Old quarry · also called Rakovac Cave
Beli Majdan
A quarried hall in the hillside above the monastery, its roof held up by pillars of stone the quarrymen left standing. Ten minutes on foot from the monastery.
A village on the northern slope of Fruška Gora
Rakovac
Discover your Rakovac
More than 7,000 years of history in one valley on the northern slope of Fruška Gora, 13 km from Novi Sad. Rakovac is a great place to get to know the mountain’s nature and dive into its past: remarkable natural sites and archaeological monuments, an old monastery, forest trails to a waterfall, and local food and wine at the end of the day.
- 7,000+years of history, from the Neolithic to today
- 13 kmfrom the centre of Novi Sad
- 1545first record of the monastery
- 2,137residents (2022 census)
TEMP PHOTOStart here
Isposnica · 18th-century rock hermitage
Hermitage of Isaija Parivodski
A tiny monk’s cell cut into a limestone cliff deep in the forest, named after Isaija Parivodić, a hieromonk of Rakovac who carved his name here in 1771. The only rock hermitage in Vojvodina.
Dumbovački vodopad
Dumbovac Waterfall
A five-metre waterfall hidden in dense forest on the Dumbovac stream. About an hour’s walk from the monastery.
Manastir Rakovac · Stari Rakovac
Rakovac Monastery
Archaeological site · protected cultural property
Gradina: the lost abbey of Dombó
Seven thousand years in one place: a Neolithic village, a Roman villa, a medieval Benedictine abbey that became a fortress, and today an excavation site on the edge of Rakovac.
Biodynamic wine · Stari Rakovac
Salaxia & Imperator Winery
A family winery founded in 2009, described as the first biodynamic winery in Serbia. Tastings and wine to take home.
Explore Rakovac
History
From a Neolithic settlement and a Roman villa to the Second World War
Nature
Quarry hall, rock hermitage, waterfall, viewpoints, springs
Walking routes
Four marked walks from the monastery, 10 minutes to a full day
Nearby
Vrdnik spa and Fruške Terme, Vrdnik Tower, Lake Ledinci
The Monastery
Visiting, the sisterhood's milk and cheese, and a film location
Stay
Villas and holiday houses in the hills
Eat & drink
Fig, the Salaxia & Imperator winery, Pećina, Zmajevac
People
Who lived here: from the founder of the monastery to today's storytellers
For kids
The story of Rakovac told simply, playgrounds and easy walks
Useful info
Getting here, buses, fuel, emergency numbers, doctors, police, post, ATMs
Local products
Honey, the monastery's milk and cheese, wine, homemade food
Local industry
Companies that make things in Rakovac
Local identity
Logo, fonts and colours for local signs, menus, labels and websites, free of charge
Getting here
By car: Rakovac is on the regional road from Novi Sad to Beočin, 13 km from the centre of Novi Sad and 4 km from Beočin. From Belgrade it is about 95 km. For the monastery and the trails, turn south at the main crossroads in Novi Rakovac and follow the road about 3 km up the valley to Stari Rakovac.
By bus: GSP Novi Sad line 77 runs to Stari Rakovac and stops at the monastery. Line 78 to Beočin Selo stops at the crossroads in Novi Rakovac. See Useful info.
Two parts of one village
The village has two parts. Stari Rakovac (“Old Rakovac”) is the upper valley around the monastery, at the edge of the forest. Novi Rakovac (“New Rakovac”) grew after the Second World War down by the main road, where the shops, the post office and the bus stops are. Why there are two Rakovacs.
Nearby
Within a short drive: the spa village of Vrdnik with the Fruške Terme thermal resort, about 12 minutes over the hill, and the turquoise Lake Ledinci, about 15 minutes away (currently closed to visitors). Around Rakovac.
When to come
- Late winter and spring: snowdrops and wild hyacinths along the forest paths, and the Dumbovac waterfall at its fullest.
- Summer: shade in the forest, and evenings on the terraces of the winery and the holiday houses.
- Autumn: the deciduous forest turns gold and red, and the grape harvest begins on Fruška Gora.
Map of Rakovac
The map opens centred on Rakovac. Scroll or drag to move around it.