Monastery Draca and Geographical Center of Serbia - village Draca

The village of Draca is on the road to town Gornji Milanovac, eight kilometers away from the city of Kragujevac, on the slopes of the Rudnik mountain. The settlement was founded in 1720. It was named after the plant with thorns named - draca /dracha/ that was widespread in this area, so it is mentioned in the oldest historical records from 1198. It is located at an altitude of 352m. In the area of the village, there is the geographical center of Serbia. The village is dominated by three hills: Visibaba (397m), Rujevica (472m) and Bogosavljevica (451m). Through the village flows the Draca River into which numerous streams flow. At the initiative of the famous professor Petar Markovic, who originated from this village, in 1984 an ethnographic museum was opene The Monastery "Draca" It is located 10km west of Kragujevac. The founder is the captain of Stanisa Markovic Mlatisuma, and the church is dedicated to St. Nicholas. The monastery was erected in 1734, while the icon-painting is from 1735. However, during the research in the church, traces of the older layer of frescoes were found, so it is assumed that there was an older church in that place, since the 16th century. During the 18th and 19th centuries the monastery was a significant cultural and spiritual center of this part of Serbia. In the monastery you can buy various medicinal balms. The balms are made from herbs and honey from this area, by the nuns of Draca monastery.