Povlen
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Povlen () is a
mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
in western
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, located thirty kilometers west of
Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...
. It has several peaks, the three most important being Small Povlen (), Middle Povlen () and Big Povlen (), which is, ironically, the lowest.


Geography

It belongs to the Valjevo mountain range, which form the highland west of
Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...
towards
Mačva Mačva ( sr-Cyrl, Мачва, ; ) is a geographical and historical region in the northwest of Central Serbia, on a fertile plain between the Sava (river), Sava and Drina rivers. The chief town is Šabac. The modern Mačva District of Serbia is nam ...
. The mountains are not very high, their highest point, Small Povlen, reaches to , but they are difficult to cross. Dense forests and deep river canyons hide narrow and winding roads that lead to small hamlets. In the canyon of Trešnjica under Povlen, there is a colony of
griffon vulture The Eurasian griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus'') is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It is also known as the griffon vulture, although this term is sometimes used for the genus as a whole. It is not to be confuse ...
s.
Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
s and
hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...
s also live on the mountain. Successful program of
brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the land carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on av ...
s protection was conducted on the Tara mountain in the 21st century, some southwest of the Povlen. As the number of bears grew, by the 2020s they re-appeared on the Povlen, too.


History

In November 2019 it was announced that the remains of the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
church were discovered. The object was discovered close to the Taor Springs, some from Valjevo. Remains of the Early Byzantium-style church are part of the wider complex, with parts of small fortification and presumably a mining settlement being located for now. It is located at an altitude of , on the prehistoric and Antiquity travelling corridor from the valley of the Kolubara river to the
Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...
depression. Remains from the Stone Age, Iron Age, Antiquity and Middle Ages have been found along the corridor. Church dimensions are , it has arched altar area and is surrounded by the
dry stone Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. A certain amount of binding is obtained through the use of carefully ...
wall made of large chunks of stones and boulders, which is long and wide. In the surrounding area there are numerous traces of ancient mining activities, including mining of copper and iron. Also, this is the fourth such church discovered in the Valjevo region in the past several years. In the village of Brangović there are remains of the fortification, called Jerinin Grad, with the remains of the church quite similar to the one discovered in Taor. With another fortification in the village of Ćelije, the archeologists theoreticize that all this objects were connected in the wider but specific complex. Also, the findings point to the idea that every village, even unfortified ones, had their own churches during the period of Early Byzantium. In 2017, a scenic viewpoint "Gates of Podrinje" was adapted for visitors on the southeast slopes, at an elevation of . Located in the village of Ovčinja, the concrete and wood plateau include benches, parking spots and kiosk with vending and coffee machines.


Features


Taor Springs

One of the attraction of the Povlen are the "Taor Springs" (''Taorska vrela''). Beautiful cascades were used in many touristic brochures in the
Former Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
. They are located at the village of Taor's hamlet of Donji Taor. It is located in the southwestern section of the mountain, southeast of Valjevo and northwest of
Kosjerić Kosjeríć ( sr-cyr, Косјерић, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of western Serbia. The municipality has a population of 10,175 inhabitants and the town itself has 3,723 (2022 census). The municipality's area i ...
. Majority of the location is covered in
beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...
forests and the location is especially known for bear's garlic, which is abundant. It grows on the shady slopes and in the woods. An annual "Days of Bear's Garlic" festival has been established in 2015. The Taor is known for its
tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitation (chemistry), precipitate out of water in ambient temperature, unheated rivers or lakes. hot spring, Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less ...
rocks, on which the Taor springs formed cascades on the long slope, which ultimately flow into the Skrapež river. In the 1980s. when the Kosjerić waterworks was constructed, the springs were partially capped and transferred to town's water system. Though the project wasn't conducted fully as planned, it still harmed the cascades as during the droughty years, the water dries out completely. The area was placed under the preliminary protection, but on paper only. Locals were digging the tufa stones, ruining the waterfalls and the entire environment. There were 12 watermills on the springs, but as of 2017, none of them are operational, with only a few still physically surviving. By 2019 only three derelict ones remained (Delićka, Drojićka and Pejina), but the fourth one, Pepića watermill, was fully restored and became operational in 2018.


Folklore


Mythology

Area of Povlen is known for its myths. Southern extension of the now extinct Pannonian Sea, which drained out some 600,000 years ago, reached Povlen. Hence, fossils of the sea snails are occasionally being found, which influenced the myth about the massive ring, which allegedly exists somewhere on the mountain, by which
Noah Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...
moored his ark after the
deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the biblical book of Genesis. Deluge or Le Déluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-L ...
. Large balls, called the "Povlen balls" (''Povlenske kugle''), which are results of an underwater volcanic activity during the existence of the sea, are claimed by the locals to be made by the extraterrestrials or by the extinct race of giant warriors who used it as the
cannonball A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...
s or for the catapults.


Vampires

On the western slopes of the mountain is the village of Zarožje, location of the famed watermill owned by Sava Savanović, the mythical, best known Serbian vampire. He was immortalized in the short story ''After Ninety Years'' by
Milovan Glišić Milovan Glišić (6 January 1847 – 20 January 1908) was a Serbian writer, novelist, dramatist, translator, and literary theorist. He is sometimes referred to as ''the Serbian Gogol''. Legacy Glišić is considered to be one of the best ...
from 1880, predating
Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...
's ''
Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
'' by 17 years. It served as the base for '' Leptirica'' ("She-butterfly"), generally considered one of the best Serbian horror movies, made in 1973.


Gallery


References

{{Commons category, Povlen Mountains of Serbia