Šalitrena Pećina

Useful Information

Location:	Brežđe. A2 exit Rubribreza, 258А or 27 towards Valjevo, exit Divci, road 150 to Mionica, road 175 to Brežđe. (44.1907345, 20.0782511)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=135 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Dušan Mihailović (2014): Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Research in the Central Balkans, Serbian Archaeological Society, Commission for the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, Belgrade 2014, ISBN 978-86-913229-9-1. researchgate Aleksandar Antić, Dušan Mihailović, Predrag Radović, Nemanja Tomić, Miloš Marjanović, Milica Radaković, Slobodan B. Marković (2022): Assessing speleoarcheological geoheritage: Linking new Paleolithic discoveries and potential cave tourism destinations in Serbia, International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks 10 (2022), pp 289–307. sciencedirect DOI Bojana Mihailović, Dušan Mihailović, Aleksandar Latas, Josh Lindal (2014): Šalitrena Cave - Terrace. Preliminary Investigations Results Palaeolithic And Mesolithic Research In The Central Balkans, Serbian Archaeological Society Commission for the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, Belgrade, 2014., pp 77-83. pdf pdf
Address:	Šalitrena Pećina, Tel: +381-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

4th century	used as a hideout by the locals.
12th to 15th century	used as a hideout by the locals.
1970s	rediscovered during the reconnaissance of the Ribnica river valley by a group of young researchers from Valjevo.
2004	begin of systematic archaeological excavations as part of the project Culture and Art in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic of Serbia.

Description

Шалитрена пећина or Šalitrena Pećina (Saltpeter Cave) is located in the gorge of the Ribnica river. It is also known as Велика Рибничка пећина or Velika Ribnička Pećina (Great Pond Cave). It is a huge cave portal at the foot of a vertical limestone cliff, with a horizontal passage behind, which is almost as big as the portal. The lower half of the cave is filled with cave sediment, which is full of archaeological remains. This made the cave the richest Paleolithic excavation site of the central and west Balkan Peninsula. Hearths and a large number of tools and weapons made of flint and bone were discovered. The oldest remains were from occasional habitation by prehistoric hunters during the Middle Paleolithic, 80,000-40,000 years ago. It is also the only Gravettian site in the west Balkans and one of the richest and most important sites of Upper Paleolithic in Southeast Europe. Numerous archaeological excavations created deep ditches in the cave floor, so visiting the cave is a little tricky.

It is in the boundaries of the atar municipality Brežđe, about 6 km from Mionica and 3 km upstream from the Ribnica Monastery and Ribnica Cave. The floor of the cave is only a little above the river, and the portal is quite impressive. Actually, it is a huge overhanging cliff face, a shelter or abrí, mostly created by the river eroding the limestone. It is a karst cave, but the entrance shows massive erosional forms. Behind the portal, still in the region which is illuminated by daylight, two cave passages start. Some would say the cave actually has two entrances, the two passages meet inside the cave is a single large chamber. Both passages were excavated in an area of about 50 m².

The cave was obviously known to the locals during history, but it was never officially recognized, there are no written mentions. It was used as a hideout in troubled times during the 4th century, and then again from 12th to 15th century, which is documented by archaeological findings. It was officially discovered during the reconnaissance of the Ribnica river valley by a group of young researchers from Valjevo during the 1970s. They recognized the potential archaeological value of the site, but it took until 2004 until excavations started. At this time, the National Museum in Belgrade started systematic archaeological excavations. They were a part of a larger project entitled Culture and Art in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic of Serbia. The project was headed by Bojana Mihailović. The excavations went on for years and were later made in collaboration with the University of Winnipeg and the Belgrade University. Undergraduate and graduate students excavated the cave during yearly Palaeolithic Field Schools.

The valley was not of economic importance to the locals, the farms are on the surrounding plateaus, the valley is too narrow for farming. There are no roads, not even walking trails through the valley. Even touristic development or use as a hiking area was forfeited. However, the name Saltpeter cave suggests that the cave sediments were mined at some time, either for saltpeter for gunpowder production or for fertilizer. But as far as we know, there are neither written documents nor archaeological remains supporting this.

This cave has huge passages, is horizontal, is already popular and well knwon for its archaeology. The cave is undeveloped except for the trails by the archaeologists. But it's quite easy to visit the entrance section, be careful not to fall into the excavation pits or destroy archaeological evidence. Currently, the government tries to support tourism in the country by creating new tourist destination, in this case a show cave, so the cave was examined for its potential as a show cave. There is a good chance it will be developed as a show cave in the future. Currently, it's a nice hike with an orientation component, as there is no official signposted trail. However, there are some educational signs, but only in Serbian. And the highlight is the visit to an easy to explore, semi-wild, horizontal cave. Hiking clothes and shoes and a good torch is sufficient for a shot visit.