Morava River

Velika Morava River flows through the most fertile and the most densely populated area of the central Serbia – the Pomoravlje area. The word and meaning of the Morava by the Serbs defines the water or the running water, as one of four elements that provide existence, besides the Sun, air and work, thus there are seven rivers in Serbia named as the Morava river. Tacitus describes in his Histories only one Moesia, that spreads from the Danube and the Sava Rivers along the Balkan peninsula, along the Large-Velika and Juzna-South Morava Rivers to the Vardar River, and along the Kolubara River and the Ibar along the Drim River to Durres, behind the Stara Planina Mt along the Iskar and the Struma Rivers to Seres as the eastern border between the Moesia and Trakia,  and up to the southern border Seres, Dojran, Ohrid and Durres, and approximately to the Skadar Lake, along the Lim River and to the Drina River valley from its junction with the Lim River up to the confluence with the Sava River.

The Morava River forms together with the West Morava River the longest river of Serbia. North Morava River of the total length of 246 kilometers flows through the Central Serbia. The Velika /Great/ Morava River is created by the confluence of the Južna Morava /Southern Morava/ and the Zapadna Morava /Western Morava/ passing through the small towns of Stalać and Varvarin, a major railway junction in Central Serbia. The Južna Morava River springs in the Skopska Crna Gora – nowadays Macedonia, created from the Ključevska and the Slatinska rivers that further form the Binačka Morava River. When in Bujanovac the Binacka Morava River joins the Presevska Moravica River, the Juzna Morava starts. Zapadna Morava River /West Morava/ of the total length of 308 km, including the Golijska Moravica River, originates by the town of Požega, from the confluence of Golijska Reka and Đetinja Rivers. The valley of Zapadna Morava River is composite – it flows through four ravines and the stunning Ovčar-Kablar Gorge.

From Stalać to its confluence with the Danube River northeast of Smederevo, the Velika Morava River is 185 km long. With its longer branch, the Zapadna Morava, it is 493 km long what makes Velika Morava the longest river of Serbia. The Ibar-Zapadna Morava-Velika Morava system forms a 550 km long river system which is the longest in the Balkans. It is interesting that Juzna Morava River – South Morava was longer than the Zapadna Morava River but due to regulation of the river bottom and melioration it is now slightly shorter river. Larger tributaries of Velika Morava River are Crnica, Ravanica and Resava Rivers on its right side and Lugomir, Belica, Lepenica and Jasenica River on its left side. When navigating along the Morava River, one can see the last remained ferries, old watermills, medieval monasteries and numerous hidden historical places featuring preserved traditions and customs.

Šumadija 1 Tour