Zlatibor is a popular tourist destination in Serbia, featuring opportunities for health tourism, skiing, and hiking. The region’s largest city is Užice, which is situated in the mountain’s foothills, and the majority of the territory is administered by the municipality of Čajetina. Zlatibor grew from a collection of holiday cottages to a full-fledged metropolitan area.

Zlatibor, located at an elevation of slightly over 1,000 meters, is a climatic resort distinguished by a cold alpine temperature, pure air, extended periods of sunlight in the summer, and a thick snow cover in the winter. Modern hotels, vacation centers and cottages, sports fields, and skiing trails are among the tourist amenities. In recent years, Zlatibor’s tourism offer has been supplemented by a wide range of diverse material. A great number of sports courts, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, ski lifts, and ski slopes have been constructed. Governed the lake, built a new mall, market, and bus stop, among other things. In addition, a great number of new hotels and resorts, residences, and restaurants were developed.

Zlatibor provides holiday and leisure opportunities in the form of recreational, sports, hunting, health, and convention tourism. Zlatibor receives around 200,000 tourists per year, resulting in approximately 1,000,000 overnight stays.

Regions

• Branesko polje (Branesci Plain) is the largest plain and industrial zone in Zlatibor.
• Murtenica is a southern portion of Zlatibor that is famed for being a hiding location for Zlatiborian ajduci (plural ajduk), a kind of special troops who battled the invading Turkish army. One of three Zlatibor’s historic wooden tiny churches may be found near Murtenica, in the settlement of Kucani.
• Eastern Zlatibor’s capital is Sirogojno, a hamlet known for a unique kind of museum – a museum under the open sky. The Historic Town Museum (Zlat. Staro selo) gathers old homes from all across Zlatibor and turns them into a miniature village. Mackat, a settlement in the northern portion of this area, is famed for its meat products, such as the popular Zlatiborian prsuta (sort of very delicious dry meat).
• Western Zlatibor is known for its agricultural and friendly inhabitants, and two of Zlatibor’s three historic wooden tiny churches can be found here, in the settlements of Jablanica and Dobroselica. On the northern bank of the Uvac River, there is also the Uvac Monastery.
• Northern Zlatibor centers include Kremna, a settlement where the legendary Tarabic prophets resided, and Mokra Gora, a popular rural tourism destination with an ancient railway. The Sargan Eight (Zlat. Sarganska osmica) is a historic railway that looks like the number eight and was designed that way so that the train could go up on the Sargan hill.

Towns and villages

• Kraljeve Vode (The King’s Waters) is a contemporary town with a lot of wonderful places to go out and have a good time, it’s the center of Zlatibor, and also has several historical landmarks.
• Cajetina is Zlatibor’s administrative center, and it has various historical sites.
• Sirogojno – For those who prefer a gentler pace, visit Sirogojno, a village tourist destination that comprises the Old Village Museum and several historical landmarks.
• Mokra Gora is a hamlet tourist destination that includes the historic railway, the artefact wooden town of Medjavnik, and other attractions.
• Mackat is a tourist resort known for its meat products, such as the famed Zlatiborian prsuta (sort of very delicioud dry meat)
• Dobroselica is a beautiful hamlet with an antique tiny wooden church.
• Gostilje is a tourist town with a beautiful large waterfall. A large and lovely cave nearby is known as Stopica pecina (Eng. The cave of the Stopic family).

Other destinations

• Tornik is Zlatibor’s tallest summit, and it has a ski center.
• Ribnica is a hamlet tourist destination that was more popular in the past than it is today.
• Oko is a local tourist attraction that was more popular in the past than it is today.
• Vodice is a minor tourist destination with beautiful natural surroundings.

Climate

Summers are warm and pleasant, while winters are not too frigid. Zlatibor’s air is highly pure and healthful, and visiting Zlatibor is advised for individuals who suffer from tyroide gland and respiratory problems.

Relief

There are several medium hills and a lot of farmland. Tornik is the highest peak at 1496 meters (4908 feet), and other summits include Brijac, Cigota, Vijogor, Konjoder, Liska, and Gruda… Branesko polje (the Branesci Plain) is Zlatibor’s largest plain.

Hydrography

Zlatibor has an abundance of very pure and clean water. There are several minor and larger rivers, but no natural lakes. There are just a few man-made lakes. Because Zlatibor’s waters contain minerals, they have a positive impact on human health.

Animal and plant life

The woodlands and meadows of Zlatibor are home to a plethora of animals. Zlatibor’s fields are home to around 120 plant species.

History

The Illyrians were the first people to live in Zlatibor. They scattered their little graves across Zlatibor. In the fourth century BC, the Romans invaded Zlatibor and romanized the Illyrians.

Slavs arrived in the 7th century from what is now Poland.

Zlatibor was a part of the Ottoman Empire from 1463 until 1804.

Tourism in Zlatibor began in August 1893, when King Aleksandar I Obrenović visited Kulaševac, as Kraljeve Vode were known back then. The first tourism began in 1905, when King Petar I Karaorevi visited Kraljeve Vode.

People

The Zlatiborians (Zlatiborci) are well-known for their intelligence and literacy. They are a really warm and welcoming group of folks. They like making pranks and fooling others, particularly visitors, but never with the intention of hurting them. They like assisting people.

Talk

Zlatiborians utilize the literary Serbian language in formal contexts. However, in informal contexts, the Traditional Zlatiborian and Neo-Zlatiborian languages are employed.

The Traditional Zlatiborian language is a dialect of Serbian. It is quite close to normal Serbian, however there are several distinctions. Knowing standard Serbian may be advantageous while conversing with a Zlatiborian peasant, although it is not always necessary. The Neo-Zlatiborian language is a hybrid of Traditional Zlatiborian and Literary Serbian.

English is not spoken in Zlatibor’s rural districts, although in the city (Kraljeve Vode and Cajetina), many people know a few words or can communicate in it. It is conceivable, though, to visit a hotel or restaurant where English is not spoken.

How to travel to Zlatibor

When you visit Zlatibor, you will most likely visit Kraljeve Vode. Kraljeve Vode is a tiny town with a contemporary and metropolitan feel (even more than Cajetina, the administrative centre of Zlatibor). It is linked to the rest of Zlatibor’s towns and settlements. Many people only mention Kraljeve Vode when they talk about Zlatibor.

The easiest method to go to Zlatibor is to first travel to Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, and then seek for a direct bus connection to Zlatibor. Zlatibor is served by bus routes that link it to the rest of Serbia and Montenegro.

You may also go to Zlatibor by rail from Belgrade and other larger cities, but you’ll finish up in one of Zlatibor’s villages, such as Semegnjevo, Susica, Sljivovica, or Jablanica. Despite its name, the Zlatibor Train Station (Zeleznicka stanica Zlatibor) is located in the settlement of Semegnjevo, 10 kilometers from Kraljeve Vode. Coming from there to Kraljeve Vode may be problematic since there aren’t many people who understand English, so it’s best to leave the train in the adjacent city of Uzice and then take a bus to Zlatibor. There are about 15 local buses that go from Užice to Kraljeve Vode (45 minutes)