Secret of brigand Rajko's cave may soon be learned by many people - Majdanpek prepares documentation to develop tourism

(Rajko's cave)

It is known from long ago that the Majdanpek area in the east of Serbia is rich in gold, but today's treasure hunters are much more attracted by the legend about brigand Rajko's treasury. The story says that a man named Rajko, also called Duke by the local people, lived in that area in the 17th century, and that he ran a tavern by day and robbed Turkish convoys on roads by night. The wealth he acquired in that way has not been found to date, but it is believed that he put it away at some hidden place in the cave that was later named after that brigand.

Primary school pupils on a school trip are usually the ones coming to see one of the most interesting caves in Serbia. However, visitors do not stay here for a long time because this area does not have anything to offer but natural beauties.

Rajko's cave is situated in eastern Serbia, two kilometers away from Majdanpek. It can be reached via a paved road alongside the bank of the Mali Pek river and the artificial lake Veliki Zaton. The surroundings of the source of the Mali Pek river are abundant with beech, maple and oak trees, representing a unique natural and speleological resource. What is also in the vicinity is Rajkovo ski resort.

(Majdanpek)

Vesna Cepenjor, head of the Department for Town Planning in the municipality of Majdanpek, explains for eKapija that the tourist potential of this area is not exploited enough and cites unresolved property relations as the main obstacle to the construction of tourist facilities in this area.

- The vicinity of the Danube is the greatest advantage of ours. We have significant potentials for tourism development, but we must first adopt a detailed regulation plan for the territory around Rajko's cave. We have been negotiating since 2005 with Srbijasume, the owner of that land, but these negotiations are making slow progress – Cepenjor explains.

- Tourists are coming here to see individual natural beauties of our area, but we do not possess any accompanying facilities that would attract them to stay longer. Rajkovo ski resort, that is, the ski lift in that resort is out of work for years. The municipality is not registered as the owner of that land and it cannot build anything in that area - says our interlocutor.

She also says that the merger of the future facilities in that part of the municipality with the facilities in the location of Lepenski Vir, which is only 7 to 8 kilometers away, would result in a very interesting offer for tourists.

(Rajkovo)

- We could also include walking and cycling routes to Lepenski Vir in our offer, which is already very popular in the world - she says and adds that the municipality was several times visited by Italians who expressed interest in investing in a tourist complex, but all projects are hindered by unresolved property issues.

Rajkovo

Rajkovo is a place four kilometers away from Majdanpek, on the road to Donji Milanovac, and it includes a ski resort with two attested ski runs 1,200 and 1,000 meters long. There is a surface lift that can tow 1,000 skiers per hour. The height difference between the start line and the finish line is 190 meters, and the start line is situated 750 meters above the sea level.

According to some earlier announcements, the Master Plan for Rajkovo ski resort should be designed next year.

Rajko's cave

(Veliki Zaton)

The first to explore this cave was Jovan Cvijic in 1894, and the exploration works were not resumed until the 1970's when they were managed by Dr Radenko Lazarevic. The cave was open to tourists in 1975.

The entrance to the cave from the direction of the village of Rajkovo was settled by people in prehistoric times, a proof of which is a stone hummer kept as part of the archeological collection in the Museum in Majdanpek. There is a river named the Rajkova that passes through Rajko's cave. After leaving the cave, it becomes one with the Paskova river, which also flows out of the cave and forms the Mali Pek river.

Rajko's cave is rich in cave decorations of various shapes, which are made of snow white crystal calcite of the highest quality in Serbia.

S.O.

Opština Majdanpek

JP Srbijašume Beograd

GIZ Beograd

Majdanpek

Vesna Cepenjor

brigand Rajko

treasure

prey

predators

gold

Rajko's cave

ski

ski resort

Rajkovo ski resort

Veliki Zaton

Lepenski Vir

the Danube

the Mali Pek

Djerdap

Donji Milanovac

Jovan Cvijic

Radenko Lazarevic

Museum of Majdanpek

cave decorations

calcite