Kopaonik

Kopaonik is the largest mountain range in Serbia, and streaches from northwest to southeast. It is 80 km long, 40 km wide at the middle. The highest part of the Kopaonik is large Ravni Kopaonik overlooked by Suvo Rudiste. The highest peak of the mountain is Pancicev vrh (2,017 meters).


Kopaonik has subalpine climate, and because of the nearly 200 sunny days per year it is called "the mountain of the sun." Cold, moist air tends to move in the surrounding valleys and ravines, so the winter temperatures are not too low (mean annual temperature at Ravan Kopaonik is 3.7 degrees C). Snow starts falling at the end of November, and stays until May, wich is an average of 159 days a year.

Kopaonik was named after the ore resources available that were dug there since ancient times. Those are iron, lead and zinc.

Because of its natural values, Kopaonik was declared a national park in 1981. Kopaonik National Park covers an area of 11,810 hectares, and because of the number of endemic species it is one of the most important centers of biodiversity of endemic flora of Serbia. Notable endemic species and relics in Kopaonik are edelweiss, Kopaonik’s violet, Picea rezucha, serbian flax, Pancic’s viuc and other. Special attention in the area of Kopaonik draws the wealth of animal species. There are golden eagle, gray hawk, tawny owl, mountain lark, crossbill, gray tush, owl, wild cat, roe deer, and others. Kopaonik offers ideal conditions for active rest throwought the year, and it is our largest and most famous ski resort. In the area of Ravan Kopaonik there is a large tourist center with numerous accommodation facilities, system of lifts and ski trails, and other tourist infrastructure. The ski fields are located at an altitude from 1650 to 2017 meters, and are classified as category one. Travel Center has a network of 22 lifts, linked into a single system, 4 for children, and one is equipped with lifts for all categories of skiers. The total length of the lift is 17,222 meters, while the length of the ski trail is 44 km. System capacity is 13,520 skiers per hour. 20 km cross-country skiing is available for guests, and the location of Crvene Bare has marked paths 3, 5 and 10 km long. There is a possibility to rent ski equipment and ski service, and as special attractions, motor sleighs.

There are organized walking excursions on Kopaonik (to the spring of Metodje and Semetesko lake), mountain bike trips, school of basketball, tennis, horseback riding, English language. There are also various programs for children, programs for weight loss and fitness gain, and many sports facilities that are ideal for preparing of sport teams. Because of the large dispersal of geological features, Kopaonik offers ideal conditions for paragliding.

There are springs of mineral water on the Kopaonik, law radiated "landlord" at an altitude of 1700 meters, and ‘’Marine Water "(1950 meters).

Historical significance of this area as a center of Serbian medieval state is marked by remains of the fortified cities at the peaks in the central massif (Zvecan, Koznik, Maglic), the mining town (Stari trg, Novo Brdo) and churches and monasteries (Gradac, Pavlica, Studenica, Zica, Sopocani ), the endowment of the Serbian rulers, located in the foothills of Kopaonik massif.