Hadži-Prodanova Pecina

Хаџи-Проданова пећина - Hadži-Prodan Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Raščići. 7 km south of Ivanjica, on the road 180 Ivanjica-Guca, opposite a huge quarry. Parking along the road 150m and 250 m south of the cave, on the side towards the quarry. (43.6275235, 20.2407075)
Open:	All year Tue-Fri 10-14, Sat, Sun 9-14. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Karst cave St. Michael Caves
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=345 m, A=620 m asl.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Katarina Bogićević, Draženko Nenadić, Stefan Milošević, Dušan Mihailović, Stefan Vlastić, Radule Tošović (2017): A Late Pleistocene Rodent Fauna (Mammalia: Rodentia) from Hadži Prodanova Cave near Ivanjica (Western Serbia), Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafa (Research in Paleontology and Stratigraphy), vol. 123(1): 23-38. March 2017. academia.edu
Address:	Hadži-Prodanova Pecina, Milinka Kušića 47, Lisa, Tel +381-63-7109028.
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

27-SEP-1814 to 30-DEC-1814	Hadži–Prodan rebellion.
1909	Adzijina Church erected.
1974	under nature protection.
2003-2004	joint excavation campaign of the University of Belgrade, the National Museum of Serbia and the Institute for Protection of Cultural Heritage in Kraljevo.
2005	protection status reviewed and approved.

Description

Хаџи-Проданова пећина or Hadži-Prodanova Pećina (Hadži–Prodan Cave) is named after Hadži–Prodan Gligorijevic (*1760–✝1825), the Duke of Karadjordje and the leader and military commander of the First Serbian Uprising. According to legend, he used this cave to hide soldiers during his 1814 rebellion. The Hadži-Prodan rebellion happened between the First (1804–13) and Second (1815–17) uprisings of the Serbian Revolution.

The cave is marked today by a chapel which was erected in front of the cave entrance in 1909, 40 m above the Rašćanska river valley. It is called Црква Светог Архангела Михаила у Рашчићима or Crkva Svetog Arhangela Mihaila u Raščićima (Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Raščići) as it was dedicated to the Archangel Michael.

The cave horizontal cave, which is easy to visit, it is with restrictions wheelchair-accessible. The main problem is actually the steep ascent from the road to the cave entrance. A high portal is followed by a 3 m wide passage, after a narrow part it widens for a 50 m long and 15 m wide chamber. The cave has two levels, but only the main level is easily accessible. A few years ago, paved trails, railings, educational signs and electric light were installed. We could not find out if the light is switched on by the visitors, by motion detectors, or only on official occasions, so we suggested bringing a good headlamp. It seems at some point they decided to make it a real show cave by introducing open hours and closing the cave for the rest of the time. That's actually a good idea, as it protects the cave from vandalism. The cave tour is still unguided, but it is also free of charge. As a result, we finally promoted the cave to the show cave category.

In the cave entrance, the remains of Cave Bear (Ursus spelaeus) and prehistoric man were discovered. It was facing south and sunny and was thus frequented as a hunting station. Zoran Vučićević from Ivanjica was the first who collected pottery shards and Pleistocene faunal fossils. Cave bear and Iron Age artifact discoveries during an unrelated areal survey were made at the cave entrance and in the main cavern. The cave was the subject of research and study in speleological and archaeological literature for over a century. In 2003, a joint excavation campaign of the University of Belgrade, the National Museum of Serbia and the Institute for Protection of Cultural Heritage in Kraljevo was carried out. The material of former excavations was thoroughly reviewed and documented. Also, a 2.5 m deep trench of 16 m² was dug in the entrance, the main cavern and the internal part of the cave plateau. Unlike the other finds, this time, the stratigraphic position of the findings was evaluated. Five sediment layers were investigated. The remains of cave bear, wolves, ibex, 13 species of rodents, and birds were unearthed. Human remains were discovered only in the entrance and in limited number. They were from the Gravettian, around 26,000 years ago at the beginning of the last glacial maximum. The current theory is that people due to the climate avoided mountainous habitats and preferably retreated to shelters near the coast and the southern Balkans.