About City of Pirot

Pirot is a city in the southeastern part of Serbia and is the administrative center of the Pirot district. It is a gateway between east and west because it is located on an important international transversal, Corridor 10, which connects Europe with Asia, known since Roman times as "Via militaris".

What makes it special is its rich tradition, turbulent and long history, cultural and natural resources, customs, gourmet specialties and wonderful people who are above all hospitable and true hosts.

Today, Pirot is a city that successfully combines traditional and modern, and it is recognizable not only for its cultural-historical and tourist potential, but also as an important economic center of this region. It is surrounded by: Suva planina, Sukovske and Stara planina.

Stara planina is the largest and most beautiful mountain in Eastern Serbia with the peak Midžor (2169m) which has large areas with pastures, forests and watercourses. Stara Planina Nature Park is the largest protected natural asset in Serbia and has over 300 km of marked trails for hiking, trekking, mountain running, mountain biking, and soon horseback riding trails and other facilities.

From the territory of Pirot, Stara Planina can be reached from three directions:

The first route is "Pirot-Zavojsko Lake-kameno selo Gostuša". Zavojsko Lake is located in the heart of Stara Planina, it is of excellent mountain water quality, rich in fish and is an ideal place for one-day and multi-day excursions. The stone village of Gostuša represents a beautiful ambience of a cultural and historical whole.

The other direction is "Pirot-Temska-Topli do". The river Temštica flows through the village of Temska, formed by the confluence of the Toplodolska river and the river Visocica from Zavojsko Lake and forms one of the most beautiful canyons in Serbia on the red sandstone, the so-called Temštica River Canyon or "Little Colorado". The mountain village of Topli do, one of the most beautiful villages in Serbia, is known as an oasis of Stara Planina waterfalls such as the Pilj, Kurtulski and Čunguljski waterfalls.

The third direction is "Pirot-Rsovci-Vrelo-Dojkinci-Slavinja". It is the most visited route on Stara Planina with an abundance of tourist sites and opportunities to stay in the countryside. On this road is the village Dojkinci (900m above sea level) where the mountain lodge Dojkinci is located.

In addition to the Stara Planina, the territory of Pirot includes the Special Nature Reserve Jerma, which should be visited due to interesting sites and facilities. It starts from the village of Sukovo, Sukovo Monastery, Sukovo Lake, and extends all the way to the Poganovo Monastery.

When you come to Pirot, you can learn a lot about the Pirot speech, Pirot carpet weaving, historical and cultural monuments. An unavoidable place is the Museum of Ponišavlje, which is located in a building of folk architecture, the house of little Rista, with constant and changing settings of the culture and customs of this area and way of life. But the history of Pirot can only be seen in its entirety when you visit the Serbian medieval fortress Momcilov grad and unique spiritual shrines such as the Monastery of St. Đorđa from the 14th century in Temska, the Monastery of St. Jovan the Theologian or the Poganovski Monastery from the 14th century, the Monastery of the Most Holy Mother of God or the Sukovo Monastery (19th century) and the cave church of St. Peter and Paul in the village of Rsovci with the unique fresco "Bald Jesus" and many other shrines because of which Pirot is called Little Jerusalem.

The local gastronomy of Pirot and Stara Planina is the result of centuries of tradition and natural environment. It makes famous Pirot brands such as the famous Pirot cheese, Pirot ironed sausage, Stara Planina lamb, Stara Planina table, Pirot barbecue, Stara Planina honey and brandy and is one of the special experiences not to be missed.

You can check and made a reservation at the hotel Ana lux 

GOOD TO KNOW

Population of Pirot: 38,758; Population of Pirot with villages: 57,928

Area of the city of Pirot: 1,232 km2; Altitude of Pirot: 367 m above sea level

Official language: Serbian

Pirot City Day: December 28; Glory of the city of Pirot: Assumption, August 28

Road routes:

Belgrade-Pirot: 305 km

Nis-Pirot: 70 km

Pirot-Gradina (border with Bulgaria): 30 km

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