The Dragačevski Sabor trubača is a traditional festival and a unique trumpet showcase in Guča. The Church of the Holy Archangel Gabriel, the Trumpet Museum, and the Lapidarijum also point to different aspects of the town’s history. This raises a practical question for planning your trip: should the festival program determine your dates, or would you prefer to focus on buildings, collections, and monuments?

Festival Program and Trumpet Tradition

The Dragačevski Sabor trubača began in Guča in 1961. Every year, a parade of festival participants accompanied by trumpet orchestras makes its way through the streets of Guča. The program also includes an improvised traditional Dragačevo wedding, with participants in traditional dress processing through the town.

The Sabor features a competition considered one of the most prestigious in Serbia and a symbol of the Serbian trumpet tradition. The “Narodni višeboj” includes four disciplines: high jump, stone throwing, wrestling, and shooting through an apple ring. Zdravičari also perform at the Sabor, reciting traditional toasts, songs, and verses. Svadbarski kupus and roast are among the foods associated with the festival.

This makes the festival program a starting point for planning your trip, rather than just one item among several.

Church and Trumpet Museum

The Church of the Holy Archangel Gabriel was built between 1828 and 1831. It is a single-nave building with a semicircular apse. Its churchyard is also connected to Guča’s trumpet history: it is considered the birthplace of the first trumpet showcase, held on October 14, 1961.

The ground floor of the Trumpet Museum serves as a gallery. The museum also houses the exhibition “Heroine of an Era,” dedicated to the life’s work of Rajka Borojević. Among the objects on display is a bass trumpet belonging to Milosav Ivanović from Severovo near Arilje. It is estimated to be more than 100 years old. The church and museum offer different points of interest: the former highlights architectural history and the early site of the trumpet showcase, while the latter features an exhibition and a specific instrument from its collection.

Lapidarijum and Other Cultural Sites

The Lapidarijum offers another perspective on Guča’s cultural heritage. This unique complex comprises 33 funerary and roadside monuments created by self-taught rural stonemasons. In 2001, the Government of the Republic of Serbia placed the Lapidarijum under protection and declared it a cultural property. Its monuments are arranged in three Sobrašice.

The monument to the trumpet player also has clear symbolic significance: it represents Guča and its trumpet festival. Another cultural destination is a gallery in the center of Guča, established by self-taught painters and sculptors from Dragačevo. These sites complement the festival’s history with sculpture, stone monuments, and visual art.

Getting Around and Planning Your Trip

Guča’s hiking and cycling trails extend for eight kilometers in one direction. Bear this one-way distance in mind when planning your preferred route; the eight kilometers should not automatically be understood as the length of a round trip. Guča’s sports complex is located on the banks of the Bjelica River.

The reasons for visiting can be clearly distinguished: the Sabor brings together competitions, parades, performances, and food, while the church, museum, and Lapidarijum highlight architecture and cultural heritage. First, decide which focus will shape your trip. If you are visiting for the Sabor, check the festival dates and then look for hotel availability for your chosen period.

Discover more destinations: Leušići, Trudelj, Gornji Banjani, Konjevići, Mrčajevci, Grab, Rudnik, Gornji Milanovac

For the broader travel overview: Moravica District.