Radan (
Serbian Cyrillic: Радан) is a
mountain in southern
Serbia, near the town of
Kuršumlija. Its highest peak, Šopot, has an elevation of 1,408 meters above sea level.
Radan separates the valleys of the
Toplica and
Jablanica rivers. It is well covered with deciduous and evergreen forests.
The best known spot on Radan is the
Devil's Town – a peculiar
rock formation
A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...
consisting of hundreds of mushroom-like posts, located on its southern slopes. Near the Devil's Town there are ruins of
Ivanova kula – city of
Ivan Kosančić
Ivan Kosančić ( sr-cyr, Иван Косанчић) was a Serbian knight who died during the historical Battle of Kosovo in 1389.
Biography
He was born in the upper Toplica region (south Serbia)- mountain Radan, near the town of Kuršumlija ...
, medieval military commander.
Justiniana Prima (''Caričin grad''), a Byzantine city from the 6th century, is located on the southeast of the mountain, near
Lebane.
[
In summer 2010, Radan attracted media attention because of a "]magnetic hill
A gravity hill, also known as a magnetic hill, mystery hill, mystery spot, gravity road, or anti-gravity hill, is a place where the layout of the surrounding land produces an optical illusion, making a slight downhill slope appear to be an uph ...
" located on a road near the village of Ivanje. After initial sensationalist articles about "anti-gravity", it soon turned out that it is just an optical illusion. Still, the hill is seen as an opportunity for a tourist attraction.
Nature Park
In October 2017 the government placed part of the mountain under the protection, as the Nature Park Radan, citing its geological, biological and landscape diversity. It spreads over the area of four municipalities, Bojnik
Bojnik ( sr-cyr, Бојник) is a town and municipality located in the Jablanica District of southern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the population of the town is 6,688 and population of the municipality was 11,073.
History
Much of the popul ...
, Medveđa, Prokuplje and Kuršumlija, and covers an area of . Declared the "protected area of exceptional importance" (IUCN Category I
IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The enlisting of such areas is par ...
), it is divided in three levels of protection, with the highest level occupying or 2,61% of the total area. Though the best known feature on the mountain, the Devil's Town is not included in the newly formed nature park, though it was previously declared a geo-park on its own.
References
Rhodope mountain range
Mountains of Serbia
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