Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia
 
10.08.2015.

In honour of the Serbian army



The expedition "Albanian Golgotha 100 years later" was planned with the aim of crossing the Albanian mountains, as did the Serbian Army in the First World War. Four brave men will carry personal sports equipment, food for the first few days, melting snow to get water, setting up bivouac for a temporary stay, sleeping in tents, orienting with the help of a compass and, if necessary, seeking the help of local residents.

The route starts in Pec, at 560 meters above sea level and ends in Drac, on the Adriatic coast. It is estimated that the expedition trip of about 280 kilometers will be crossed within 15 to 20 days.

Captain Nenad Mitrovic from the 204th Aviation Brigade, and Marko Nikolic, Nemanja Neskovic and Marko Markovic, professional mountaineers, decided to pay homage with this gesture to our people that, a century ago, crossed the same way with a lot of difficulty, effort and human losses. A hundred years later, the men chose between the three routes that the army had paced the most difficult one - from Pec to Drac, and will go on the pilgrimage without any logistical support.

- We start at the beginning of December, with transportation to Pec. The idea is continue on foot from there through the Rugovska Gorge, across the mountain Cakor, and to come to the port of Drac. Under a previous agreement, there we will board a vessel of the French Navy and go to Corfu, as our ancestors had a hundred years ago. Thus, the "Albanian Golgotha 100 years later" will be completed. After that, for our pleasure, during our return, we would visit the Serbian military cemetery Zejtinlik and cross Kajmakcalan to go back - Captain Mitrovic explains.

The men had been informed about the paths of the Serbian army, historical facts, possible benefits, obstacles and problems. They also talked with historians, who advised them on the choice of routes and directions of retreat, showing numerous old maps on which all had been charted.

- Out of the three directions of retreat, one took the most lives. The path through Prizren and Vezirov Bridge, which was completely frozen, was the most difficult to overcome. However, there is a motorway there now, so it is no longer the greatest and most difficult challenge - Marko Nikolic says.

There is enough time for complete preparation. All potential administrative problems with the entry into the territory of another country and crossing of the border outside the border crossing should be regulated. If problems occur, Plan B should always exist, as they are not willing to give up. With the strong support of colleagues, the brave men plan to achieve something that so far no one has done. Earlier on, there have been similar actions, but not carried out like this – the path was crossed on bicycles, in cars or just partly on foot.

According to Marko Markovic, the journey is a kind of a pilgrimage. The main motive is to walk in honor of the ancestors and paying homage to the victims. They do not go to show that "today, it can be done faster." The are honoured to walk down the path of the Serbian army and the people, which was crossed a hundred years ago.

- We expect to find traces of the retreat and crossing of Albania - wayside crosses, monuments, tombs, and parts of our glorious history about which very little is known. Wish us luck, and may we be richer for a new, amazing and unique life experience when we see you at the end of the year - Markovic said.

Sanja ANDJELKOVIC