Jablanica District: Archaeology, Nature and Thermal Water

Jablanica District is home to the archaeological site of Caričin Grad, Radan Nature Park and the geyser of Sijarinska Banja. The Leskovac area is also home to the Textile Museum in Strojkovac, the only museum of its kind in Serbia.

Radan Nature Park extends across the municipalities of Bojnik, Lebane and Medveđa in Jablanica District, as well as Kuršumlija and Prokuplje. Radan Nature Park encompasses Serbia’s largest and highest volcanic complex. The Kukavica Mountains are suitable for hiking, nature walks, rural tourism and collecting medicinal herbs.

Caričin Grad is located in the Lebane area in a valley between the Jablanica and Pusta Reka rivers, 30 km southwest of Leskovac. Caričin Grad is an Early Byzantine city that the majority of researchers today associate with Justiniana Prima and regard as a foundation of Emperor Justinian I from the period between 527 and 565.

The Caričin Grad Visitor Centre is located at the foot of the archaeological site and offers a guided explanation of Caričin Grad as a Byzantine archbishopric. The visitor centre has replicas of artefacts excavated within the site, information panels, electronic screens and a virtual reality headset. In the “Theodora” building of the Caričin Grad visitor complex, a restaurant offers local specialities such as sprža, ajvar, fresh mixed salads and Leskovac-style grilled dishes.

The permanent exhibition “A Journey Through the History of the Leskovac Region” presents 8,000 years of history and the lives of the region’s inhabitants from the Neolithic period to the late Ottoman era in two sections of the building. The cultural heritage of Jablanica District includes the Roman necropolis in Mala Kopašnica from the 2nd century AD. The cultural and historical sites of Jablanica District also include the Jašunjski Monasteries. They are dedicated to the Presentation of the Mother of God and Saint John the Baptist and were founded in 1499 by the nun Ksenija.

In the Vlasotince area, the local history museum houses archaeological, ethnological and historical collections. The so-called “Kula”, the Old Municipality building, is an administrative building from the period of Ottoman rule that was adapted for the Vlasotince local history museum. The city tour “Stazama graditeljskog nasleđa” takes visitors in the Vlasotince area to significant cultural and historical monuments and conveys the history of Vlasotince during a walk.

In the Leskovac area, Skobaljić Grad is located on the summit of a rocky ridge of the Kukavica Mountains on the left bank of the Vučjanka Canyon. The site was declared a cultural asset in 1986. The Vučje hydroelectric power plant is located in the Vučjanka Canyon, was built in 1903 and is still in operation today.

The first geyser of Sijarinska Banja is a thermomineral spring with an 8 m-high column of water and a temperature of 71 °C. A rehabilitation and leisure bathing complex surrounds the geyser, with a pool containing thermomineral water, a large whirlpool and water-cannon pool, as well as children’s pools with slides and other facilities. Sijarinska Banja in the municipality of Medveđa in Jablanica District can be reached from the E-75 via the junction near Leskovac and through the Jablanica Valley in around one hour by car.

In the Vlasotince area, Zeleničje is located on the northwestern side of Ostrozub at an altitude of 1,260 m. Zeleničje is a strict nature reserve and is named after the Balkan-endemic plant cherry laurel, also known as Zeleniće. The Vlasina Traverse in the Vlasotince area is part of the European long-distance hiking trail E7, is 90 km long and has eight checkpoints; it leads through the mountains of Jablanica and Pčinja District.

Along the approximately 6 km-long circular route “Stazama graditeljskog nasleđa” through the vineyards of the villages of Dadince and Kozare, visitors can visit wine cellars, take part in wine tastings and purchase wine, rakija and traditional pickled preserves. The annual Roštiljijada in Leskovac combines cuisine with music and cultural programmes.

Belanovce, Predejane, Sijarinska Banja, Lebane, Bojnik, Leskovac and Brod

To the higher-level travel overview: Central Serbia.

More places within the same destination:

Pčinja District.