Vrnjačka Banja

Vrnjačka Banja
Врњачка Бања
Municipality and Town

The Bridge of love (Most ljubavi)

Flag
Coat of arms

Location of the municipality of Vrnjačka Banja within Serbia
Coordinates: 43°37′25″N 20°53′37″E / 43.62361°N 20.89361°E / 43.62361; 20.89361Coordinates: 43°37′25″N 20°53′37″E / 43.62361°N 20.89361°E / 43.62361; 20.89361
Country  Serbia
District Raška
Settlements 14
Government
 • Mayor Zoran Seizović (DS)
Area[1]
 • Municipality 239 km2 (92 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)[2]
 • Town 10,065
 • Municipality 27,527
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 36210
Area code +381 36
Car plates ВБ
Website www.vrnjackabanja.gov.rs

Vrnjačka Banja (Serbian Cyrillic: Врњачка Бања) is a town, municipality, and a resort, mineral spa located in Raška District of Serbia. The population of the town is 10,065 inhabitants, while the population of the entire municipality is 27,527 inhabitants. It contains hot spring with a temperature measuring exactly that of the human body (36.5 degrees Celsius).[3]

Demographics

According to the last official census done in 2011, the Municipality of Vrnjačka Banja has 27,527 inhabitants. Most of its population is of Serbian nationality (96.2%) while 36.6% of the municipality’s population is urban. Population density on the territory of the municipality is 115.2 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Ethnic composition of the municipality:

Ethnic group Population
Serbs26,482
Roma334
Montenegrins107
Macedonians33
Yugoslavs30
Others541
Total27,527

Tourism

Vrnjačka Banja is the most celebrated and most popular spa town of Serbia and at same time, a very attractive recreative centre. Situated in a great park full of trees with particularly charming houses, the town has a promsing future. Surrounding Vrnjačka Banja are UNESCO protected medieval buildings, which serve as a reminder to early European civilisation. Other nearby landmarks include the first court of the Serbian Archbishop, the Žiča Monastery and the beautifully frescoed Sopoćani Monastery which both date back to the thirteenth century and the twelfth century Studenica Monastery all of which are nestled in the colourful Ibar River Valley.

It owes its reputation to its therapeutic effects known already to the Roman troops in the second century AD. It was upgraded by the Czech Baron Herder in 1835 after Prince Miloš Obrenović wanted it to be like Karlovy Vary, it has since received people from all of southern Europe, who came to rest or for treatment. Summers are pleasant, and the winter is mild. With organized walks along the tree bordered paths, Vrnjačka Banja is an ideal place to come to for one's own salvation. Natural springs can be found on five mineral water sources well positioned in the park. The warm water (36 degrees Celsius) is ideal for massage, and cool (17 degrees Celsius) sufficiently reviving.

There are seven mineral springs +1 Legend in Vrnjačka Banja, from which first four are used for medical treatment:

  • Topla voda (36.5°C)
  • Snežnik (17°C)
  • Slatina (24°C)
  • Jezero (27°C)
  • Beli izvor
  • Borjak
  • Vrnjačko vrelo
The mascot of Vrnjacka Banja, the sparrow wearing the Šajkača and Opanci, parts of the traditional national dress of Serbia.

The hotels are numerous and have swimming pools and halls for games. In winter, it is convenient for skiing on the Goc, just a few kilometres away. In the summer, Vrnjačka Banja is transformed into one of greatest cultural centres in Serbia: literary soirées in a very nice library of the modern style, classical concerts under the column capitals and the festival of the cinema scenario. The restaurants are often on the border of a water current and offer terraces under the trees of the park.

Vrnjacka Banja, the biggest and the most popular Serbian spa resort has travel card, called VB tourist & Shopping Card. This is unique card designed for tourists to accrue savings in time and money. By purchasing a card, tourists get discounts for purchasing goods and services.

The largest Opanak in the world, in the Guinness World Records since 2006, is the 3.2m shoe, size 450, weighing 222 kg (489 lb), made by opančar Slavko Strugarević, from Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia.[4]

Currently the closest International Airport is Niš Constantine the Great Airport.

Bridge of Love

One of the famous landmarks of Vrnjačka Banja is the Bridge of Love.

"At the dawn of the First World War, while the war was not even suspected yet, a schoolmistress Nada and a Serbian officer Relja started having deep feelings for each other. They fell in love and made a commitment to each other. It was a love widely talked about, attracting the attention of all the people living at Vrnjacka Banja Spa. But the war did break out with all the horrors it entails. Relja went off to war fought in Greece. He left never to return on account of a beautiful Greek woman he had fallen in love with, and therefore broke up the engagement to Nada. The legend does not say anything about his further fate, whereas, on the other hand, every inhabitant of Vrnjacka Banja spa is familiar with Nada's destiny. Owing to overwhelming sorrow she faded away day after day and finally died, young and miserable. Upset by Nada's destiny, girls, wishing to keep their own romances, started writing down their names along with the names of their lovers on padlocks that they bound to the railing of the bridge which used to be the favorite meeting place of Nada and Relja. Afterward the keys were symbolically thrown into the river. New wars and sufferings came up. The story fell into oblivion, and the girl's custom to "bind" their love became uncustomary. It had been case until Desanka Maksimović,according to the stories of old residents of Vrnjacka Banja spa, became acquainted with this tragic story. Inspired by it she wrote down one of her most beautiful love poems "A Prayer for Love", (Molitva za ljubav). Although we tend to forget things, this story remains to be unforgotten, and in order to prolong its existence the young couples kept on with the tradition of "binding" their love and it bridge itself got the name "THE BRIDGE OF LOVE"."

From the Bridge of love history board, next to the bridge.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  2. ↑ "2011 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Serbia: Comparative Overview of the Number of Population in 1948, 1953, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2002 and 2011, Data by settlements" (PDF). Statistical Office of Republic Of Serbia, Belgrade. 2014. ISBN 978-86-6161-109-4. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  3. ↑ "VRNJACKA BANJA". solarisresort.com. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Smedia.rs, Napravio najveći opanak na svetu! (Serbo-Croatian)
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