Vucje, Leskovac municipality
Skobaljic town
Protected cultural monument, listed as SK 875 with the Republic Institute for the protection of monuments of cultural heritage.
Skobaljic townVucje, Leskovac
Location
Skobaljic Town is a medieval fortress built on the left bank of the river Vucjanka canyon, on the very top of a rocky ridge, 20 km south of Leskovac, close to Vucje.
Skobaljic Town is not precisely located on the Google Maps. An additional problem in the field is that there are no clear road signs or signposts.
Research
This is another important cultural monument, a fortress, that has not been researched enough. Archaeological research was conducted between 1984 -1988 by the Institute for the preservation of the monuments of cultural heritage Nis, with Faculty of Philosophy from Belgrade joining in 1986. After several years of intermission, the research was resumed in 2019.
History
Positioned on a strategically important place, the locality was naturally protected and used as early as pre-historic times. The earliest marks of life in this area originate from the Bronze age. The oldest stone edifice was built in pre-Roman times, while the younger edifice, built in stone and brick, originates from early Byzantine period.
Archaeological research proved that the fortress was used in ancient times, and then again between 10th and 15th century.
Description
The fort spreads on approximately 2 hectares, and has an Upper and Lower Town as well as a suburb on the northeast side.
The Upper town comprises about 400 square meters with a preserved cultural layer. It is surrounded by a rampart with two diagonally placed towers. A smaller tower protects the gate leading into the Lower town, while a bigger keep (preserved up to the first floor) is located in the northwest part of the Upper town and dominates the edifice.
The Lower town, together with its suburb spreads on approximately a hectare and a half east from the Upper town. The ramparts follow the configuration of the terrain and are made on the north and east side, while on the south side there is a steep cliff. On the east side of the rampart, the remains of a tower were discovered, built with bricks and stone in alternating rows, from Byzantine period.
Folk belief
Nikola Skobaljic (1430-1454) was a Serbian duke born in Dubocica, the last ruler of this area before the Turkish conquest. The folk belief calls him a great hero who fought with the Turks, but was never defeated. The lore says that he was born of a girl from the village Vina who conceived him after having eaten the fish skobalj. It is known that the Turks did catch him and cruelly executed him, having impaled him on a stake. Still, the folk tale says that, when he was surrounded by the Turks, his horse ascended in the sky and took him to legend.
Julka Kuzmanović Cvetkovićarcheologist
