Regional factor of sustainable development of rural settlements of Kalna and Minićevo at the foot of the Stara Planina mountain

Developmental potential of rural settlements of Kalna and Minićevo should be reviewed in the wider context of the area in which they are located. The natural resources of Stara Planina mountain, as a special purpose area focused on tourism and agriculture, represent the basic components for sustainable development of the mentioned settlements. The heritage of autochthonus, traditional rural architecture and sacral buildings, together with natural resources potentials, represent attractors for the development of a specific form of rural tourism. This research paper presents an analysis of the options for the development of rural tourism in the territory of Knjaževac municipality, aimed at sustainable development of rural settlements of Kalna and Minićevo. The basic idea of the paper is for Kalna and Minićevo to become the centres towards which the population of smaller surrounding villages will gravitate: towards Kalna as a potential tourism centre and towards Minićevo as a transit tourist settlement with accompanying public and other services. The purpose of the paper is not to offer a solution that would completely eliminate economic and demographic changes, but to review different options for the development of rural settlements that could keep up with modern social needs.