Udovice: Village History and Viticulture

Udovice appeals to travelers interested in village history, viticulture, and the landscape along the Udovice stream. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Udovice, these points of interest can help you choose a destination. The topics range from archaeological finds and architectural history to local customs.

Landscape and Getting There

Udovice lies on the banks of the Udovice stream and mainly along its upper course, on the so-called Danube Ridge, at an elevation of 191 meters. Udovice is also home to a spring called Zmajevac. The stream, its upper course, the elevation, and the spring describe different aspects of the local landscape: waterways, terrain, and a named natural site. The inhabited part of Udovice known as Jugovo is also called Golden Hill (Mons aureus).

The paved road to Belgrade provides access to Udovice; after about four kilometers, another paved road branches off via the settlement of Jablan to the village.

Church and Historical Traces

The village church was built in 1939–1940. Its patron saint is the Great Martyr Marina; her feast is celebrated every year on July 30. The year of construction and the feast day mark two different points in time: one indicates when the church building was constructed, while the other is an annual date in the village's religious calendar.

Chance finds from the Neolithic and Bronze Age have been recorded in Udovice. A bronze applique found in the present-day village, dating from the 1st or 2nd century, depicts a maenad wearing a wreath of flowers and leaves on her head. Thus, two early archaeological periods are represented alongside an ancient image motif assigned a specific date.

Foundation traces are visible at the site associated with the former Kokora Monastery. Traces of a cemetery are also visible near the former monastery. According to local tradition, there was once a village called Podgorica in the area of Udovice.

Viticulture and Local Customs

Fruit growing and viticulture have a long and rich tradition in Udovice. An older travel account puts the share of orchards and vineyards at 88 percent of Udovice's total area of 1,119 hectares. A report dated February 14, 2006, names the grape varieties “hamburg” and “muskant italija” for Beli breg and the opposite Zlatno brdo.

An ethnographic newspaper report dated February 14, 2006, describes a local custom of cutting a branch from the most productive grapevine and using it to decorate the holy icons in the home. For St. Tryphon's Day, the report describes a ritual: before sunrise, people enter the vineyards and pour wine over the cut vines and the frozen ground so that the year will be fruitful. The customs connect the grapevine with different aspects of life: decorating the household icons and a ritual in the vineyards.

Discover more destinations: Markovac, Velika Plana, Smederevska Palanka, Smederevo, Krnjevo, Vodice

Go to the main travel overview: Podunavlje District.