Kilowatts for recreation - Sports center in location of former strip mine of Kolubara in Lazarevac

(Lazarevac)

Only 50 km south of Belgrade, in the location of former Tamnava-istocno polje (Tamnava-eastern field) strip mine, which has been transferred to the municipality of Lazarevac by Kolubara Mining Basin, a unique sports and recreation center in this part of Serbia will be built. In addition to the existing flowing lake, shooting range and two football fields, the future complex, at the surface area of 250 ha, will also comprise a hippodrome and a motordrome.

With its rich tourist offer, this complex will also be an excellent example of re-cultivation, that is, "revival" and correct exploitation of a degraded land. Serbia has a large number of coal mines, quarries, clay deposits and similar surfaces that are left to natural re-cultivation upon their exploitation, and the location of the former strip mine in the municipality of Lazarevac will be one of the golden models.

Kolubara Mining Basin has alloted about 100 ha of partially uncultivated land to the municipality of Lazarevac for the purpose of the construction of a sports and recreation center. The leveling of the field for the hippodrome has already been done, while a concept of the preliminary solution for the motordrome already exists. The initial idea for the motordrome has come from LA Moto motorcycle club and coordinator Borisav Jovanovic, while Kolubara equestrian club and its president Radoslav Blagojevic have given the idea for the hippodrome.

- The sports and recreation center occupies the surface area six kilometers west of the intersection of Ibarska main route and Veliki Crljeni-Obrenovac road, and it is also six kilometers away from the route of the future Belgrade-Ub-Pozega motorway - Leskovac Mayor Branko Boric explained for eKapija.

A high-quality shooting range, an artificial lake and football fields have already been built in that location and the terrain is prepared for a "school village" where primary school pupils from the territory of Lazarevac and neighboring municipalities may have outdoor classes. As Boric pointed out, construction of all existing contents is financed by Kolubara Mining Basin from Lazarevac.

Shooting range, lake and football fields

- Tamnava shooting range occupies the surface area of 17 ha, it has 22 shooting stands placed 50 and 100 meters away from targets. At this range, one can shoot from small caliber rifles and pistols from the distance of 50 meters and military rifles from the distance of 100 meters. There are 12 shooting stands for pistols of all calibers at the distance of 25 meters and an air rifle range with six shooting stands. Also, this shooting range is the place where all championships, from municipal to federal ones, are organized. It has also been used by our national team for preparations over the last few years - Boric explained.

For the needs of opening a new strip mine in Veliki Crljeni (Field E), it was necessary to change the flow of the Kolubara river. This was done by domestic experts from Kolubara Mining Basin in association with Jaroslav Cerni Institute and Belgrade-based Hidrotehnika- Hidroenergetika. The flowing lake itself, which now corrects the river flow, occupies the surface area of 12 ha, while the total surface area of the complex around the lake is 48 ha.

The surface area of the complex of football fields and accompanying facilities amounts to 7 ha.

Architectural companies and contractors that have, so far, been engaged in the SRC project in Lazarevac are: Kolubara Projekt, as a part of Kolubara Mining Basin, Kolubara Gradjevinar, Jaroslav Cerni Institute, and Hidrotehnika-Hidroenergetika.

New contents in the sports center

According to the words of the Lazarevac Mayor, the hippodrome will occupy the surface area of 44 ha and the project will most probably be financed pursuant to the model of public-private partnership. Also, there is a possibility of applying for the grants of the European Union, which helps renovation of the ruined areas previously occupied by strip mines either through donations or by approving favorable loans.

- It should be pointed out that the land on which the sports and recreation center is going to be built is owned by the state and that its user is Kolubara Mining Basin so that the procedure of transfer of the rights of use to the city borough of Lazarevac is underway. That will make it possible for the city borough of Lazarevac to dispose of the land as its share or in some other way in the project itself - says Boric.

A proof that the private sector finds the sports and recreation center (SRC) project interesting is the interest expressed by Canadian investors, that is, the representatives of local big Woodbine hippodrome and Manhattan Equine Development horse clinic who presented the plan for construction of the sports and recreation center and the hippodrome in the Ministry of Diaspora last month.

As Boric explained, the sports tourism development is one of the priorities of the tourist offer.

- No city in Serbia other than Lazarevac offers such potentials for sport and recreation and owns so many sports capacities in such a small space. The borough has a top-quality hall for indoor sports, which comprises an indoor swimming pool, a gym and a trim room, as well as premises for dancing and martial arts. Next to this one, it also has an auxiliary training hall with a bawling room, a shooting range and a chess club. We also have several outdoor fields for mini sports, a first-class football field with two supporting fields, and two tennis courts with an auxiliary court, and all these contents are situated within an area of 100 meters in diameter. Less than 500 meters away from the hall there is an outdoor Olympic swimming pool, while the lake is 1 km away. In addition, the indoor swimming pool and the football stadium are situated in Veliki Crljeni, about 8 km away from the future center.

Ocaga recreation complex

Ocaga recreation complex has a special place in the tourist offer of Lazarevac.

- That is a big complex that is only partially built and it offers potentials for the construction of a sports camp or a weekend holiday resort since it is situated in the vicinity of Belgrade and has all possible accompanying contents - says our interlocutor.

Ocaga is located directly next to the main route to Cacak and Uzice, that is, the road to Montenegrin seaside. It is only 55 km away from Belgrade. The lake has a spring water that is daily filtered by means of contemporary devices and it meets the standards of river waters that are used for bathing and water sports. The depth of the lake is 6 meters, while its capacity is 6,000 bathers a day. Two Olympic diving stands with three levels each and a pool slide with a swimming pool for kids and youth have already been built. The space around the lake is covered by grass, pedestrian walks and benches. There are also fields for mini sports (beach volleyball, beach football...) around the lake, which is well-lit so it can be used by night for various manifestations. The visitors also have a restaurant and a big parking lot at their disposal.

- Numerous streams and lakes (such as Ocaga, Lukavica, Susnjarica, etc.) represent a natural resource of Lazarevac and provide a healthy base for development of fishing and hunting, as well as rural tourism.

Accommodation capacities in Lazarevac borough

People in the borough of Lazarevac also think about the construction of tourist facilities for accommodation of guests. There are several locations for hotels or other accommodation facilities in the Lazarevac Master Plan. What has also been noticeable lately is the private initiative in that field. Among the first are Babina Reka complex in Trbusnica, Gerasimovic suites in Lazarevac, while the opening of a private hotel in Dren (4 km away from the center of Lazarevac) is in the pipeline.

The natural values of the borough of Lazarevac represent a significant precondition for tourism development. Lazarevac also has a very favorable geographic position because, in addition to the fact that it belongs to the region of Belgrade, the borough also has a good spatial position in regard to the travel directions in the central part of Serbia. Two very important corridors are going through Lazarevac - Ibarska main route and Belgrade-Bar railway.

T.S.