“Mount Rtanj, with its unique shape reminiscent of a pyramid, has long provoked imagination and mystery or is it a natural phenomenon with a most beautiful view in this part of Serbia”
– The highest peak is Šiljak, with an altitude of 1565 meters. The southern side of the mountain has gentle slopes, as well as a plateau that descends towards Sokobanja. The northern side of the mountain is the richest in forests and pastures and has a large number of sources of drinking water. For this reason, it was also the most favorable for the hunting ground, which in that part extends to about 6368 hectares.
The Minh family and the legend of hidden wealth The history of Mount Rtanj is related to the story of a rich Jewish Minh family. This family owned a coal mine in Rtanj. The Minh family provided apartments for the employees of the mine, opened schools, an infirmary, the first cinema, and an electrical switchboard.
Julius Minh committed suicide for unknown reasons, so his brothers and wife Greta took over the management of the mine. In his honor and in memory of her husband, Greta built a small church-chapel on top of Rtanj mountain. It was consecrated in 1936, and it was built by 1000 workers. Unfortunately, the chapel was demolished in 1992, due to the search for long-hidden wealth. Today, only the remains of the chapel are present.
Why you should visit Rtanj? -Rtanj is an excellent destination for lovers of nature, hiking and mysterious stories. This mountain is popular among tourists because of its unique beauty, incredible natural values and beautiful landscapes that can be seen from its peak. There you can enjoy silence and peace, away from the city crowd, as well as exploring the wild nature. The flora consists of forests of mountain beech, oak and spruce, which arrived on the mountain through afforestation, bushy vegetation and large amounts of “Rtany tea”, which is an endemic species, as the name itself tells us. Rtanj tea is very medicinal and is used for medicinal purposes. The mountain is also rich in relic plants, such as: lilac, walnut, white silver linden, black ash, ruj and so on. An important plant for this mountain is the Serbian ramonda.
