Bus from VRANJE to RAŠKA

Vranje is a city and the administrative center of the Pčinja District in southern Serbia. The city has a population of 83,524 inhabitants, while the urban area of the city has 60,485 inhabitants.

Vranje is the first city from the Balkans to be declared UNESCO city of Music. It is on located on the Pan-European Corridor X, close to the borders with North Macedonia and Bulgaria. The Eparchy of Vranje is seated in the city and the 4th Land Force Brigade of the Serbian army is stationed here.

Vranje was an important Ottoman trading site. The White Bridge is a symbol of the city and is called "most ljubavi" (lovers' bridge) after the tale of the forbidden love between the Muslim girl Ajša and Christian Stojan that resulted in the father killing the couple. After that, he built the bridge where he had killed her and had the story inscribed in Ottoman Arabic. The city has traditional Balkan and Ottoman architecture.

The well-known theater play Koštana by Bora Stanković is set in Vranje.

Vranje is famous for its popular, old music, lively and melancholic at the same time. The best known music is from the theater piece with music, Koštana, by Bora Stanković. This original music style has been renewed recently by taking different, specific, and more oriental form, with the contribution of rich brass instruments. It is played particularly by the Vranje Romani people.

Vranje lies close to Besna Kobila mountain and Vranjska Banja, locations with high potential that are underdeveloped. Other locations in and around Vranje with some tourist potential include Prohor Pčinjski monastery, Kale-Krševica, Markovo kale, Pržar, birth-house museum of Bora Stankovic.

Raška is a town and municipality located in the Raška District of the western Serbia. The municipality has a population of 24,680 people, while the town has a population of 6,574 people. It covers an area of 670 km². The town is situated on the rivers Raška and Ibar.

Citiy of Raška was named  by  Serb medieval state that comprised parts of what is today Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and southern Dalmatia, being centred in the region of Raška (hence its exonym). The state was formed in ca. 1091 out of a vassal principality of Duklja, a Serb state which had itself emerged from the early medieval Serbian Principality that was centred in Raška until 960, when it was left in obscurity in sources after the Byzantine–Bulgarian wars. Its founder, Vukan, took the title of Grand Prince when his uncle and overlord Bodin ended up in Byzantine prison after decades of revolt. While Duklja was struck with civil wars, Raška continued the fight against the Byzantines. It was ruled by the Vukanović dynasty, who managed to put most of the former Serbian state under their rule, as well as expanding to the south and east. Through diplomatic ties with Hungary it managed to retain its independence past the mid-12th century. After a dynastic civil war in 1166, Stefan Nemanja emerged victorious. Nemanja's son Stefan was crowned king in 1217, while his younger son Rastko (monk Sava) was ordinated the first Archbishop of Serbs in 1219.

The town and municipality bears the name of the historical Raška region. From 1929 to 1941, Raška was part of the Zeta Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Raska as a settlement was first mentioned in 1835, and the town of Raska was proclaimed at the session of the State Council of the Principality of Serbia on September 6, 1845, at the proposal of politicians and statesman Ilija Garašanin. Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević, by his decision of 17 September 1845, proclaimed the establishment of Raska.

The first urban plan of Raska dates from 1844, which was done by Nikola Alković, which is considered one of the oldest urban plans.

The wars between 1912 and 1918 did not miss Raska. Development in the post-war period was slow. In one period, during the First World War, from October 31 to November 15, 1915, Raska was in some way the capital of Serbia because it was hosted by the King and the then Serbian government. Raska was acquitted on November 27, 1944.

 Today's Raska municipality, as a distinct functional-spatial unit, was formed in 1960