Mystical southern Serbia: Devil's Town and healing thermal springs

euronews (in English)

In this episode of Balkan Trip, we explore South Serbia's natural wonders and legends.

Transcript

00:00Welcome. You are watching the Balkan Trip, in which we reveal to you the natural beauties and features of the Balkans.

00:10In this episode, we are taking you on a mystical adventure in the south of Serbia.

00:18The road we are going on leads us to the monument of nature, for which science claims to have been created by natural means,

00:24and the locals believe that the devil himself interfered in its creation.

00:28We will also discover what role water plays in all this and why local tourism is developed in this area.

00:43Good afternoon!

00:44Good afternoon!

00:47Welcome to Djavolju town.

00:48It is a pleasure to meet you.

00:49Djavolju town is made up of 202 earth figures, 2 to 15 meters high and 3 meters wide.

01:04They are a rare natural phenomenon located in the village of Djakje, on the outskirts of the mountain Radan, in the south of Serbia.

01:12Science says that the atmospheric forces, first of all the rain, caused the creation of these earth figures.

01:19It is an erosive process, which is otherwise called aspiration, or denudation.

01:25The atmospheric forces, as well as the mineralogy of the terrain, caused the creation of these earth figures.

01:32The figures are very solid, because they contain yellow clay, limestone, and then styx, of course.

01:39They change during the geological history, but it is a very slow process for human life, so these changes are very minimal.

01:47Although scientists claim that the earth figures were created by erosion,

01:51the inhabitants of this part of Serbia believe that the figures of fire color are a devil's work.

01:57For years, numerous legends have been told, and the most famous is the story about the stone statues.

02:05It is said that the brothers and sisters did not know each other.

02:11They went to the stone statues, they met somewhere, they liked each other, and they got married.

02:19God appeared and did not allow the marriage of the brother and sister, but turned the stone statues into stone.

02:28My elders taught me not to touch the lid, because if you touch it, God will turn you into a stone.

02:36There are some sounds during the night, the wind, there were some stories that devils appear.

02:46The sound appears when there are strong storms.

02:50The wind simply flows between the figures, causes oscillations on the figures,

02:56unusual sounds of things that the people described as devil's screams.

03:05The figures seemed so red and sad to them, and that is why they created this locality and gave it the name of the devil.

03:12The monument of nature, the devil's town, is located about 300 kilometers from Belgrade,

03:18and 30 kilometers from Kursumlija, in the south of Serbia.

03:22In 2010, it was found on the list of candidates for the seven world wonders of nature.

03:28This prestigious title, however, was removed, but it attracted a large number of tourists to this area.

03:34I saw in the pictures, and this is much more impressive than the picture.

03:38I believe that the devil is in the mouse's fingers.

03:41The figures seem unreal, as if they came out of a fairy tale.

03:45Phenomenal, I can't tell you how much I am delighted with all this.

03:48It is really worth coming and seeing.

03:51Water played a big role in the creation of the devil's town.

03:55Within the complex, there are two sources of very acidic water, such as devil's water and red hot water.

04:01Sources of thermo-mineral water in this part of Serbia are almost at every step.

04:07That is why, here is developed banyan tourism, and in a circle of 60 kilometers there are three banyan healing places.

04:13The first and the oldest banyan is Prolom banyan.

04:17It is only half an hour away from the devil's town.

04:21It is rich in natural alkaline water, which helps in the treatment of many diseases.

04:28It is because of its composition that it works well in the treatment of intellectual diseases,

04:34kidney diseases, skin diseases, as well as gastroenterological diseases.

04:39This water is sold all over Serbia and all over Europe.

04:43Also, beer is made from it, but it is not a part of the therapy.

04:48Doctor, can I drink beer instead of water?

04:51Yes, you can.

04:53In that case, cheers!

04:5660 kilometers away, there is Lukovska banyan,

05:00which, according to the number of sources of thermo-mineral water, is one of the richest in Serbia.

05:05There are 37 sources of water of temperature up to 70 degrees.

05:11For Lukovska banyan and healing of acidic water, it has been known for a long time.

05:16In historical records, it is mentioned that Roman legionaries used this water and were treated in Lukovska banyan.

05:23It became more famous during the reign of King Milutin,

05:27who lived in this area and built many churches,

05:32but also his national swimming pool, which still exists today,

05:36on the place we call Gornja banyan, where all the healing sources are located.

05:41Hydrotherapy on the sources of water and natural inhalatory,

05:45is a place where visitors spend a lot of time.

05:48Three hotels are available to them.

05:50There are also medical examinations, massages, mud therapy,

05:53and swimming in warm water is a must.

05:57It is much better for me. I would not change anything, honestly.

06:02I would not change anything, honestly.

06:04I would not change anything, honestly.

06:08Air, water.

06:10Water is good.

06:14Very peaceful place for rest is Kursumlija banyan.

06:19It is the easiest place to get to from Kursumlija.

06:22This banyan was abandoned for more than 20 years.

06:26By renovating old hotel and opening new pools,

06:29two years ago, this place revived and got a new shine.

06:33Renovation of Kursumlija banyan and hotel Planinka brought a lot to the locals in Kursumlija banyan

06:39and to the surrounding villages, but also to the citizens in Kursumlija.

06:42In addition, 120 new workplaces have been opened,

06:45so we have 120 new colleagues for various courses that started with work.

06:52I work as an assistant worker. I started two years ago.

06:56I live not far from here, three kilometers from Kursumlija banyan village Vrelo.

07:01Me and my husband used to live in Kursumlija and school children.

07:05When the banyan opened, of course, we came back here, started working and that's it.

07:10We are working, we are improving thanks to the opening of the hotel and the banyan.

07:16Employees are distinguished by warmth and hospitality, characteristic for Toplica area.

07:21That's why this hotel has more and more guests, all generations.

07:25There are guests who come back seven times a year,

07:29so it is the best recommendation for all those who come to Kursumlija banyan.

07:37Because of its natural beauty, banyan of southern Serbia and city of Djavolja

07:41became very visited tourist destinations in Serbia.

07:44We expect that it will be on the list of your future trips, too.

07:48See you soon with more Balkan stories!

07:53Tours in Serbia

07:57Welcome to the Balkans with Karlos

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