Prehistoric mine Prljusa – Mali Šturac (April 2021) The archaeological site of Prljuša is located on the roof of Šumadija, as it is often called Rudnik mountain, below the peak of Mali Šturac (1113 m). When you turn off the Ibarska highway, before entering the town of Rudnik, the road leads to Mali Šturac. During the Copper Age, there was a copper mine, more precisely malachite, in this place.
It was here that prehistoric people spotted an ore body that came to the surface and, due to the influence of the atmosphere, acquired a beautiful green color, which was one of the signposts of where to dig. The mine is about 5.5 millennia old and was used during the copper and bronze ages, although there is also the possibility that the ore was exploited here during the Roman period as well.
The first research was started in the 80s and continues to this day. During numerous archaeological excavations, mining shafts were discovered in which stone bats were found that were used by these prehistoric miners. Ceramic vessels were also found in the shafts, which are extremely important because they help in dating the mine. The site is landscaped and you can see several mining shafts that have been explored.
Although many things have changed since the time when prehistoric miners dug here, one thing has remained almost the same, and that is the most beautiful view from the Mine on the undulating Sumadija. Rudnik can be reached very quickly from the direction of Belgrade from Kragujevac and Čačak and also from Laška, so the locality represents an exceptional attraction within a well-designed one-day trip.
