highlights

Raska is a town with 10.000 inhabitants, located in the Ibar river valley, between the big mountains Golija and Kopaonik. In the city itself there isn’t anything particularly interesting to be seen, but the surrounding area is famous for its mountains and monasteries (all this is covered in separate sections of this web site). However, Raska is not a convenient base for exploring the area, since there is only one hotel in the town, not really budget-friendly.

history

The city of Raska was founded on September 17 1845, by a decree signed by king Aleksandar Karadjordjevic. Located in close proximity of the then border with Turkey, Raska was a city of merchants trading between Serbia and Turkey.

The initial suggestion for the founding of the city came from Ilija Garasanin, the then minister of foreign affairs. It happened on September 1 1845. On the conference that took place on September 6, the Council of the Serbian kingdom made a decision that the town should be founded; Garasanin’s suggestion also encompassed the city plan with the buildings designed by Nikola Alkovic, the custom officer.

Raska was envisaged as an urban environment. Shortly after the founding, first educational and judiciary structures were established, and craftmanship and mining started to develop. In a short period during the First World War, from October 31 through November 15 1915, the city was used as a residence of the King and the Serbian government.

getting there

There are eight daily buses connecting Raska and Novi Pazar. In general, all the buses connecting Belgrade and Novi Pazar have to go through Raska. There is even a daily bus connection with Novi Sad.

For more detailed information: Raska bus station, phone no. 036 / 736 - 173

There are two daily trains connecting Belgrade with Raska. The train no. 581 leaves Belgrade at 6.10 am and arrives to Raska at 12.04, and the train no 583. leaves Belgrade at 3.15 pm and arrives to Raska at 9.10 pm.

For more detailed information: Raska railway station, phone no. 036 / 736-008

things to see

There isn't much to see in Raska, but we've listed it as a destination if you somehow get stuck there and need to spend a night. However, there are many interesting sites around Raska - mountains Zlatibor and Tara (with Sargan Eight), numerous monasteries and so on. Since there aren't any options for cheap accommodation in Raska, its best to choose some other place as your base for exploring this area.