Museum Prijepolje

Located in an old Ottoman building from 19th century, in the vicinity of Municipal Building and main town square, the Museum of Prijepolje is one of the smallest and youngest, and according to world's experts, the best museum in Serbia. It is situated in former Ottoman school and it attracts attention with interesting scientific projects that are important for the Serbian culture. 

The museum has recently become interesting for the international public after receiving special    award by the European Museum Forum in Portugal. 

 

 The Museum of Prijepolje is very significant sight in cultural life of Prijepolje. It gathering most famous artists all over, to visit Prijepolje, and making the most largest projects to improve culture in this town. There is also amateurs of dramatic scene of Home of culture (main cultural building after Museum in Prijepolje), led by Mesa Sendelj, and they are very active in refreshing the cultural life in Prijepolje.

 

The structure of museum was built in the period from 1839 to 1845. It was built for the needs of Rushdia – a lower three-year secondary school for studying both religious and secular subjects. This first secondary school started work in 1914. The building itself has been adapted for museum purposes and from 1991 on there has been established a constant museum exhibition. Saving its historical values and unchanged architectural appearance the Museum, by its stamp and memorandum, emphasizes the fact that it is placed within the building where the first secondary school in Prijepolje started work.

The museum in Prijepolje was officially opened on June 15, 1991 with a constant museum exhibition called "Prijepolje in the Past". This very rich and complex museum exhibition includes archeology, history and ethnology sections the framework of which is represented by exhibits from important ancient locality of Kolovrat such as: golden earrings, fibulas, glass and medieval ceramics as well as the stone plastics of Mileseva and Davidovica monasteries. 

 

 

The traditional folk culture is shown in specimens of costumes, dishes, carpets, gadgets and helping devices from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. All significant historical dates, rebellions, wars and migrations as shown in various exhibits talk about turbulent history of this region.

 

The museum in Prijepolje has a status of the regional museum and by the projects accomplished in the field of protection and by great artistic projects organized within the gallery it gained reputation of the most important cultural institution in the southwest of Serbia. 

For that reason a visit to Prijepolje enables all target groups to experience an unforgettable walk through the past and to get acquainted with civilizations of Rome, Byzantium, Orthodoxy and Islam that in these territories lived for centuries and live today too.

Within the newly built part of the museum there is a constant exhibition devoted to the most famous citizen of Prijepolje the world known basket ball player Mr. Vlade Divac. His sports medals won, sports equipment and photos from basketball matches remind of an unforgettable sports career for one of the greatest world athletes. The museum is located in the center of the town next to the town market and municipality building of Prijepolje.

Ibrahim-pasha’s Mosque in Prijepolje, Serbia

It is the oldest mosque in Prijepolje. For the first time it was mentioned in travels of Evlija Celebija. Ibrahim-pasha the son of Herzegovina sub-pasha had it built in the 16th century. In the corner of the mosque there is a built-in sundial „eltifa“ positioned in the direction east west and it represents the only authentic thing from the time of its construction. In the 18th century during the Hungarian-Turkish war the mosque suffered damages but had been restored thanks to the efforts of a local resident, lady Baki-hanuma. The graveyard – mezarje, next to the mosque is particularly significant and abounds in old and luxuriously decorated marks made of calcium carbonate deposits, stone and marble. There are marks for ulemans, dervishes, agas, hajis, pashas, merchants, young men, young women and the others.
 

 

Next to the mosque there are graves of the mosque builder Ibrahim-pasha and his sister Kajdafa. Marks on their graves are the oldest preserved ones in the territory of this municipality. On Kajdafa’s grave there is a sign: “Kajdafa, daughter of Iskender, year 1048“.

Clock tower

The precise time of construction is not known but considering the fact that E. Celebija mentions it, it might be erected even before the 15th century. Its age, appearance and unusual structure represent an undeniable architectural and monumental value.

During the reconstruction of Town Square in Vakuf, the Clock tower has been moved to a new location completely saving the original dimensions and as far as it is known there were no damages or alterations in its appearance.

The Clock tower represents one of the most interesting and oldest preserved Islamic monuments in the territory of middle Polimlje. The renewed clock mechanism with sound strokes calls attention of citizens of Prijepolje and reminds of its for centuries old existence.

Milesevac - cultural monument

In the very vicinity of Milesevo monastery there are remains of medieval town of Milesevac. It was built at the beginning of Milesevka canyon on the top of a cliff that is accessible only from its southern side. The other three sides of this hill almost vertically slope down and more or less are inaccessible. The town is of irregular shape, surrounded by walls made of stone and mortar with quadrilateral towers in noticeable places. On its southern side there is a suburb where today’s modern rural settlement of Hisardzik is situated. The town had all the elements of a fortress with a suburb, a cult building and a necropolis around it, which are preserved up to nowadays. It was probably erected in the 14th century and it served as a defense of Mileseva monastery and the caravan road passing bellow. Conquered by the Turks in the 15th century it became a Turkish fortress, which they enlarged with the so-called Turkish towers that are clearly identifiable even today. The beauties of architecture, well-preserved walls of this big fortress arouse enthusiasm with every visitor as well as admiration for the builders who carried out this construction in such a wonderful way.
 

Describing the shape and position of the town Milesevac (Hisardzik), a famous Turkish writer Evlija Celebija has recorded:

„ It is a beautiful town on a cliff that rises perpendicularly up to the heavenly garden. This is a solid one-story structure made of stone. But some parts are destroyed due to cannon blows. It has a dozen of towers. Storehouses inside the fort are full of food. There are about twenty decent wooden-roof houses, little Fatih's mosque, a hut, ammunition storage and a nice iron gate that opens to the north. There is also an underground plumbing that serves to secretly supply water from the river… 

Downtown area is not so developed and pretty. It has around sixty different wooden-roof houses, a mosque, an inn, around ten shops and some vineyards and gardens here and there “.
 

The suburb of this medieval town can be reached from Mileseva monastery by an asphalt road while one can climb the town walls by a steep and narrow path that has been preserved since the date of monastery construction till today.

Ticije polje

At the foot of Ozren Mt., at almost 1,500 meters above sea level, Tičije Polje (i.e. Birds’ Field) has built its nest. This place, 12 kilometers away from Brodarevo, represents a live ethnographical museum. As if, at the beginning of the 21^st century, it has emanated from the fantasy of something that used to be reality once long ago. The heritage has been preserved at every nook. The houses covered with shingle, huts, and other ancillary buildings covered with straw, built in keeping with the vernacular architecture, are used by the inhabitants in their everyday life, the hospitable householders of the Lazović family. In its close vicinity there are the medieval monasteries Davidovica and Kumanica and the exciting canyon of the Dubočica River.

Kamena Gora

Kamena Gora is the prettiest village in the municipality of Prijepolje, at altitudes from 800 to 1496 meters above sea level. It is some twenty kilometers away from the town.

A several centuries old pine tree dominates over Kamena Gora. It symbolizes the longevity of the local highlanders. Under its crown, many people from Kamena Gora have turned centenarians. Kamena Gora represents a true nature reserve. In its arethere are over a hundred springs rich with water. Only at the foot of Pribojno Hill there are over 30 rich wells.

Between the two World Wars, Kamena Gora had been officially declared a health resort. It is visited by numerous seekers for beauty and adventure. Paragliders fly over it, speleologists descend into numerous abysses and caves, mountaineers climb its heights...

In Kamena Gora, people show and prove that beauty and brains can go hand in hand. The inhabitants of the “forest on the stone“ open the doors of their homes to the guests with warmth and, in addition to the natural amenities, generously offer their so valuable hospitality. Apart from private accommodation, Kamena Gora offers accommodation in a comfortable forest lodge, the property of Srbijašume (Forest Management Authority).

Kamena Gora has already become a distinct destination on the tourist map of Serbia. Nature has adorned it with beautiful landscapes and mild climate, and its inhabitants with “sweet disposition“. Come and see it for yourself. Build in your small stone into the mosaic that is being made in the „forest on the stone“. Under the watchful eye of the Holy Pine.

The village of centenarians also offers a recipe: for your good EKG, KG is the best.

Those who once discover the fairytale attractions of the 'forest on the stone' will always come back to them.

THE SECRET OF THE OLD PINE

Pine has been a cultic tree in our regions from times immemorial. Elderly people, in order to avoid putting the God’s name into their mouth in vain, often used to say “The pine is my witness“. It was often linked to a personality or an event from the past. Folk medicine has not avoided it either – folk healers used to prepare medicines of the pine resin for any wounds. 

Kamena Gora is situated on the other bank of the River Lim, above Prijepolje. The namesake village is located in the mountain and a pine tree grows on one of its peaks, which dominates above the village and the entire mountain. Arborescent, solitary, it looks magnificent. They say that it is at least four centuries old, and that the ancestors of the people nowadays living in Kamena Gora had come to this region from somewhere 350 years ago. The previous inhabitants had had left the mountain some fifty years prior to their arrival.

What trouble had driven them to leave this gorgeous region was known only to them, but also to the old solitary pine. An old story says that, before they left, they had made a hole in the trunk of the pine and left a message in it. It explained the reasons of their migration. The hole had been closed with a plug and resin and annual rings have taken their toll. The secret of the indigenous inhabitants of Kamena Gora will remain in the heart of the pine tree for ever.

 

The people from the mountain respect this cultic tree and would not pick even a single gall from it. They respect its age and its secrets... 

http://www.turizamprijepolje.org.rs

Breathtaking views Prijepolje

Prijepolje

Sopotnica

The Sopotnica River is situated in the southwestern part of Serbia. It is around 315 km away from Belgrade and 17 km southeast of Prijepolje. It is situated at around 1000 meters above sea level. In its springing part, the River creates countless small waterfalls from which water gathers into three bigger watercourses. The waterfalls created by them are the most attractive ones, over 20 meters high. The water flowing over several levels of sediments of dripstone in the form of waterfalls disperses into tiny water drops creating around the waterfalls a belt of refreshing air that has a favorable impact on the guests and their state of mind. Water of the Sopotnica River is potable.

Apart from the waterfalls, other interesting tourist attractions of the Sopotnica River are the watermills and cloth watermills, where once cereals used to be ground and cloth milled.

The village of Sopotnica is well known for door dairy products, mountain lamb meat, spinach, cheese, buckwheat pies, and honey. A special specialty of the Serbian households offered to chance travelers is brandy of wild pears, as well as the brandies “šljiva“ of plums Prunus domestica and “jabukovača“ of sweet apples. The specialty of the Bosnian (Muslim) households is “site“- fruit syrup of the best-quality sweet pears, apples, and other fruits. “Vodnika“ is a fruit juice of wild pears, wild apple, juniper, sloe-berries and hawthorn, and it is the specialty of both the Serbian and the Bosnian households.

Some households are engaged in the manufacture of wooden small tubs for cheese and cream, milk-setting bowls, wooden spoons and other utensils. Woolen products can be encountered in almost every household: sweaters, socks, gloves, shawls, bags, caps, etc.

Sopotnica has a lot of walking treks, which enable its tourists to tour gorgeous natural landscapes, pick medicinal plants and edible mushrooms while walking in fresh mountain air.

And yet, what makes the biggest impression on every visitor is the hospitability of these highlanders and the smile that does not disappear from their faces for a single moment.
In Sopotnica, 'honey and water' flow for the guests and much more than that.

 

By virtue of the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Sopotnica was declared the natural monument by the end of 2005.

Monastery Mileševa

The Mileševa monastery was founded between 1234 and 1236 by Serbian King Vladislav The church has frescoes by the most skillful artists of that time, including one of the most famous in Serbian culture, the "White Angel", which depicts an angel on Christ's grave.Mileševa is one of the most important Serbian sanctuaries and spiritual centers. In 1236, Vladislav moved the relics of his uncle Saint Sava from Trnovo in Bulgaria, where he died, to Mileševa. In 1459, the Turks set the monastery on fire, but it was soon restored. In the first half of the sixteenth century, the first service books were illuminated in Mileševa. One of the oldest schools also existed in the monastery. In later times, after several Turkish demolitions, a new restoration was undertaken in 1863, when the church considerably changed in appearance.

The Mileševa monastery has been visited by pilgrims and donated to by Russian Emperors (Ivan IV Vasilyevich) and Valachian and Moldavian rulers. In 1594, the Turks removed the relics of St. Sava from the monastery and publicly burned them on Vračar hill in Belgrade, making him thus a posthumous martyr.

Mileševa was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia.

Touristic potential

Prijepolje emerged and has developed under the wings and the watchful eye of the White Angel of Mileševa. The “old lady” Europe boasted of this fresco before the New World via the first satellite image transmitted via the Atlantic on July 23, 1962. , which has become the trade mark in the southwest of Serbia. The White Angel is the most beautiful fresco in the magnificent gallery of the medieval fresco painting, accommodated under the domes of the mausoleum of St. Sava, Mileševa monastery.

Touristic potential is reflected in diverse and preserved natural environment  and rich cultural – historic heritage with particular emphasis on active, rural and tourism of special interest.

The rich tourist offer of Prijepolje , which is called the “town of rivers” by modern tourists, includes Mileševa monastery ( XIII century ), the monasteries by the “holy waters of the River Lim“ (Davidovica and Kumanica) , the medieval castles Mileševac and Kovin, the Roman necropolis in Kolovrat ( II and IV century), the monuments of the Islamic culture and civilization: Ibrahim Pasha’s Mosque in Šarampovo ( XVI century ) and Clock Tower in Vakuf    ( XIII century ).

Then there are the gorges of the Mileševka and Dubočica Rivers, rafting on the River Lim, the waterfalls of the Sopotnica River, the living ethnographical museum in Tičije Polje, the picturesque tracts of Kamena Gora, Jabuka, Babina and other villages, the abundance of flora and fauna, organized trekking tours, hunting and fishing... The “town of rivers“ with its preserved building heritage, cultural heritage, and untouched nature has enviable potentials for all types of tourism and active vacation in an increasingly rapid routine of everyday life.

http://www.turizamprijepolje.org.rs