Standing stones in Serbia's western hills are not what most visitors expect, but the medieval necropolises called stećci are among the most remarkable monuments in the Balkans. They are big carved tombstones, shaped like chests, slabs or gabled roofs, made between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries across Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, and decorated with spirals, crescents, hunting scenes and knights on horseback. UNESCO listed a selection of the sites in 2016, and Mramorje, in the municipality of Bajina Bašta, is the Serbian one. The word comes from the old Slavic for standing, and at Mramorje, among the grass and beech trees, the stones lean at slight angles, mossy and weathered.
The country around is spectacular. Bajina Bašta sits on the Drina river, which here has cut a deep green canyon through the mountains, and the long reservoir of Perućac fills part of it. A famous little house stands on a rock in the middle of the river, built by swimmers in the 1960s and rebuilt many times after floods, a wonderfully odd sight. The roads along the Drina twist and turn in tight bends, with sheer drops, tunnels and bridges, and the surface varies from smooth to patched. Traffic is light, apart from trucks and the occasional tractor.
Bajina Bašta, eleven kilometres from the site, is a town of about eight and a half thousand people, with fuel, food and a few small hotels. Ðurići, a village of a thousand people, is closer but has few services, so fill up in Bajina Bašta. Rača Monastery, a short ride away, is a thirteenth-century foundation and one of the most beautiful in Serbia, with a rich history of manuscript copying. Local food is hearty, with grilled meat, kajmak, a creamy dairy spread, and strong plum brandy, rakija.
Plan for mist in the early morning, and for cool nights even in summer. In autumn, the beech forests turn gold and copper, and the river valley fills with mist. Treat the stones with respect. They are graves, and some are very fragile, so do not climb on them. A quiet visit is the best way to honour the people who made them.