Nature’s wonder – Đavolja Varoš
Pack your bags and go to one of the most spectacular places earth have created and makes a real masterpiece. That's right, the next destination we are talking about is Đavolja Varoš.
Đavolja Varoš features 202 exotic formations described as earth pyramids or "towers", as the locals refer to them. They are 2 to 15 m (6 ft 7 in to 49 ft 3 in) tall and 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) wide at the base. These formations were created by strong erosion of the soil that was scene of intense volcanic activity millions of years ago. Most of the towers have "caps" or "heads" of andesite, which protect them from further erosion. Volatile volcanic history left marks in the multicolored rocks in the towers hinterlands. However, Đavolja Varoš in its modern form is a relatively new feature. As the inhabitants of the surrounding region were cutting down the forests, they enabled for the precipitation to erode the rocks. The area beneath the towers is called The Hell gully (Paklena jaruga) and the surrounding terrain is a location of the mine shafts from the medieval Nemanjić Serbia.
A natural spring is located beneath the formations and has a high mineral concentration. There are two springs: Đavolja voda (Devil's Water), with extremely acidic water (pH 1.5) and high mineral concentration (15 g/l of water), and Crveno vrelo (Red Well). The unusually pungent spring waters were examined for the first time in 1905 by Aleksandar Zega, founder of the Serbian Chemical Society.
This process lasts for centuries, the towers grow, change, disappear and re-create. Earth pillars are built of three layers of different composition. These specific forms of relief were created by the action of rainwater on the former topographic surface. By washing the sand and gravel under the smaller or larger stone blocks, figures in the shape of towers and pyramids remain. However, external effects erode the "towers" over time, destroying them while new ones are created due to soil washing. Thus, the earthen pillars "move", pulling deeper and deeper into the interior of the mountain hair.
World Fenomenon
This natural phenomenon is unique in our country and very rare in the world. There are similar phenomena in the Alps in Europe. The "towers" in the Devil's Town are larger and more stable, so it is the most famous natural monument of its kind in Europe. The "Garden of the Gods" in the USA was better known in the world. Fans of art photography were among the first to visit the unique creation of nature, so in 1977 the first International Art Photography Colony in our country was founded in Đavolja varoš. In addition to the art and sculpture colony, part of that work can be seen in the gallery in Đavolja varoš. This valuable site was placed under state protection in 1959, and in 1995, by a Decree of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, it was declared a natural asset of exceptional importance and classified in the first category of protection. A total of 67 ha of land is protected.
For centuries, the mystique of the Devil's Town has aroused the imagination of the locals, so many legends have emerged. According to one legend, the figures represent petrified wedding guests who, at the urging of the devil, wanted to marry their brother and sister. According to the second, they are petrified devils outwitted by students in the bet, and according to the third legend, earth sculptures represent devils, which people got rid of by spending the night near the church of St. Petka, which is located near the earth figures. There are two waters with unusual properties in the vicinity of Đavolja Varoš. "Devil's water" is a cold and extremely acidic (ph 1.5) source with high mineralization (15 g / l) of water). It is located in Đavolja jaruga "Crveno (Đavolje) vrelo", the second source is slightly further from the first and closer to the entrance to the protected area, with a pH of 3.5 and with a lower general mineralization (4,372 mg / l of water). Such waters are very rare in the world.
Earth figures, as the most pronounced geomorphological phenomenon of this species in Europe, represent an extraordinary tourist attraction that attracts an increasing number of tourists of all categories, scientists and nature lovers every year.
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