Šalinac Grove ( sr, Шалиначки луг / ''Šalinački lug'') is a
protected area in
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 ...
which contains the last remnant of the oak-and-ash forests which until several hundred years ago covered the flooded areas in the valleys of the
Velika Morava
The Great Morava ( sr, Велика Морава, Velika Morava, ) is the final section of the Morava ( sr-Cyrl, Морава), a major river system in Serbia.
Etymology
According to Predrag Komatina from the Institute for Byzantine Studies ...
and the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
. It is a real rarity not only in Serbia but in the wider area of the
Balkan peninsula.
It is situated east of
Smederevo
Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
According to ...
, on the vast plain of the Godomin Field ( sr, Годоминско поље / ''Godominsko polje''); the plain itself came to exist as a result of floods of the river Velika Morava in the area where it flows into the Danube. The grove is surrounded by the settlements of
Šalinac
Šalinac is a village in the Municipalities of Serbia, municipality of Smederevo, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 985 people.Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i Stanova 2002. Knjiga 1: Nacionalna ili etnička ...
and
Kulič, and also - in a wide bend - by a former meander of the Velika Morava which is now an
oxbow lake.
It contains a tall, homogeneous stand of trees which are almost the same age, including about 200 centennial marsh oak trees (
Quercus robur
''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus. It is widel ...
), once accompanied by field ash trees (
Fraxinus angustifolia
''Fraxinus angustifolia'', the narrow-leaved ash, is a species of ''Fraxinus'' native to central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia.Flora Europaea''Fraxinus angustifolia''/ref>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and E ...
). The protected area covers .
The grove's age is estimated at 200–300 years. The average size of the oak trees is:
External links
Aerial view
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salinac Grove
Protected areas of Serbia
Forests of Serbia