The Gradac ( sr, Градац, Gradac, ) is a river in western

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 Hung ...

, a tributary of the

Kolubara The Kolubara ( sr-cyr, Колубара, ) is a long river in western Serbia; it is an eastern, right tributary to the Sava river. General overview Kolubara is formed by the two small rivers Obnica and Jablanica. ''Obnica'' is the river in W ...

. It cuts a canyon in south-north direction with a length of 22.7 km. Its measured water course has a length of about 28 km and a total drop of 187 m. The source of the river Gradac is situated at the foot of the Povlen mountain.

Description

The Gradac river gorge, with its source tributaries, the special characteristics and the degree of preservation, is one of the less well known natural values of

. However, it is very highly rated among exponents of nature protection. It lies south of

Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the administrative area of Valjevo had 90,312 inhabitants, 59,073 of whom were urban dwel ...

and influent in the

directly, of which it is a

right tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...

. The river gorge is the habitat of a number of rare plant and animal species. In the river live brook

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-sa ...

chub Chub is a common fish name. It pertains to any one of a number of ray-finned fish in several families and genera. In the UK, the term ''chub'' usually refers to the species '' Squalius cephalus''. In addition, see sea chub. In family Cyprinid ...

barbel Barbel may refer to: *Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles *Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish **''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprinid ...

, and crabs. The biggest attraction of Gradac river are undoubtedly the otters. Along the river lay a number of resorts and beaches including Livadica, Ploce, Kriva Vrbe and Sareno platno. Along the river are several

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the productio ...

s and

fish pond A fish pond or fishpond is a controlled pond, small artificial lake or retention basin that is stocked with fish and is used in aquaculture for fish farming, for recreational fishing, or for ornamental purposes. Fish ponds are a classical ga ...

s located. The railroad from Belgrade to

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (un ...

passes through the Gradac river gorge.

Wildlife

Gradac is a home to a variety of animals from poisonous snakes to otters. Here are a few that live in or about the river. *Mammals: Hedgehog, Forest Mouse, Red Squirrel, Bank Vole, Deer, Hare, Wild Boar, Fox, Otter. *Birds: Finch, Blackbird, Jay, Quail, Krestel, Tawny Owl, other owls. *Fish:

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morp ...

European bullhead The European bullhead (''Cottus gobio'') is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the family Cottidae, a type of sculpin. It is also known as the miller's thumb, freshwater sculpin, common bu ...

, sapača, Wagtail. *Snakes: Viper, Aesculapius' snake, Water snake. You can also come across turtles and frogs.

Caves

The gorge of the river has more than 70 karst caves. The Degurić cave is, according to the latest research, the longest and, with its characteristics, the most beautiful cave in the region of the Valjevo karst. In the caves, traces of

palaeolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός '' palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...

, and

middle ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

ancient times have been discovered.

Gallery

File:Gradac mill.jpg, Mill on the river Gradac File:Gradac river bridge.JPG, Gradac river bridge File:Gradac-Dam.JPG, Gradac Dam on river lower flow File:Gradac.jpg, Middle part of the flow File:Gradac-Degurić.JPG, Gradac-Degurić File:Waterfalls on Gradac.jpg, Waterfalls on Gradac File:Gradac river lower flow.JPG, Gradac river lower flow File:Degurić pond.JPG, Degurić pond on river Gradac Valjevske planine - kanjon reke Gradac - mesto Šareno platno - detalj 1.jpg, River Gradac - Place Šareno platno Magleš - zapadna Srbija - kanjon reke Gradac - pogled prema izvoru reke Gradac i dolini reke Zabava.jpg, Source of river Gradac - panorama Valjevske planine - zapadna Srbija - reka Gradac - mesto Anatema 1.jpg, Place Anatema in winter Valjevske planine - zapadna Srbija - reka Gradac - mesto Ćelije - ispod manastira Čelije - Erozivna brana 1.jpg, Erode the dam - middle stream of the river Gradac Valjevske planine - zapadna Srbija - reka Gradac - mesto Ćelije - ispod manastira Čelije 1.jpg, In the monastery Celia - middle stream of the river Gradac Valjevske planine - zapadna Srbija - reka Gradac - mesto Ćelije - ispod manastira Čelije - Erozivna brana 4.jpg, River Gradac - Place Šareno platno Valjevske planine - zapadna Srbija - reka Gradac - mesto Anatema - detalj 2.jpg, Middle stream of the river Gradac

References

External links