Abstract:
Step into the past and get to know the history of the Karadjordjevic family and the first Serbian uprising, discover the secrets of royal wines, explore the cave and enjoy the Sumadija’s specialities.
Activities:
visit to Topola (Karadjordjev grad fort and mausoleum church)
visit to the Church of St George on Oplenac Hill
visit to the Royal Compound
Wine tasting at the Royal Winery
Visit to the cave of Risovača
Lunch at Karadjordjev vajat
Maricevica Jaruga and the memorial complex Orašac
Tour description:
The tour starts from Novi Sad at 7 am from the parking lot in front of Hotel Sajam, while we will pick up our guests from Belgrade at 8.30.
Arriving in the town of Topola we first visit the Karadjordje Town, a spot which once was fortress built by Karadjordje, the founder of the Karadjordjevic dynasty during his reign. Nowadays you can see the residence with the tower and Church of Holy Mother also known as Karadjordje’s Church. Here we will learn about the town’s importance in Serbian history and see the remains from the time of the First Serbian Insurrection against the Ottomans (1804-13). In the church, we will see the splendid iconostasis with its meticulous carvings.
Atop the forested Oplenac hill sits one of the nicest sights in the whole of Serbia – the mausoleum church of the Karadjordjević royal house. From the outside the five-domed church is covered in shiny white marble while inside of it visitors admire hundreds of scenes done in mosaics, all of them copies from medieval Serbian monasteries. In its crypt we will see more mosaics as well as graves of 25 members of the Karadjordjević dynasty.
Next door is the house of king Petar I, today a part of the museum with royal portraits and interesting historical items.
After that, we will have a wine tasting at the Royal Winery. The equipment from the royal time became part of the museum setting. A special museum attraction is the oldest barrels from this cellar, personal gifts to King Petar from 1906 and barrels from 1922, wedding gifts to King Aleksandar I and Queen Marija. In the museum, a setting is the oldest Serbian wine cellar with a quantity of preserved archive wines, in the original package in three sizes (with a recessed bottom and royal coat of arms) from 1931 to 1957.
After wine tasting, we will visit the cave of Risovaca. Long years of research in the Risovaca cave revealed a large number of fossilized bones and teeth of numerous animal species that during the last ice age lived on the steps around Risovaca.
After this, we head for our lunch. Karadjordjev Vajat is an authentic ethno restaurant located in the historic village of Orašac, where the 1804 insurrection started. Standing at 380m above sea level, the wood and brick complex enjoys beautiful views of Sumadija’s rolling hills. After our lunch, we will visit Karadjordje’s monument, see the memorial village school as well as the Marićevićа Jaruga gully where the insurrectionists gathered.
We will return to Belgrade and then to Novi Sad in the evening hours.
For scheduled tours in Belgrade departure is from parking across Flea Market (Novi Beograd) and from Novi Sad departure is from parking in front of hotel Sajam.