Ibar svojim tokom prikuplja i obrise planina i senke stoletnih šuma / The Ibar, with its course, collects the contours of mountains and the shadows of forests dating back centuries
learned to swim, while fantasising that we would one day swim in the seas. Even in some ocean. The Ibar also had its own “over- land” road. There, on the bank, stood the building of the Vodomer [Water Meter], which was so named because a metal pillar stood beside it display- ing numbers that showed the height of the water level. The puzzling roar of some pump could be heard ema- nating from the Vodomer building, just what was that machine?!? I lat- er discovered that water was drawn from there and directed through an underground pipe almost two kilo- metres to the ‘Ložionica’ [boiler house/furnace], i.e., to the railway station... Thus, the water of the Ibar powered locomotives, which then – perspiring – tooted over the rails, with the steam along the tracks turn- ing back into water, droplets, so the Ibar created dew far from its basin, on the iron flanks of the gigantic en- gines, on the sooty brows and chests of the train drivers, on the grass be- side the railway, and even on bush- es further away. And then there’s the song about the Ibar, which is famous and known by everyone, and which travelled by car, bus, truck… back then few people had a radio in their “road vehicle”, so drivers and passengers would some- times sing during the drive, paus- ing for respite at taverns, and even bringing it to the restaurants and ho- tels of the capital, and not so rarely spreading it around the whole world. The Ibar’s waters can rise sharp- ly, but also quickly become shallow, with sandbanks appearing instantly, and riverbanks that were there un- til yesterday suddenly gone, but it has also determined the first loves of many – alongside him they were conceived – and has thus deter- mined the city, which I know for certain isn’t a single point... That’s why sometimes, like now, I imagine arguing with Uncle Vidan, my dad’s pilot friend: “What kind of point!? It just seemed like that to you because you were high up, in a plane, but as soon as you descend to the airport and come to Kraljevo, you’ll already see everything that’s there!”
is packed, there with her parents is Snežana, my first love, though that’s a fact she never discovered... Behind us stand buildings and streets, the Monument to Serbian soldiers is still in its spot on the main square – it would be removed sometime later, only to be returned, but that’s an en- tire history in its own right... Some- where amongst it all is my favour- ite pastry shop, Pelivan, and I hope that they’ll still have some of their unique pretzels on offer when we make our way home from the beach... The athletics stadium is under con- struction... Slightly further down, to- wards Kvantaš market, the big top of an international circus is being erect- ed, and there will also be elephants... From here you can see the bridge, with houses and fields on the oth- er bank… How can all of this fit in a single point?! All sorts of nonsense crosses adults’ minds... Viewed from closer proximity, for example, from the last desk of the ge- ography classroom in primary school, is a map of Serbia, and Kraljevo is a city on the banks of the river Ibar. The teacher, whom we called Zuca, points with a long rod, explaining to us that thing known as a river basin. And after school we all run down to the riverbank, where we stand be- side the tumultuous water and stare into it, attempting to recognise its tributaries... We already know that the Ibar basin carries the reflections of medi- eval monasteries, with the names of the tributaries making it clear which: Žička river, Studenica, Gradačka river etc. Just how many proto-craftsmen, master masons and mural painters washed their faces in the river up- stream from here over the centu- ries... Naturally, that is all reflected in the Ibar, and then that reflection is carried by the water to Kraljevo – and onwards to the medieval for- tress of Maglič, Serbia’s largest pre- served hilltop fortification, which was built to protect the trade route that has passed through this gorge since time immemorial... Not to mention how the Ibar, with its course, also col- lects the contours of mountains, the shadows of forests dating back cen-
turies, then willow groves, and the reflections of the wings of dragon- flies dancing in their shade. And on one occasion, beside the banks of the Ibar, I saw a then al- ready very old Vladislav Maržik, Kral- jevo’s first educated painter, who was of Czech origin and was primarily known for his watercolours depict- ing elements of the city. He used the palm of his hand to collect from the shallows the water he needed for the delicate painting on which he was working... And when he’d done paint- ing, he rinsed his brushes in the river, and the Ibar carried away the excess paint - I imagined that somewhere far away, downstream, an entire exhibi- tion was travelling, making a guest appearance in the silent stretches of the West Morava, then the Great Morava, then the Danube, only to cross the Black Sea and be visible in all parts of the world, or at least in the largest port cities and renowned summer resorts. The Ibar has also carried away who knows how many balls, because generations of boys have played foot- ball beside it. The playing field was lo- cated on the city beach, with the pop- lar trees serving as flagpoles sporting thousands of leaf-shaped flags, while school bags were the goalposts, and it was necessary to imagine how they extend upwards to form the gates of the goals. They didn’t have everything – there were some things that had to be imagined. It happened that a ball that was kicked too hard would end up in the river, and that was just the beginning its journey - who knows whom we passed it on to, perhaps someone on the other side of the world. It was there in the Ibar, not far from Kraljevo’s main square, that we
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