under the domineering leadership of Slobodan Milošević. After the dictator Tito’s death in 1980, rising nationalism, economic decline and power struggles weakened the federal structure of Yugoslavia (i.e the six republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia).
Milošević pushed for recentralization of power in Belgrade—threatening the autonomy of other republics—and utilized the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), which was effectively under Serbian control, in an effort to keep the federation intact. JNA support for Serbian paramilitaries contributed to major war crimes and ethnic cleansing campaigns in Bosnia (1992–95) and Croatia (1991–95). High-ranking Serb and Bosnian Serb leaders were later convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), including Radovan Karadžić (a Bosnian Serb leader guilty of genocide and war crimes); Ratko Mladić (the general behind the Srebrenica genocide) and Slobodan Milošević (tried for genocide and crimes against humanity, but died before a verdict).
During the Kosovo War (1998–99) Serbia (still under Milošević) was again accused of systematic ethnic cleansing—this time against Kosovar Albanians. NATO intervened—without formal UN Security Council approval—with an air campaign in 1999. While Kosovo’s majority Albanian population sought independence, the Serbian claim to Kosovo is based on a combination of historical (Kosovo was medieval Serbia’s core region and the site of national myths), religious (it’s home to key Serbian Orthodox monasteries), legal (it’s still legally part of Serbia under international law and UNSC Res. 1244) and political arguments (i.e. that Kosovo’s 2008 independence declaration was unilateral and not legitimate; secession violates Serbia’s right to its internationally recognized borders).
To outsiders, Serbia thus bears primary (but not exclusive) responsibility for the violence and atrocities committed during the Yugoslav Wars. To insiders, emotions certainly remain high, not all is forgiven, and this isn’t settled yet.
Curiosity
National Park Tara
In National Park Tara we hiked the Митровац – Баньска стена | Mitrovac – Banjska Stena trail. From the Vidikovac viewpoint we overlooked the Drina River, marking the border between Serbia on the right bank and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the left bank (first photo). The Velicá Stena viewpoint was best for taking in the Bajina Basta hydroelectric dam (second photo). From the principal viewpoint of Banjska Rock at 1,065m elevation we admired the beauty of artificial Perućac Lake and the deep Drina River canyon upstream of the dam (third photo). A good number of houseboats were moored to the Serbian riverbank, some 765m below our vantage point (final photo). We didn’t see any Ursus arctos | brown bears on trail; the park is home to two thirds of Serbia’s much reduced population.
Our modified route was 13km/ 4h return, including a lunch break:
GPS track for Mitrovac – Banjska Stena return
We followed this with the steep 2km return Ravna Stena trail (to the south of Jezero Spajići), up to the site of a former grad | castle—but nothing remained besides the views:
A forested mountain landscape with scattered dwellings
National Park Tara yielded a number of “smalls”. We got our first sighting of Aglais io | the European peacock butterfly (first photo). Papilio machaon is one we’ve sighted before, during our tour of Provence (second photo). Native Brenthis hecate | the twin-spot fritillary (third photo). Melanargia galathea | the marbled white (final photo).
It wasn’t all butterflies though. Native Dianthus deltoides | the maiden pink was a standout flower in grassy meadows (first photo). A dinner plate-sized Cerioporus squamosus | dryad’s saddle fungus, helping to decompose the fallen forest (second photo). Lacerta viridis | the European green lizard is typically larger than a skink and although we’ve seen many throughout our Balkan road trip, it has until now proven too quick to capture with photons (third photo). A folded landscape on the scenic drive from Mitrovac to Mokra Gora, close to the BiH border crossing: this time we are the small (final photo)!
Serbia: road trip essentials
- Entry requirement: Visa-free for up to 90 days; Serbia may refuse entry if leaving North Macedonia with passport stamps from Kosovo (which it has previously not recognized); register with police within 24h of arrival (and in every locality if stay > 24h; if < 24h e-mail itinerary to infomup@mup.gov.rs); declare any valuable items e.g. cameras/ computers to customs
- Road conditions: Variable; avoid off-roading in rural areas (risk of mines) or driving at night (poor lighting)
- Driving rules/ equipment: EU licence accepted/ IDP(1968) not required; motorway speed limit varys, 50km/h urban; winter tyres and snow chains mandatory 1 Nov–1 Apr
- Vehicle insurance: Cover via ADAC (International Motor Insurance Card/ “Green Card”: SRB)
- Breakdown insurance: Cover via ADAC
- Travel/ health insurance: Cover up to 63 days trip total via ADAC; EHIC not valid
- Tolls/ road user charge: A1/ A2/ A3/ A4 motorways have tolls via booths using cash or card
- Emissions restrictions: No official LEZs
- Pitches: Camping grounds; wild camping generally tolerated
- Water: At camping grounds
- Toilet/ grey water disposal: At camping grounds
- Rubbish disposal: At camping grounds; use roadside bins
- Shore power: At camping grounds
- Safety/ security: Risk of demonstrations/ ticks (TBE) in some areas/ minefields near Kosovo border/ wildfires/ flooding/ earthquakes/ “accident” damage scams; avoid photographing military or police
- EU data roaming: No; eSIM from Saily 3GB/ 30d for USD 7.99
- Currency: RSD (dinar); EUR in cash may be acceptable for pitch fees
For more/ current info, see our preparatory checklists and consult the RAC/ ADAC and FCDO/ Auswärtiges Amt websites.
Tips and tricks
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