Vražji kamen

Vrazji Kamen - Rocks Sculptured by Legends

If you want to visit nature instead of museums and find rare beauties in it, then this is the perfect place for you.
It is located in the very south of the country, along the border with Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria. Although it is a challenge to reach it, it is easily recognizable. At 800 meters above sea level, there are conical rocks that look like those from Djavolja Varos. However, it is not only the appearance that connects them, but also the being after which they got their names. Meet Vrazji kamen (The Devil's Stone).

Facts
Although many legends are associated with this place, you still need to start with facts that are reliable. Vražji kamen forms a set of conical rocks that rise up to 60 meters in height. It is a natural site near Tegovište, which was formed for a very long time by the process of rock erosion. The river Pcinja, which flows there, over time cut through a large rock and shaped the stone pillars that are known today as the place over which the Devil rules. There are old houses in the vicinity, but also a church from the 14th century, which was built on one of the rocks. This place used to be called Prosecnik, precisely because of the influence of the river on the rocks. Today, it is Vrazji kamen, a place where people have not lived for a long time.

Legends
There are numerous stories that surround this area, and mostly contain a message about bad luck. According to the legend, the site itself was made by devils, trying to change the course of the river Pcinja. In their intention to do that, they brought a big rock that would connect the river bank towards Bulgaria. As the morning approached as they did so, so that people would not see them, they threw the rock to the side, next to a mill. That is how the rock remained in that place, and the place Vrazji kamen was formed around it.
The story of bad luck that accompanies the church was also created, so weddings and baptisms do not take place in it. It is about newlyweds who died immediately after they got married in that very place. However, this church is today under the protection of the state.

If you want to hear more legends related to the Vrazji kamen, you can always look for people who live in the area and who may have even witnessed the emergence of one of the fantastic stories that will tell you.

How to get to the Devil's Stone
Vrazji kamen is located only 2 kilometers away from Trgoviste, near the village of Donja Trnica. The rocks are located along the canyon of the river Pcinja.

You can get from Vranje by car in less than an hour, on the road that goes through Davidovac, Ristovac and Vladovce.
If you start from Trgoviste, on the road along Pcinja, towards Donja Trnica, you will arrive in five minutes.
It will take you about 50 minutes on foot if you leave Trgoviste.

Additional information
If you decide to walk to the site, wear clothes and footwear suitable for walking and adaptable to the weather conditions in which you find yourself.