Description:
Travelling across Mokra Gora (Wet Mount) is neither a journey into the past nor into the future. Rather it is a return to one’s self. Nestled between two mountains (Zlatibor and Tara) and three rivers (Beli Rzav, Crni Rzav and Kamesina), Mokra Gora has always been a gateway of nations. Irrefutable evidence shows that the area was part of a sea during the Mesozoic era. This evidence includes fossilised remains of corals, sea urchins, sea snails, clams, sea stars and the occasional shark tooth. The sea, known
as the Tethys Ocean, covered the area more than ninety million years ago. Nowadays it is covered in rich coniferous forests of unusual beauty. In a place called Jejinjak grows a
giant fir. Among the largest trees in Serbia and probably Europe, this colossal fir is 50.5 metres tall and its trunk has a diameter of 1.7 metres. Mokra Gora gives rise to
wonderful springs of unusual and medicinal water. Knowledge of the water’s empirically determined healing powers has been passed down from generation to generation, though very few locals talk about it. Water from sources such as Bela Voda (White Water) and Cesma (Fountain) are rich in selenium; from Dulovo Water and Radovan Water
the water is salty, while Glisova Water is sulphuric. These waters have all shown impressive results in the treatment of various diseases. The village of Kremna lies on
Mokra Gora. The prophecies of one of its residents from the late 19th century, Mitar Tarabic, convinced even the most ardent of disbelievers to reconsider their positions
when some of his prophecies came true. One such prophecy concerned the fate of the Sargan Eight narrow-gauge railway, which didn’t exist in Tarabic’s time:
“Many a year will pass, but the people will again remember the iron road and renew that road. Only it will not travel to Visegrad for the needs of travellers and business,
but rather will carry people for entertainment, happy recreation and enjoyment.” This, indeed, is the case today. The Sargan Eight is the most attractive tourist heritage railway in Europe, dubbed an architectural masterpiece among the narrow-gauge railways of the world. One of the slopes of Mokra Gora is home to an unusual ethnic village with several
names. Whether we choose to call it Mecavnik, Drvengrad (Wood Town) or, as the locals themselves often call it, ‘the professor's village’ – in a creative reference to its creator and famous Serbian director Emir Kusturica – it is a ‘must-see’ destination. As an excursion in itself, or after riding the Sargan Eight, hunting or trying the healing waters of the mountain springs, any visitor should drop in at this unique town, relax and enjoy the atmosphere with a cake or some local fruit juice from the pastry shop. Visitors can fish on the Beli Rzav and Crni Rzav rivers. Of numerous animals living on the mountain, visitors may spot brown bear, wolf, roe deer, Golden eagle, Eurasian Hoopoe or otters. The area is known for beekeeping, with the local honey classed among the best in Serbia. Mokra Gora is also one of the few places where villagers maintain the traditional production of tar.
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