This spa town is among the most popular in Serbia and has been enticing people seeking treatment since Roman times. However, it perhaps also becomes the most popular destination in February thanks to its famous “romantic” bridge The queen of spa tour-
obećali. Bila je to ljubav o kojoj su svi pričali. Ali, došao je rat sa svim užasima, srpski oficir Relja odlazi u Grčku na ratište da se više nikad ne vrati, zbog prelepe Grkinje u ko- ju se zaljubljuje, te raskida zaruke sa Nadom. O njegovoj daljoj sud- bi legenda ne kazuje ništa, ali zato Nadinu sudbinu zna svaki stanov- nik Banje. Zbog prevelike tuge ona svakim danom kopni i naposletku umire, mlada i nesrećna. Devojke potresene Nadinom sudbinom, u želji da sačuvaju svo- ju ljubav, na katance ispisuju svo- ja imena i imena svojih dragana i vezuju za ogradu mosta koji je bio omiljeno sastajalište Nade i Relje, a ključeve simbolično bacaju u reku. Kako su godine prolazile, sećanje na tužnu Nadinu sudbinu bledelo je preteći da sasvim padne u zabo- rav, sve dok u Vrnjačku banju nije stigla Desanka Maksimović. Čuve- na srpska pesnikinja se već tokom svoje prve posete zaljubila u ovo le- čilište, u koje je potom često dola- zila. Tako je i saznala za legendu o Relji i Nadi i ta je priča ostavila tako jak utisak na nju da je, inspirisana njihovim životima u Vrnjačkoj ba- nji, napisala jednu od svojih najlep- ših pesama – „Molitva za ljubav“. Obnovilo se sećanje na tragičnu Nadinu ljubav, a most na kojem su se sastajali počeo je da budi intere- sovanje turista. Uskoro je sa pričom vaskrsao i stari običaj zaključava- nja katanaca. Kršten je simboličnim nazivom Most ljubavi, a na beton- skom delu njegove ograde postav- ljena je ploča sa odlomkom iz De- sankine pesme.
I, when locals still had no idea that war was coming, a teacher called Na- da and a Serbian army officer called Relja began courting. They fell in love and bequeathed themselves to one another. It was the kind of love that everyone talked about. But the war came, with all its horrors, and Relja left for the battlefields of Greece, nev- er to return. He is said to have fallen for a beautiful Greek woman, causing him to break off his engagement with Nada. The legend has nothing more to say about his fate, but every na- tive of this town knows Nada’s fate. Overcome by sorrow, she yearned for his return every day, until she eventually died, young and unhappy. Girls disturbed by Nada’s fate, and wanting to preserve their love, write their names and those of their loved ones on padlocks and lock them to the fence of the bridge that was the favourite meeting spot for Nada and Relja, before symbolically cast- ing the keys into the river. The mem- ory of Nada’s sad fate faded as the years passed, threatening to fall in- to oblivion, until the arrival in Vrn- jačka Banja of Desanka Maksimov- ić. This famous Serbian poetess fell in love with the health resort during her very first visit and subsequently became a regular visitor. That was al- so how she discovered the legend of Relja and Nada, and the story made such a strong impression on her that their lives in Vrnjačka Banja inspired her to write one of her most beauti- ful poems: Prayer for Love. This served to renew the mem- ory of Nada’s tragic love, while the bridge where they would meet be- gan attracting the interest of tour- ists. Together with the story, the old custom of locking padlocks was soon also resurrected. It was christened with the symbolic name Bridge of Love, while a plaque containing a passage from Desanka’s poem was mounted on the concrete part of the bridge’s barrier.
ism, as it is informally dubbed , has been reputed for its healing springs since ancient times. It was on the site of today’s town that the Romans built a Fons Romanus medical spa and hot water spring. Best testifying to how renowned this spa’s waters were in ancient times are the numerous gold coins thrown into the wells by Romans that have been found. Apart from gold coins dating from the period between the 2 nd and 4 th centuries AD, the remains of a pool for bathing were also found in Vrnjačka Banja. It was in the 1830s that Prince Miloš Obrenović engaged geologists to test its mineral waters. They were rated as being of very high quality, even comparable to the wa- ter of Czechia’s Karlovy Vary. The spa nonetheless had to wait another 30 years for its modern development, when it became very popular among the Serbian aristocracy. Vrnjačka Banja is located in Cen- tral Serbia’s Raška District, in the val- ley of the West Morava River, just 200 kilometres from Belgrade and 25 kilometres from Kraljevo. It is shel- tered by Mount Goč from the south, east and west, while it is protected against north winds by the Gledić mountain chain. The town has sev- en thermal springs, providing vis- itors with an abundance of choic- es, while the first resident doctor in the spa’s modern history was Josif Pančić. Its hot waters are a unique source of mineral water worldwide, thanks to the temperature being the same as the average temperature of the human body: 36.5°C. Although Vrnjačka Banja’s wa- ters are healing for the spirit and body year-round, February is a month when people flock to the town for a completely different reason. Name- ly, it is then that couples lock their love on a small bridge to ensure it will last forever. Why? Legend has it that on the outbreak the World War
Most ljubavi inspiracija je za manifestaciju „Poljubi me“, koja se na Dan zaljubljenih održava u Banji, kao i za muzički festival „Love fest“ – i ne pokazuju znake da ć e uskoro prestati The Bridge of Love provided the inspiration for the event “Kiss me”, which takes place in Vrnjačka Banja on Valentine’s Day, but also for the Love Fest music festival, neither of which show any signs of running out of steam anytime soon
Serbia » Srbija | 93
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