Serbia is settled in the middle of Balkan Peninsula, in south-eastern Europe covering area of 88,361 km² with population of 9,396,411 (2002) including Kosovo. It is also known as a crossroad of Europe. Ancient Roman and modern-time roads that lead through the country are conecting east and west, north and south. Because it’s geo-strategic position, this part of Europe was under attack of great European and Asian tribes and nations. That is the reason why Serbia today hosts rich and diverse cultural and historic heritage which atract hunderds of thousant visitors every year.

Belgrade is a capital of Serbia situated at confluence of Sava and Danube rivers. With  population of 1,576,124  it is political, cultural, administrative, economy and university center of the country. After democratic changes, Belgrade has become popular travel destination due to its crazy night life, never-ending parties, concerts and clubbing…

Serbia covers two geographical areas. Pannonian Basin lies north from Sava and Danube rivers. This bottom of the ancient Pannonian see today is the most fertile part of the country, with extensive agriculture and agronomy. Organic food production and village recovery programs have become the base of tourism development in this part of the country. Two low mountains dominate in this part of country: Fruška Gora and Vršačke Planine, famous for its old vineyards and traditional production of quality wines.
Mountainous Balkan Peninsula with its high mountains, gorges and river valleys is situated south of Sava and Danube rivers. Central part of Serbia, south of Belgrade known as Šumadija, covered with tick forest in the past, today is famous for it’s fruit planting and rakia (fruit brandy) production. Village and rural tourism is very popular. Here visitors can participate in everyday domestic activities, harvest and fruit picking, preparing healthy food and learning handcraft from local people. Mt. Kopaonik, with its peaks over 2000 m high is most popular ski resort in Serbia. Other mountains like Zlatibor, Tra, Zlatar i Stara Planina, each for itself, represent treasury of natural beauties attract tourists as mountain and heath tourism destinations. Serbia is rich in geo-thermal springs what makes excellent basis for spa and wellness programs. Most popular spa is Vrnjačka banja (Vrnjačka Spa), famous for its high quality healing mineral water and preserved nature.
To preserve the nature of the country, Serbia has established six national parks in the second half of 20th century which became very popular among many travelers.

Serbia is country with many rivers. Danube River connects Serbia with the Rhine-Main-Danube system, Black and North seas. Many cruise ships brings tourists every day from all over the world and make stops at Belgrade and Novi Sad for sightseeing tours and excursions. Sava, Morava, Drina, Ibar, Tisa, Tamiš, Timok, Begej, Nišava are regional rivers of great inportance for local population and economy. Those rivers are resource for nautical tourism, barging, fishing, water sports, swimming and recreation. Also, there are many lakes in Serbia, some of them are natural and some are men made river accumulations, cut-off meanders and sand pits. Just like rivers, lakes are also popular for swimming, boating, water sports and fishing.

Serbia is country of all it’s citizens. Serbian majority is 82.86% of the population, Hungarians 3.91%, Bosniaks 1.82%, followed by Romas 1.44 %, Croats 0.94%, Albanians 0.82%, Slovaks 0.79%, Vlachs 0.53%, Romanians 0.46%, Bulgarians 0.27%. There are 37 nationalities which is result of turbulent historic past.

Official language is Serbian (part of Slavic group of languages) with Cyrillic alphabet. Another official alphabet is Latin, commonly used allover the country on the traffic, information and street signs. Languages of minorities are used at the parts of the country where those communities live. English as a foreign language is spoken mostly by younger and mid-age population! Although, Serbia is a small country there are many dialects and pronunciation so don’t be surprised if, traveling through Serbia, find people speaking some strange and funny kind of language.

Generally most of Serbian population belong to Serbian Orthodox religion (part of Eastern Christianity). However, not so many of them goes to church every Sunday and for the holidays. Beside Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian and part of the Roma minorities are Orthodox too. There are also Roman Catholic, Protestant, Islamic and Jewish communities. Some numbers of young people consider themselves as atheists. In remote parts of eastern Serbia there are traces of pagan inheritance and witchcraft.

Sexual orientation has equal rights officially. But when it comes to real life, things are little bit different. Good advice: If you are homosexual don’t show it publicly, you may get insult and even attacked by conservatives. There are some Gay clubs in Belgrade and Novi Sad where you can relax.

Useful Info:

• Serbia belongs to Central European Time zone (GMT+1).

• Electric power is 220V AC.

• Payment currency is Serbian Dinar, there are ATMs, exchange offices and banks on every corner in towns and cities. Credit and debit cards are wide accepted in hotels, restaurants, shops and markets. Always ask for fiscal slip from register. Tipping is usual 10% in the restaurants, bars, taxi drivers…

• Tap water is safe to drink in Serbia, but we recommend bottled which can be found in markets and street kiosks.

• Country code to phone Serbia is +381 . Phone boots are located in the main streets, squares, at public buildings and hotels. Cards can be bought at kiosks, post offices and receptions. Mobile phones and SIM cards are available.

Guca (Gucha) – Wild Trumpet Festival is held every August in small central Serbian village Gucha. It has begun in October 16, 1961 as “The first Dragacevo Assembly of Trumpet Players”. After more then 40 years it became one of the wildest, craziest, sexiest, drunkest and loudest world festivals. People from all over the world come here to enjoy virtuous brass music, dance, rakia, roasted lamb and mingling around 100.000 people.

Festival starts at Wednesday with Opening ceremony followed by music and dance performances. Thursday is day with relaxed atmosphere. On Friday warm up begins with music performances and qualification program. Saturday gets real HOT. It starts with wakening call of the trumpeters followed by festival parade of all program participants and ends up with midnight trumpeters concert on the local stadium – euphoric Gucha ecstasy. Saturday is the last festival day introducing the winners: The First Trumpet of Guca (best trumpet player) and The Best Trumpet Orchestra. Very interesting fact is that best of the trumpet players are self-educated virtuosos. Festival ends with traditional dance – Great festival “Kolo” (chain folk dance with all participants and visitors).

All the time, there are large tent – restaurants with live brass music, table dancing, roasted lamb and pork and “Svadbarski kupus” – local specialty made of cabbage and meat, made in large jars on fire.

Accommodation is really hard to find since the population of Gucha is only 3000 and capacities are limited. Prior reservation is a must! Also, it is possible for some money to put your tent in somebody’s backyard. After first night spent in Guca you will realize that it doesn’t really maters where you will sleep.

Welcome to Gucha, experience like you never had before!

Previous preformers of Exit Fest:

Exit 00

34 concerts featuring most popular regional bands, 12 preformances, over 120 movie projections, 20 panels and discussions, 40 praties, 11acts…

EXIT 01

Roni Size, Finley Quaye, Kosheen, Disciplin a Kitschme, Banco de Gaia, Darko Rundek, Dennis Alcapone & Charmax Players Band, Max Romeo, Cubismo, Osibisa, Tony Allen, Sunshine, Luke Slater, Eyesburn, KUD Idijoti, Partibrejkersi, Dj Tim Simeon, Tikiman & Soul Static Sound Sistem, Dj Yellow, Salome de Bahia, DJ Liorca, 4 Hero, DJ James Fierce, Ministry Of Sound…

EXIT 02

David Morales, Marshall Jefferson, Darren Emerson, Lottie, Erick Morillo LTJ Bukem, Brenda Russell, Derrick Carter, Kevin Yost, Transglobal Underground, Smoke City, Asian Dub Foundation, Roni Size, Telepopmusik, Horace Andey, Partibrejkersi, Darko Rundek, Rambo Amadeus, KUD Idijoti, Psihomodo Pop, Majke, Hladno Pivo, Eyesburn, Del Arno Band, Darkwood Dub, Obojeni program, Lajko Felix…

EXIT03

Moloko, Stereo MC’s, Tricky, Darren Emerson, DJ Lottie, Chumbawamba, Shane MacGowan, Jaff Mills, DJ Marky…

EXIT04

Darkwood Dub, Obojeni Program, Goldfrapp, Massive Attack, Adam Freeland, Eyesburn, Soulfly, Senor Coconut, Brand New Heavies, Neneh Cherry, Luna, Del Arno Band, Wailers Cypress Hill, Scratch Perverts & Dynamite MC, Emir & Frozen Camels, Partibrejkers, Peaches, Iggy and the Stooges, 4 Hero,Rebel People Get Real, Smokin Jo, Roger Sanchez, Satoshie Tommiie, Wally Lopez, DJ Demi, Lexicon Avenue, Sander Kleinenberg, Way Out West, Steve Lawler, Pako & Frederik, The Guvnors, Howie B, FC Kahuna, Xpress 2, Timo Maas,DJ Hyper Anderson Noise, Ken Ishii,  Smith & Selway, Technasia Speedy, J Adam Beyer, Marko Nastic

EXIT05

White Stripes, Slayer, Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Sasha, Felix Da Housecat, Underworld, Ian Brown, Garbage, Apocalyptica, Laibach
EXIT06 The Cardigans, Franz Ferdinand, The Cult, Siddharta, Morrissey, Goldie, HIM, Billy Idol, Chicks on Speed, Pet Shop Boy,s Scissor Sisters, Kiril Džajkovski, Dave Clarke, Nick Warren, Hernan Catteneo, James Zabiela, Junior Jack & KID, Crème, David Guetta, Derick May, Jeff Mills, Ume,k Marko Nastić…

EXIT07

Audio Bullys, Basement Jaxx, Beastie Boys, CSS, Danny Tenaglia, Dubioza Kolektiv, Dynamite MC & Zinc b2b Friction, Eric Prydz, Frankie Knuckles, Groove Armada, John Digweed, LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Overflow , Pendulum DJ Set & MC Verse, Richie Hawtin, Robert Plant, Roger Sanchez, Snoop Dogg, Stanton Warriors, Tanya Stephens, The Prodigy, The Pipettes, Wu-Tang Clan…

EXIT08

2 Many DJs, Audion Live, Axwell, Ben Watt, Booka Shade Live, Dubfire (Deep Dish) & Sharam (Deep Dish), Francois K, Gossip, Gogol Bordello, Juliette and the Licks, Laurent Garnier, Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System, Ministry, N*E*R*D, Nightwish, Noisia, Paul Weller, Pekinška patka, Primal Scream, Roni Size Reprazent, Sex Pistols, Soulwax Live Sven Vath, The BellRay,s The Hives, Kruder, and Dorfmeister, The Streets, Tiga…

EXIT09

Belgrade is a capital of Serbia, situated at confluence of Sava and Danube rivers. With  population of 1,576,124  it is political, cultural, administrative, economy and university center of the country. Celtic tribes, Romans, Byzantines,

Turks, Austrians and Hungarians left their trace here. Belgrade is a battlefield on which ground the biggest amount of blood was shed in Europe during the centuries. Since medieval time it was one of the most important cities of Serbian Kingdom. After liberation from Turkish occupation, old part of Belgrade was reconstructed and got its present image. Today, Belgrade is a favorite escape destination. Crazy nightlife, clubbing, excellent restaurants and relaxed atmosphere makes Belgrade so adorable.

Getting around Belgrade

Visiting Belgrade is unforgettable experience. Lack of the metro lines is Belgrade’s biggest problem. There are numerous bus, tram and trolley lines that run around city. Traffic jams are very common so you could loose a lot of time getting from one part of the city to another, but consider it as a part of the adventure. Best way to explore it, is by foot. Try to find accommodation in central location so you can spend a day walking around. If you want to visit parts of Belgrade which cannot be  reached by foot, organize yourself to spend a day there (Ada Ciganlija, Zemun, Topčider). If you come to Belgrade by bus or train, don’t take a taxi in front of the stations, these are most expensive and some of them are illegal, trying to make some tax-free money. The best way is to walk across and ask somebody to call regular radio taxi for you. Always insist on taximeter, but generally taxis in Belgrade are not expensive. If you came by plane, there are regular bus lines to city center on every hour and taxis are around 10 euros.

Things to do in Belgrade

Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It’s cultural heritage witnesses about turbulent and heroic history. Walking around city you can visit Fortress of Belgrade and Kalemegdan park. Stroll down the streets and squares, enjoy cup of traditional coffee and rakia or local specialty at Skadarlija, famous bohemian street. Visiting Belgrade’s museums, galleries and alternative exhibitions is a must. If you come in summer time don’t forget to spend a day on Sava river. Ada Ciganlija is popular river resort where you can swim, sunbath, play sports, ride a bike or a horse, water skiing or rent a boat. There are also organized day and nigh boat trips if you want to explore Belgrade from the rivers. Staying on the river when the night comes is good idea. Countless number of boats and floats (popular splavovi) docked at banks of Sava and Danube rives are major attraction of Belgrade for many visitors, offering wide choice of food, drinks, music and fun. Don’t miss it! Going out you will probably end up in one of Belgrade’s most popular clubs with the one of the best D.J.ing and clubbing in Europe. Belgrade hosts numerous festivals, concerts and events all over the year. There are also sightseeing buses, guided tours and excursions organized by local travel agencies and Tourist Organization of Belgrade (TOB). Welcome to Belgrade! Have Fun!

The steep, rocky sides of the Kablar Mt., its rocky boulders, and large forest complexes hide numerous species of well-preserved flora, with many relic species. Characteristic species in this gorge are the hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), Oriental hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis), small leaved linden (Tilia cordata), large leaved linden (Tilia platyphyllos), ash (Fraxinus ornus), smoketree (Cotinus coggygria),
mezereon (Daphne mezereum), spurgelaurel (Daphne laureola). The fauna is also very rich. Particularlyimportant species are the Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni), European pond terrapin (Emys orbicularis), Aesculapian snake (Elaphe longissima), fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), imperial eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), grey heron (Ardea cinerea), rock partridge (Alectoris graeca), pine marten (Martes martes), stone marten (Martes foina), badger (Meles meles), and other rare and threatened species.
Ten medieval monasteries are scattered like pearls over the gorge, representing a very attractive and significant monumental complex, unique for both the place and the time of its origins.
The spa Ovčar Banja is also positioned here, known for its medicinal thermal springs and beautiful sinter waterfalls and tubs on the brook Banjski Potok.

The Special Nature Reserve “Uvac” is posi­tioned in southwestern Serbia, and it encom­passes the gorge of the river Uvac and its tribu­taries Veljušnica, Kladnica and Tisovice.

This very attractive gorge has many unique me­anders and high limestone cliffs. A number of subterranean forms of karstic relief are devel­oped in the limestone rocks. Most frequent are the rock shelters, pits, and caves, among which particularly interesting is the Ušački cave system, the longest cave system in Serbia (6,185 m).

The large open water areas of lakes Sjeničko, Zlatarsko and Radoinjsko, with surrounding meadows and pastures, are the gathering plac­es for many bird species. So far, 104 species of birds were recorded, such as the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), short-toed eagle (Circaetus gallicus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), goosander (Mergus merganser), corncrake (Crex crex), eagle owl (Bubo bubo) etc. Besides birds, there are many other interesting animals such as the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), otter (Lutra lutra), and bats. The caves of Uvac are the only habitat of stenoendemic species of insects from the genera Remyella and Duvalius, and the mil­lipede Haasea lacusnigri microcorna.

The hallmark of the Reserve is the griffon vul­ture (Gyps fulvus), one of the rarest species of vultures in the Balkan Peninsula. A colony of the griffon vulture with 49 pairs today lives in the refugial habitats of this gorge, being the largest colony of this bird in the central Bal­kans.

The Marble cave (Mermerna Pećina) is positioned in southern Serbia, at the eastern edge of the Kosovo basin, in the village of Donje Gadimlje near Lipljan. It was formed in the massif of the hill Glavica, a branch of Gadimski Breg.

As an old, relic labyrinth of tectonically predisposed channels, the cave was formed in resistant dolomite marbles, and it is the largest object of this kind both in our country and in the world. So far, 1,260 m of the cave channels were explored. The basic morphological units of the Mermerna Pećina are the Entrance-, Western-, Northern-, and Eastern Gallery. All this units have complex networks and true labyrinths of channels, hallways, and halls, distributed at several horizons.

The abundance of all types of cave waters, from condensed and dripping, to flowing and stagnant, adds to the beauty of the cave. There are 29 permanent lakes in the cave, which is a rare occurrence. The largest number of these clear lakes is formed in compact marbles, and only a smaller number in the cave clay. The lakes are partly laying under the rock mass, thus it is not possible to measure their true dimensions. Subterranean karstic rivers that are coalescing into two separate watercourses are also interesting.

The Marble cave is very rich in jewels. All types of luxuriant multi-coloured cave jewellery can be found in the cave, from snow-white, blue, all shades of yellow, to red. The most numerous are stalagmites and stalactites, massif calcite pillars, cone-shaped flowstone, drapes, sinter pools, and translucent tubular jewels. Very rare aragonite jewellery is the greatest treasury of the cave. There are no other caves in the world where aragonites can be found in such quantity and variety of shapes as in the cave Mermerna Pećina.

Bogovinska cave

The Bogovinska cave (Bogovinska Pećina) is positioned in the village of Bogovina, at the eastern foothills of the massif of Južni Kučaj in eastern Serbia. It is developed in the karstified Mesozoic lime¬stone.

The Bogovinska Pećina was for a long time considered as the longest cave in Serbia, until the more detailed exploration of the Ušački cave system was done. The total length of the channels was several times corrected and, according to the latest study, it is 5,842 m. The cave channels are developed into three levels. The lower level – Ponorski Kanal, has a permanent flow. The upper level – Visoki Kanal, is dry. The central level – Glavni Kanal, occupies the largest part of the cave, and it is occasionally hydro¬logically active and gives the cave the character of a river spring cave.

This cave is inhabited by the very interesting fauna of cavernicolous arthropods. Among them, particularly significant are the stenoendemic pseudoscorpion Chthonius bogovinae, the pseudoscorpion Chthonius tetrachelatus, the terrestrial endemic crab Trichoniscus bogovinae, and the subtroglophile insect Choleva spadicea spadicea.

The cave system Samar – Veliki Pešter

The cave system Samar – Veliki Pešter is positioned in the northeastern part of the mountain group of Kalafat, which represents a segment of the Svrljiške Mts. The entire system is developed into three levels of cave-pit channels, with the explored length of 3,651 m.

This complex cave system is a river-tunnel system with two lost rivers, the Sudvek and the Žljebura. A subterranean cave spring of the gravitational-owerflow type is situated in the main channel of the Sudvek, and the hanging Lake Channel is a cave lake with two bottoms.

The spring part of the cave system consists of three karst springs: Jezava, Ripalo, and Toplik. Particularly beautiful is the hanging, siphon-overflow type spring Ripalo, with a waterfall 4 m high.

The cave, as an erosion cavity in the limestone, represents a form of the relief with secondarily deposited layers, of which the cave travertine has a particular aesthetic value. Especially attractive sinkhole pebbles and cave entrances, of which the most attractive is the entrance Samar with a limestone bridge over the large cave window, add to the beauty of this cave. A rich fossil fauna, with nine different genera of mammals of Holocene age, was found in the cave channels.

Stopić cave

The Stopić cave (Stopića Pećina) is positioned in the village of Rožanstvo at the northeastern slopes of the Zla¬tribor massif, in southwestern Serbia. The system is developed in karstified limestone of the Middle Triassic age of the eastern rim of the Inner Dinarids.

The cave Stopića Pećina consists of three units with entrances on the surface: Stopića Pećina, Chasm of Trnavski Brook, and Pećinica (Small Cave). The to¬tal length of the channels of the entire system is 1,594 m. The entrance into the cave Stopića Pećina is of large dimensions, 18 m tall and up to 40 m wide, so that it is one of the caves with the larg¬est entrances in Serbia.

After some hundred meters of the wide Main Channel (the Bright Hall and the Dark Hall) with windows, the cave is divided into two branches. The lower branch, River Channel, is hydrologically active and connected with the sinkhole of the Trnavski Potok. This branch is practically the subterranean flow of the brook Trnavski Potok. The upper branch, the Channel with Tubs, is dry and stretches in the direction of Pećinica.

At the beginning of the dry Channel with Tubs is the hall with numerous cascading sinter tubs. The largest tub is 12.5×3 m.The branch River Channel descends into the Main Channel through one of the cascades with overflowing water, creating a particularly attractive waterfall known as the “Source of Life”.

The cave is rich in other forms of cave jewels, such as the Hall with Baldachins, the Red Fireplace, the Coral Chimney, the erosive cracks, etc.The cave Stopića Pećina is the habitat of a stenoendemic subspecies of troglobitic trechine, Duvalius cvijici stopicensis. Rare guano-eating rove beetles – Quedius mesomelinus skoraszewskyi, Atheta spelaea, Deleaster dichrous, and Dianous coerulescens, were also found in the cave.

Prekonoška cave

The Prekonoška cave (Prekonoška Pećina) is hidden in eastern Serbia, near the village of Prekonoge. It is developed in karstified Mesozoic limestone of the anticline of the Svrljiške Mts.

The cave is in the form of a generally horizontal, winding, relatively simple channel, slightly branched in the second part, with halls rich in cave jewellery, and with a distinct colony of stalactites. Some twenty meters from the cave entry is the entrance into the much shorter channel of Golema Dupka, which is also a part of the cave system. The total length of the channels is 435 m.

This natural monument is significant as a habitat of rare species of the cave fauna. Two stenoendemic troglobitic arthropods – millipedes (Protoserbosoma tuberculata and Serboiulus lucifugus), live here, as well as the cave crab Moraria stankovitchi, and the trechine Duvalius bolei. The cave is a significant palaeontological and archaeological locality.

Resavska cave

The Resavska cave (Resavska Pećina) is positioned at the rim of the Divljakovačka valley near Despotovac, in eastern Serbia. The branched cave channels with large halls are divided into three levels. The total length of the channels is 447 m. The major units are the Entrance Hall, the Main Channel, the Crystal Hall, the Boban’s Hall, the Concert Hall, the Coral Channel, etc. All parts of the cave are rich in crystal calcite ornaments. Nearly all types of superbly ornamental cave jewellery are present, from massive pillars, stalagmites and stalactites, to coral growths on the wall of the channels, and small tubs with pearls at the bot¬tom of the cave.

The cave is inhabited with a very interesting fauna. Of cavernicolous arthropods, two species of troglophile spiders are known from this cave, Porhhomma convexus and Centromerus prope dacicus, the trogloxene pseudoscorpion Neobisium prope carpaticum, and the troglobitic millipede Serbosoma kucajensis, which is a stenoendemic species of the cave Resavska Pećina.

The cave Resavska Pećina is the first tourist cave in Serbia. It was arranged and open in 1972, and from that time it is a synonym of the speleological tourism In Serbia.

Lazarus cave

The entrance into the Lazarus cave (Lazereva Pećina) is above the river bed of the Lazarus River (Lazareva Reka) and Zlot Springs (Zlotsko Vrelo), immediately at the entry into the Lazarus Canyon, at the eastern part of the Kučajske Mts. The cave Lazareva Pećina morphogenetically corresponds to the spring part of the large fluvio-karstic subterranean system of the eastern Kučaj Mt., namely the Dubašnička karst plateau. The supposed length of this system is greater than 15 km, for which this cave is the longest cave in Serbia, although only 6,737 m of the subterranean channels were explored so far.

Characteristic representatives of the endemic troglobitic arthropod fauna are the crab Speleocyclops plutonis, millipede Serbosoma lazarevensis, wingless insects Pseudosinella problematica, Onychiurus zloti, Onychiurus trojan, and Arrhopalites zloti, trechine Duvalius stankovitchi georgievitchi, and troglophile pselaphine Bryaxis sculptifrons. More than twenty species of bats (Chiroptera) were recorded in the cave.

The most important findings of the fossil fauna are the remains of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), cave lion (Panthera spelaea), and cave hyaena (Crocuta spelaea). The entry part of the cave is a pre-historic archaeological locality.

Ceremošnja cave

The cave Ceremošnja is positioned in the northwestern part of the Homoljske Mts., 15 km from Kučevo. Ceremošnja is a sinkhole type cave, formed by the activity of the lost river Strugarski Potok, which today periodically flows through a part of the cave and sinks between the huge blocks of fallen rocks. The entrance into the cave is located at the left side of the blind valley of Struarski Potok, 14 m below its fossil dry valley.

There are two horizons of cave channels: an older one that is dry, and the younger one that is a water horizon. From the morpho-speleo¬logical aspect, there are five natural units: the Entry Channel, the Arena, the Sinkhole Hall, the Andesite Hall, and the Southern Channel. Each of the mentioned cave units is rich in cave jewellery of different forms and shapes. The most monumental form is the cave pillar “Under Eternal Guard” 7.5 m tall, built from white crystal calcite.

The fossils of the brown bear were discovered in the cave (Ursus arctos), cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), tur or bison (Bos/Bison), and cave hyaena (Crocuta spelaea). Of the cave fauna, particularly interesting is the coleopteran Bryaxis sculptifrons, an endemics of the Carpathian-Balkan karst. The length of the cave channels open for tourists is 431 m.

Rajko’s cave

Three kilometres from Majdanpek, at the headwaters of Mali Pek, is the plateau of a karst layer around 100 m thick, and with many speleological objects. The lost rivers Rajkova Reka, Jankova Reka, and Paskova Reka are cutting through the limestone. These rivers have built very complex cave systems and halls, rich in cave jewellery.

The river Rajkova Reka has built two horizons of cave channels: a higher one that is dry, and the lower one that is hydrologically active. The total length of the explored cave channels in the hydrographical system of the cave Rajkova Pećina is 2,304 m, of which the dry horizon is 1,174 m long, and the river horizon 1,130 m.

The cave Rajkova Pećina is distinct for its beauty and richness in jewellery, primarily markedly white, sparkling stalactites, stalagmites, pillars, and sinter flowstones that occur in a small number of caves in Serbia.

The cave is the habitat of bats, as well as a palaeontological locality with the fossil fauna – cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), and red deer (Cervus elaphus ).

Within the limits of a natural asset, apart from the cave Rajkova Pećina, there are several other morphological and hydrological values: Paskova Pećina, Jankova Pećina, the sinkhole of the Rajkova Reka and Paskova Reka, the Summer Stage (a former sinkhole of the Paskova Reka), dry valleys of the Rajkova Reka and Paskova Reka, rocky cliffs, deep valleys, and the headwaters of the river Mali Pek.

Potpećka cave

The Potpećka cave (Potpećka Pećina) is positioned at the foothills of the vertical limestone cliff of the hill Gradina, at the right, flat riverbank of the river Djetinja, in western Serbia. It had a grandiose cave opening, 50 m tall, and several levels of channels, of which 555 m have been explored. There are two main morphological units in the cave Potpećka Pećina, the Upper Cave and the Lower Cave. The entrance hallway, named Hangar, is common for both cave units.

The hallway Hangar stretches for 55 m in the form of an imposing subterranean canyon with boulders, at the bottom of which winds the riverbed of the cave river Petnica. The Upper Cave, or the Hall Under the Dome, is a huge subterranean room from which the cave chan¬nels with numerous halls branch. These halls are more than 15 m wide and up to 8 m tall (the Cvijić’s Hall). The Lower Cave consists of the Lake Channel and the Hanging Channel. The Lake Channel ends in a lake 15 m long.

This cave is a spring cave, with an intermittent watercourse of the rivulet Petnica. The lake of the Lower Cave represents the spring of the river Petnica. There is a sinkhole at the bottom of the lake, through which the water flows to the spring in front of the cave entrance. The first spring, Veliki Bent, is positioned 40 m downstream from the cave, and the other spring, Mali Bent, is positioned some twenty meters further downstream.

Interesting forms of the crystal ornaments can be found in the cave, such as flowstones, drapes, stalactites, stalagmites, and pillars. The cave Potpećka Pećina is the habitat of bats. The archaeological remains indicate that the cave was inhabited by humans already in the pre-historic period.

The primary, initial agent in formation of the soil pyramids is the rain and its runoff. Mechanical destruction occurs under the strokes of the raindrops, after which the clayey components are being dissolved and removed from the surface layer, and the initial, miniature erosive furrows are being formed. Concentrated flow and runoff of the rainwater occurs along these furrows, as well as removal of the more and more larger quantities of the loose material. However, the material under the rocky blocks was protected from this “bombardment” of raindrops and runoff, so that it remained on the slope in the form of short primary pillars with “tables”. Runoff of the material and cut¬ting of the trenches occurred not only by gravitation, down the trenches, but transversely as well, between the pillars.

Apart from this geomorphological erosive phenomenon, there are two hydrological rarities in Djavolja Varoš – the two very mineralised springs, Djavolja Voda and Crveno Vrelo.

This entire complex of outstanding magnetism represents a unique natural laboratory, with particular scientific, educational, and cultural significance.