Odvraćenica on Golija mountain to become center of ethnotourism - development of visitors' complex in progress

Odvraćenica, a place on Novi Pazar's side of Golija mountain, should obtain the authentic visitors' center at 30 ha by mid-2009. About 1m EUR for its development has been provided from the National Investment Plan, while the investment carrier is public company "Srbija Šume". Contractor - company "Megalit šumnik", has, so far, finished about 60% of the planned construction. Once completed, the complex will include the visitors' house, 13 smaller ethno-houses and sports fields.

According to the words of Golub Pendić, the CEO of company "Lijn" from Raška, a part of which is existing tourist center "Odvraćenica", the future visitors' complex is conceived as the place where the visitors will be able to rest and get plenty of information on Golija mountain, which was declared the Park of Nature and Biosphere Reservation in 2001.

Pendić points out that the works are being carried out on construction and organization of the visitors' center, as well as on significant enlargement of capacities for winter sports on Golija mountin. The investor of construction of two new ski lifts is company "Ljin".

- The first step towards development of the visitors' center was complete infrastructural equpping of 30 ha where this complex is going to be built. The visitors' informative-educational house at about 200 square meters will be built on the location of former forest house. It will make it possible for the visitors and interested investors to get familiar with the potentials of Golija and the culture in that area, and it will also be suitable for organization of seminars and presentations – Pendić explains.

According to his words, the center will encompass 5 wooden ethno-houses with various informative contents.

- Some houses will be presenting Golija's flora and fauna, while the other houses will have ethnographic motives and cultural features of this area on display. The territory of Golija mountain belongs to city of Kraljevo and municipalities of Novi Pazar, Sjenica, Raška and Ivanjica, so that the culture in this area is extremely diverse.

Eight houses will be intended for those visitors who want to stay on this mountain for more than one day and spend the night surrounded by rich vegetation dominated by beech forests.

- Each of these houses will be modernly designed, it will have its own bathroom and parking space for automobiles and buses. The new asphalted Novi Pazar-Golija road, about 32 km long, is one of the best mountain access roads in our country.

Certain areas on the mountain will be equipped for organization of picnics. The visitors will be able to rent everything they need for BBQ, while the procurement of fire-extinguishers is in the pipeline.

The guests who like to stay active when on holiday will have football fields and mini sport courts for basketball, handball and volleyball at their disposal.

As Pendić explains, in order for Golija to attract growing number of tourists in winter period, company "Ljin" has decided to keep on investing in the ski facilities.

- I hope that two new ski lifts will be put into operations in the forthcoming season, so that the skiers will have 5 lifts and 8 ski tracks at their disposal. The capacity of the new ski lift is about 600 skiers per hour, while one ski track is intended exclusively for beginners and non-skiers. We also organize the ski school for guests of hotel "Golija"-

According to the Master Plan of Golija, which is the largest mountain in Southwest Serbia (75 ha), in addition to Odvraćenica, development of tourist centers at the locations of Golijska Reka and Cesta Vrelo is also in the pipeline.