RAVANICA MONASTERY

Only 10 km from Ćuprija, at the bottom of Kučajska mountain, is the monastery Ravanica. The Ravanica Monastery was built by King Lazar Hrebeljanović, as the last legacy in 1381. It is one of the most beautiful architectural monuments of the Moravian school. Together with the monastery, there is also the church “Holy Ascension”, built between 1375 and 1377.

The monastery is fortified with a strong defensive wall with seven towers. Shortly after his death in Kosovo, Emperor Lazar was anointed a saint and his relics were taken to the monastery in 1392.

The relics of King Lazar remained in Ravanica until 1690, when the monks, fleeing from their enemies, fled to Hungary, carrying relics with them. Only in 1989, when his relics were taken back to Ravanica. In addition to the architecture of that time, Ravanica is known as the place where the Moravian school of Serbian painting began, and of all the medieval Serbian heritage, this one is most often sung in the folk poetry of Vuk Karadzic.

IVANKOVAC MEMORIAL PARK

Only a few kilometers from Ćuprija, in 1805, the famous battle of Ivankovac took place. It is the most spectacular uprising event, after Orašac and before Mišar.
The battle near Ivankovac marked the end of the fight against the Janissaries and the beginning of the war between the people of Serbia and the Turkish Empire.

The victory of the Serbs at Ivankovac had a great moral repercussion in the entire pashaluq, strengthened the self-confidence of the insurgents and opened the way for later successes in the struggles for liberation against the Turkish invaders. Military strategists believe that the battle of Ivankovac was “a shining example of a tactically well-designed and accomplished military operation,” and that historians represent “one of the most significant and greatest victories of Karadjordj’s insurgents during the First Serbian Uprising.”

Before that battle, the Serbs fought only with the army of Dahis, who seduced the reign of ruthless violence, plunder and terror in the Belgrade pashaluq and because of whose “oppression”, after the slaughter of Serbian princes, an uprising broke out on February 15, 1804 under Karadjordj.

The battle of Ivankovac was the first war conflict with the Turkish imperial army, and it is especially important because it showed the true character of the insurgent struggle, whose ultimate goal was liberation from the Ottoman Empire. That is why the victory at Ivankovac is one of the decisive events that contributed to the renewal of the Serbian state at the beginning of the 19th century.

Big Morava

Velika Morava is formed by merging the West and South Morava near the town of Stalac. It flows into the Danube in the area between Smederevo and Kostolac. The Morava, together with the West Morava, is the largest Serbian river. The length of Velika Morava is 185 km, and with Zapadna Morava the length is 493 km.

Today, Velika Morava is navigable only 3 km from the mouth. In history, it was navigable all the way to the town of Ćuprija, which is almost ¾ its length. However, as stated, Velika Morava is literally covered with material from South Morava. When the reclamation program began in 1966, it was planned to become navigable again, in the first phase to Ćuprija, and later all the way to Stalać, ie as much as 100%.

The Romans called the river Velika Morava Margus. Today’s Ćuprija was created in Roman times, and then it was called “Horreum Margi” (which means the Morava Granary).

Manasija Monastery

The Manasija Monastery is surrounded on all sides by high hills and incredible nature, and is surrounded by a fortification adorned with eleven fortress towers. The very silhouette of the monastery leaves a strong impression, especially because of its five domes that forever shine with their crosses at the top. This is especially impressive when viewed against the darker base that makes up the sanctuary complex itself, which is included in the UNESCO list of cultural assets due to its value and uniqueness.

Manasija Monastery is located by the river Resava, 2 km northeast of Despotovac as the nearest larger place in the area. The monastery is also known as Resava. Despotovac itself was named after the despot Stefan Lazarevic, the founder of the Manasi monastery. Even as a child, watching the construction of the church built by Prince Lazar, his father, he stated that one day he would build a much bigger and more beautiful one. He fulfilled his wish by building a temple of an elongated rectangle with an inscribed cross. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and together with the mighty towers and ramparts it makes a building worthy of admiration and respect.

Resavska-Höhle

Die Höhle Resavska befindet sich 20 km von Despotovac entfernt auf einem Kalksteinhügel namens Babina glava am Ufer des Karstfeldes (Divljakovac). Sie ist eine der schönsten Höhlen unseres Landes. Früher wussten nur Hirten von der Höhle, die mit Schafherden vor Stürmen Zuflucht suchten. Einer der Hirten entdeckte es 1962 mit Bergsteigern aus Svilajnac und im selben Jahr wurde es von den Höhlenforschern von Novi Sad unter der Leitung von Dr. Jovan Petrović eingehend untersucht. Die Arbeiten zur Einrichtung der Höhle dauerten 10 Jahre, was bedeutet, dass die Höhle 1972, genauer gesagt am 22. April, offiziell für Besucher geöffnet wurde.

Es ist 4,5 km lang. 2830 m wurden im Detail erkundet und ca. 800 m für Besucher eingerichtet. Sie ist eine der ältesten untersuchten Höhlen unseres Landes, sie ist etwa 80 Millionen Jahre alt, während der alte Schmuck in der Höhle auf 45 Millionen Jahre geschätzt wird. Die Temperatur ist konstant und beträgt 7 ° C, während die Luftfeuchtigkeit zwischen 80-100% variiert. Das Innere der Höhle ist reich an zahlreichen und abwechslungsreichen Hallen, Kanälen, Galerien, Säulen, Stalaktiten, Stalagmiten, Vorhängen und versteinerten Wasserfällen. Aufgrund des Reichtums und der Vielfalt an Schmuck trägt die Resava-Höhle zu Recht den Beinamen der Resava-Schönheit.

Der Schmuck der Höhle beginnt am Eingang, der sich auf 485 m über dem Meeresspiegel befindet. Schmuck wird durch Auflösen von Kalziumkarbonat hergestellt, und die Farbe hängt von dem Mineral ab, durch das das Wasser fließt. Schmuck erscheint in drei Farben, nämlich Rot, Gelb und Weiß. Die vorherrschende Farbe ist Rot, das von Eisenoxid stammt, Weiß von kristallinem Kalzium und Gelb von Tonverunreinigungen.