Pomoravlje District: Nature, Museums and Culture

Pomoravlje District combines impressive landscapes with Roman history, monasteries, museums and unusual natural attractions. The Velika Morava runs for approximately 100 kilometres through Pomoravlje District. The district encompasses plains, hilly terrain and mountains; undulating hilly terrain accounts for the largest share, at 48 per cent or 1,240 km². When choosing a holiday apartment in Pomoravlje District, you can therefore first distinguish between nature, culture and museum highlights.

Landscapes, caves and peaks

Vinatovača is a nature reserve with primeval beech forest and has held the status of a natural asset of exceptional importance since 1957. Resavska pećina is the only cave in Serbia where red breccias can be seen. The Grza excursion area includes two artificial lakes and the 385-metre-long cave at Vrelo Grze. The Vrelo Grze natural monument in the municipality of Paraćin is designated as a Category III protected area. A hiking trail starts there towards the 927-metre-high Javorak peak and other peaks in this section of the Southern Kučaj.

Industrial history and Roman heritage

The industrial heritage complex of Senjski Rudnik comprises four buildings and a collection of machinery. The complex and the steam engine are protected as cultural monuments of great importance to the Republic of Serbia. The Coal Mining Museum in Senjski Rudnik presents objects and the history of Senjski Rudnik and other underground coal mines from antiquity to the present day.

In the area of Ćuprija, the Roman city of Horreum Margi was founded at the confluence of the Ravanica and Velika Morava rivers at the beginning of the 2nd century. The north-eastern tower of the Horreum Margi fort is located in the centre of Ćuprija, within the “Horreum Margi – Ravno” Museum. This museum has participated in the “Museums for 10” programme since 2017.

Monasteries, frescoes and museums

The renowned Resava School of manuscript copying operated in Manasija, where church books were copied. The frescoes of Manasija include monumental depictions of the monastery’s founder and holy warriors in the style of the Morava School. Namasija is a former Orthodox monastery from the Middle Ages; its remains lie in the gorge of the Crnica River near the village of Zabrege, north-east of Paraćin. The ruins are protected by the Republic of Serbia as a cultural monument of great importance and are part of the protected Petruška oblast monument zone. Ravanica is a foundation of Prince Lazar from the 14th century, with five distinctive domes and geometric and floral relief decorations.

The Natural History Centre in Svilajnac has nine permanent exhibitions: the topics range from the formation of the Earth, dinosaurs and the evolution of hominids to African animals and Serbia’s biodiversity. The Natural History Centre includes a dinosaur park with a walk-through volcano. In Jagodina, the Wax Museum has 34 exhibits from the fields of history, religion, politics, science, culture and sport. The Regional Museum collects more than 50,000 valuable natural history, archaeological, historical, ethnological and art-related objects. The Museum of Naive and Marginal Art is considered the only museum of its kind in the Balkans.

Choose a holiday apartment in Pomoravlje District according to your interests

A motorway and the Belgrade–Niš–Skopje and Sofia railway lines run through the Morava Valley. This transport corridor complements the district’s thematic diversity: caves, lakes and peaks stand alongside museums, monasteries and Roman history. In the wider Pomoravlje region, baking dishes known as “Ražanske crepulje” are made in three sizes, with or without a central opening. Bread and pogača are baked in dishes with an opening, while various dishes are prepared in those without an opening. When choosing a holiday home or holiday apartment, you can therefore align the location with the experiences you want.

Places for further orientation

For further orientation, you can also explore Paraćin, Jagodina, Dobroselica, Dvorište, Municipality of Ćuprija, Despotovac, Strmosten, Svilajnac and Izvor.

For the higher-level travel overview: Central Serbia.