Thematic Route: The cultural heritage Route

Name of the touristic attraction: Vratna Stone Gates

Location: Negotin, municipality of  Negotin, Bor district, Eastern Serbia, Republic of Serbia. Vratna Stone Gates are located in the southeastern part of the mountain Miroč, west of the settlement Vratna, 38 km from Negotin in the Bor District. In the complex with the same name there is the hunting ground “Vratna” and the monastery Vratna. The most important part is under the protection of the state and represents a protected area of national interest of I category. The Protected area,  the monument of nature “Prerasti in the canyon of Vratna” covers about 145 ha. This area is managed by JP “Srbijašume” Belgrade, forest management company Negotin.

Description: Near the Vratna monastery there are huge rock door – gates made by the nature itself without the help of a chisel or a hammer. The first gate is called ‘’ VELIKI PRERAST ‘’, the second one  ‘’ MALI PRERAST ‘’, and the third one ‘’ SUVI PRERAST ‘’. The whole complex of  ‘’ VRATNA ‘’ – the village, the monastery and the stone gates – is surrounded by rivers and forests, and is one of the most attractive tourist destinations of the Negotin. These ‘’precious stones ‘’ are only 35 km away from Negotin.

The river Vratna, a tributary of the Danube, is located in northeastern Serbia. Due to the specific geological features of its watershed, a composite valley with gorges and canyons was formed in the carbonate rocks.

There are three large natural stone bridges of different origin in Vratna Canyon. These natural stone bridges are a unique phenomenon, being one of the phases of evolution of the tunnel cave an of the river meanders.

The natural stone bridge Suva Prerast was formed in the place where Vratna sinks in front of a limeston ridge, in a hemmed meander. It is an imposing natural stone bridge of 20 m tall, 15 m wide, with a 34 m wide arch.

Three kilometers downstream from Suva Prerast there is the next natural stone bridge, Velika Prerast, as a remaining part of a former cave arch. It has a tunnel-shaped opening, 45 m length, 26 m high, and an opening of 23 to 33 m. There are numerous openings of cave channels on the walls and the ceiling of this natural stone bridge.

Mala Prerast is located only 100 m downstream from Velika Prerast, at the very ending of the canyon part of the valley. The spacious and wide valley of Vratna, with monasterial complex, spreads beyond the canyon. At the narrowest part of the exit, around 200 m upstream from the Monastery of Vratna, stands aslender arch of this natural stone bridge, 34 m tall, 33 m wide, and 15 m thick.

These outstandingly attractive natural stone bridges and the entire valley of the river Vratna were formed due to the processes of sinking of the local rivers and the crushing of the ceiling of some old cave tunnel through wich Vratna once flowed, representing an exceptional example of fluvial and karastic processes is isolated parts of the limestone.

Near the third gates, three unexplored caves have been discovered so far. It’s about “real jewelers of nature.” Detailed studies of these caves are still under way, but speleologists  say that the cave is closest to the third gate, about 400 meters long, the other is somewhat shorter but more attractive, because it contains a small lake of unusual beauty. The third cave is extremely large and complicated, intertwined with numerous hallways and tunnels.

Legend / Story / Impressions/ Recommandation: According to the folk stories, these natural gates, enchanted the monk  Nikanor so much, that in the time of Ștefan, the despot, he settled in a hardly accessible cave, prayed to God and fasted for years until he died,  far from everyone, as a saint.

Conditions: Vratna Monastery can be reached bon foot, by bicycle or by car, and The Vratna Stone Gatescan be reached on foot.

Information and contacts:

Tourism organization of  Negotin Municipality:

tel: 019/547 555

e-mail:toonegotin@gmail.com

www.toon.org.rs

PE “Srbijašume” Belgrade-Forest farm “Timočke šume” Boljevac – Forest management Negotin
Phone of the Forest Administration Negotin:
+381 19 548 088

Vratna Monastery

Tel: +381 19 558 127

Working hours: Entring to the protected area is prohibited without prior notification to the manager

Ticket price: The manager charges 100 din/ day/ visitor, or 50 dinars/ day for children between 8-18 years old.

Route close to other thematic routes: 38 km away from Vratna Stone Gates, in Negotin, there are: the central building of the Museum of Krajina, Birthplace of Stevan Mokranjac Museum of Haiduk Veljko, old church of the Birth of the Holy Virgin, Holy Trinity Church, the powder mill (the only remnant of the fortress Baba Finka); not far from the town there is Bukovo Monastery, 25 km away from Negotin there is the archaeological site Vrelo-Sarkamen, and about 20 km from the town there are the wine cellars of Rajac and Rogljevo.

Other useful information: The area of the municipality Negotin is linked by a whole range of transport network with the Danube and Corridor 10 and international border crossings with Romania and Bulgaria.

Via Djerdap main road, this area is linked to regional roads: Negotin-Donji Milanovac and Negotin-Kladovo. The network and the quality of the local roads at the territory of Negotin municipality is at satisfactory level.

One can reach Negotin from Belgrade via the international road E 75, through Paracin (300 km), via Smederevo, Pozarevac and Majdanpek (290 km), or via the Danube main road, through Donji Milanovac (250 km). The distance from Nis is 150 km and Zajecar 57 km. The nearest town is Vidin in Bulgaria-55 km and the nearest city in Romania is, Turnu Severin-80 kilometers away.

GPS coordinates: lat, long: 44.383247, 22.337150