Origin of name

There are many interesting legends about origin of Golubac name.

According to one of them, once upon a time, gorgeous princess Golubana lived in a palace. She had refused Turkish pasha’s love and thus was chained to Baba Kaj rock and left to die. After pasha’s screams: “Babo, pokaj se” (“Women, repent”), the rock was called “Baba Kaj” and town was named Golubac after Golubana. With the aid of strong chain, town was connected to Baba Kaj rock allowing for total regulation of water and road traffic through Iron Gate.

Another legend says that the rock was named after Turkish words “babo” (father) and “kai” (rock).
Third legend claims that Byzantium princess Eirene (Despot Djuradj’s wife) bred many pigeons in the Fortress and thus name Golubac (town of pigeons). Yet another story tells that towers of the Fortress look like pigeons on a cliff. Then, Sesir Kula (Hat Tower) was built so that carrier pigeons could more easily take off and land on. Then, wild pigeons settled there. Then… Anyhow, even today name of the town is derived from “golub”, which is Serbian for “pigeon” or “dove” and this is even true for translations to German, Hungarian, Turkish and other languages. Therefore, a pigeon is a symbol of the town and it is represented in municipal coat of arms.

Roman Treasure

There are many folktales and believes about long lost Roman treasure.

One of them dates even back to 1st century AD – a Roman carriage passed through this area carrying two statues of rams made of pure golden for unknown queen of Egypt. Coachmen were not familiar with the area so they stopped to rest in a cave. After that, there was not a trace of them – only a folktale. It is believed that anyone who enters the cave will vanish forever.

Rusalii

After Pentecost, so called Small Rusalli (Serbian: Male rusaljke; Vlach: Rusalje mish) are celebrated in Brnjica and Neresnica villages near Golubac, on Thursday and Sunday respectively.

Rusalii is a term to describe both Pentecostal feast and fall itself (falling into trance, delirium), which according to believes of many local villagers, is a result of spirits and fairies who on Pentecost find a female and force her to fall down followed by strange howls. Screaming and wailing horribly, the female suddenly drops down without consciousness, her body is stiff like rigor mortis and she doesn’t react to anything including sticking a needle under nails.

As soon as rusalii has screamed dreadfully and felt down, somebody grabs her hands and hold them tightly so that she can’t hurt herself during the seizure because she is capable to make a mess with her sudden physical strength received under the influence of spirits. Her eyes are closed and fists spasmodically clenched. Sometimes she even spits at those present. And people yells: “A luvato rusalji!” meaning: “She is taken by sprits! Sprits have possessed her!”

Fairies

Besides rusalii, in Homolje region there are many folk stories about forest fairies.

There are even places called Vilina kola (Eng. Fairy’s Dances) – places in forest where circles of grass are darker and thus believed locations where fairies gather together late at night and dance in a circle. If noticed by a human, he should not look at them because otherwise terrible disease or even death would befall him.

Tumane monastery

There are many legends about origin of the Tumane monastery. According to one of them, Tumane is and endowment of Prince Milos Obilic.

Malesevo village was Milos’s residence and in Dvoriste (Eng. Courtyard) village were his “yards”. As being built on the eve of Battle of Kosovo, when construction reached windows level, Tsar Lazar called Milos to the battle, saying: “Tu mani (Leave) the building; gather your people of Stig and hurry to Kosovo to defend the country.” This is one of folk stories about origin of the monastery’s name.

According to the other legend, Milos went hunting and accidentally lethally wounded Zosim Sinait, a hermit. Feeling his moment is approaching, Zosim said to Milos: “Tu mani (Leave me), let me die here.” As a sign of atonement, Milos built a church on his grave and called it Tumane. During reconstruction of the monastery, the Saint’s relics were found on the very spot where people used to pray believing it was a grave of Saint Zosim.

Good water in Klenje

Golubac area is full of mineral springs such as Dobra voda (Eng. Good Water) in Klenje village.

One of the first Christian churches in the area, dedicated to Saint Dominica Martyred (Serbian: Sveta Velikomučenica Nedelja), was built here. Present church was erected on foundations of a building dating back to 13th century and remains of it can still be seen.

A legend says that a church was built on a place called Duboki potok (Eng. Deep Creek) where Roman soldiers beheaded a girl who had refused to renounce her faith, Christianity. The spring has always been considered as curative – locals believe it heals eye illnesses and general body weakness.

Zawisza Czarny

One of local heroes is Zawisza Czarny, a Polish knight who died, together with 6.000 soldiers, nearby the Golubac fortress while defending it from Turks.

A folk story tells that Zawisza was fleeced and decapitated, and his head was filled with straw and sent to Sultan. Alike fate happened to his three closest fellow comrades.

Zawisza’s dead reverberated not just in Golubac but also through entire Europe, especially in Poland where he has been mourned for centuries.

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