Serbia in June 2026 Part 2 - Drvengrad and the "Shargan 8" narrow-gauge Railway

This is the second part of my exploration of the region of Mokra Gora in Serbia in June 2026. Here i focus on the Drvengrad and "Shargan 8" narrow-gauge railway. Drvengrad (also Mećavnik or Kustendorf) is a traditional village that the Serbian film director Emir Kusturica built for his film "Life Is a Miracle" from 2003 to 2004. Küstendorf is a word play on German "dorf" (village) and Kusturica's nickname. Since 2008, the village hosts the annual Küstendorf Film and Music Festival. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the Šargan Eight railway served as a vital link between three important cities: Belgrade, Sarajevo, and Dubrovnik. Its operation lasted from 1925 to 1974, leaving behind a rich historical legacy. Construction began in 1916 by the Austro-Hungarian forces, but due to the challenging terrain and wartime difficulties, it was never completed on time, and work continued until the first train departed on January 25, 1925. What makes this railway unique is its “eight” shaped route, which winds through a complex system of tunnels, bridges, and viaducts. This design was chosen by engineers at the time because the trains could not ascend the steep hills with a height difference of over 300 meters. Operations were suspended in 1974, but around 20 years later, talks about restoring the line began. In the summer of 2003, the first train of the newly restored line started running between Mokra Gora and Šargan Vitasi. By 2010, the railway line even extended to Višegrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina.