My dear travelers, welcome to my new post. Today I have prepared an interesting post for all nature lovers and I am sure you will enjoy it. I believe that the pandemic has changed our habits and that we have been forced to change our way of life so far. Worries, nervousness and fear became more and more frequent “visitors” during this pandemic and we need a return to nature.
Our ancestors used to say: “You can always find solutions to all problems in nature… Nature has its power!”. Today I decided to show you the beauties of Divcibare, a natural air spa in the Kolubara district. After this Coronavirus and lockdown situation you can come and #SeeSerbia and #ExploreSerbia.
I remember back in 2001 when my father received a recommendation from one of our family friends to visit Divcibare. My father, who is otherwise known as a great lover of nature, accepted with great pleasure the kind invitation of a friend to spend the holidays together with his family. That 2001, after a week of winter magic, my father decided to look for his second home in this natural paradise.
Year after year, Divcibare as a mountain center, together with the municipality of Valjevo, developed without losing its original, untouched natural beauty. By the time, Divcibare became a famous mountain-tourist place in Serbia and many found their second home there, even some people from other countries like Germany, Austria and other EU countries.
I have heard some stories that even one family from China decided after their visit to Divcibare to buy their cottage here, but to be honest, that story has never not been confirmed by someone who I personally know.
This mountain resort is located not far from the town of Valjevo and is one of the closest mountain complexes to capital Belgrade and Novi Sad. How did this air spa get its name?
Divcibare got its name thanks to the mountain river Crna Kamenica, which still flows through the center of this mountain complex. Based on a legend that is passed from generation to generation, a young shepherdess once drowned in this river during a summer torrent.
Due to this unpleasant situation, the mountain plateau was given the old Slavic name Divcibare, which in our language means “Girls’ ponds”. The name Divcibare itself is very old because it was first used in 1476 as the name of a Turkish village.
Prince Milos Obrenovic was among the first in Serbia to notice the healing and effective influence of the mountain climate of Divcibare on the human, and at the beginning of the 19th century he bought the whole of Divcibare from the Turkish Bali Bey. The locals claim that Prince Milos extremely loved and appreciated this area and gladly stayed here during the summer and winter period.
When we talk about the real tourist development of tourism in Divcibare, the first official forms of organized mountain tourism began at the beginning of the 20th century with the help of the Divcabare Health Association. The society was founded by the then respectable citizens of Valjevo. They built the first accommodation facilities and made the first urban plan for this mountain.
After the construction of the first accommodation capacities, the Ministry of Trade and Industry appointed Divcibare as the first air spa in our area. Tourism slowly but surely began to develop so that many famous families from Belgrade and surrounding cities began to come to Divcibare and this plateau became one of the most famous mountain tourist destinations in Serbia.
In the middle of the 20th century, tourism in this mountain center stopped its development, stagnated until the end of the 20th century when it started to actively promote this mountain center.
Diverse flora and fauna are present in Divčibare and Maljen. When we talk about the flora, coniferous forests are the most numerous and next to them in this area from the coniferous family are present fir, spruce, white and black pine, mountain pine.
Divcibare is known for a large number of forest and meadow natural communities. There are jeremicak, kacun and lincur, and at the end of April, a flower appears which is the symbol of this mountain – Narcissus flower. There is the biggest quake in Serbia on Maljen, and quake ecosystems are very rare on the entire Balkan peninsula. The quakes are “natural writings” from which the history of living nature can best be learned.
Numerous forest fruits are present in Divčibare, which are used as a supplement in various human diets, such as mushrooms, natural delicacies of wild strawberries, wild raspberries and blackberries.
The most unusual is the blueberry, which grows in the form of shrubs, mostly in forests. Among other things, in Divčibare you can find a variety of medicinal herbs such as hajduk grass, wormwood, lemon balm, thyme and many others.
Many representatives of wild animals live in this mountain complex, the most numerous of which are deer, besides them there are also wild rabbits, squirrels, wild pigs, martens. Divčibare has a really rich flora and fauna, so during the walk, don’t be surprised if you meet some of the animal families that inhabit this area.
The natural wealth of flora and fauna, mild climate, I believe you will remember this summer if you visit Divcibare. It’s more than nature, it’s your new second home. Fortunately, nature in this area is still intact, so you will be able to be in direct contact with nature. For all lovers of long walks and hanging out with friends in nature, Divčibare is an ideal tourist destination!
I would ask you to protect the nature around you and wherever you go in our beautiful Serbia, do not leave garbage behind. Nature has tried to give us all the best, and it is up to us to try to preserve it.
Special educational boards have been set up in Divcibare, where you can learn more about the natural and animal world. The best example is the “mushroom school” where edible and poisonous mushroom species are indicated.
If you decide to go in search of mushrooms, it is best to look for professional people and not go alone. Edible mushrooms have many good properties that can contribute to strengthening the body, but there are also poisonous mushrooms that are not used for human consumption and should be strictly avoided.
In the very center of this tourist complex there is the Divčibarska church or the church of St. Panteleimon is located and is a religious and cultural landmark of this mountain tourist place. The church dates from 1995, because the wars hindered the previous construction.
My dear travelers, we have reached the end of a special post from the series of posts on my adventure in Serbia. Time always flies when you have a good time! A man is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world around him and I am glad to always be able to explore destinations in a completely different way.
Let’s use this summer to explore the beauties of our countries and to explore some undiscovered places. When this situation with Corona-virus finally comes to its end, you should come to #SeeSerbia and #ExploreSerbia in your own way. I would like to hear your experiences and what you managed to visit in Serbia before COVID-19. Have you made any holiday plans for this summer, is it going to be the seaside resort or the mountain?
If you have a question, comment,
suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of
course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you
can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!
Blogger greetings from Divcibare,
Mr.M
This post is my gift to all my dear travelers, who wants to learn something new about Serbia. The post is for informational purposes only and is not sponsored.