First stop: Sokobanja, its Green Heart, the Inspiration of Ivo Andrić

Serbia immediately captivates the heart – like love at first sight. With the greenery of its expanse, the sunbeams dancing on its hills, the tranquil languor of its rivers. Its cities are pearls of architecture, its villages are treasures of traditions, and its people are warm, proud, and hospitable. They preserve their history, customs, heritage, and values. Serbia is hard to describe; it simply has to be experienced.

And our experience began with... Sokobanja

We set off towards it in the morning and didn't even notice when we arrived. The Serbian spa resort is only about 200 km from Sofia! You drive on the perfect highway from the border towards Belgrade, and at Aleksinac, you turn off – just another 35 km and you're in the green heart of Serbia. Sokobanja greeted us sunny, warm, and smiling. Its radiant greenery enchanted us, its crystal-clear air instantly swept away our stress. And the smiles of the people at the "Green City" hotel, where we stayed, made us feel like we were among old close friends.

It was lunchtime, and there we were awaited by Ljubinko Milenković, the director of the Tourist Organization of Sokobanja. The young man puts his heart and soul into the development of tourism in the town. Even here, in perhaps the newest hotel "Green City," he provides ideas and works to make the place popular and prosperous.

The owners of the hotel are a family from Niš, and they are not new to the business. They have already developed the Nataly Spa Hotel here, but the new challenge brings new enthusiasm. Katarina and her husband show us their pride, and we admire it – every detail is considered, every element is precisely executed. Everything exudes coziness, cleanliness, and greenery. We go up to the rooftop terrace, and the view from there is stunning. The town, nestled in the valley of the Moravica River, is surrounded by mountains: Ozren (1174 m) to the south, Rtanj (1560 m) to the north, Devica (1116 m) to the southeast, Slemen (1099 m) and Krstatac (1069 m) to the east, and finally, Bukovik (894 m) and Ržana (897 m) to the west. This makes the air there crystal clear, rich in oxygen and negative ions. Together with the mineral springs and lush greenery, they generously provide the people with health, longevity, and good mood.

The healing properties of the waters in Sokobanja vary at its six different springs. They help in the treatment of rheumatism, post-traumatic conditions, bronchial asthma, acute and chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, respiratory insufficiency, respiratory infections, allergic symptoms, stomach disorders, diseases of the colon, gallbladder, urinary tract, kidney inflammation, diabetes, skin diseases, and more. It is no coincidence that in the town one can find the Specialized Hospital "Sokobanja," the Specialized Hospital for Pulmonary and Eye Diseases "Ozren," the Specialized Hospital "Banja," and others. The latter is near the "Banja" spring, whose water calms the nerves. Local people, whom we later met near the spring, joked that when their bosses are nervous, they are sent here to bathe and calm down.

Vesna, from the Sokobanja Tourist Organization, guided us through the more interesting places in the town. "In Sokobanja, everything is nearby," she said. And it's true. It only takes 2-3 minutes on foot to reach the town center from the hotel. First, we enter the authentic Turkish bath "Amam," with separate pools for men and women. They especially show us a small room with the original bathtub once used by Prince Miloš Obrenović. They laugh, saying it had a small window through which he could watch the women bathing in the women's pool. In fact, it was Prince Miloš Obrenović who, after the Liberation, restored the Turkish bath, sent water samples for analysis in Vienna, and appointed its first doctor – Dr. Leopold Ehrlich.

We exit and continue along the town's main street. It is bustling, with cafes and restaurants full of people, mothers walking with strollers, children riding bicycles and scooters passing by us. Some of them hurry to buy ice cream, popcorn, and small toys. We share with Vesna that the town is full of youth and life. She says it’s ideal for raising children. The young woman has two children, and it’s convenient for her because everything is just a few minutes from home – the office, the kindergarten, and the shops.

We stop in front of the Church of the Holy Transfiguration. It was built in 1892 in the Serbian-Byzantine style by Italian craftsmen, based on the design of architect Svetozar Ivačković. The initiator of the work and a great patron was Metropolitan Mihailo, born in Sokobanja, who was the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church from 1859 to 1881 and from 1889 to 1898. Besides the church, the bishop also built the elementary school in 1894, which today bears his name. He was one of the founders and a patron of the Society for the Arrangement and Beautification of Sokobanja and its surroundings, established in 1895.

We pass through the town park and reach the beach on the Morava River. At the end of April, there are only a few people walking around, just like us, but Vesna shares that it is crowded in the summer. We walk along the riverside path, talking about life in Serbia and back home, realizing once again how close we are, how much we resemble each other. And here we are in front of the famous spa hotel "Sun," perhaps the most luxurious in the town. An employee kindly shows us the facilities and spa procedures available. We admire its large mineral water pool and wish that next time we could swim in it.

We ask Vesna what other sources of livelihood the town has besides tourism. She responds that there is no industry for miles around. The area is clean, and the products are completely organic. This is something we confirm a little later while dining at the restaurant "Zelengora." Everything was fresh and simply wonderful – cheeses, milk, honey, meats, rakijas, and so on.

The next day, with our guide from the Sokobanja Tourist Organization, Marko, we once again set off on a walk through nature and history. First, we headed to the source of the Moravica River. The greenery and tranquility here are mesmerizing, as if time has stopped. Walking along the path, we reached a mountain café. The fence is lined with old photos – memories of love and friendship. Around them are artistically written wise thoughts and quotes from old songs. We sit down to drink natural juice. Our young guide, cheerful and warm-hearted, was born in a nearby village, lives in Sokobanja, is still single, and has been working in the tourist organization for only a few weeks. He told us that tourists are always shown the medieval Sokograd fortress, churches built from the 11th to the 19th century...

In fact, Sokobanja is first mentioned as a military fortification and settlement in the biography of Despot Stefan Lazarević, written by Constantine the Philosopher. Later, in 1663, the Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi was the first to mention the healing properties of its waters, describing the Turkish bath. During the First Serbian Uprising (1808), Hajduk Veljko liberated Sokobanja from the Turks and called it "my bath" (banja). In gratitude, Sokobanja erected a memorial fountain for him. From the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century until World War II, Sokobanja became a meeting place for emblematic scientists, writers, artists, and bohemians: Ivo Andrić, Branislav Nušić, Isidora Sekulić, Stevan Sremac, Jovan Cvijić, Meša Selimović.

After resting, we headed to the "Ripaljka" waterfall, the first natural monument in Serbia, which has been under state protection since 1949. It is formed by the fall of the Gradac River and is one of the highest in Serbia. Its sound enlivens the mood, and its spray lightens the mind. Near it, there is a picnic area – "Grudno," where mountain lovers can rest and eat. We also had a meal at the "Ripaljka" restaurant, right above the waterfall. We talked about how "Soko" means falcon in Bulgarian. This free-spirited bird, which gave the town its name, is its symbol. And naturally, many things are named after it: the hunting association "Sokol," the cultural-artistic association "Sokol," the literary club "Falcon's Quill," and many more.

We shared with our guide the thought that we couldn’t leave the town without seeing Ivo Andrić's favorite "Sokobanja home." The great Serbian writer and Nobel laureate was a regular guest at the "Moravica" hotel and always stayed in the same apartment – No. 144, because of the special view from the balcony overlooking the magnificent greenery. His stay here has become a legend. That's why today this apartment has been turned into a small museum dedicated to the writer. A hotel staff member proudly opened it for us and told us about Ivo Andrić's love for Sokobanja. In his notes, which can be seen and read, the writer mentions the beneficial effect of the place: "I don’t know what exactly is here, but I know that after 15-20 days in Sokobanja, I work all year in Belgrade as if I am reborn." He admits, "I always fear – this place will become famous; the world will rush here, and I will have to flee and find another spa. But where will I find such beauty in the world? Just so you know: you can die here too, because people die everywhere in the world. But life here is more beautiful and I suppose a little longer."

And today, Sokobanja has numerous tourists and everything for them: extreme sports, 36 different routes for walks in the stunning nature, numerous specially designated picnic spots, entertainment in the wonderful aqua park, along the banks of the Moravica River and Lake Bovan, cultural and sports events... It is no coincidence that Sokobanja has been declared the first ecological municipality in Serbia, and in 2022 the resort won the title of the most popular tourist destination (with the highest number of overnight stays).

Before leaving, we said goodbye to our hosts at the Sokobanja Tourist Organization office, where we noticed among their many awards, a special one – "Ambassador of Good Service" in the category of health destination for 2019, from the Ministry of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia. But you can learn more about everything in Sokobanja HERE.

The team of "Diplomatic Spectrum" expresses its gratitude to the Serbian Tourist Organization and specifically to the Sokobanja Tourist Organization, as well as to the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in the Republic of Bulgaria for their support in realizing this trip.

Photos: Sokobanja Tourist Organization and "Diplomatic Spectrum"
First row: Sokobanja – the green heart of Serbia. Second and third rows: Shots from the "Zeleni Grad" hotel. Fourth row: The Turkish bath "Amam" and the Church of the Holy Transfiguration. Fifth row: The Town Hall, the park, the central street – Milošev Konak, the "Sun" hotel. Sixth row: The "Zelengora" restaurant. Seventh row: The beach, shots from Mount Ozren and the "Ripaljka" waterfall. Eighth row: The famous apartment No. 144 of Ivo Andrić. Ninth row: Shots from the mountain and the award of the Sokobanja Tourist Organization "Ambassador of Good Service."