Sokobanja (, ) 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 tourist resorts in Serbia. It is situated in the southern part of Sokobanja valley, surrounded by mountains Ozren, Devica, Janior, Rtanj, and Bukovik. The Moravica River runs through Sokobanja. It creates a canyon just 2 km before entering the town. Remains of the Roman and later medieval Serbian fortress Sokograd stand today near the canyon of Moravica.

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".

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

History

thumb|left|Sokobanja in 1860 by [[Felix Philipp Kanitz]]

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.

Tourism

Sokobanja, as both the thermal and air spa, is one of the most popular tourist resorts in Serbia. Hipertermal water contains microelements and small amounts of radioactive Radon and Kalium. Radioactivity on spring "Park" is 186±10 mBq/l if we talk about Alpha particles and 283±17 mBq/l from Beta particles. The illnesses which are being treated in the spa include asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, respiratory infections, allergies in children, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatism, neurological and gynecological illnesses, physical and psychic exhaustion, etc.

Soko Grad

Soko Grad (Соко Град), also known as Sokolac, was a medieval city and fortress east of Sokobanja. The fortress was declared a Monument of Culture of Great Importance in 1982, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia.

The fortress originates from the Roman, early Christian period.

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. The town center of Sokobanja is home to the 19th-century buildings of elementary school and Serbian Orthodox church.

In the village of Jošanica, 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. 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.

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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).

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;"

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! Activity

! Total

|-

|Agriculture, forestry and fishing||align="right"|67

|-

|Mining and quarrying||align="right"|460

|-

|Manufacturing||align="right"|217

|-

|Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply||align="right"|6

|-

|Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities||align="right"|77

|-

|Construction||align="right"|81

|-

|Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles||align="right"|456

|-

|Transportation and storage||align="right"|100

|-

|Accommodation and food services||align="right"|531

|-

|Information and communication||align="right"|24

|-

|Financial and insurance activities||align="right"|31

|-

|Real estate activities||align="right"|15

|-

|Professional, scientific and technical activities||align="right"|101

|-

|Administrative and support service activities||align="right"|56

|-

|Public administration and defense; compulsory social security||align="right"|182

|-

|Education||align="right"|245

|-

|Human health and social work activities||align="right"|587

|-

|Arts, entertainment and recreation||align="right"|36

|-

|Other service activities||align="right"|55

|-

|Individual agricultural workers||align="right"|248

|- class="sortbottom"

|Total||align="right"|3,577

|}

Sports

The local football club is Ozren, who have competed in Serbia's third tier.

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<gallery widths="150px" perrow="5" style="font-size: small; line-height: 130%;">

Ripaljka 2.jpg|Waterfall "Ripaljka" at Ozren mountain

Сокоград изнад кањона реке Моравице.jpg|Overview of Sokograd

Wiki.Biseri IV Crkva Preobraženja Gospodnjeg (Sokobanja) 692.jpg|Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord

</gallery>

|}

See also

  • List of spa towns in Serbia
  • List of places in Serbia
  • Mihailo Jovanović (metropolitan)

References