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I love little wonders of nature. Every river, mountain, spring, every stone, tells its story. This is the case with the Gradasnica river. With its short flow, which is not longer than 4 kilometers, from the mountain Ozren to the river Sokoanjska Moravica, this small river in eastern Serbia creates beautiful and picturesque landscapes. The basin of the Gradasnica river is located between the mountains Ozren and Leskovik. I visited the Gradasnica river several times, but this river is the most beautiful in the spring, when the Gradasnica is the richest with water.

The Gradasnica river is known as the mill river, but the characteristics of this river are also waterfalls and cascades. Here's the story.

Waterfalls and cascades

The Gradasnica springs with a strong karst source on Ozren Mountain. From this place, the nearby Sokobanja, a famous spa in Serbia, is being supplied with water. At the beginning of the stream of this river, near the mentioned source, there is a small waterfall about 9 meters high - Mala Ripaljka (Small Ripaljka). The Mala Ripaljka continues into a beautiful lake. Around the lake is a well-known and well-arranged vacation area, the right place for enjoying and relaxing.

Downstream from this place, about 100 meters from the source, on the Gradasnica river is one of the largest and certainly one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Serbia - Velika Ripaljka (Large Ripaljka), with a vertical drop of 17,5 meters. Also, this is one of the most visited waterfalls in Serbia. The sound of water, sprinkling drops, greenery, beautiful rocks, make a wonderful ambience.

Interesting is the fact that someone got an idea to build a hydro-electric power plant in this beautiful place. In 1947, the construction of a hydroelectric power plant began on a waterfall, which would provide the electricity needed for a nearby hospital.

However, fortunately, the Institute for the Protection and Scientific Study of Natural Rarity of Serbia has decided to protect the Mala and Velika Ripaljka, and demolishes the hydroelectric power plant to preserve the aesthetic and natural rarity of this region.

The Ripaljka is under the protection of the state since April 11, 1949. This date is marked as Nature Protection Day in the Republic of Serbia. There may be some cosmic connection between this date and the date of my birth, since I was born on April 11th, because I truly adore nature. :)

As I have already mentioned, the best time to visit Ripaljka is in the spring, when the waterfall is most impressive, because it has the most water. During the summer, the river Gradasnica dries off. I already mentioned the reason for this. From its source and source of the White River that flows into Gradasnica, water is used for the needs of Sokobanja.

Downstream of Ripaljka, on its way to the mouth, Gradašnica builds several interesting small cascades.

On the cliffs on the west side of the river there are remains of the old town of Tatomir. According to the legend, Tatomir was the son of the famous Serbian haiduk Starina Novak.

Watermills

Watermills in Serbia were an integral part of the rural environment and architecture. I found that in the 18th century in Serbia there were about 7500 of them. At that time, on the river Gradasnica, there were 13 watermills in a small area. But their fate has changed since when the corn and wheat began to grind from mills that use electricity as a power, rather than water. For this reason only two were preserved on the river Gradasnica. One of them is Grudonjska watermill.

Grudonjska watermill is more than a watermill, thanks to enthusiasts, above all a very charming, pleasant and very interesting gentleman, ethnologist and excellent connoisseur of this region, Golub Radovanovic. This man turned Grudonjska vodenica into a very interesting ethno place, where you can see how the flour is made, hear stories about the customs of this region, the magic and beliefs of the people of Eastern Serbia.

We were lucky to talk to Golub Radovanovic, who showed us this place, told us about the charms and tricks of the famous Vlaska magic, which is very present in this region, but also about beliefs, myths and stories related to watermills.

Watermill is full of old objects that were used in everyday life of people. Also, in the watermill are the objects used in the mentioned magic. The most interesting thing to us was the story of the wolf skull, used by the magicians of this region.

The Gradasnica river flows into the Sokobanjska Moravica river. This interesting river leaves many stories behind. I told you only about some of them. If you want to hear more, visit Grudonjska watermill and look for Golub Radovanovic, you will not be disappointed, the pleasure is to listen to this interesting man.

When I returned from this trip, I made bread from corn flour from the watermill, and, of course, the taste of the bread was fantastic!