 ABOUT
ZLATIBOR
Name
ZLATIBOR (ZLATI=golden, BOR=pine) means "Golden Pine".
On Zlatibor you can see many pine trees and that's the reason
why people called this beautiful Serbian mountain as "Golden
Pine Mountain".
The
Zlatibor Mt. is situated in the southwestern part of Serbia at
the height from 700 to 1496 m above sea level (the highest peak
is Tornik). The everage height of Mt. Zlatibor is about 1000 m
above sea level. It is intersected by numerous rivers, streams
and ravines.
Three
highest peaks of Zlatibor massif are: Tornik (1.496m) - the highest
peak of Zlatibor, Brijach (1.480m) and Chigota (1.422m).
Basis
of Mt. Zlatibor is a spacious wavy plateau intersected by rivers
and mountain streams and overgrown by thick grass and conifer
tree forest. It is situated 27km away from Uzice town.
Territory
of Zlatibor massif is more than 350 square km big, 30 km long
and 12 km wide.
 The
central Zlatibor plateau is about 1000 m high in average, and
there are a few easily visible peaks in the surrounding.
Zlatibor
as a geographical unit encircles the territory between the rivers
Susica and Uvac and the eastern slopes of Mt. Tara and western
slopes of Mt. Murtenica. The villages Kremna and Mokra Gora belong
to it in the northwest, Mt. Murtenica, Zlatibor piedmont area,
that forms a pass towards the nearby Tara and the Sandzak mountains,
belong to it in the southeast.
Touristic
concept of Zlatibor include the vast plateau 30 km long and 12
km wide, which spreads from northwest towards southeast, bordered
by the mountain peaks of Gradina, Crni Vrh, Cigota, Murtenica,
Tornik, Cavlovac, Vijogor and the upper course of the river Susica.
On this place touristic settlements like Ribnica, Kraljeva Voda,
Palisad, Oko and Cajetina started developing at the end of last
and the beginning of this century.
 The
micro climate is very special here - there is a great number of
sunny days during the year (more then 200), and the "rose
of the winds" is flowering exactly above Zlatibor. Zlatibor
is famous as an air spa where mountain and sea streams collide.
The summers are hot and the winters are mild. It rains relatively
often and there is a snow from October to May.
Zlatibor
is declared as a therapeutic region, for all acute and chronic
diseases of respiration organs, of thyroid gland, of all kinds
of anemia , etc. The stay on Zlatibor is recommended for convalescence
after infectious diseases and surgical operations too.
Zlatibor
is, first of all, an extraordinary beautiful mountain, with a
pleasant climate, with spacious sloping grounds, rich pasture-grounds
and mountain peaks. There are about 1000 square km of meadows
and risings, sloping grounds and dry grounds, abysses and chasms...
Nature
was generous with Mt. Zlatibor giving it its beautiful scenery,
rolling heights overgrown with pine, fir, and spruce forests here
and there, vast meadows decorated with white narcissuses and other
colourful flowers, very pleasant and mild climate, a great number
of sunny days, unpolluted air and other amenities.
Owing to specific climate to harmonius
relationship among wooded areas and spacious meadows covered
with streams, unpolluted air, healthy and clear water, a great
number of sunny days, wonderful ski terrains, characteristical
air streams (continental and mediteranian), its suitable sea
level hight, the most wanderful landscape, friendly hosts...
Zlatibor has developed into a famous summer and winter tourist
resort with the longest tourist tradition in Serbia. Current
capacity of tourist objects is 6500 beds. Unofficially about
130.000 visitors spend about 600.000 nights on Zlatibor a year
(in hotels, rest homes as well as in private rooms).
A
description of Mt.Zlatibor peaks from the book "On the fragrant
Mt. Zlatibor", written by Sreta A.Popovich, published in
Belgrade in the year 1908: "...Putting aside those braids
of mountain saddles and hights we notice immediatelly, that on
the very top of Zlatibor, in Dobroselica, Tornik (1496 m) raises
proudly, decorated by a thick coniferous forest. On the north
there is Sargan across which a road leads from Uzice to Bosnia
and Hercegovina, and where the remainders of a Turkish bridge
are still standing. On the southeast there is Murtenica, a famous
mountain 60 km in the scope, richest with forests. It consists
of many parts with special names and it is overgrown with fir
forest, pine forest and hasel grove at the borders. On the northwest
side of Zlatibor plateau there is Gruda with its stunted forests
of cerris, oak and hornbeam and there is a nice view of Zlatibor
from there. Another bigger peak is Gradina above Cajetina. As
the air is as clear as crystal our glance pointed towards the
southwest exceeds the present borders of Serbia and stops at the
magnificent top of Durmitor. Komovi is to the south and we can
recognise the blue shape of Sar Planina on the southeast. Let's
turn now towards the southeast. The mountains Ovcar and Kablar
are in front of us and they seem to be so near that you could
throw a stone to them. To the right, from Rudnik a big crest of
mountain branches off and Bukulja, Kosmaj and Avala raise there."
Mt.
Zlatibor plateau inclines towards the north and northwest, which
caused that all the water flows off to the Black Sea basin by
the Drina, the Djetinja and the Moravica. The rivers and streams
are rich with various kinds of fish such as chub, gudgeon, traut,
"mladica" and "lipljan". The strong river
Uvac with its deep river bed and very nice canyons flows through
the southern part of Zlatibor. Its tributaries are: the Shupljica
in Negbina, the Rasnicki Potok (brook) in Rasnica, the Dobroselicki
and the Sharanski potok in Dobroselica, and the Tisovica at Ojkovica.
The Uvac flows into the Lim and later into the Drina. Crni Rzav
has its headwaters under the northwestern parts of Mt. Murtenica
in Carevo Polje and flows through the central part of mt. Zlatibor
plateau. On some parts there are some very beautiful and interesting
canyons. Its tributaries are: the Ribnica, Obudovica, Bele Vode,
Jablanicka Reka. It joins the Beli Rzav and they form the Rzav
which flows into the Drina. There are no other rivers in the northern
part of Mt.Zlatibor except the Sushica, that has got its name
because its water disapears into limestone during the summer.
Its source is under Gruda and it flows into the Djetinja. The
biggest tributaries are Dzambica Potok, Grabovica, Kriva Reka,
Prijanski Potok and the Balashica. Veliki Rzav flows along the
eastern border of Zlatibor. Its tributaries are: Bela Reka, Ljubishnica,
Katushnica with its two tributaries the Rakovichki
and the Gostiljski Potok (where there is the waterfall from the
picture, located behind the football field), and the Prishtavica
with the Ponor.
On
Mt. Zlatibor there are two artificial lakes: The bigger one is
in Ribnica on the river Crni Rzav. Its area is about 10 square
km. It's rich with all kinds of fish, such as: chub, gudeon,  traut,
carp, tench and sheatfish.
In
the very centre of the tourist town Zlatibor, the smaller lake,
intended for tourist needs, is situated. It is surrounded by pleasant
paths and benches for the visitors to have a rest. In summer they
can swim and sunbathe there, and they can skate on its icy surface
in winter (it is called "The Zlatibor Sea").
There
are three legends about the origin of today's name Zlatibor (
ZLATI-BOR: zlato=gold, bor=pine tree): By the first one Zlatibor
is supposed to get its name by white pine trees with yellow conifer
(the colour of old gold), which used to cover the rolling slopes
of Zlatibor. There has only one such tree remained (in the village
of Negbina) and it was given the scientific name Pinus silvestris
variegata Zlatiborica, by eng. Omanovich, who studied those conifer
trees. In the second it is said that Zlatibor got its name because
it was so rich with pine tree forests, that the immigrants from
Montenegro and Hercegovina boasted: "It is really a pine
tree made of gold!" The third legend says that it got its
name by the mountain pastures, that get a yellow, a golden colour
in autumn. Which of these legends is the right one make a decision
by yourselves! Or, better come to Zlatibor, maybe you'll hear
a new version in the song of Zlatibor pine trees!
The
first inhabitants of Zlatibor region were the Illyrians, namely
their tribe Partyiny. The remnants of their culture -ornamental
ceramics are being met in the caves and steep hights, where they
used to live. Today these places are called "gradine"
and there are three on Zlatibor (chajetinska, krivorechka, shljivovichka).
In the museum collection of the library in Chajetina we can see
some fragments of pottery with the characteristic decorative design
engraved into the clay by a finger nail. The culture and life
of the Illyrians have been studied exclusively from the "tumulus"
(the tombs), which are found on Zlatibor in a great number on
various locations (Krivorechka Gradina (the place Vishevina),
Kremna, a wider area from Ljubish to Mushvet, Braneshko Polje).
At
the beginning of our epoch the Romans dominate in this region
with their culture much higher than the previous one.They build
new fortreses, a net of new roads (Machkat - Chajetinska Gradina
-the river Uvac). The Roman tombstones date the second and the
third century A.D. Most of them are in Kremna and there are reliefs
inspired by the motives from the nature and sometimes by God Atis
- in the figure of a nice youth.
After
the 9th century these places are being settled by the Slovenes,
who also build fortreses and rebuild "gradine". There's
a very interesting fortress on Gradac in Dobroselica, where we
can see the remnants of a bulwark. There are some remnants of
a stone pedestal in the shape of a bench that was probably used
for observing. There are also some animal bones found built in
the base (probably for religious reasons) and there is a lot of
medieval material found on this location (a top of a spear, a
knife, a copper ring...).
About
the year 1180 Serbian King Stevan Nemanja connects Zlatibor and
Uzice town to the independant Serbian state.
In
the 16th century The unpreserved monastery Rujno was the cultural
and educational centre of the former district (zhupa) Rujno. In
that monastery one of the first Serbian printing shops worked.
Recently the position of the former monastery Uvac (and maybe
also of the Church Janja - being sung about in folk songs) has
been discovered in Stublo on the river Uvac. According to traditional
stories the monastery was that "Church Janja", which
was the richest far around. The monastery possesed beautiful and
good pastures above the valley on Orlic and Orahovica. Milk from
there was transported to monastery by boats. The canals in which
the boats were placed can still be identified. Thanks to researching
and and work of the National museum in Uzice the monastery Uvac
has been reestablished and the church with the "konak"
(the overnight stay) have been rebuilt and sanctified. The church
in Bela Reka is worth being mentioned among the old churches on
Zlatibor. It has unusually small dimensions. It has only one nave
and one cupola.
 On
Zlatibor characteristic churches "brvnare" (log cabins)
were built, some of which still exist in Dobroselica and Jablanica.
In many Zlatibor villages there are places called "crkvine"
on which, according to tradition, wooden churches existed. It
is supposed that some of them were being burnt by the Turks during
the period of 1st Serbian rebellion like those in Mokra Gora and
Kuchani, while the others, which survived the Turkish reign, became
ruins because of their old age. The churches in Sirogojno, Chajetina,
Ljubish, Machkat, Negbina and Shljivovica are ofrecent date.
Characteristics
of vegetation on Zlatibor on its serpentine ground is given by
the forest community of Pinetum nigrae silvestris and vast pastures.
That enables a great choise of interesting, rare and medicinal
herbs. Some of them are:
 ~Gentiana
lutea -"lincura" - medicinal (stomach problems)
~Teuricium montanum - "trava iva, ivica, gorski cmilj"
- a medicinal herb (it is said: " ...this herb makes a dead
man alive again"). It is antiseptic, it is good for stomach
and intestine diseases.
~Achillea millefolium-"hajducka trava"- medicinal and
good for honey
~Thymus serpyllum -"majcina dusica"- it has a calming
and salutary effect
~Centarium erythraea -"kicica"- it improves digestion
~Symphytum officiale l.-"gaves"-for healing wounds and
bone fractures
~Sorbus aucuparia L.-"jarebika"- a nice decorative bush
or a tree
~Narcissus poeticus -"narcis", "zelenkada"-
decorative meadow flowers
Endemic
sorts:
~Halacsya sendtueri - "cvakija"
~Verbascum bosnense - "divisma"
~Haplophyllum boissieranum - "rutvaca"
A
note: Some plants on Zlatibor are on the way to die out and they
are under protection of the state,therefore citizens of Zlatibor
are kindly asking all the visitors of Zlatibor to pick only as
many plants as they need for their medicine.
Mushrooms:
Besides the plants nature lovers can also find pleasure in picking
mushrooms. The most frequent on these terrains are:
~Macrolepiota
promineus -"suncanica"- (in high pine forests)
~Lactarius deliciosus -"rujnica"-(in young pine forests)
~Suillus granulatus -"vucji hleb","slinavka"-(on
the borders of pine forests)
~Coprinus comatus -"gnojistarka"-(on moist fertilized
meadows).
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