Ovčar-Kablar Gorge
The Ovčar-Kablar Gorge () is a gorge in the western Serbia, part of the composite valley of the West Morava river. With over 30 monasteries built in the gorge since the 14th century, it is known as the "Serbian Mount Athos". In 2001, the area was declared a natural monument, and protected as the Ovčar-Kablar Gorge landscape of outstanding features. Location and geography. The Ovčar-Kablar Gorge is in western Serbia, halfway between the towns of Čačak (17 kilometers on the east) and Požega on the west, some 155 kilometers south-west of the capital Belgrade . The gorge is a narrow of the West Morava's composite valley, a continuation of the Požega Depression on the west, while itself continuous into the Čačak-Kraljevo Depression on the east. The gorge is carved between the 985 meters high mountain of Ovčar on the south and 889 meters high Kablar on the north, thus gaining its name. The river meanders through the gorge for 15 kilometers. Epigenetic in nature, the Ovčar-Kablar Gorge was crucial for the genesis of the entire West Morava valley (West Pomoravlje). Hydrogeological researches were insufficient, though they were conducted in two periods, 1978–83  and 1989-92. It was concluded that the area represents a complex, discontinuous water-bearing terrain. The terrain itself is the tectonically damaged and karstified limestone from the Middle Triassic. The land was drilled up to , where the hot water of was discovered. There is also an unusual hot spring in the bed of the West Morava itself which noticeably warms the river's waters in the spring area. Economy. The spa of Ovčar Banja is located in the gorge, at an altitude of 278 meters. It has a hot, sulfuric water (37,5 Celsius), which is helpful for the treatment  of rheumatism, nerve and skin diseases. In 1954, the West Morava was dammed in the gorge when two hydroelectric dams with artificial lakes were created. Dam "Ovčar Banja" created smaller Kablar Lake, which since then has been mudded by the alluvial silt brought by the river. The other, 7 megawatt strong dam "Međuvršje" created larger (1.5 square kilometers) Međuvršje Lake. The gorge is also a route to the railroad and a freeway which connect central and western Serbia. Monasteries. First churches were built in the early 14th century, after the mercenaries from the Catalan Company raided the Byzantine Mount Athos  in 1307-1309. Serbian Orthodox clergy fled the peninsula and began building first monasteries in the gorge. The next wave of the refugee priests came after the Turkish-Serbian Battle of Maritsa in 1371. Since then, over 30 monasteries, churches or worship places were built in the gorge. Today only 10 monasteries, one church and one sacred cave remained, most of them from the period of Ottoman occupation in the 15th-18th century: Protection. The landscape of outstanding features Ovčar-Kablar Gorge was declared in 2001, when the gorge was placed under protection as the natural monument. The protected area covers  . Main basis for the protection include "West Morava's break through the massifs of the Ovčar and Kablar mountains, cutting a unique gorge". Principal characteristics of the gorge are prominent bends of the river bed, which form three "pinched meanders". Forests, wild life and monasteries are credited, with geographic features, for creating area's distinctive memorial and spiritual heritage. In April 2021 plans were announced for enlarging the protected zone, doubling its size.