Holiday apartment in Donje Vardište – monastery and historic narrow-gauge railway

Donje Vardište turns its attention to Vardište, its sacred history, memorial sites and the restored Višegrad–Vardište narrow-gauge railway line. Here, different facets come together in close proximity, from monastic tradition to railway history. The local context combines religious festivals, historic memorial sites and a railway line whose history dates back to the era of Austria-Hungary.

Culture

Regular church services are held on Sundays and public holidays at the Monastery of the Ascension of the Lord. The monastery church was built from 1991 to 1994 and consecrated in 1996. The monastery itself was founded in 2006 by decree of Metropolitan Nikolaj as the first convent in the Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia. The monastery also has a church shop selling natural remedies.

Spasovdan plays a special role: at the Monastery of the Ascension of the Lord in Vardište, this day was celebrated as the Krsna Slava. The liturgy was followed by the breaking of the Slava bread and a procession around the church. In this way, the service, religious household and monastic traditions, and the festive proceedings form a shared context.

Memorial sites

A memorial chapel in Vardište commemorates a tragic chapter in history. The chapel, beneath which the ossuary is located, was built in 1931 and consecrated in 1932. It commemorates 440 Serbian officers, soldiers and volunteers who fell or died of typhus in 1914–1915. The memorial ossuary in Vardište is a protected cultural asset of Republika Srpska.

The memorial ossuary was consecrated on Vidovdan in 1932; it commemorates the sons who fell in the First World War and their comrades. The two dates—the consecration of the chapel in 1932 and the consecration of the memorial ossuary on Vidovdan of the same year—form part of the traditional history of this memorial site.

History

The restored Višegrad–Vardište narrow-gauge railway line connects to the Šargan Eight in Serbia. The first Ćiro train reached Vardište on 1 August 1906. Historically, the Višegrad–Vardište narrow-gauge railway was part of the former Eastern Railway, which Austria-Hungary built between 1903 and 1906. The Vardište–Dobrun section was relocated between 2004 and 2006.

The railway’s more recent development is also visible: on 11 March 2026, old and damaged sleepers were replaced along the Vardište–Višegrad line as part of its tourism-focused revitalisation. Its current operating status should be considered separately: at present, only special services are offered, with tourist groups booking the entire train.

Geography

The AutoCamp River is also part of the local context. It is located near the Vardište–Kotroman border and 150 metres from the M5 main road between Užice, Višegrad, Trebinje and Dubrovnik. AutoCamp River has space for 22 campers and offers drinking-water supply, electricity, Wi-Fi, clean toilets and a large tent area.

Several historical and contemporary layers therefore meet in the local places mentioned: the former Eastern Railway, the restored connection to the Šargan Eight, the work on the Vardište–Višegrad line, the Monastery of the Ascension of the Lord and the memorial ossuary. Each of these stops represents its own chapter in the history and present of Vardište.

More local pages

For further regional options, you can also consider Vrhovina, Laktaši, Popovi, Doboj, Ljubina, Brdo, Bijeljina and Jablanica.

For the higher-level travel overview: Republika Srpska.