Bolecica
Encyclopedia
The Bolečica is a short river in north-central Serbia
, a 12 km-long right tributary to the Danube
. During its entire flow it runs through the suburban section of Belgrade
and despite being short it flows through the three Belgrade's municipalities, next to the half dozen of suburbs of Belgrade (giving its name to one of them) with a total population of 35,000 and is a route to important roads.
region, between two "Belgrade mountains", Avala
and Kosmaj
, on the slopes of the Begaljica Hill, at an altitude of 105 meters. Originally, it flows to the north along the eastern slopes of the Avala, crossing between the municipalities of Grocka
and Voždovac
, next to the villages of Vrčin
and Zuce
, where it receives the Vranovac creek from the right and enters the valley of Bubanj Potok
where it marks the eastern border of the woods of Stepin Lug
, turns to the north-east through the southernmost tip of the municipality of Zvezdara
(for some 300 meters) and receives two more creeks from the left, Bubanj Potok and Zavojnička reka. Bolečica continues through the southern section of Leštane
, where it receives the creek of Kaluđerički potok from the left and forms the border between the four suburbs area: Leštane, Boleč
, Ritopek
and Vinča
(where it receives the creek of Makački potok from the left), where it empties into the Danube by a small estuary
at an altitude of 68 meters, just east of Belo Brdo, the archeological find of the Vinča culture
.
Due to the much larger impact the river has on Leštane than it has on Boleč, through which it basically doesn't flow, some of the geographers tend to call the river Leštanska reka (Cyrillic: Лештанска река, Leštane river) but the name has not been accepted officially neither among the local population.
A short valley of Bolečica, which can be divided in two sections, Vrčin-Bubanj Potok and Bubanj Potok- Leštane-Vinča is a natural route for several important transportation lines:
Bolečica is bridged by the Kružni put in Leštane and by the Smederevski put, near the crossroad with Kružni put. Works on building additional 3 kilometers of the road from that point to the river's mouth into the Danube are halted in 2006. However, this section of the Bolečica's valley is projected route of the future modern highway which should begin at the Bubanj Potok highway crossroad and continue through the projected bridge Vinča-Omoljica
into the province of Vojvodina
. Despite frequent discussion by the city government on this subject, no projects have been accepted so far.
The name of the river means literally "(the water) that cures the illness" (Serbian: bol, ilneess, pain and lečiti, to heal, to cure). Today however, the river is highly polluted, becoming merely an open sewage canal. Dumping of the sewage begins already at Vrčin
, and the sewages of all the adjoining settlements, even much larger and distant Kaluđerica. As of March 2007, the projected sewage collector is still not finished. In addition, Bolečica flows through two emerging industrial zones, those of Bubanj Potok and Leštane. The dumping of industrial waste contributed to the demise of the wildlife in the river, which until late 1990s was clear brook with small fishes and frogs, but today is dead, murky and full of waste deposits and not suitable even for the industrial use anymore.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, a 12 km-long right tributary to the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. During its entire flow it runs through the suburban section of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and despite being short it flows through the three Belgrade's municipalities, next to the half dozen of suburbs of Belgrade (giving its name to one of them) with a total population of 35,000 and is a route to important roads.
Course
Bolečica originates in the northern, low ŠumadijaŠumadija
Šumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...
region, between two "Belgrade mountains", Avala
Avala
Avala is a mountain in Serbia, overlooking Belgrade. It is situated in the south-eastern corner of the city and provides a great panoramic view to Belgrade, Vojvodina and Šumadija, as the surrounding area on all sides is mostly a lowlands...
and Kosmaj
Kosmaj
Kosmaj is a mountain south of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. With an elevation of 626 meters, it is the highest point of the entire Belgrade City area and is nicknamed one of two "Belgrade mountains" .- Location :The Kosmaj, is located 40 kilometers south-east of Belgrade...
, on the slopes of the Begaljica Hill, at an altitude of 105 meters. Originally, it flows to the north along the eastern slopes of the Avala, crossing between the municipalities of Grocka
Grocka
Grocka is a suburban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
and Voždovac
Voždovac
Voždovac is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
, next to the villages of Vrčin
Vrcin
Vrčin is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Grocka.- Geography :...
and Zuce
Zuce
Zuce is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac.- Location and geography :...
, where it receives the Vranovac creek from the right and enters the valley of Bubanj Potok
Bubanj Potok
Bubanj Potok is a non-residential suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac.-Location:...
where it marks the eastern border of the woods of Stepin Lug
Stepin Lug
Stepin Lug or Gaj is a park-wood and, for the most part, non-residential suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipalities of Voždovac and Zvezdara .- Location :Stepin Lug is located on the south-eastern outskirts of Belgrade...
, turns to the north-east through the southernmost tip of the municipality of Zvezdara
Zvezdara
Zvezdara is a hill, forest, urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
(for some 300 meters) and receives two more creeks from the left, Bubanj Potok and Zavojnička reka. Bolečica continues through the southern section of Leštane
Leštane
Leštane is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Grocka.- Location :Leštane is located 15 km east of Belgrade, originally further away from the major roads...
, where it receives the creek of Kaluđerički potok from the left and forms the border between the four suburbs area: Leštane, Boleč
Bolec
Boleč is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Grocka.- Location :...
, Ritopek
Ritopek
Ritopek is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade's municipality of Grocka, 20 km east of Belgrade and 19 km west of the municipal seat, on the right bank of the Danube, across the village of Ivanovo in Banat region of the Vojvodina...
and Vinča
Vinca
Vinca is a genus of six species in the family Apocynaceae, native to Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. The English name periwinkle is shared with the related genus Catharanthus .-Description:Vinca plants are subshrubs or herbaceous, and have slender trailing stems 1–2 m long...
(where it receives the creek of Makački potok from the left), where it empties into the Danube by a small estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
at an altitude of 68 meters, just east of Belo Brdo, the archeological find of the Vinča culture
Vinca culture
The Vinča culture is a Neolithic archaeological culture in Southeastern Europe, dated to the period 5500–4500 BCE. Named for its type site, Vinča-Belo Brdo, a large tell settlement discovered by Serbian archaeologist Miloje Vasić in 1908, it represents the material remains of a prehistoric society...
.
Characteristics
The majority of the Bolečica's flow has been channeled, mostly in the Bubanj Potok-Leštane section. For that purpose, the river bed has been concreted and moved to the west, so the river is now further away from Boleč, which was named after the river. It enabled for a usually minor water flow to conduct abundantly larger quantities of water during heavy rains and floods. However, the final 3 kilometers of the river, through Vinča, has not been channeled, so with the growth of the Danube's level, the water overflows the estuary preventing the waters drained by Bolečica to flow into the Danube (inverse flow). As a result, during high levels, Bolečica overspills itself, sometimes causing the traffic breach on a major roads that cross over the river, like Kružni put and Smederevski put.Due to the much larger impact the river has on Leštane than it has on Boleč, through which it basically doesn't flow, some of the geographers tend to call the river Leštanska reka (Cyrillic: Лештанска река, Leštane river) but the name has not been accepted officially neither among the local population.
A short valley of Bolečica, which can be divided in two sections, Vrčin-Bubanj Potok and Bubanj Potok- Leštane-Vinča is a natural route for several important transportation lines:
- the Belgrade-PožarevacPožarevacPožarevac is a city and municipality in eastern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Braničevo District of Serbia...
railway - the Kružni put, major road in the southern outskirts of Belgrade which begins almost 30 kilometers to the west, at OstružnicaOstružnicaOstružnica is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Čukarica....
- the section of Smederevski put, tha major road which connects Belgrade and SmederevoSmederevoSmederevo is a city and municipality in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, about 40 km downstream of the capital Belgrade. According to official results of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 107,528...
- the section of the Belgrade-NišNišNiš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
highway, at Bubanj Potok
Bolečica is bridged by the Kružni put in Leštane and by the Smederevski put, near the crossroad with Kružni put. Works on building additional 3 kilometers of the road from that point to the river's mouth into the Danube are halted in 2006. However, this section of the Bolečica's valley is projected route of the future modern highway which should begin at the Bubanj Potok highway crossroad and continue through the projected bridge Vinča-Omoljica
Omoljica
Omoljica is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Pančevo municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village population is 6,518 people .-References:...
into the province of Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
. Despite frequent discussion by the city government on this subject, no projects have been accepted so far.
The name of the river means literally "(the water) that cures the illness" (Serbian: bol, ilneess, pain and lečiti, to heal, to cure). Today however, the river is highly polluted, becoming merely an open sewage canal. Dumping of the sewage begins already at Vrčin
Vrcin
Vrčin is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Grocka.- Geography :...
, and the sewages of all the adjoining settlements, even much larger and distant Kaluđerica. As of March 2007, the projected sewage collector is still not finished. In addition, Bolečica flows through two emerging industrial zones, those of Bubanj Potok and Leštane. The dumping of industrial waste contributed to the demise of the wildlife in the river, which until late 1990s was clear brook with small fishes and frogs, but today is dead, murky and full of waste deposits and not suitable even for the industrial use anymore.