Prices dropping on this forgotten mountain: An hour's drive from Belgrade, houses go for €15,000

Driving from Belgrade, in just over 60 minutes, if you take the highway, you will reach the beautiful mountain of Rudnik in Sumadija. The locals know how special it is, there are a lot of athletes there during the summer, but it seems that it is not very popular among the general population.

It got its name (Rudnik means "mine" in Serbian) because it is rich in zinc and lead, and since it is located at a relatively low altitude, they also say that Rudnik is an "air spa" in this part of Serbia. All in all, there are a lot of villages at the foot and around the mountain, as well as beautiful houses. For example, it is "separated" from Topola by the village of Jarmenovci - known for a large number of weekend homes owned by Belgraders.

People from Vojvodina, eager to see some hills, are also interested in Sumadija, so they are increasingly buying weekend homes there. And when it comes to houses located outside Belgrade, the buying craze came abruptly, during the pandemic last year. Since then, the interest has not dropped. In some places the prices are growing, while in others they are falling.

Houses starting from 15,000 euros

Judging by the current ads, real estate owners in Rudnik are ready to "lower" the price, so houses that used to be listed for 35,000 now cost 25,000 euros. At the same time, a house was sold for about 15,000 euros. It has over 100 square meters and is located on a plot of land as large as 45 ares.

There are also houses that cost the same as the average apartment in the capital, or even more, depending on the location, square footage and the condition of the property, but also those that are valued at less than 20,000 euros. The properties are at least 30 to 40 years old, and definitely need further investment, although the price mostly also includes a surrounding plot of land.

 

 

 

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For example, the mountain closest to Belgrade is Avala, and it can be reached from the peripheral parts of the city, via Rakovica, in half an hour or less, but the prices there have jumped drastically, precisely because of the proximity to the capital. The buildings are large (from 120-150 square meters and up), registered, but they are also pricey: from 100,000 to as much as 180,000 euros.

You can also find cheaper homes,  say for 40,000 euros, but the price hardly ever goes below that.

 

 

 

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It was once mining, today fruit is the business

In medieval times, Mt. Rudnik was the center of Serbia where ore was mined and people lived in abundance. This part of the country is to this day of interest to archaeologists. In the 14th and 15th centuries, this mountain was the trade center of Sumadija, and the whole area obviously kept that potential: Rudnik, Topola and the surrounding villages today produce and sell excellent fruit.

Rudnik, for example, is ideal for growing blueberries. Did you know that the first sizable domestic blueberry plantations cropped up precisely on Rudnik? That was four decades ago. Since then, this fruit has been somewhat sidelined because farmers have been switching to chokeberry (aronia), which is widely grown here for its numerous medicinal properties.

However, lately, blueberries have been making a big comeback, with the purchase price per kilogram sometimes higher than that of chokeberries. The climate around Mt. Rudnik is ideal for cultivation of this, and other types of fruit that thrive equally well: raspberries, apples, plums and apricots.

(Telegraf Biznis)