The starting point for getting to know the tourist content of the region and its surroundings is Astrum House Villa, located in the village of Klenak, along the very left bank of the Sava River, 107.7 km upstream from Belgrade, 22 km downstream from Sremska Mitrovica , the administrative center of the Sremska administrative district.
A little less than one kilometer downstream from the Villa is the Šabac Railway Bridge (1932) and 2.5 km away is the Šabac Road Bridge (1976), as part of state road 21, which connects the left and right banks of the Sava River. The new bridge, completed in 2022, 1 km upstream from our Villa, is part of the road route that will connect Bosnia and Herzegovina with Novi Sad via Loznica.
The Sava River (940 km), on the left bank of which the Villa is located, is separated from the river by a belt of tall, lush poplars and a fortified embankment built in the time of Queen Maria Theresa. In its lower reaches, the Sava is a strong lowland river, navigable and rich in fish. Its width near Šabac and Klenk is the largest, over 600m, and it represents an inexhaustible source of life, “a colorful succession of forests, wet meadows, wide shores and the water itself, a wealth of plant and animal species”. On its right bank, there are the remains of the Šabac fortress (1471), which were built by the Turks during their conquests towards the west.
The village of Klenak, which is located on the opposite side of the fortress, on the other bank of the river, by the Peace of Požerevac in 1718. year, which was concluded between Austria and Turkey, it became a border place and became part of the Military Frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy. It had a customs house, a financial guard, a gendarmerie, a school with two teachers, and as a privilege it acquired the right to built of hard material the Orthodox church dedicated to the Transfer of the relics of the Holy Father Nicholas. The tower, which is 45 m high, was built in 1806. as a gift from Vožde Karadjordja to the inhabitants of Klenk, for their help in the First Serbian Uprising. It belongs to the range of lowland villages with wide and long streets and houses close to each other.
Thanks to the proximity of the Sava River, the continuity of the settlement of this region began since prehistoric times, i.e. middle Neolithic, about 7,000 years BC. The famous Vinča culture, the most technologically advanced prehistoric culture in Europe, covered the territory of the central Balkans that spread along the banks of major rivers. One of the richest and most important archaeological sites in Serbia of this culture is Gomolava , near Hrtkovci, on the left bank of the Sava River, 23 km from our Villa. This locality is under the protection of the RS state as an archaeological site of exceptional importance. His most important find is the Two-Headed Statuette (4,700 BC) which was found in a tomb with various gifts for the afterlife. Among the thousands of Vinča figurines made of baked clay, this one is unique, as only a few have been found depicting two-headed men, but none are as exquisitely sculpted as this one. In addition, one of the more significant discoveries is the necropolis of 27 graves, in which the deceased were laid on their sides in a crouched position.
The long-term life of man from those ancient times in these areas is preserved in the prehistoric collections of the Local Museum of Rum and the Museum of Vojvodina, Novi Sad. The Srem Museum in Sremska Mitrovica preserves the fossil remains of mammoths, giant deer and wild cattle, which were found in the mud of the Sava River.
Today’s flora and fauna are significantly different from those of ancient times, but the tradition of hunting and fishing is still present in this region. In the “Karakuša” hunting ground , which is of plains type I and which surrounds Klenak on three sides, hunting of large game is organized by check and sneaking, and the main hunting species are wild boar, deer, roe deer, jackal, fox. In this hunting ground, individual and group wild boar hunting is organized, and there is also a pheasant farm where it is possible to buy pheasant game. For those who prefer nature in the area of the hunting grounds, the plant communities of oak, hornbeam, ash, white poplar forests stand out, and the natural meadows are covered with a variety of grasses.
In the neighboring village of Platičevo, there is a paradise for adventurers and lovers of pond wetlands, Bara Trskovača, a protected habitat of category III, due to the indigenous varieties of tench and golden crucian carp, which survive here as stable communities. In addition to fish, lovers of eco-tourism can meet reptiles, amphibians, 9 species of dragonflies, 72 species of birds, as well as a protected species, the spoonbill.
The narrow-gauge railway line Ruma – Klenak , which was put into operation in 1901. It is still running, and with the construction of the railway bridge, it connected the left and right banks of the Sava and extended the road route to Šabac, Loznica and Zvornik. In the new train, which is in 2015. put into traffic, between Ruma and Šabac, which runs six times a day, a bicycle can be inserted, so if you want to go on a tour of the city from Vila, it can be very exciting and unusual.
Our Astrum House Villa was built and equipped according to the model of Roman agricultural estates – the so-called Rustic Villas , which in ancient times were built near Sirmium , one of the four imperial residential cities.
Plenty of traces of ancient Rome are present in the area: Basiana (Donji Petrovac), Solnik (Dobrinci). One of the examples, too, is the gilded helmet of a Roman cavalry commander, about 1700 years old, from the 4th century AD. century AD, found by chance in 2005. during field work in the village of Jarak, 15 km from our Villa. It is in the collection of the Museum of Vojvodina in Novi Sad. In addition to this helmet, two more helmets of similar quality were found in the vicinity of Berkasovo near Šid, so the entire proctor of Srem was called the Valley of Golden Helmets .
Thanks to the proximity of the Sava River, the continuity of the settlement of this region began since prehistoric times, i.e. middle Neolithic, about 7,000 years BC. The famous Vinča culture, the most technologically advanced prehistoric culture in Europe, covered the territory of the central Balkans that spread along the banks of major rivers. One of the richest and most important archaeological sites in Serbia of this culture is Gomolava, near Hrtkovci, on the left bank of the Sava River, 23 km from our Villa. This locality is under the protection of the RS state as an archaeological site of exceptional importance. His most important find is the Two-Headed Statuette (4,700 BC) which was found in a tomb with various gifts for the afterlife. Among the thousands of Vinča figurines made of baked clay, this one is unique, as only a few have been found depicting two-headed men, but none are as exquisitely sculpted as this one. In addition, one of the more significant discoveries is the necropolis of 27 graves, in which the deceased were laid on their sides in a crouched position.
During the construction of the new bridge, a large number of archaeological artifacts from the Neolithic and ancient periods were found, and excavations are underway. In the vicinity of Klenk, there are also the remains of a Roman necropolis, whose archaeological excavation will be carried out in the coming years.
What else is in the area and can be visited on short trips:
