Vranjska Banja is one of Serbia’s royal spa towns, where members of the country’s ruling dynasties once sought rest and healing. It has been recorded in their writings and preserved in historical images, and recently, the vivid description of Vranjska Banja by Princess Darija Karađorđević has been brought back to life.
The Novi Sad – based publishing house Prometej, in cooperation with Radio Television of Serbia, has released a new edition of the book For Better Days, originally written by Princess Darija in 1917, as part of the Serbia 1914 – 1918 series.
This literary work offers a rare and authentic insight into the time of the First World War. In its opening chapters, the Princess recounts life in Vranjska Banja during the early months of the war, combining personal experiences with accounts of her humanitarian work, while capturing the everyday life and atmosphere of this small town in the midst of major historical events.
Particular value lies in her rich and evocative descriptions of nature and life in Vranjska Banja:
“During the first months of this Great War, our home was in Vranjska Banja, a small settlement on the main Belgrade – Salonika railway line. Located just southeast of Niš, it lies nestled in a beautiful valley within the Balkan mountain range, which marks the boundary between Serbia and Bulgaria. The road from the station to the village, about three miles long, is lined on both sides with magnificent horse chestnut trees, planted closely together, their intertwined branches forming a picturesque, continuous canopy. In summer, sunlight filters through the lush greenery, creating a delicate interplay of cool shade and bright rays. In autumn, the landscape transforms as the greenery turns golden-yellow, its gentle glow reminiscent of the halos seen in early Byzantine paintings. This rural road is equally striking in winter, when frost and snow cover the trees and the sun casts a diamond-like brilliance across the landscape.”
The Princess also describes the natural wealth of the area and its thermal springs, for which the spa remains renowned to this day:
“The stream flowing through the village greatly adds to its charm, as well as to its prosperity. One of its springs, with a temperature of 90 degrees Réaumur, has strong healing properties, and before the arrival of the railway, wealthy Turks from Constantinople would travel great distances by carriage to benefit from its waters. It is also worth noting that there is a very fine bathhouse here, with sunken marble pools in the old Roman style…”
With the republication of this book, readers have a unique opportunity to rediscover Princess Darija Karađorđević’s testimony on the beauty of Vranjska Banja, its thermal springs, and their healing properties – features that continue to attract visitors from Serbia and around the world.
