Fragrant daffodils and wild horses: A mountain in Serbia where beauty "reigns" 365 days a year

Photo: M. Danilovic

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Nowhere are wild daffodils as beautiful as fragrant as on the Stolovi Mountain, which is located about 20 kilometers away from the town of Kraljevo, and where, as they say, beauty reigns (Serbian: "stoluje") throughout the year.

In mid-May, a well-known event centered around the daffodil season is always held here, but this year it will be postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic.

"Last year and the year before, there were more than 3,000 visitors on Stolovi on the day of the manifestation, this year would certainly have seen a record attendance, because interest was huge, but you can't go against force majeure. We can promise that next year we will enrich this event (called 'Narcisima u Pohode') with new and diverse content that everyone will be able to enjoy, starting with the youngest mountaineers to those who are already in the tenth decade of their life. Trust us,  there are those as well," says Igor Tesic from the Tourist Organization of Kraljevo.

Photo: M. Danilovic

Although this year there will be no organized trip to the mountain, all those who love it, respecting epidemiological measures, can go to Stolovi these or the following days. They will enjoy fresh air, white birch woods, scents of pine and spruce, and, above all, endless glades under white fragrant daffodils.

Apart from centuries-old forests, beautiful glades and the daffodils, the mountain is also known for another unusual attraction - a herd of semi-wild horses that have survived on this picturesque mountain for almost half a century.

Photo: M. Danilovic

"Back in 1973, I brought a stallion and a mare to this mountain. Before the winter, I would return them to the barn and so on for several years, until one year I left them to winter there. Here, they, like horses of other owners, multiplied, became independent, became independent of people, gaining characteristics of wild horses over time, although they never hurt anyone," says Slavko Nikolic, the owner of the largest herd of horses on Stolovi.

Foto: RINA

Although every horse has its owner, any attempt to take them away from their herd and the mountain has proved to be mission impossible. They do better on mountain heights, in spacious conifer and birch woods, and on wide meadows covered with lush juicy grass than in pens and warm barns. By the way, horses were first brought to the mountain by residents of Zice, Kamenica, Maglic and other surrounding villages that lie on the slopes of Stolovi, so that at least during the summer they would not have to provide food for them.

(Telegraf.rs/RINA)