Mokra Gora – The Šargan Eight
Europe's most spectacular narrow-gauge mountain railway — a masterpiece of early 20th-century engineering that winds through 20 tunnels and across viaducts in a famous figure-of-eight loop above the Jatare valley.
The Šargan Eight (Šarganska Osmica) is Europe's most celebrated narrow-gauge tourist railway and a recognised masterpiece of industrial heritage. Connecting Mokra Gora with Šargan, it conquers a difference in altitude of roughly 300 metres across just 3.5 kilometres of straight-line distance — achieved through the ingenious figure-of-eight loop that gave the railway its name: 13.5 kilometres of track threading through 20 tunnels and across several bridges and viaducts high above the Jatare valley.
History
The idea of building the railway dates to the First World War. During the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia in 1916, work began to connect Vardište with Užice. Nine kilometres of track were laid as far as the foot of Šargan Mountain — the point still known locally as the Ninth Kilometre — before a catastrophic accident halted progress. During excavation of the tunnel beneath Budim Hill, a rockslide buried an entire work shift of Russian and Italian prisoners of war. The exact death toll remains unknown, but local witnesses put it at around 200 workers. A modest monument on Budim Hill marks the site today, inscribed only with the year 1916.
Work resumed on 1 March 1921, led by the Head Office in Sarajevo. One of the chief engineers was Hugo Keinzl, formerly Inspector of Bosnia-Herzegovina Railways. The line was completed in 1925, and the steam locomotive Ćira first ran the full route that year. Regular service continued until 28 February 1974, when the railway was closed.
The Route
Travelling the Šargan Eight has always been an experience unlike any other. As one period account describes it: "The steam engine wound its way up through gorges and cliffs between Šargan and Mokra Gora along a route so unusual that from certain points travellers could see three sections of track at three different levels. Many panicked when they spotted another locomotive bearing down on them — but there was no danger, as that other train was on a completely different loop."
Covering the full 13.5 kilometres, it remains genuinely impossible to work out in which direction the train has already passed or where it is headed next. Jatare station, mid-route, was used exclusively as a passing point for trains travelling in opposite directions — not a single ticket was ever sold there.
The Railway Today
In 1999, Serbian Railways began restoring the Šargan Eight for tourism. Today the entire line is revitalised with authentic station buildings and original rolling stock. The train Nostalgia — two steam locomotives pulling four carriages, including one open panoramic coach — carries visitors along the complete route. Jatare and Mokra Gora stations have been converted into welcoming inns where travellers can break their journey.
Alongside the Šargan Eight, the adjacent Forest Railway has also been restored — a 600 mm gauge line running approximately 2 kilometres along the Kamešnica River valley from Jatare. Near its starting point, beside a freshwater spring, the Homeland Association of Mokra Gora operates a summer stage, restaurant coaches and a souvenir shop. The picnic area Jatarice offers barbecues, a drinking fountain and covered tables.
The entire complex — track, stations and coaches — forms an open-air museum that documents not only the history of mountain railway engineering but the broader story of the Mokra Gora region. Far from the pace of modern life and set amid some of western Serbia's most beautiful landscapes, a ride on the Šargan Eight is a rare chance to slow down, feel the rhythm of steam, and recapture the unhurried spirit of an earlier age.