Mačva District: Monasteries, Rivers and Cultural History

Mačva is considered a fertile, expansive plain. Its traditional character is associated with vajats, Hajdučke večeri and weddings. Regional food offerings include roasted peppers, ajvar and turšija.

The complex in Tršić includes the Museum of Languages and Scripts, a gallery, a guesthouse, a calligraphy workshop, the Museum of the Vukov sabor, a writers’ house, a wooden Church of the Archangel Michael, workshops for traditional crafts and the Vuk estate with a memorial house. Tršić is a popular picnic spot for the people of Loznica in summer and on sunny weekends. The Vukov sabor is Serbia’s oldest cultural event and has been held since 1933.

The Tronoša Monastery complex includes a church, a new konak with a spacious refectory, an exhibition room and a museum dedicated to Vuk’s early schooling. According to tradition, the completion of Tronoša Monastery in 1317 is associated with King Dragutin and his wife Katarina. The custom of the Ratarske sveće is associated with Tronoša Monastery: Two neighbouring villages present cast beeswax candles on Maundy Thursday.

The ossuary on Mount Gučevo commemorates the First World War battles on Gučevo and contains the jointly buried remains of Serbian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers. Next to the Gučevo Monument is a viewpoint overlooking Podrinje, Pocerina, Semberija and Majevica. Gučevo serves as a picnic area for hikers and recreational visitors; paragliding takes place from its peaks. Mačkov Kamen was a battlefield during the First World War; it is commemorated by an ossuary made of granite blocks in the form of a chapel with a bell tower.

The Tekeriš Memorial Complex includes an ossuary and a museum exhibition on the Battle of Cer. The Battle of Mišar took place near Mišar on 1 or 13 August 1806, depending on the calendar, and is considered the rebels’ first victory against central Ottoman rule.

The underground city of the Karađorđević dynasty was built in the early 1930s on the orders of King Aleksandar I Karađorđević as a wartime shelter for the dynasty and the government. The underground city consists of 75 rooms and passageways with a total length of approximately 1.5 kilometres. Visitors can walk through the underground halls and visit the underground royal residence.

Lake Zvornik is used for recreational fishing and has abundant fish stocks. The fish ladder at the Zvornik Hydroelectric Power Plant is opened every spring during the spawning season so that fish can travel from the lower Drina to Lake Zvornik and spawn there; it is considered the only fish ladder in the country. The Somovijada fishing competition has been held every summer at Lake Zvornik since 1998. Stari Grad Fortress stands on the right bank of the Sava; the area around Stari Grad includes a recreation centre and, immediately next to the fortress, a city beach on the Sava.

Banja Koviljača is home to a modern wellness centre housed in an old sulphur bath dating from 1908. Kursalon Palace in Banja Koviljača was built in 1932. Mali Ostrog, also known as the Church of the Holy Cross, is a church carved into a cave in Mali Zvornik that was probably created between 1932 and 1934. The Sovljak Art Colony has been held in the Sovljak Ethnopark since 1998.

For further orientation in Mačva District: Banja Koviljača, Mali Zvornik, Loznica, Radalj, Bogatić, Slepčević, Šabac, Voljevci, Krupanj, Ljubovija.

For the overarching travel overview: Central Serbia.