Stalach (Tower of Todor, Kula Todora od Stalać) is a medieval fortress near Stalać, of which today only the remains of the donjon have survived, so the entire area is usually called "the tower." It is believed that the tower was built by Prince Lazar Grebelanović on the remains of an ancient city, as well as a nearby church, of which today only the bell in the church gates remains, inscribed that it was made in 1384 in Milan. The Tower of Todor itself is located on the slopes of the Mojsin mountains, where once stood 70 Serbian monasteries and churches. The tragic end of Todor od Stalać and his love Elitsa is described in the folk song "The Death of Voivode Prijezda."

The city-fortress Stalać was built on a spur of the Mojsin mountain, 2.5 kilometers south of the confluence of the Western and Southern Morava rivers. Stalać had strategic importance, primarily aimed at controlling and protecting the approaches to the Serbian medieval capital. Built near Kruševac in the 1380s, it is first mentioned in Prince Lazar's Ravan Charter in 1377, then in 1395 in Princess Milica's charter to the monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos. According to Constantine the Philosopher, Stalać was destroyed by the Turkish Sultan Musa in 1413 during his campaign against Kruševac. The great city of Stalać was fortified with a massive rampart with a passage, battlements, and arrow slits, as well as a monumental four-story watchtower known as Todor's Tower. It protected the Small Town, the narrowest core of the city, which later formed as a result of the division of the southern part of the Big Town. The central place in the Small Town was occupied by a palace with a porch. On the opposite side of the palace, near the ramparts, stood buildings of other purposes. The small town was protected by a lower wall and a dry moat in front of the fortress tower. Communication between the towns was carried out through gates, on which a ramp for a drawbridge was later installed. This place is connected with the Serbian folk epic poem cycle "Pokosh" — "The Death of Voivode Prijezda." It was first recorded by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić in 1845.

The historical basis of the poem covers the period after the Battle of Kosovo until 1459, when Smederevo fell under Turkish rule. This was an era of gradual conquest of Serbian cities by the Turkish Empire. When Sultan Musa reached Stalać, he encountered fierce and selfless defense. Constantine the Philosopher, biographer of Prince and later Despot Stefan Lazarević, describes Musa's conquest but did not record the hero's name. An unknown poet gave the voivode the name Prijezda and introduced romance into the poem. The verses of the cycle are mostly pessimistic, filled with despair rather than hope, more intellect than life, with no laughter or joy. The poem describes the time between 1451 and 1481, during the reign of the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, as the poem begins with his letter to Voivode Prijezda. Other sources mention March 1413 as the time of the attack on Stalać. Near Stalać are the remains of a medieval fortress called Todor's Tower or Todor's Tower of Stalać, which in the poem is considered the fortress of Voivode Prijezda.

The poem begins with a humiliating letter from the Turkish Emperor Mehmed to Duke Prijezda, in which he demands:

"Received — in Stalać, Prijezda.

"O Prijezda, city voivode,

You sent me three priceless gifts:

You sent me a Damascus saber,

That cuts both wood and stone,

Strong stone, cold iron;

You sent me a horse of gray color:

Your Serko will jump over two walls

And two towers of a tall castle;

And you sent me a faithful wife."

Voivode Prijezda opposes Sultan Mehmed and refuses to comply with his demands. The Sultan sends an army to Stalać, but the brave voivode does not want to surrender. He resisted the siege of the city for three years, but the Turks were far more numerous and stronger. Prijezda decided to "attack the Turks" and sent Elitsa to bring wine and rakija from the cellar so they could refresh themselves before the attack:

"Prijezda turned to his wife:

"Bring from the deep cellars

Wine and rakija for the young men."

Elitsa took golden jugs

And descended into the cellar under the tower.

As soon as she descended, she was stunned —

The cellar was full of evil janissaries.

They filled their boots with rakija,

Drank to the health of Lady Elitsa,

Drank to the repose of Prijezda’s soul."

Realizing he could not defend himself, he cut off his horse's head so it would not fall into Turkish hands, broke his saber, and gave his wife Elitsa a choice: to die with him honorably or to be the love of a Turk. Elitsa, a brave and devoted woman, did not want to renounce her faith and husband.

"Better to die honorably with you,

Than to be disgraced in a Turkish harem.

I will not sell my father's faith,

I will not trample the holy cross."

Prijezda, unable to defeat the Turkish army and defend his city, jumped into the Morava River with his wife. He died with honor and did not lose his dignity.

"Thus Stalać was taken by Tsar Mehmed,

But he did not enjoy the spoils.

The Turkish tsar curses the city:

"May the one God punish Stalać.

I approached with a three-thousand-strong army,

And five hundred remained with me!"

Currently, funds are being raised for the reconstruction of the fortress, which will proceed in stages. The first stage is the restoration of the donjon tower and the installation of a monument to Prince Prijezda and Elitsa. The second stage is the reconstruction of the Small Town connected to the tower, and the third stage is the reconstruction of the fortress as a whole, occupying an area of four hectares.

Sources:

http://spomenicikulture.mi.sanu.ac.rs/spomenik.php?id=803

https://sr.wikipedia.org/sr-ec/Тврђава_Сталаћ