The narrow-gauge railway line located amidst the gorgeous scenery of Mokra Gora on the slopes of three Serbian mountains – Tara, Zlatibor and Šargan – is one of the most beautiful railways in the world. The 300 metre ascent was skillfully designed by constructing an unusual loop in the form of the figure eight – the popular "Šargan Eight".
By Zlatica Ivković
Photo by Dragan Bosnić |
| The narrow-gauge railway under Mt. Zlatibor on the Mokra Gora – Šargan Vitasi line is considered by the rail fans one the most attractive tourist destinations in Serbia and in this part of the Balkans and Europe. Fans of the narrow-gauge rail can be found worldwide, but most of them come from Great Britain, where this unusual hobby originates. Their passion for steam locomotives is best evidenced by the fact that this special aspect of tourism is very profitable in its country of origin. |
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| Once these passionate narrow-gauge railway hobby-activists learned about Šargan from specialized magazines and the Internet, it wasn't long before the first groups of foreign tourists and railway lovers arrived from Austria, Switzerland, England and Denmark. The visitors toured the area, rode the railway line and were unanimous in their conclusion that the reconstructed "eight" would be a world attraction – a fascinating tourist and museum railway in Europe. |
| The construction of the railway across Šargan began in 1916 when the Austrians wanted to connect Bosnia with Serbia. Given that the difference in altitude between the Mokra Gora Valley and the Šargan Pass required a technical solution, the Austrians brought a renowned engineer who had been sentenced to life in prison. They promised to release him if he found a solution. The engineer got down to work, but unfortunately the groups that were digging a tunnel failed to meet in the middle and the Austrians completed construction of only nine kilometers of railroad track. |
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| Construction was resumed in 1921 and the first train embarked four years later, pushing its way through the rocky ravines and the high passages of Šargan towards the seacoast. The narrow gorge railway was inaugurated on February 2nd, 1925, on the Belgrade – Užice line and the Šargan pass to Višegrad and Dubrovnik. It took two days and two nights to travel by the “Ćira” from Belgrade to Ploče in wooden railroad cars, but in 1974 the line was cancelled because it was unprofitable. Life on the mountain died. |
| The Railways of Serbia in co-operation with the tourist agency KSR "Beogradtours" organises one-day excursions every other weekend (from May 13 - November 1), which includes a special transfer from Belgrade-Branešci-Belgrade in a combination ride on the museum train "Romantika" – a bus – and the train "Nostalgia". | |
| Local people from this area still recall the prophecy by the famous local prophet Mitar Tarabić from Kremna who had predicted three decades before the "Ćira" that "Through the Gypsy's descent the iron road will pass with the fiery iron car that will always stop in locations where there are now Gypsy tents…" Later he added, "Many years will pass before people will again remember the iron road and they will renew it again. |
| Passengers will not travel this way from Višegrad out of necessity or on business, but for fun, relaxation and pleasure." The prophet would certainly be pleased by the initiative of locals and the group of enthusiasts gathered in the Society for the Protection of Steam Locomotives and Tourism, known as Balkan STEAM, which helped activate the "Ćira" and rebuild the railway. The cars and steam locomotive were brought from the Railway Museum in Požega and the entire 15.5 kilometre section of the "Ćira" was reconstructed in 2003. |
| Today, Šargan is the longest and the most beautiful of the reconstructed narrow-gauge railways that once crossed Europe, and it is typical for Serbia where all possible types of locomotives can be seen. What is it that makes the Šargan Eight so special? The railway was named "eight" due to an unusual figure-eight loop by which the 300 metre altitude between the Mokra Gora Valley and the Šargan, a span of rail 3.5 kilometers long, was connected. |
| Planning engineers solved the problem in a unique and in the only possible way – an unusual railway loop under the Jatara in a figure 8 form. The "eight" section is 13.5 kilometres long and includes 22 tunnels, ten bridges and viaducts that form a third of the total length of the railway. The Jatare Station on this line is probably the only one in the world where nobody has bought a ticket or disembarked from the train in the last quarter century, although the train regularly stopped there. It was almost impossible for any passenger to guess where the "Eight" arrived from and where it was bound. |
| Director Emir Kusturica chose this excellent setting to shoot his movie "Life is a Miracle". He brought a large film crew on location to Mokra Gora, and in addition to the reconstructed railway, he built the Golubići station, which is so skillfully patinated that to the untrained eye it appears a century old. In the same place, he built himself a cottage, and later somebody else built another house, then came the fifth, the twenty fifth, and today there's an entire town there, Drvengrad, or Timber Town, with apartments, a church, a gallery, a national restaurant, cinema, swimming pool, library… all made of wood. The town and the railway station under Šargan are at the disposal of the residents of Mokra Gora. |
| Tourists, enthusiasts of steam locomotives, narrow-gauge railways and bygone times have the unique opportunity to see an exceptionally well presented museum display in Požega, preserved locomotives, railway cars and other accompanying objects situated in a typical station as once existed in Prejina, on the Lajkovac-Čačak railroad line. | |
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There is no need to be head-over-heels in love with the narrow-gauge railway in order to enjoy a ride in a small steam train along 15.5 kilometres of rail, and to take pleasure in the beauty of the landscape at the foothill of Mt. Zlatibor, which is a true feast for one's eyes. "When you come to this place you cannot get over the impression of being in an amusement park… Access roads are asphalted, footpaths are paved, and mineral springs with healing waters are tidy; the banks of the Kamešina stream are walled in, there are beaches… and the small steam locomotives and miniature cars, polished and parked, look like toys that someone has forgotten or that there is no one to play with them…" wrote one of many reporters who visited Šargan.
On the tracks of the one-time "Ćira" line, visitors to the Šargan can now cover 15.5 kilometres on a train called "Nostalgia" and can enjoy picturesque views of Zlatibor at five short stops at lovely belvederes. |
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