Today we made a tour in Fruška Gora, a mountainous area between Novi Sad and Belgrade. Fruška Gora is also a national park and there a lot of Serbian Orthodox monasteries here since the 16th century, but some are even older. It is called the jewel of Serbia.
First we visited Krušedol, which was founded between 1509 and 1516. I shortly spoke to a monk there who was very friendly and curious about where I came from. He told me: “you are from where your wife is from”.
Our second stop was the monastery Grgeteg. According to tradition the monastery was founded by Zmaj Ognjeni Vuk (Despot Vuk Grgurević) in 1471. The earliest historical records about the monastery date to 1545/1546.
Our third stop was the monastery of Staro Hopovo. According to tradition, the monastery was founded by Bishop Maksim (Despot Đorđe Branković). The first reliable mention of the monastery dates back to 1545/1546. Staro Hopovo is a small isolated monastery and it is really beautiful.
If you walk just 5 minutes from this monastery you will find a little spring with very good water. Staro Hopovo is very close to Novo Hopovo, which was our fourth and last monastery we visited today.
In Novo Hopovo they produce very good rakija (the dunja rakija) for a decent price which I can recommend you. It was a very nice tour and very interesting. The monasteries are really beautiful and the landscape is indeed gentle and beautiful. Serbia has many beautiful things and I am glad to discover more and more.