The Petnica valley near Valjevo

Museums & Science

The Muselim’s konak & Petnica

Valjevo · Šumadija & Western Serbia

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Museums & Science
COUNTRY
Serbia
REGION
Valjevo · Šumadija & Western Serbia
DURATION
1 day

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

Two landmarks bookend the town: the Muselim’s konak — the Ottoman court where in January 1804 the pasha’s men executed the Serbian knezes, the “seča knezova” that triggered the First Uprising — and the Petnica valley 15 minutes away, where the cave, the lake and the Petnica Science Centre (1982) make Serbia’s most unusual school campus.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

The konak was the Ottoman administration’s seat until 1804, when the execution of the knezes — ordered against the gathering uprising — set Serbia alight; the museum keeps the room and the story. Petnica’s Science Centre began in 1982 as an experimental school for gifted teenagers in the valley’s buildings — it became a national institution, its alumni across Serbian science.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

01

The Muselim’s konak museum — the 1804 room and the Ottoman court.

02

The Petnica valley — the cave, the lake and the Science Centre.

03

The church of the Annunciation — the town’s 19th-century landmark.

GOOD TO KNOW

Facts & Curiosities

01

The “seča knezova” (January 1804) — the execution that started the First Serbian Uprising — happened in this konak.

02

The Petnica Science Centre (1982) is Serbia’s famous school for gifted students — labs in a cave valley.

03

The Petnica cave above the centre holds the region’s oldest archaeology (Neolithic layers).

04

The valley’s small lake and the cave make the school the prettiest campus in Serbia.

MAP & LOCATION

The Muselim’s konak & Petnica

The Muselim’s konak & Petnica, Valjevo, Šumadija & Western Serbia, Serbia

44.2700, 19.8800

Open in OpenStreetMap

THINGS TO DO

Things to do nearby

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Tešnjar kafanas — the old-quarter grill and the domestic pije

02

The riverside restaurants for the Kolubara trout

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HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Town hotels by the promenade; Divčibare (45 min) for the mountain nights

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INTERESTS

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PART OF

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