of rUral Serbia

LOWER DANUBE
Majdanpek
When you head for Majdanpek from Donji Milanovac, you have to
go through a place called Topolnik. In the past Prince Lazar went
hunting in Deli Jovan, and on returning from hunt he saw a man
sleeping under a tree. His breathing was so forceful that it made
the leaves tremble in the surrounding poplars. This is when the
place was named Topolnik (in Serbian, “poplar town”), and Serbian
epic poetry got its hero Miloš Obilić. Around ten kilometres to the
south, next to the Negotin–Majdanpek highway, you can see the
remains of the fortification built by the Ancient Romans, which
the locals call Miloš’s Tower. From Miloš’s Tower down the Šaška
River, there is a winding road to Majdanpek.
Local people work close by in the mining industry in Majdanpek,
but they also cultivate land, claiming that they have more and
more herds. They also get substantial income from charcoal. It is
believed that in three surrounding villages there are around two
hundred charcoal people, and beech and Turkey oak charcoal from
this region is highly appreciated in Germany and Switzerland.
Because of the large number of charcoal plants, the valley of the
Šaška River is also called as the Smoke Valley.
The mining industry was developed in the hinterland of the Đerdap
Gorge as early as in the third millennium B.C. The best known, and
the oldest mine in Europe, is called Rudna Glava. The mining activities,
which began in ancient times, continued during the Ottoman
rule, although the locals massively abandoned the mines due to
inhuman working conditions. Rumour has it that the miners suffered
from mass poisoning because of using lead cutlery, so many
of them left the mine and turned to agriculture. In Rudna Glava
there is a museum of mining with a ditch which was used from the
fourth millennium B.C. until the beginning of the 20th century.
When you move on, towards Majdanpek, behind the village of
Blizna there is a small stream flowing into the Šaška River. If you
are visiting during the high water season, and you go down the
stream, you will be amazed by a stunning sight. The stream which
the locals call Beli Izvorac flows over around ten tufa cascades
forming a magnificent set of waterfalls. If you walk down the
cascades, you will see an interesting source after a hundred meters.
There is a stream of water forcefully coming out of the karst
rocks of Mali Krš. After twenty minutes or so, the stream becomes
slower as it enters an impressive stone gate. There is the largest
and the most beautiful natural stone bridge Valja Prerast arching
over the Prerast River. The official name of this natural bridge is
Šuplja Stena (Hollow Rock). The smallest height of the bridge arch
is 30 and the maximum is 34 metres. The maximum height of the
arch above the river is 42 metres, and the length of the river flow
through the gate is 22 metres.
In the Smoke Valley there are several households engaged in tourism.
The rooms are comfortable, with bathrooms, and on the
menu there are old dishes, like Vlach polenta, belmuž polenta, regional
dish borondeo, nettle soup, etc. In this region rivers are fast
and short, as well as gold-bearing, so even if you are not fascinated
by beautiful scenery, you can take a sample and try your luck with
gold.