Kovacica, the place of wide, straight streets with a lot of greenery,
with worthily, hospitable people, is situated on the North-East of
Belgrade about 50km from the Yugoslav capital. Kovacica is connected
by roads and railway with Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin and other
places. Kovacica is the center of community which is special and extraordinary
by many things. Villages of the community were formed at the time
of the military border for defending middle Europe from Turk invasion.
Serbs, Slovaks, Hungarians and Romanians, Leaded with economical,
social, and religious reasons, have made their new places for living
here. They came with their religions, languages, traditions and cultures.
Cherishing and jealously protecting their own tradicions and originality,
they have prospected the same old tradicions as well. And so over
200 years, those four nations live in harmony and mutural respect
on the teritory of Kovacica comunity, creating interesting mixture
of four religions, four languages, four cultures and creating compact
entirety. To preserve their indentity remarkable success was gained
in folk dances, theaters, music, ethnology, painting, and art in general.
Kovacica is famous as a center of naive art because of the work of
naive painters from Kovacica for more then 40 years. And other parts
of this community have something specific, couse of what they are
interesting. In Idvor Mihajlo Pupin, the scienist known all over the
world was born; in Crepaja, the famous horse-games are taking place;
in Debeljaca, far known fairs are oganized; in Padina, deep wells
are conserved; in Samos exsist wery expensive collections of articstcs
acts; in Uzdin is a collection of naive paintings. In every there
are churches and special cultural monuments. River Tamis flows trough
out the community, and in Debeljaca, during the summer the Oliypic
swimming pool is open. In this environment Scout group "Janosik" from
Kovacica, that work since 1959. and has about 100 members came to
the idea to gather once a year young Scouts with the gift of painting.
The first Colony took place for the first time in 1994. and so the
new tradicion started. This gathering is usualy organized in the first
week of July. Then, during one week, over 100 young Scouts, older
then 14. years live and work the camp life under tents, make frendships,
find out about picturesque culture of Kovacica and paint. They participate
in cultural programs which are organized by the hosts, but they organize
they own fun as well. With good preises and hygienic conditions and
perfect domestic cuisine, the Sport center "Slavija" affords fovorable
conditions for the Colony to work. The organizer provides accomodion,
food and matirial for paintings. Participants of former Colonies,
came from Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulagaria, Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia
and Republika Srpska (Bosnia). They are living Kovacica with best
inpresions and and they are the best promoters of the International
Art Colony of Scouts Painters in Kovacica. Who came once in Kovacica
is allways comeing back there!