A town where, they say, the devil lives

There is a legend, which the people pass from generation to generation, and is woven in connection with the Đavolja varoš (Devil's Town). Namely, the legend says that in that place in the past, some nice and modest people lived from their work and were attached to their faith. The devil was tired of watching that harmony and peace, so he decided to confuse the accounts, so instead of ordinary water, he spilled "devil's" water on the locals. The effect was that they forgot about family ties, so they decided to marry their brother and sister.

The villa, which is claimed to guard the area to this day, tried to reason with them, but the devil's influence was too strong for him to listen to. Nothing else began to pray to God to prevent incest. God answered the prayer, and on the way to the church, the weather broke down, a strong wind began to blow and the newlyweds turned to stone with their family and guests. Today we call these stones: Đavolja varoš (Devil's Town).

What makes this natural monument specific are the earth figures as relief creations and two natural sources of acidic water that contains extremely high levels of minerals.

In the vicinity of the existing stone creations, which have stood firmly for almost 1,200 years, new figures have begun to "sprout", albeit somewhat smaller than the already existing ones, but with identical structures. Scientists estimate that it will take them about 300 years to reach the size of those who make up this city.

Myths have their say, and here's what science says. The stone pillars were formed under the erosive effect of the soil, which is partly composed of loose material, and partly of stone formations. The creation of such an environment was sponsored by man with his activities, which include cutting down forests and removing terrain for his own benefit and earning money from tourist attractions.

This geomorphological phenomenon is considered very rare in the world, so in addition to Serbia, it exists in a similar form in the Swiss Alps, on both sides of the Brenner Pass and in the United States, where it is called the "Garden (Alley) of Gods".

In addition to the stone towers, there are two incredible springs of mineral water, one of which is "Devil's Water", very cold and rich in minerals, and the other "Red Well", which is not so sour and rich in minerals, but has acquired reddish tones due to iron oxidation so it has a special look.

There are currently 202 earthen figures, whose height varies from 2 to 15 meters and width from half a meter to 3 meters.

This place is located 28 km from Kursumlija. It is included in the seven Serbian wonders, and it is also on the list of natural assets of great importance for the Republic of Serbia.

The figures are "alive". They are constantly changing as the earth erodes. They are formed, grow, change, disappear and re-create. Of course, this is a slow natural process. The stone on top of each creation can weigh about 100 pounds.