R ising where the clouds descend below the horizon of your view, and where time seems to stand still, is Povlen – a mountain situated close to the city of Valjevo, at the heart of Western Serbia. This isn’t just a mountain for hiking and relaxation. It is a place where nature carries something ancient within, something that cannot be explained easily. Povlen is known for its myste- rious stone globes of unknown origin and legends of a vampire called Sava Savanović lurking at the nearby watermill, but also for the griffon vultures that nest in the Trešnjica River Gorge, all of which make it a mystical mountain that’s rich in nature and has tough terrain and dense forests. Start with the famous and unexplained Povlen globes. Hid- den deep in the forest, among trees and moss, sit these huge, perfectly round stone balls, the origins of which remain un- known. Are they a natural phenomenon or the work of some ancient civilisation? Answers elude both scientists and folk tales. Locals call them “earth stars” and attribute healing ener- gy to them. Some believe these orbs serve as the protectors of portals to other worlds, while others see them as evidence of an extraterrestrial presence. So, you can choose whichever the- ory you prefer! Roads head from Povlen towards the streams and water- falls of the valleys, but one of them turns towards a place whose name evokes goosebumps and curiosity in Serbia: the watermill of Sava Savanović. In close proximity to the village of Zarožje, on the bank of the River Rogačica, stands an old watermill that was, according to legend, home to Serbia’s most famous vampire. In the folk tale made famous by Milovan Glišić, Sava arrived at night and killed the millers who’d come to mill grain, and spend- ing the night at this mill was never safe. The watermill is today a tourist attraction, but the spirit of this story still lingers. When the sun starts to set and the shadows lengthen, here even the most daring visitors speak in whispers. That’s why you shouldn’t miss the chance to experience Pov- len this February. You might not ski there, but you will pass the Ćelije and Lelić monasteries on your way to this magical place that’s dominated by secrets and shadows. Povlen is a mountain of silence, secrets and pristine nature.
koji veruju da su kugle čuvari portala u druge svetove, dok drugi u njima vide dokaze vanzemaljskog prisustva. Pa ka- ko vam drago! Putevi sa Povlena vode u doline, ka potocima i vodopa- dima, ali jedan od njih skreće ka mestu čije ime u Srbiji budi jezu i radoznalost – vodenici Save Savanovića. U blizini sela Zarožje, na obali reke Rogačice, nalazi se stara vodenica ko- ju je, prema predanju, nastanjivao najpoznatiji srpski vam- pir. U narodnoj priči koju je proslavio i Milovan Glišić, Sa- va je noću ubijao vodeničare koji su dolazili da melju žito, a u vodenici nikad nije bilo bezbedno prenoćiti. Danas je vodeni- ca turistička atrakcija, ali duh priče i dalje lebdi u vazduhu. U trenucima kad sunce zalazi i senke se produžavaju, čak i naj- smeliji putnici utišaju glas. Zato ne propustite da ovog februara osetite Povlen. Mož- da se nećete skijati, ali ćete na putu ka tom čarobnom mestu, kojim dominiraju tajne i senke, proći pored manastira Ćelije i Lelić. Povlen je planina tišine, tajni i netaknute prirode.
Putevi sa Povlena vode do vodenice Save Savanovića, prvog srpskog vampira Roads from Povlen lead to the mill of Sava Savanović, the first Serbian vampire
Serbia » Srbija | 99
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