Lipovica Forest (, ), or only Lipovica ( sr-Cyrl, Липовица), is a

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

in the outer,

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. It is located in Sremcica.

Location

Lipovička šuma is located in the low

Šumadija Šumadija ( sr-Cyrl, Шумадија, ) is a geographical region in the central part of Serbia. The area used to be heavily covered with forests, hence the name (from ''šuma'' 'forest'). The city of Kragujevac is the administrative center of t ...

region, 20 kilometers south of downtown Belgrade. It covers the more or less forested area of over , on the northern slopes of the ''Parcanski vis'' hill, northernmost extension of the

Kosmaj Kosmaj (Serbian Cyrillic: Космај, ) is a mountain south of Belgrade. With an elevation of 626 meters, it is the highest point of the entire Belgrade City area and is nicknamed one of two "Belgrade mountains" (the other being the mountain o ...

mountain and spreads from the

Ibar Highway State Road 22, commonly known as Ibar Highway ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Ибарска магистрала, Ibarska magistrala), is an IB-class road, connecting Belgrade with Šumadija and Western Serbia and finally with Montenegro at Špiljani border cro ...

and the valley of the Beljanica river on the west and south-west, to the upper valleys of the

Topčiderka Topčiderska River ( / ''Topčiderska reka'', "Topčider River"), or colloquially Topčiderka ( sr-cyr, Топчидерка), or Topčiderski Creek ( / ''Topčiderski potok'', "Topčider Creek"), is a river in north-central Serbia, a 30 km-l ...

and Ralja rivers on the east. All three rivers originate in the wood's area itself.

Characteristics

The forested area is uninhabited. Several settlements developed on the borders of the forest: Meljak on the west,

Guncati Guncati ( sr-cyr, Гунцати) is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Barajevo. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 2,752 people. Guncati is located west of the municipal s ...

and

Barajevo Barajevo ( sr-Cyrl, Барајево, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 26,431 inhabitants. The municipality is located in the lower northern part of Šumadija ...

on the south-west and

Ripanj Ripanj ( sr-Cyrl, Рипањ) is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac. It has a distinction of being "the largest village of Serbia" taking in account its number of population, but also b ...

on the north-east. The wood itself covers an area of . The most common species of trees are the oak types, Hungarian oak and Turkey oak, though the name of the woods means "small linden wood". The area is a popular picnic area for the citizens of Belgrade and many restaurants, villas, weekend houses and sport's fields are located in Lipovička šuma. Attractions include the famed motel ''Lipovička šuma'' on the Ibarska magistrala and the

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

, the court for the hurdle riding and a vast hunting area in the woods, with wildlife including roe deers,

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera's native range is restricted to Eura ...

s and

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They ar ...

s. The area is for the most part organized as an official but unfenced hunting ground of Lipovička Šuma. It spreads between the altitudes of and covers . Roe deer and

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

are being bred in the facility. The section of the forest, called Dugi Rt, was declared a protected area by the city on 29 November 2013. It is protected for both the biological (forest complex) but also for the geomorphological and hudrological values. The specificities of the Dugi Rt ridge and the bed of the Sremačka river helped the development of the diverse flora and fauna. The entire forest is part of the Belgrade's outer green ring which mitigates the aftermaths of the bad urbanization. A chemical center of the Yugoslav army was located in the woods and was used as a reservoir for the rocket fuel. It was a target during the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia. Explosion and subsequent flames were visible kilometers away and caused an extensive damage to the woods itself which was burnt to the wide extent around the reservoir. Lipovička šuma was the location of the headquarters of PTJ, the Counter-terrorist Units, a

special operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

and tactical unit of the Serbian Police. When PTJ merged into SAD, Special Anti-Terrorist Unit, in 2015, the SAJ took over the base.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lipovicka Suma Parks in Belgrade Šumadija Barajevo