The highway has already turned into a road lined with village schools that demand that the speed be reduced to 30 kilometers per hour. We have just passed the exclusion for Vrnjačka Banja, and we can say to ourselves that we are almost there. But that "almost" dragged on. At the bridge over the Ibar that leads to Kraljevo, we turned left, leaving both the bridge and the town behind. Soon, by the numerous houses, we sensed a populated place with a sonorous name - Mataruška Banja.
Although it does not even have 2 inhabitants, it has been inhabited since ancient times. It got its name from the village of Mataruge, which is mentioned in Turkish writings from 500, and Crna Reka - we are talking about the local hamlet - is mentioned in the charter of Stefan the First-Crowned, issued in 1560 in the nearby Žiča monastery.
Ibar releases the source
We arrive in front of the rented apartment. Although August's almost unbearable flaming tongues blow through the air, we decide to take a walk in the spa park.
Already at the first steps, it is clear that Mataruška Banja has seen better days. The "Mileva" fountain in the park is decorated with a female figure, the kind that were placed in parks throughout Yugoslavia in the 1950s - from Opatija to Leskovac.
But there is no water. Behind the figure of the bather, between the trees, I glimpse the facade of a representative building that looks abandoned. Some villas are in good condition, other buildings such as the Žiča Hotel or the Gendarmerie Home are just a shadow of their former glory. The last blow was given to them by the nineties and the wave of refugees that washed over the spa facilities.
The spa was actually created by the capriciousness of the Ibar, which changed its course in 1898, releasing a source of sulphide water. People from Kraljevo sent a water sample to Belgrade for analysis and received confirmation that it has a beneficial effect on rheumatic and skin ailments.
In the following decades, the place turned into a real spa resort. It is recorded that in 1938, 7 people lived here.
Second most
While walking in the park, we reach the banks of the Ibar. On the right is a quay with a nice terrace of the "Kapica" cafe. To the left, over the hills that are reflected in the Ibar, the sun is setting.
The spa chronicles record that the first wooden suspension bridge was built in 1953, and that it collapsed in July 1986 because so many people had gathered at the assembly of the Archangel Gabriel that the bridge could not hold. Of the 300 people on the bridge, 116 were injured. Later, a bridge with a steel structure was built in its place.
That beauty stretched across the Ibar. We go out on it and enjoy the view of the river and the park. This type of bridge is not for everyone. We clearly feel the vibrations after each step. Suspension bridges are actually swings over water.
In the park behind the bridge is the Termal Hotel, built in 1974. It is obviously working and that makes me happy. The medicine that oozes from the bowels of the earth will be useful to some. That in the midst of this spa melancholy is somewhat comforting.
If we close our eyes, maybe images of the former spa will appear, as it was when wealthy people built their villas here or rich Russians fled from the Bolsheviks. The sound of the violin from the music pavilion reaches the ears, the noise from the terrace of the Žiča Hotel. In front of the cinema, gentlemen with braided mustaches and ladies with rich long skirts are waiting to be entertained by the silent film from 1922 - Nosferatu - a symphony of horrors.
Spa without people
In 1980, the Mataruška spa hosted 27 people. Our parents, as well as their parents, were happy to go to one of the spas to do something for body and soul. It was the golden age of spa tourism, which will come to an end with the collapse of Yugoslavia.
But the resource remains - the strongest sulfur water in Serbia, one of the leaders in Europe.
The liquid that smells like rotten eggs comes from a depth greater than 1 meters and brings hydrogen sulfide. But health tourism is not the only opportunity for this region.
I read that from Žiča to the medieval fortress Maglič, the Lilac Days tourist event takes place. According to legend, Uroš Veliki from the Nemanjić family planted lilacs along the entire Ibar valley out of love for Jelena Anžujska.
The tour of the spa ends with a visit to the "Mataruška bajka" restaurant. There we have a specialty of the Kraljevac region - "mazalice". The minced meat is spread on the bun and baked. Evil tongues say that compared to Leskovac barbecue, it is actually just bread that smells like meat. But tastes are not discussed. The home-made incense that the owner procures somewhere in the Aleksandrovačka parish had a lilac smell.
Three-headed on expeditions
In the morning, we head southwest along the Ibar. That gorge all the way to Raška is also called the Valley of the Kings. The beauty of nature here is intertwined with old stories and historical facts.
After ten kilometers, at the confluence of the Lopatnica river with the Ibar, we turn right. The road climbs. One more turn to the left and we soon arrive in front of the Mineral hotel. It is the center of Bogutovačka spa. Named after the village of Bogutovac, and the village was named after a certain Bogut - it is one of the forgotten Serbian names.
Here, too, we are dealing with a source of healing water, at 520 meters above sea level. The spa is nestled on the slopes of Mount Troglav. They say that there is no fog here and that the air is as beneficial as the water.
From the luxuriously renovated hotel, one can go on a tour of the surroundings on one of the "health trails".
The church, of which the wooden belfry remained, was replaced by a stone church. Those 300 meters of ascent to it were worth it. I wash at the fountain and greet the workers who are finishing the new plateau in front of the church. Then I sit in the shade and look down at the village, which doesn't even have 500 souls.
And behind him, bathed in the sun, green and then blue hills. On the horizon, the Stolovi mountain cuts into the blue. If I were to climb the neighboring hill, I would probably see Čemerno connecting to Troglav in the south.
I don't know if the altitude of 1 meters above sea level, from which my surname originates there under Komovi, plays a role in the fact that I feel better here, closer to the sky. Or it is the feeling of every person whose horizons are opening.
Anyway, walks on these hills and medicinal baths down at the spring are recommended to everyone who wants to calm their nerves.
We go back down, towards the hotel. Some cottages from Tito's era are dilapidated and empty. But there are also new houses, adapted to modern guests.
In front of the hotel is a fountain with a canopy. The water has a different smell than that in the Mataruška spa. After a brief hesitation, I clench my fists and drink the liquid to which they attribute miraculous properties in long sips.
Down Lopatnica
When I told Dejan, a colleague from Kraljevo, that we intend to go to the Bogutovačka spa in his area along the Lopatnica river, he replied with a hint of teasing in his voice that we must bathe in that river. And not only because it is supposedly the most preserved river in Serbia. Dejan claims that one bath in that water improves the mood to such an extent that it is comparable to smoking a good joint. He relates this to the lithium in the water, which is known to be an active ingredient in some drugs for severe mental disorders.
We go down the road past Lopatnica. The river looks harmless. Near its confluence with the Ibar, you get to the main road. A few hundred meters further we turn, this time to the left bank of Lopatnica. We pass by the beautiful garden of the famous tavern "Kod Mira".
A little further on, we come across the Matović watermill. In the area where the millers Matović long ago harnessed water and harnessed it to a mill that grinds grain, Dragan Matović has created a real little paradise. Swimming pool with deckchairs, with a unique mix of beach and country house.
We enter through the gate and find the host. He takes us to the water mill. Unlocks. Inside, there are pictures on the wall from bygone times - miller ancestors.
Dejan's description of swimming at Lopatnica comes to mind. Unfortunately, I did not foresee this situation. But at least I will cry my legs.
The host tells us to try it freely, because he is convinced that whoever has stepped into this water once will come again.
First of all, the water is cold. In these tropical days, it's a real gift.
Up to my knees in the cold clearness of Lopatnica, I can't help but think of the people who are left without water these days due to the drought. Clean water, along with healthy food, will be the resource of the future.
When I got out of the water, I didn't feel any psychoactive effects, unless I count the pleasure caused by the cold touch. It was time to say goodbye to the hosts.
We returned to the tavern "Kod Mir". In the pleasant garden, we order soup. Both fish and chicken are extremely tasty and justify the good reputation that follows this catering institution along the Ibar highway all the way to Belgrade. The view from the garden is fascinating - an armored crawler is parked opposite our table. I would say that it is a Soviet model, a multipurpose amphibious transporter. I expect that at any moment some local hero will come out of the pub, get into this metal wonder, start the engine and drive away, clattering the tracks.
Since the chauffeur is not there, I conclude that it is a tourist attraction that was placed in front of the tavern on its last run, who knows when.
Before heading towards Kraljevo, we go again to Lopatnica.
It's what we're made of. When we are born, we are 85 percent water. When we get old, that percentage drops to 50. Aging could be described as the drying up of a person.
It would be good if this country remained young.
Goethe knew: "Man's soul/ It is like water: It comes from the sky/ It goes to the sky,/ Then down again,/ To the land of the sea./ In eternal change."
This water is certainly the most similar to the human soul - the kind we imagine, because we have never seen it. Pure jets tending to the endless Ocean.
Bonus video:
