Park at the foot of Bukulja: Bukovička banja spa, Arandjelovac

I spent a beautiful sunny day on the slopes of Bukulja mountain, the most favorite picnic spot and the heart of Šumadija, which rises above the Arandjelovac mountain from its 696 meters above sea level, and recorded another #wednesdaywalk.

Before entering Arandjelovac, after an hour's easy drive from Belgrade, I briefly stopped at the Tarpoš winery, for which I received a recommendation for quality white and red wines.

I chose a bottle of Tamjanika, the favorite variety in this region.

When I entered Arandjelovac, I parked my car in the parking lot of the Izvor hotel (a popular hotel with a Spa center and an outdoor aqua park with slides), which was not my destination this Wednesday.

The goal of my walk was one of the most beautiful parks in Serbia, famous for sculptures made of Venčac marble and springs of mineral water (Knjaz Miloš) - Bukovička banja spa park.
Bukovička banja spa Park is not just an ordinary city park, but one of the most significant monuments of nature and architecture in Serbia.
It covers more than 22 hectares and represents a kind of open-air gallery.

In the middle of the 19th century, land was bought and the first trees were planted.
Prince Mihajlo Obrenovic had the Old Building built as part of the park, which was supposed to be the Serbian Parliament House.
However, when the capital was moved from Kragujevac to Belgrade, Arandjelovac lost its importance and the Old Building, along with the park, became the summer residence of the Obrenović dynasty.
In this park, in an open-air gallery, over 70 marble sculptures by some of the world's most famous and local artists are exhibited.
All the sculptures are made of the famous Venčac White Marble, the same marble that was used for parts of the White House in Washington.

The park is located on rich sources of mineral water, which received awards for quality at the beginning of the 20th century and became the most famous brand of natural mineral water in Serbia.

The most interesting building is the Knjaz Miloš Pavilion, built in 1907, which was the first water bottling factory in Serbia.

Today it is a beautiful building where you can taste the water from three different hot and cold springs.

In front of the Knjaz Miloš pavilion, there is also the Pobeda spring, which today houses a cafe, as well as the Knjaz Mihailo spring, which is awaiting reconstruction.

In the beautiful complex of the Baths, which today represents a special hospital for rehabilitation, there is a source of the Hot Fountain, with healing water, but today that fountain is also out of order, it is in the reconstruction phase, so all the hot water ends up in the hospital complex behind these pillars, in the shadow of which the swallows nest.

While walking around the park, I read the information boards and learn about the history of this park, its flora and fauna, and take pictures of some marble sculptures.
I don't know much about art, but I like the massive white sculptures as a contrast to the green grass and blue sky.
And here in the park, as in the vineyard, there are dogs roaming freely, playing or sleeping in the warm sun.

Some fountains are in operation, others have not yet flowed water, and flowers have bloomed profusely at every step.

The only thing that doesn't look good in this park is what should be the brightest star of the park - the Old Building.

This building is the oldest preserved building in the Bukovička banja spa park and is one of the most recognizable symbols of Arandjelovac.

The building, which during the 19th century was considered the most beautiful building in Serbia, and at the beginning of the 20th century was turned into a luxury hotel, was the center of social life and balls for decades. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, due to negligence and carelessness, it became a mockery and ruin.

Once the most impressive part of the interior, the ballroom, known as the "Prince's Hall", which was decorated with a central crystal chandelier, period furniture, paintings and sculptures, has been destroyed today. The fire that happened in 2022 affected its complete destruction.

Instead of buying a ticket at the museum ticket office and touring the 150-year-old luxury building, I walked around the Old Building, looking for a ground-level window through which I could enter the interior and introduce this building to the #urbanexploration community, however, all the low windows are blocked with boards and bars and there are chains with padlocks on the doors with metal bars.

And since I didn't go on this trip equipped with a ladder and since I can't jump three meters high to reach an open window, I'll be content with just pictures of the exterior.
With the hope that this beautiful building will receive a long-promised reconstruction in the near future and that it will return to its old glory.

I return to the plateau in front of the Old Building, take a photo of another marble sculpture (in the shape of a piano) and continue my walk along the beautifully landscaped paths of the park.