The valley of the river Mlava is one of the most beautiful, most picturesque, and most interesting parts of Serbia, full of incredible springs, caves, and streams. I often come here with my family, because nature is amazing, and the stories and legends that are related to certain natural beauties are very interesting. Now I will take you to Krupaj spring, the source of the stream that after 300 meters flows into the Krupajska river, the right tributary of the river Mlava. This karst cave spring is located on the slopes of the Beljanica mountain.
Legend says: The mountain swallowed a lot of gold and hid it in the "Golden Cave" at the bottom of Krupaj spring. Gold is guarded by the watery and powerful spirit of Tartor so that it is safe next to it, but ... once a year Tartor opens the cave door, hits the drums, and invites other spirits to celebrate him. Of course, as in all legends, Tartor loves young beautiful women very much. He gives power to local women who enter the lake at the very source to bathe, but in return, he asks for a reward, a young and beautiful girl. Classic: D
The legend is just a confirmation of the real and interesting depths of this spring and the labyrinth that leads to the underwater caves. As you can see in the picture, the surface of the lake is calm, which is due to the dam from which the water falls like a waterfall. The color is incredibly green, like in a fairy tale. But beneath it lies a whole maze of canals leading to an underwater cave. The divers managed to reach a depth of 123 meters.
Krupaj spring is under state protection but is on private property. After this interesting waterfall, there are trout ponds in the rock and a watermill. The mill normally works, but unfortunately, it was out of order when we were there.
It is a wonderful feeling to be in a place like this and the lake at the source site is truly divine, but it is also the beautiful and unreal blue color of the stream downstream from the mill. Gorgeous, incredibly clean, transparent, emerald blue ...We were hypnotized.
The beauty of the landscape was also contributed by interesting wild ducks, which are obviously used to people. It is interesting to see their eggs at the bottom of the stream. The ducks were on land, but my curious children forced them to swim and look for a quieter place.
I mentioned ponds. There is also a restaurant and one more pond on the bank of the stream, where you can try trout from these waters if you are a fish lover. This area has become popular lately, especially after this pandemic turned us more to nature.
This is where I end my story. I hope you enjoyed this little piece of paradise. We enjoyed the greenery of Beljanica, which is reflected on the surface of Krupaj spring and this beautiful stream. The place is truly magical and enchanted us. So it is not surprising that many legends are associated with this gem in nature.
This is also just a small part of our journey through the valley of the Mlava, a river that is slightly longer than 100 kilometers. There are beautiful places along the way, like this one, that I will take you to soon.
Until next time...
Your Snežana
My entry for Amazing Nature Contest - May 2021 - #03
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