Sokobanja
Sokobanja
Сокобања (Serbian) | |
---|---|
Town and municipality | |
UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Postal code | 18230 |
Area code | +381(0)18 |
Car plates | ZA |
Website | www |
Sokobanja (Serbian Cyrillic: Сокобања, pronounced [sɔ̂kɔbaɲa]) is a spa town and municipality located in the Zaječar District of the eastern Serbia. As of 2022, the population of the town is 7,188, while population of the municipality is 13,199.
Geography
Sokobanja is one of the most popular
The Moravica was known for the clear water and the abundance of the crayfish. The 1945 edition of the Politika newspaper reports about the export of the crayfish from Sokobanja, stating that "they were transported from Moravica by airplanes to Paris, London and Monte Carlo".[4]
Artificial Lake Bovan on the Moravica is situated some 10 minutes drive to the west of Sokobanja. Sokobanja is on elevation of about 369 m, although some parts of the town are on higher elevation.
Climate
On the graph below it is possible to see climate data for Sokobanja in period 2018-2023.Temperatures are rising in this region so Sokobanja is now bordering Humid subtropical and Humid Continental climate, since winter averages are about 1 degrees and summer averages are above 22 degrees.
Climate data for Sokobanja (2018.-2023.) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) |
21.5 (70.7) |
25.2 (77.4) |
29.9 (85.8) |
33.7 (92.7) |
37.2 (99.0) |
38.6 (101.5) |
37.2 (99.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
26.3 (79.3) |
25.9 (78.6) |
19.7 (67.5) |
38.6 (101.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.3 (41.5) |
8.7 (47.7) |
12.2 (54.0) |
18.2 (64.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
27.5 (81.5) |
29.5 (85.1) |
30.0 (86.0) |
24.4 (75.9) |
17.8 (64.0) |
11.5 (52.7) |
6.9 (44.4) |
17.9 (64.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
3.4 (38.1) |
6.0 (42.8) |
11.5 (52.7) |
16.2 (61.2) |
20.6 (69.1) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
16.9 (62.4) |
11.4 (52.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
11.8 (53.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.2 (28.0) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
0.5 (32.9) |
5.2 (41.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.1 (59.2) |
16.4 (61.5) |
10.4 (50.7) |
6.0 (42.8) |
2.9 (37.2) |
0.0 (32.0) |
6.4 (43.6) |
Record low °C (°F) | −12.5 (9.5) |
−11.3 (11.7) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
2.7 (36.9) |
5.4 (41.7) |
8.1 (46.6) |
9.4 (48.9) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−11.3 (11.7) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
Source: vreme.in.rs [5] |
History
The settlement changed name a lot during its history, but from the Roman times it was always connected to its spa function (Serbian banja): Balnea, Banja, Velika Banja ("Great Spa"), Aleksinačka Banja ("Aleksinac Spa"), Sokol Banja.[6]
Tourism
Sokobanja, as both the thermal and air spa, is one of the most popular tourist resorts in Serbia.[4]
Satirist Branislav Nušić coined the rhyme Sokobanja, Soko-grad, dođeš mator, odeš mlad ("Sokobanja, Sokograd, you come old, you leave young"). He wrote it on a postcard manufactured by his friend so that he could boost the sales. After being printed in the Politika newspaper on 7 July 1934, the catchphrase became popular, surviving till today as the trademark of Sokobanja, inspiring several songs.[4]
Spa
There are remains of the
The first physician to the spa was appointed in 1833 by the Serbian ruling prince
In 1834, Prince Miloš ordered the mineral waters from Sokobanja to be sent to Vienna, Austria, for testing which confirmed the positive healing effect of the water. In 1835, on prince's invitation, German geologist August von Herder among other thermal springs and mining localities, visited Sokobanja. He compared its waters to those from the Austrian spa Bad Gastein.[4] In 1837 Prince Miloš ordered the construction of hospital (špitalj) in Sokobanja, with "20 rooms with floors", including the accommodation for the guests, physicians, and Turkish bath (hammam) workers.[6]
On 21 June 1837, Prince Miloš signed an order for a sergeant major Lazarević from the Military-police office in Kragujevac to be sent to Sokobanja for a healing treatment. This date is today considered as the starting date of the spa tourism in Serbia. Prince renovated and expanded the Turkish bath and appointed Austrian doctor Leopold Ehrlich as the first spa doctor. Prince personally visited the spa a lot and built several other objects, like the Prince Miloš Fountain, on the road to Aleksinac, Miloš' Konak in downtown Sokobanja, today a restaurant, and Miloš' bathtub in the hammam. The prince's bathtub, which still in use today just as the entire hammam complex, is short but deep, has its own tap and is placed in a separate room. There are two other pools, "male" and "female", with hot water from the underground springs.[4]
The spa became quite popular among the cultural elite and was visited by writers, poets, painters, sculptors, actors, directors. Apart from Nušić, it was visited by
The Turkish bath in Sokobanja is the only still functioning such facility in eastern Serbia. Under the name Staro banjsko kupatilo ("Old spa bath") it is protected by the state and declared a
Water from springs in Sokobanja are hipertermal and hipotermal.
Soko Grad
Soko Grad (Соко Град), also known as Sokolac, was a medieval city and fortress 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Sokobanja. The fortress was declared a
The fortress originates from the Roman, early Christian period.
The fort was rebuilt and expanded in the late 13th and early 14th centuries on the foundations of the Roman fort. It was mentioned later during the reign of Despot Stefan Lazarević. The Ottoman Empire occupied it in 1398. The town was destroyed in 1413 by the Ottomans during the 1402–13 civil war, in the battle between Musa Çelebi and the local Turkish chieftain Hamuz Beg.[4] Today the only visible remains of the upper town are the gate, walls, and three towers.
Vrmdža
In the village of Vrmdža, 12 km (7.5 mi) to the north, there are remains of another fort, Town of Vrmdža (Vrmdžanski grad). It was also originally a Roman fortress built during the rule of Emperor Justinian I and was also destroyed in 1413.[4]
The village was revived in the 21st century, with the growing tourism on the Rtanj mountain. The villagers began to revitalize the objects, with the help of the village diaspora from the United States, Switzerland and Italy. Some immigrants returned with families, but also some foreigners moved their families to Vrmdža, renovating over 40 houses. The old school, built in 1851 and operational until 1863, and then being turned into the monastery's konak, has been adapted into the museum. There are also a monument to the soldiers of World War I and an unusual medieval church. Dating from the 13th century, it has only one room and frescoes on the ceiling. It was reconstructed and annexed in 1819.[11]
The locality is close to the former Tsarigrad Road, which connected Belgrade and Istanbul. Next to the road are two rocks, named Nikolina stena and Devojačka stena after the folk tales. The first one was named after a young man Nikola who slipped and got killed after trying to pick a flower for his girlfriend, while the other ("Girl's") was named after a girl who committed suicide by jumping of it so that she wouldn't be ravaged by the Ottomans. There is also a Vrmdža Lake, old renovated watermill, wooden bridge over the Oravica stream, and a sawmill.[11]
Other features
Other attractions include swimming in the Moravica river and the Lake Bovan, which is especially popular among fishermen, galleries, museums, various concerts and festivities, hiking, wellness centers, hotels,
In the neighborhood of Gradašnica, on the river of the same name, there were 13 watermills, built from the early 19th century. They all went out of service by the 1960s. One of them has been renovated and became operational again, but only for the touristic purposes so that visitors can grind the cereals and knead dough themselves. On Ozren Mountain there is a large, single boulder in the middle of the vast meadow. It has been called the "Stone of love" as, allegedly, those who exchange kisses of vows sitting on the rock will stay together forever. According to the folk story, military commander and rebel
Special hospitals for lung diseases (Hospital for non-specific lung diseases, founded in 1978) and ophthalmology are situated on Ozren mountain, surrounded by the forest. The lung hospital is a legal successor of the original, 1837 hospital.[4][6] Major boost to the tourism was opening of the Hotel Sunce ("Sun") in 1977. The edifice with specific design is located next to the Moravica river in the eastern section of Sokobanja.[12] The town center of Sokobanja is home to the 19th-century buildings of elementary school and Serbian Orthodox church.
In the village of Jošanica, 15 km (9.3 mi) to the northwest, there is a Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Founded in the 11th century, it is the oldest existing church in eastern Serbia. Closer to Sokobanja, on the Ozren mountain, there is a Jermenčić Monastery, founded in the 14th century by the Armenians who were fleeing the invading Ottomans.[13] Southeast of Sokobanja, on the slopes of Ozren, there is a seasonal Ripaljka waterfall. It exists only during the spring after the snow melts on the mountain. Already by May, it is usually dry.[4]
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1948 | 23,733 | — |
1953 | 24,621 | +0.74% |
1961 | 24,285 | −0.17% |
1971 | 23,932 | −0.15% |
1981 | 23,394 | −0.23% |
1991 | 21,948 | −0.64% |
2002 | 18,571 | −1.51% |
2011 | 16,021 | −1.63% |
2022 | 13,199 | −1.75% |
Source: [14][15] |
According to 2022 census of population, there were 13,199 inhabitants in the municipality and 7,188 in the town and municipal seat. The area has been depopulating for decades. The number of inhabitants in the municipality peaked in 1953 (pop. 24,621), while the largest population in the town was recorded in 1991 (pop. 8,439).[3][15]
Settlements
Aside from the town of Sokobanja, the municipality consists of the following villages (2022 population):[15]
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Economy
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):[16]
Activity | Total |
---|---|
Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 58 |
Mining and quarrying | 511 |
Manufacturing | 210 |
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 21 |
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 80 |
Construction | 72 |
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 472 |
Transportation and storage | 126 |
Accommodation and food services | 300 |
Information and communication | 23 |
Financial and insurance activities | 29 |
Real estate activities | 7 |
Professional, scientific and technical activities | 81 |
Administrative and support service activities | 51 |
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security | 174 |
Education | 240 |
Human health and social work activities | 541 |
Arts, entertainment and recreation | 30 |
Other service activities | 57 |
Individual agricultural workers | 371 |
Total | 3,445 |
Gallery
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See also
- List of spa towns in Serbia
- List of places in Serbia
- Mihailo Jovanović (metropolitan)
References
- ^ "Municipalities of Serbia, 2006". Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
- ^ "Насеља општине Сокобања" (PDF). stat.gov.rs (in Serbian). Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-86-6161-109-4. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Aleksandra Mijalković (29 April 2018). "Sokobanjska razglednica" [Postcard of Sokobanja]. Politika-Magazin, No. 1074 (in Serbian). pp. 19–21.
- ^ "Climate: Sokobanja, Serbia". Vreme.in.rs. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Toma Todorović (11 November 2018). Три јубилеја Сокобање [Three anniversaries of Sokobanja]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 08.
- ^ "www.soko-banja.org".
- ^ https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/44/128/44128754.pdf?r=1
- ^ Toma Todorović (18 September 2023). Сокобања, топла бања [Sokobanja, hot spa]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 10.
- ^ Monuments of Culture in Serbia: СОКО ГРАД (SANU) (in Serbian and English)
- ^ a b Mirjana Nikić (26 July 2019). Дух царског друма [Spirit of the imperial road]. Politika-Moja kuća (in Serbian). p. 1.
- ^ Mirjana Nikić (3 June 2022). Очување сокобањских бисера [Preservation of Sokobanja's pearls]. Politika-Moja Kuća (in Serbian). p. 1.
- ^ sokobanja. "Manastir "Jermenčić"". Sokobanja - Zeleno srce Srbije (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-08-15.
- ISBN 978-86-6161-109-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-86-6161-230-5.
- ^ "MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA, 2019" (PDF). stat.gov.rs. Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. 25 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.