Petnica () is a small village near Valjevo,

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

. According to the census of 2002, there were 614 inhabitants (according to the census of 1991, there were 483 inhabitants).

History

Petnica was founded at the beginning of the 15th century. The oldest known written document is Petnica Psalms from 1488, which mentions not only the existence of the village of Petnica, but also the monastery and school there. The

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

burned the monastery in the 18th century, but the church, last renovated in 1864, is still standing. When digging foundations for building stations, excavators discovered the remains of the old cemetery in Petnica ("Bobija") that were transferred to today's church. Today, in the back yard of a large research station in Petnica, there are still two of the three school buildings raised in 1925.

Features

The village is notable for: *

Petnica Cave Petnica Cave is located in the village of Petnica, near the city of Valjevo, Serbia. The cave has been popular for tourism since at least the 19th century, when it was one of the three most popular caving Caving – also known as spelunkin ...

, a

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

and

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

site. The cave and its immediate surroundings are the oldest evidence of the life of people in western Serbia. Archaeological research of the site began in the 19th century when the first research was performed by

Josif Pančić Josif Pančić ( sr-cyr, Јосиф Панчић; April 17, 1814 – February 25, 1888) was a Serbian botanist, a doctor of medicine, a lecturer at the Great School (the future University of Belgrade), and the first president of the Serbian Royal ...

and

Jovan Cvijić Jovan Cvijić ( sr-cyr, Јован Цвијић, ; 1865 – 16 January 1927) was a Serbian geographer and ethnologist, president of the Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences and rector of the University of Belgrade. Cvijić is considered th ...

. In addition to archaeological value, the cave has great speleological and paleontological value. The cave consists of a nearly 600-metre-long channel and a number of chambers. It is divided into two parts – Upper and Lower cave. *Archaeological site Petnica, аrchaeological-anthropological research conducted in 1969 confirmed that the archaeological site which is located in front of the entrance to the cave Petnica, is the first complete neolithic habitat in Serbia, some 6,000 years old. The second site, discovered inside the cave, contained the fire pit, bones of

Cave bear The cave bear (''Ursus spelaeus'') is a prehistoric species of bear that lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene and became extinct about 24,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum. Both the word "cave" and the scientific name ...

Hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the cl ...

buck Buck may refer to: Common meanings * A colloquialism for a dollar or similar currency * An adult male in some animal species - see List of animal names * Derby shoes, nicknamed "bucks" for the common use of buckskin in their making People * Buck ...

, and parts of military equipment from the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

(including a game to play), and remains of medieval refuge of the local population. Material from explorations and excavation of the cave contained number of weapons and the remains of pottery dishes that were used by

neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

people. *

Petnica lake Petnica () is a small village near Valjevo, Serbia. According to the census of 2002, there were 614 inhabitants (according to the census of 1991, there were 483 inhabitants). History Petnica was founded at the beginning of the 15th century. The ...

Pocibrava, a meeting place for swimmers and fishermen. Fishing on the lake Petnica

* Petnica Science Center * Petnica Swimming Pool Complex * Water bottling plant

Gallery

File:Petnica.JPG, Petnica (Петница) File:Petnicka pecina 1.jpg, Petnica cave (Петничка Пећина) File:Weekend cottage in Petnica.JPG, Weekend cottage in Petnica (Викендица) File:Petnica Science Centre.jpg, Petnica Science Centre Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Petnička pećina - Ulaz u Donju pećinu.jpg, Petnica cave Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Petnička pećina - Dvorana sa vigledima - Detalj 9.jpg, Petnica cave Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Petnička pećina - Dvorana sa vigledima - Detalj 7.jpg, Petnica cave Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Petnička pećina - Dvorana sa vigledima - Detalj 2.jpg, Petnica cave Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Petnička pećina - Dvorana sa vigledima - Detalj 14.jpg, Petnica cave Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Petnička pećina - Dvorana sa vigledima - Detalj 10.jpg, Petnica cave Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Petnička pećina - Dvorana sa vigledima - Detalj 1.jpg, Petnica cave File:Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Panorama 2 - Pogled prema istoku.jpg, Petnica - panorama File:Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Panorama 22.jpg, Petnica - panorama File:Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Panorama 24.jpg, Petnica - panorama File:Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Panorama 27.jpg, Petnica - panorama File:Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Panorama 28.jpg, Petnica - panorama File:Selo Petnica - opština Valjevo - zapadna Srbija - Panorama 31.jpg, Petnica - panorama

External links

Petnica Science CentrePetnica on Valjevo za vas
{{Kolubara District Populated places in Kolubara District Caves of Serbia