Description:
The Prokletije (Damned) mountains are wild and harsh. The single greatest mountain massif of the Dinaric Alps, Prokletije encompasses about 40 separate mountain peaks, and includes imposing sheer cliffs and almost impassable ridges. It is dissected by wild mountain streams that have cut an unusually beautiful gorge that is more than a thousand metres deep in parts. The geomorphologic and climatic features make them the most inaccessible mountains in the country and, after the Alps, in the whole of Europe. There
are areas of preserved primeval beauty, like the Pec Gorge and Decanska Bistrica River. Because of its exceptional biodiversity an many rare and endangered species, Prokletije,
along with Sar Mountain, belong to one of six European centres of bio diversity. They are known for their chestnut, oak and hornbeam woods, as well as high-altitude pine forests which include endemic species like the Bosnian Pine, Macedonian Pine and Mountain Pine. Just as in the Sar Mountains, the Prokletije range is home to a huge number
of species of butterflies, while other attractive species include the Alpine Salamander, Alpine Newt, Black eagle, Western Capercaillie, martens, otters, wolves, chamois and wildcats. In addition to natural and cultural-historical heritage sites, the area also boasts monuments of Serbian medieval culture that are under UNESCO protection – the Decani Monastery and the Pec Patriarchate. The oldest protected tree in Serbia, the black mulberry, also known as ‘Sam-dud’, is located in the courtyard of the Pec Patriarchate.