Western Serbia

Western Serbia is rugged terrain, probably best known for its defence of the country in WW1. It was here in 1914 that Serbian armies defeated the Austro-Hungarians who invaded over the Drina River from Bosnia. You will need a car, and allow plenty of time, as the roads wind through the mountains. A good base for the 1914 campaign sites is Valjavo. This a very attractive city, which was an important command centre, and home to hospitals including the Scottish Women's Hospital.

A statue of General Živojin Mišić who commanded the First Serbian army in the Battle of Kolubara.

The Kolubara River runs through the city centre

The city is also home to the National Museum Valjevo, which has exhibits covering the WW1 battlefields as well as a wider coverage of the region and WW2.

On the way back to the motorway, you can stop at the Kolubara River near Lazarevac. The vital battle in December 1914 was fought around here on a wide front. For war film buffs, Kelly's Heroes was filmed here and you can visit the bridge they used for the railway bridge bombing scene. Be careful, the wooden slats are at best patchy.

From Valjevo you can also travel to Užice. This was the capital of the first partisan base in WW2, The Republic of Užice. It has another National Museum, which includes the caves used to manufacture weapons and ammunition for the partisans. A rare statue of Tito survives here.

The city also has a magnificent early Serbian castle, later improved by the Ottomans. It was also the front line of Austrian Serbia before the 1737 war, and fought over in WW1. It is being repaired, and you can get a car up the other side of the cliffs, although Google Maps sent us on a bit of a detour. The castle guide was knowledgeable and helpful, and the views are impressive.

We worked our way back to Valjevo via the partisan memorial at Kadinjaca. This was build on the site of the Battle of Kadinjaca where a workers battalion fought to the end against the Axis assault on the Republic.