Duvan čvarci in Valjevo and the Mišić Days in Mionica: autumn in the Kolubara district

Published: 19/07/2026

The Kolubara district is one of those parts of Serbia people drive through rather than stop in. Those who do stop find two autumn events that pair well: a food festival in Valjevo and a historical one in Mionica, with Banja Vrujci and Divčibare as places to sleep.

Duvan čvarci — a Valjevo speciality with no copy

Duvan čvarci are not ordinary pork cracklings. Finely chopped bacon is rendered longer and at a lower temperature, producing a dry, airy, almost crisp result that crumbles between the fingers and leaves no fat on the palate. The name comes from their resemblance to cut tobacco.

They are made in and around Valjevo, in Podgorina and Kolubara, and the recipe passes down through families — every household claims one small trick that makes the difference. The season is cold-weather, from the first frosts to spring, because in warm months they can neither render nor keep properly.

The festival devoted to them gathers producers from the whole district, with a competition, tastings and sales. The date shifts from year to year and is announced by the Valjevo tourist board, so check before travelling.

They are sold by the kilo and cost considerably more than ordinary cracklings, for good reason: ten kilos of bacon yield only a few kilos of the finished product.

The Mišić Days in Mionica

Mionica is the birthplace of Vojvoda Živojin Mišić, commander of the First Army and victor of the Battle of Kolubara, one of the most significant Serbian victories of the First World War. The Mišić Days honour that victory, with a ceremony, exhibitions, a cultural programme and visits to his birth house in Struganik.

The house is now a museum and one of the best-preserved examples of western Serbian rural architecture: a log building on a stone base, with a yard and a view of Suvobor. The visit takes an hour and is worthwhile outside the festival too.

The same day fits in the Kolubara battlefield memorials on Suvobor and the Ribnica canyon, one of the finest and least known river gorges in Serbia, with a trail through stone pools and waterfalls.

Where to stay

The obvious base is Banja Vrujci, fifteen minutes from Mionica and half an hour from Valjevo, with 28 °C water, year-round pools and the lowest room rates in the area.

The alternatives are Divčibare, a mountain resort on Maljen forty minutes from Valjevo, and Valjevo itself if you want to walk out into the Tešnjar quarter in the morning. For groups there are plenty of cottages and log cabins with a yard and barbecue.

What else to see

Brankovina, ten kilometres from Valjevo, holds the school and grave of the poet Desanka Maksimović and the Nenadović family church. Petnica is known for its research station and cave, Gradac for the monastery above the river.

Heading further west, all of this leads naturally on to Bajina Bašta and Tara.

When to go

For duvan čvarci, the cold half of the year. For the Mišić Days, autumn, tied to the anniversary of the Battle of Kolubara. For the Ribnica canyon and Suvobor, May, June and September.

Bring cash — at festivals and with local producers cards are often not accepted. And leave room in the boot; few people leave without a bag of cracklings, kajmak and a jar of homemade ajvar.