Pančić's Peak
2,017 m
Serbia
Also known as Pančićev vrh, Panchichev vrh, +5Also known as
Pančićev vrh · Panchichev vrh · Pico Pančić · Панчићев врх · Vârful Pančić · Пик Панчича · Maja Pançiq
- Elevation
- 2,017 m
- Prominence
- 1,445 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Summit not accessible
The summit and Pančić's mausoleum are inside a fenced military radar station; walkers turn back at the outer fence a few metres below.
srbijapodlupom.com
NoticeReported 13 Feb 2021
The summit and Pančić's mausoleum lie inside a fenced military zone; access has been officially banned since the radar was rebuilt after 1999 and remained closed when this was reported in February 2021.
srbijapodlupom.com
Routes
1A short walk of about 300 m of ascent from the Kopaonik ski resort (Konaci) over Pajino preslo to the trig point on Suvo Rudište (1,976 m) and on along a dirt road to the fence of the military radar station that occupies the true summit and Pančić's mausoleum. The highest point itself is not open to the public.
This route ends at Closed-area boundary, about 110 m from the summit, which is not accessible. Distance, ascent and times are to that point.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 3.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +293 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,977 m
- Time Up
- 1h 26m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 07m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start in the Konaci area of the Kopaonik ski resort (Sunčani vrhovi, about 1,720–1,770 m), where buses from Raška arrive. Marked paths, partly following the 'Josif Pančić' hiking transversal, lead south to the Pajino preslo saddle (1,804 m) and up the grassy ridge, criss-crossed by ski runs and lift lines, to Suvo Rudište (1,976 m), a trig point beside a fenced former mine pit. Pančićev vrh lies about 500 m further south-east and some 40 m higher; a dirt service road continues to it past the upper station of the Pančićev vrh chairlift. The summit is occupied by a fenced military radar and air-traffic installation that also encloses Pančić's mausoleum. Access has been officially banned since the radar was rebuilt after the 1999 NATO bombing; walkers turn round at the outer fence, a few metres below the highest point, and should not photograph the military buildings. The Serbia–Kosovo administrative line runs about 50 m south of the summit. No official walking time is published for this line; with roughly 300 m of ascent and 3–4 km each way, allow about 1–1½ hours up (estimate). In summer the Pančićev vrh chairlift runs daily and makes a one-way walk easy. The upper slopes were contaminated with cluster munitions in 1999; clearance projects ran until 2020, but stay on marked paths, roads and ski runs.
Start
Konaci1,719 m
- Pančićev vrh chairlift (detachable four-seater, installed 2006, 1,393 m long, 248 m rise, 5-minute ride); it has run daily in recent summers as well as in winter. Check the current timetable with Skijališta Srbije.
- Bus to Raška (or Brus), then a bus to Kopaonik; buses arrive and depart from the car park below Konaci.
- Parking at the trailhead
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Konaci1,719 m
Resort centre and bus stop; elevation approximate
- Col: Pajino preslo1,803 m
- Shoulder: Suvo Rudište1,973 m
- Waypoint: Closed-area boundary1,977 m
not on route line
- Waypoint: Closed-area boundary1,977 m
Summit not accessible beyond this point
Key Passages
- Pajino preslo
- Suvo Rudište trig point (fenced former mine pit nearby)
- Outer fence of the military zone below the summit
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
The highest point of Kopaonik (2,017 m) and of central Serbia, a rounded summit above the country's largest ski resort. A short walk from the resort brings you to the fence of the military radar station that occupies the top and encloses the mausoleum of the botanist Josif Pančić.
Pančićev vrh crowns the Kopaonik massif on the Suvo Rudište plateau in Kopaonik National Park, about 50 m north of the administrative line between Serbia and Kosovo. It is a gentle grassy dome rather than a mountaineering objective: the Kopaonik ski resort sits just below it, ski runs and a chairlift reach almost to the top, and a dirt road leads to the summit installations. On clear days the views reach Durmitor, Komovi and Bjelasica in Montenegro and the Šar mountains and Korab to the south.
The summit itself is a fenced military zone with a radar and air-traffic installation, and the public has been barred since it was rebuilt after the 1999 NATO bombing. That also puts the mausoleum of Josif Pančić, the 19th-century botanist after whom the peak is named, out of reach. Most visitors walk up from the Konaci resort centre over Pajino preslo to the neighbouring trig point of Suvo Rudište (1,976 m) and on to the fence, or ride the Pančićev vrh chairlift.
In 1999 the radar base was attacked with cluster munitions, and the surrounding slopes were cleared in ten projects between 2005 and 2020. Several deminers were killed or injured on the mountain, so it is sensible to stay on paths, roads and ski runs.
Climbing Notes
Physically this is an easy outing: about 300 m of ascent and 1–1½ hours from Konaci (estimate), or a five-minute chairlift ride. Bring windproof layers, as the plateau is exposed and often foggy, and a map or GPS track for poor visibility. Do not try to enter the military zone or photograph its buildings, and do not continue south of the summit towards the Kosovo administrative line. In winter the area is part of the ski resort; snowshoers and ski-tourers should keep to resort rules and marked routes.
The walk combines well with the national park's Nebeske stolice trail (4–5 hours, medium difficulty) along the ridge south of the summit to the early Christian site of Crkvina.
History
The summit was formerly called Milanov vrh after King Milan Obrenović. A memorial to Josif Pančić was placed on the top in 1897, and on 7 July 1951 the remains of Pančić and his wife were moved into a mausoleum on the summit, after which the peak was renamed. A military radar was built there in the 1980s; the installations and the mausoleum were damaged in the 1999 NATO bombing and rebuilt around 2001, after which access was officially banned. The Mountaineering Association of Serbia has asked for the mausoleum to be exempted from the restricted zone, without an official response as of 2017.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Ski season; summit reachable by lift or on snowshoes within the resort
- Feb
- Ski season; frequent fog and strong wind
- Mar
- Ski season
- Apr
- End of ski season; slushy snow
- May
- Snowmelt; lifts usually closed
- Jun
- Summer lift season starts in late June
- Jul
- Best walking season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Best walking season
- Sep
- Often clear; summer lift season ends mid-September
- Oct
- Possible first snow; lifts closed
- Nov
- Early winter conditions
- Dec
- Ski season begins
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Kopaonik National Park charges a motor-vehicle fee at the Đorov most, Brzeće and Sunčana dolina barriers (from RSD 300 per day for cars, under the 2020 tariff); electric vehicles are exempt
- Chairlift and gondola tickets are paid separately
- Rules
- The summit is a fenced military installation (radar and air-traffic facilities) enclosing Pančić's mausoleum; public access is banned and photographing the military buildings is prohibited
- The Serbia–Kosovo administrative line runs about 50 m south of the summit; do not cross it here
- The slopes around the summit were contaminated with cluster munitions in 1999. Clearance projects were completed in 2020, but stay on marked paths, roads and ski runs and do not touch unknown objects
- Kopaonik National Park rules apply; part of the area lies in the Suvo Rudište and Duboka nature reserves
- Getting There
Raška (or Brus)
Niš Constantine the Great Airport (INI) or Belgrade Nikola Tesla (BEG)
- Road access to the resort via Raška, Brzeće or Jošanička Banja
- Buses from Raška arrive and depart from the car park below Konaci
- In summer the Brzeće–Mali Karaman gondola runs at weekends, and the Pančićev vrh chairlift runs daily
Hazards
- Weather