Avala Avala ( , ) is a mountain in Serbia , overlooking Belgrade . It is situated in the south - eastern corner of the city and provides a great panoramic view of Belgrade , Vojvodina and Šumadija , as the surrounding area on all sides is mostly lowlands . It stands at 511 metres ( 1 , 677 ft ) above sea level , which means that it enters the mountain category just by 11 meters . Location . Avala is located 16 kilometers south - east of downtown Belgrade . The entire area of the mountain belongs to the Belgrade City area , majority of it being in the municipality of Voždovac , with the eastern slopes being in the municipality of Grocka , and the southernmost extension in the municipality of Sopot . It is possible that in the near future the entire area of Avala will create a separate municipality of Belgrade , named Avalski Venac . Geography . Avala is a low type of the Pannonian island mountain , though it is actually the northernmost mountain in Šumadija . Until 600 , 000 years ago , when the surrounding low areas were flooded by the inner Pannonian Sea , Avala was an island , just as the neighboring mountains ( Kosmaj , Fruška Gora , etc . ) , thus earning its geographical classification . However , the Avala remains an " island mountain " as the area around it , Pinosava plateau of the northern Low Šumadija , is low and mostly flat . In the north it extends into the woods of Stepin Lug . The mountain is built of serpentinite , limestone and magmatic rock s , which are injected in the shape of cone ( laccolith ) . Other peaks include Ladne vode ( 340 meters ) , Zvečara ( 347 meters ) , Sakinac ( 315 meters ) . The Avala had deposits of ore s , most notably lead and mercury ' s ore of cinnabarite but mining activities which can be traced to the pre - Antiquity times , ceased in the 1960s . Avala is also a location where the mineral avalite , named after the mountain , was found . AA greenish mineral , chromian , magnesian or potassic alumosilicate ( variety of the mineral illite ) , it was discovered by Serbian chemist Simo Lozanić who established its formula . Optically examined by the Israeli mineralogist Tamir Grodek who classified it as a member of the mica mineral group . Despite being only mountain in the area , the Avala is not a source of many rivers . The Topčiderka river , originating in the woods of Lipovička šuma on the south - west , flows on the western slopes of Avala , while river Bolečica flows on the eastern slopes . Other minor flows include the Vranovac , a tributary to the Bolečica . Small artificial lake near the village of Pinosava is created on the western slope of the mountain . The settlements in the area are notorious for problems with shortages of drinking water during summer . Name and human history . In the Middle Ages , the town of Žrnov or " Avalski Grad " ( Avala town ) was located on top of Avala . In 1442 . it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire , which built a new town in Žrnov ' s place as a counter - fortress to the Belgrade city fort , and renamed it " havale " , which originally comes from Arabic and means " obstacle " or " shelter " . The mountain has been protected since 1859 as a " monument of nature " , or , by the modern standards , " sight of the exquisite values " . That year , Prince Miloš Obrenović of Serbia issued an order for the Avala to get fenced and protected that way . Remains of the medieval Žrnov were removed in 1934 to make way for the Monument to the Unknown Hero . In the period of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia , the mountain was declared a national park , in 1936 . In 1946 , by the ukaz of the Presidium of the National Assembly of Serbia , Avala was reduced to the status of the " public property of general benefit " and placed under direct management of the Government of Serbia . In 1965 , a 202 m high Avala TV Tower was constructed , one of the tallest structures in the Balkans , by the architects Uglješa Bogunović , Slobodan Janjić and M . Krstić . It had a restaurant - look out on 120 meters . The tower was destroyed during the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999 . Its total reconstruction began in 2006 and was officially opened at a ceremony on 21 April 2010 . The new tower is almost the exact replica of the destroyed one , including the unique three - feet base . Belgrade ' s General Urbanistic Plan ( GUP ) for the 2001 - 2021 period defines the mountain as a sports and recreation area . Settlements . Settlements near the mountain are not much populous . They include Ripanj ( on the south , the largest one , with a population of 28 , 360 by the 2010 census of population ) , Pinosava ( on the west , 2 , 839 ) , Zuce ( on the north - east , 2 , 024 ) , Beli Potok ( on the north , 3 , 417 ) , all in the municipality of Voždovac , and Vrčin ( on the east , 8 , 667 ) , in the municipality of Grocka . A motion is in the process of creating a new municipality called Avalski Venac , which would include all these settlements and possible few others , but Zoran Alimpić , the acting mayor of Belgrade from September 2007 to August 2008 , stated that new municipalities will probably not be formed before 2011 or 2012 . Wildlife . Despite being officially protected for almost 150 years , it was only in 2007 that preservation plans for the mountain were made . That way , Avala entered a circle of protected green areas of Belgrade , which also included the mountain of Kosmaj , the island of Veliko Ratno Ostrvo and the woods of Stepin Lug , with the forests of Košutnjak and Topčider to be added next . Protected areas of Avala spread over 489 , 13 hectares . Aside from rich animal life , the Avala is known for its diverse plant life , despite not being a tall mountain . There are over 600 plant species living on the mountain . Some of them are protected by the law as natural rarities , like certain types of laburnum or box tree . The area is also abundant in medical herbs . High woods mostly consist of durmast oak , Turkey oak , hornbeam , beech , linden , black pine , black locust and other trees . Transportation . Avala is well connected with Belgrade and other parts of Serbia via roads , highway and railroads . " Avalski drum " ( " Avala road " ) is an extension of the Boulevard of the Liberation , which directly connects the mountain to downtown Belgrade ( via neighborhoods of Selo Rakovica , Jajinci , Banjica , Voždovac , Autokomanda , Karađorđev Park and Slavija ) . On the mountain , " Avalski drum " divides in three : Sub - Avalan settlements are directly connected to Belgrade by the bus lines of the city ' s public transportation , with terminus in the Belgrade ' s neighborhood of Trošarina . The Belgrade – Niš highway , a section of one of the major European roads , European route E75 , runs east of the mountain , through Vrčin . North of the mountain runs " Kružni put " , the most important road in the southern outskirts of Belgrade , which connects all the southern sections of the city . It is also a projected route of the future Belgrade beltway which would continue through the Bolečica river valley and the projected Vinča - Omoljica bridge over the Danube into Vojvodina . Railroads also run on both sides of the mountain . Eastern branch is a section of the Belgrade - Niš railroad . It runs through the tunnel under the Avala at Beli Potok and then through Včrin . Western branch runs through Ripanj and the long " Ripanj tunnel " ( though not under the Avala ) , and continues into western Serbia and further into Montenegro , as part of the Belgrade – Bar railway . Tourism . Avala is a traditional picnic resort for Belgraders , but its capacities are not being used much . In 1984 number of tourists was only 15 , 700 despite over 1 , 5 million of inhabitants in Belgrade . Some attractions and capacities on the mountain include : Monuments on Avala . Special attractions of the Avala are several monuments . They include : Mountaineering camp . Annually , from July 1 until July 10 , a traditional camp of Serbian mountaineers is held on the Avala . Among other mountaineering activities , there are competitions in :