Drvengrad (Küstendorf)

Kusturica's hand-built wooden village turned film festival venue

On Mećavnik Hill above Mokra Gora, director Emir Kusturica built a village from scratch — entirely out of wood — as a home, a film set, and an ongoing creative project. The result is eccentric and charming: winding lanes of wooden buildings named after cultural heroes (streets named after Bruce Lee, Che Guevara, Ingmar Bergman), a small orthodox church, a cinema, a hotel, and a picture gallery that is genuinely good.

The views from the hill across the valleys are excellent, and the whole place rewards slow wandering. It sits right next to the Mokra Gora railway station, so combining a Sargan Eight journey with a visit to Drvengrad makes for a full day out.

things to do sight
A story
Kusturica built Drvengrad as the setting for his 2004 film Life is a Miracle, constructing an entire wooden village on Mećavnik Hill. After filming, he simply kept living there. The village now hosts an annual film and music festival, Küstendorf, which draws filmmakers from around the world each January.