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12. 11. 2021.

Forest of Bojčin – an oasis near Belgrade

When you leave Surčin and head towards Obedska bara, you first come across Bojčin forest. This is one of the swamp forests located in our area. This oasis near the city center is a picnic area and offers rich content. There is something for everyone’s taste – from hiking, Summer Stage where Bojčin Cultural Summer is held, Ethnic Complex “Bojčin Forest” all the way to the Partisan Base, the mangalica farm and horse stables…

 

There is a long history of this place which was used as a shelter for locals and soldiers during the First World War. In the thirties of the last century, King Alexander used it as a hunting ground, only to be used as political and military center during the Second World War. It is the place where the uprising against the enemy started in 1941, and the bases that were built then still exist today. An asphalt road leads to them, through the middle of the forest. At a distance of 2 km from the entrance to the forest, there is a memorial built back in 1963. The place is a bit neglected and left to be forgotten, but even today, in the organization of SUBNOR Belgrade, Uprising on July 4th and 7th is still traditionally celebrated, as a memory of the beginning of the anti-fascist battle. In the wider area of ​​the Bojčin forest, 41 sites have been identified with an archeological site status.

 

Regardless of the season, a walk through nature is always a good exercise, and since this is very close to the city, use the weekend ahead of us to visit it.

The 6 km long hiking trail is traced through the most beautiful parts of the Bojčin forest. At the beginning, it passes by the fence of the mangalica farm, then by the Partisan bases and the Lipizzaner stud farm, and ends with the Trim trail and the ethnic complex “Bojčinska koleba”. Here you can have a bite to eat and a hot cup of coffee after a good walk. Bring enough water for the entire length of the trail and of course spf cream.

 

Since 1965, it has been protected as a Monument of Nature and an immovable cultural asset or landmark. It belongs to the monuments of nature because it is a habitat of rare plant and animal species, including the white-tailed eagle. Here are the oldest pedunculate oak trees, which is considered a priority habitat. Significant habitats are also hornbeam habitats and free-floating communities of eutrophic stagnant waters and terrestrial high sedges.

To fully experience the Bojčin Forest, we recommend that you visit the Bojčin Cultural Summer festival next summer. It’s happening since 2009, every weekend, and lasts for 5 months, from the beginning of May to the end of September. You will have the opportunity to attend poetry evenings, then numerous theater performances, and music from folk, through rock and pop, to classical.

 

There are few places near Belgrade that have such a comprehensive program. Right behind the stage there are bungalows where you can stay and have coffee the next morning with birds chirping.