According to the scientist Josif Pancic, Jastrebac is the most wooded mountain of the Balkan Peninsula.
As the legend says, it derived its name by the hawk that built its nest on the bare top of the mountain, and the seeds of beech, birch and coniferous trees fell all over the bare mountainous terrains from the branches that the hawk carried in its beak. Over some period of time, high “hawk” trees had grown at those places.
The tradition of Jastrebac dates back to the old century. Lots of discovered artefacts speak about a large presence of the Roman Army, and cut into collective memory are fantastic tales about the Jastrebac Dragon and its love for Empress Milica and for Janika and Jaglika, the two sisters and landladies, who enchanted Milos Obilic and Bosko Jugovic, the Serbian heroes.
This gorgeous mountain is extremely suitable for nature lovers, hikers, climbers and recreational athletes who enjoy climbing the mountains and taking walks along the long meadows filled with natural springs and waterfalls, for mountain cyclists, scouts, as well as for height preparations of professional sports teams. It is a sanctuary for a number of bird species and rare plants. The highest peaks of the mountain of Jastrebac are “Djulica” (1491 m) and “Pogled” (1481 m), which make a natural boundary between the Toplica river and Pomoravlje.
On the southern slopes of Jastrebac there is an artificial lake with its majestic shore. Also, the mountain of Jastrebac offers a variety of hiking routes such as: “Stene” (1257 m), “Stracimira” (1390 m) and “Maznice” (1140 m), as well as the paths leading all the way to the spring, to the old church of Saint Paraskeva and to the medieval fortress of Gradac.