NEIGHBORING TOWNS
There are 270 villages and towns in the Kopaonik
area, with a population of about 300 000. Average population
density is low-35 to 50 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Most of the settlements are of the village type. The towns
are situated in the foothills.
Five towns belong to this region: Raška, Kosovska Mitrovica,
Brus, Aleksandrovac and Kuršumlija. The towns differ
significantly in tradition and the rate of urbanization, climate,
location, even in socio-economic development characteristics.
There are good roads connecting these towns with the top of
the Kopaonik: Raška-Biljanovac-Jošanicka Banja-Kopaonik
(37km) and Raška-Rudnica-Kopaonik (19km) from the Ibar
highway; Brus-Brzece-Jaram-Kopaonik (30km), Kuršumlija-Mercez-Blaževo-Brzece-Kopaonik
(64km), Gracak-Jošanicka Banja (27km) and Mercez-Lukovska
Banja-Jelak-Leposavic (41km) from the valleys of the Toplica
and the Rasina.
RAŠKA lies at the confluence of the Raška
and Ibar rivers, at the very foot of Kopaonik itself (altitude
420m). It is the town nearest to the top of Kopaonik. Raška
to the top of Kopaonik, via Rudnica, makes only 28 kilometers.
It was founded in 1835 as an outpost, customs station and
quarantine on the border between Serbia and Turkey.
Raška today has nearly 13 500 inhabitants and is the
seat of a municipality encompassing 666 square kilometers
and a population of 35 000. Raška municipality is situated
in the southwest part of Serbia, 250km south from Belgrade.
It covers the western regions of Kopaonik and the eastern
slopes of Golija. Approximately 43% of the territory of this
municipality is under forests of Mts. Kopaonik and Golija.
National Park Kopaonik, the most important tourist and ecological
treasure, covers an area of 11 810ha out of which 7 797ha
goes to Raška Municipality. The terrain is hilly and
suitable for cattle breeding for the most part, so the whole
region is renowned for excellent meat and dairy products.
The textile, timber and food processing industries have been
particularly developed in the town.
The municipality is rich in cultural heritage, with the Gradac
monastery and Stara Pavlica (12th and 13th century) and Nova
Pavlica (14th century) churches being the most prominent,
and Kopaonik (2017m above the sea level), Golija (1796m) and
Jošanicka Banja (aboundant in thermal mineral springs
of 78°C).
Thanks to the constructed accommodation facilities and the
realized tourist turnover, Raška ranks among the leading
tourist destinations in Serbia. The tourist center Kopaonik
has at the disposal in the facilities on the territory of
Raška Municipality 6,500 beds and offers very rich entertainment.
Particularly in wintertime, it offers 50km of the Alpine ski-paths
(three FIS paths) and 20km of the Nordic paths, a system of
22 cable railways and ski-lifts, four baby lifts and one path
for night skiing. Kopaonik Technical Center, located in the
heart of the National Park, manages up to 120 000 tourists
a year with more than 700 000 overnights, out of which foreign
guests number up to 30 000 with 120 000 overnights.
(www.raska.org.yu , www.raska-turizam.co.yu , www.raska.co.yu)
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA (altitude 508m) lies at
the confluence of the Sitnica and Ibar rivers, under the volcanic
cone of Zvecani, almost at the intersection of the Kopaonik,
Rogozna and Cicavica mountains.
Its name was recorded for the first time at the end of the
15th century. Neolithic remains give evidence that the area
was populated much earlier. During the 16th and 17th centuries
Kosovska Mitrovica grew into a trading center. The construction
of a railroad through the Ibar valley in 1873 speeded up the
further development of the town. It was liberated from the
Turks in 1912.
It is a city of miners. The Turkish temple tuned into a museum,
the remains of the medieval town of Zvecevo, a grand monument
to the Trepca miners who died in the National Liberty War,
the monastery of Banjska (built from 1313 to 1317) and the
remains of the old Saxon church are of historic value.
ALEKSANDROVAC (altitude 375m) is located in
the pleasant valley of winegrowing Župa, among the slopes
of the Kopaonik, Jastrebac and Goc mountains. It is mentioned
in historic records for the first time in 1196 under the name
Kožetin. It was named Aleksandrovac in 1882.
Aleksandrovac today is a modern little town with 15 000 inhabitants
and is the seat of a township spreading over 387 square kilometers.
It is 60 km away from the top of the Kopaonik, via Jošanicka
Banja and Brus.
Ancient vineyards lie in the vicinity of Aleksandrovac. Well-known
wines, brandy and juices are made there. The processing industry
is less developed.
The rich historical heritage includes: the Rudenica monastery
(15th century), the church in Kožetin and the monument
in Mitrovo Polje. Poljane places where the winegrowers of
Župa live during the season are of particular interest.
Their architecture is quite picturesque, especially the cellars,
built of stone, logs and other materials.
BRUS is a small town at 430m above sea level,
at the foot of the eastern slopes of Kopaonik, where the Graševacka
River flows into the Rasina. Its population is 10 000 and
it is the seat of a township of some 30 000 inhabitants. The
top of Kopaonik is 30km away and the city of Kruševac
is at a distance of 45km.
The town has all the features of a mountain resort with a
large number of sunny days. It has facilities for children's
rest and recreation, as well as rest houses belonging to different
work organizations. There is also a B-category hotel.
The metalworking and textile industries are developed in Brus
itself, and agriculture, especially cattle breeding, in the
surrounding area.
There are quite a few cultural and historical monuments, such
as the memorial fountain and church in Brus, the medieval
town of Koznik, the Lepenac and Milentija monasteries, the
monument at Mramor and the church in the village of Kriva
Reka.
KURŠUMLIJA (altitude 360m) is situated
on the south-eastern slopes of Kopaonik, at the confluence
of the Toplica, Kosanica and Banjska rivers.
Today, Kuršumlija is a handsome, modern town with a population
of 25 000. It is the seat of a township of 962 square kilometers
and metal works, the ready-made clothing industry and particularly
timber processing have been developed, as well as agriculture.
There are over 1000 beds in hotels and approximately 2000
beds in households in the township (Kuršumlija, Kuršumlijska
Banja, Prolom and Lukovska Banja), which is also very rich
in termomineral springs.
Srbislav Vuckovic
"Five Towns in the Foothills"
Tourist Union of Serbia, 1982.
