Vučje

Vučje (Вучје) is a town in southern Serbia, located some 15 km south from the city of Leskovac, its municipal seat. The population of the town is 2,865 people (2002 census). It is known for its archaeological site, Zelen grad, ruins of a medieval town.

Zelen grad
Zelen grad, also known as Skobaljić grad, was a medieval fortified town located on a cliff above Vučje. The locality itself is multi-layered: the oldest traces of settlements in this area go back to Chalcolithic age. Fragments of the ceramics found on the locality testify that it was also important during different phases of the Bronze age, due to its location and defensiveness. The oldest stone fort dates back to pre-Roman times, while the layer built out of stone and bricks combined with mortar dates back to the early Byzantine ages. According to the archeological discoveries, the fortification was extensively used between the 10th and 13th centuries, to be refortified and expanded in the 15th century. Most of today's visible remains date back to that period. Nikola Skobaljić was governing the town at the time, thus the name Skobaljić grad.

The town consisted of upper town, lower town, and the suburb that expanded eastwards up to the Vučjanka river. Upper town's surface is around 400 square meters overall. It had two diagonally placed towers: one being the access tower towards the lower town, and the other being a large donjon tower in the northwestern corner. Surface of the lower town is believed to be as big as 1400 squared meters. Based on the pottery found in the compound, as well as some preserved details of the fortification, indicates that the town had a significant importance during the times of Desa Vukanović, Stefan Nemanja, and his successors. The complex is located on steep rock, overgrown with tall trees, above a narrow terrain which is limited by a river. The town silhouette is barely spotted against the trees and terrain until in near immediate vicinity, so it is believed that it was a very well-defensible town. This may be one of the reasons why the town is called Zelen grad (Green town).