Šargan Eight & Drvengrad: the back story

About Šargan Eight & Drvengrad: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Belgrade Editorial Team

In the mountains of western Serbia, an old steam railway climbs in a figure of eight through tunnels and over bridges, and on the hill above it stands a village of wooden houses built for a film. Together they make one of the most enchanting days out in Serbia.

A railway to the sea

At the beginning of the 20th century, a narrow-gauge railway was built through the mountains of western Serbia and eastern Bosnia, part of a long line that eventually linked Belgrade with Sarajevo and the Adriatic port of Dubrovnik. Its narrow tracks could wind through landscapes that a normal railway could never cross, and for decades it was a lifeline for the villages of the region.

The figure of eight

The greatest challenge came at Mount Šargan, near Mokra Gora, where the line had to climb a steep mountainside in a short distance. The engineers’ solution was ingenious: they laid the track in a great loop shaped like the number eight, with tunnels and bridges, so that the trains could gain height gradually, passing over their own track. Completed in the 1920s, the Šargan Eight became one of the most remarkable pieces of railway engineering in the Balkans.

An old railway climbs in a figure of eight, and on the hill above it stands a village built for a film.

Closure and rebirth

As roads improved, the old narrow-gauge line lost its passengers, and it closed in 1974. The tracks were lifted and the stations fell silent. But local people and railway enthusiasts never forgot it, and from the late 1990s the most spectacular section was rebuilt as a heritage railway. Since 2003, vintage trains have carried visitors from Mokra Gora up through the tunnels and around the figure of eight, with stops at viewpoints along the way.

Drvengrad

On Mećavnik hill above Mokra Gora, the film director Emir Kusturica built Drvengrad, a village of wooden houses in the local mountain style, as a setting for his film Life Is a Miracle, which was shot in the area. Its streets are named after his heroes, including writers, film-makers and sports stars, and it has a small cinema, restaurants and a church. Every January it hosts the Küstendorf film and music festival.

Užice and the mountains

The journey to Mokra Gora passes through Užice, a town in the valley of the Đetinja river, crowned by the ruins of a medieval fortress on a rock above the water. Around Mokra Gora, the forested mountains are protected as a nature park, and Tara National Park and Zlatibor are both close by, making this an easy area to explore over two or three days.

Our advice: check the Šargan Eight timetable before you go, as trains run on a seasonal schedule and are busy at weekends, so arrive early or book ahead. Combine the train with lunch in Drvengrad, and if you are not driving, take the train from Belgrade to Užice and continue by taxi or tour.

Through the years

Dates from the railway and village histories; check current timetables before you travel.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Šargan Eight & Drvengrad: the back story before you go.