Đavolja varoš ( sr-cyr, Ђавоља варош, lit. "Devil's Town") is a rock formation consisting of about 200 earth pyramids or "towers", located in southern

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

on the Radan Mountain, in the municipality of

Kuršumlija Kuršumlija ( sr-Cyrl, Куршумлија, ) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of the Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. It is situated near the rivers Toplica River, Toplica, Kosanica and Banjska, ...

Geology

Đavolja Varoš features 202 exotic formations described as earth pyramids or "towers", as the locals refer to them. They are tall and wide at the base. These formations were created by strong

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

of the soil that was scene of intense volcanic activity millions of years ago.Đavolja varoš
, National Tourist Organization of Serbia (English) Most of the towers have "caps" or "heads" of

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predo ...

, which protect them from further erosion.The Djavolja Varos (Devil's Town) Natural Landmark
UNESCO World Heritage Volatile volcanic history left marks in the multicolored rocks in the towers hinterlands. However, Đavolja Varoš in its modern form is a relatively new feature. As the inhabitants of the surrounding region were cutting down the forests, they enabled for the precipitation to erode the rocks. The area beneath the towers is called The Hell gully (''Paklena jaruga'') and the surrounding terrain is a location of the mine shafts from the medieval Nemanjić Serbia. A

natural spring A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fres ...

is located beneath the formations and has a high

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

concentration. There are two springs: Đavolja voda (Devil's Water), with extremely acidic water (pH 1.5) and high mineral concentration (15 g/l of water), and Crveno vrelo (Red Well). The unusually pungent spring waters were examined for the first time in 1905 by Aleksandar Zega, founder of the Serbian Chemical Society.

Protection

The formations were scientifically examined and described in 1955 by Tomislav Rakićević. Since 1959, Đavolja Varoš has been protected by the state and a 1995 decision of the Serbian Government declared it a major natural monument subject to category one protection.About Devil's Town
Official website It is visited by 50,000 tourists yearly. Đavolja Varoš was a nominee in the New Seven Wonders of Nature campaign.New7Wonders: Đavolja Varoš, Rock Formation

References

External links

Djavolja Varos - Devil's Town
About Devil`S Town {{DEFAULTSORT:Davolja Varos Rock formations of Serbia Springs of Serbia Tourist attractions in Serbia Protected areas of Serbia Erosion landforms Geology of Serbia

Geology

Protection

See also

References

External links