Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, is an old and young city at the same time. Old, because its history dates back to antiquity, and young, because the vast majority of the local buildings were built only after World War II. Both in the city itself and in its immediate vicinity, you can find several interesting places worth visiting. Certainly, the undoubted advantage of the Montenegrin capital is its location. The city is located in a valley between the Dinaric Mountains in the central part of the country, in a straight line only about 40 km from the Adriatic coast. The convenient location makes the city dynamically developing. Currently, every fourth out of approx. 650,000 people live here. Montenegrins. If you plan to visit Podgorica during your holidays in Montenegro, be sure to check out our guide to the capital and the surrounding monuments and attractions.
History of Podgorica
The historical capital of Montenegro was Cetinje (Cetinje), a town located about 35 km east of Podgorica. The city gained the status of the capital quite recently, in 1946. This does not mean, however, that nothing has happened here before. The area around today’s Podgorica was inhabited since the Stone Age. Then the Illyrians, an ancient Indo-European people who inhabited the southwestern Balkans in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age, settled here. In the original period of its history, Podgorica was called Doclea, then the Romans founded a settlement here, which they called Birziminium. With the influx of Slavs to these areas, the town changed its name to Ribnica (the name was taken from one of the rivers flowing through this area), and finally gained the name of Podgorica. The last name refers to the Gorica hill, located near the city, and means more or less the same as the place “under the hill”.
In the early Middle Ages, Podgorica became part of Serbia, and then fell under the rule of Venice. In the mid-15th century, in 1466 to be precise, the town was occupied by the Ottoman Turks, who ruled it until the 19th century, when it came under the rule of the Montenegrins. In 1918, Podgorica, like all of Montenegro, was incorporated into Serbia, and later became part of Yugoslavia. During World War II, it was occupied by the Italians and then by the Germans. The years of war contributed to the almost complete destruction of the city, mainly due to the Allied air raids that took place here in 1944. After the war, the city was renamed Titograd, and the war damage meant that it was practically rebuilt from scratch. At that time, it also became the capital of the Socialist Republic of Montenegro, which was part of Yugoslavia. The former name was returned only in 1992, after the breakup of Yugoslavia. Interestingly, the city, like the whole of Montenegro, remained in one state with Serbia until May 2006, when Montenegrins decided in a referendum to create a separate and independent state.
Attractions and sightseeing in Podgorica
It is best to start exploring the Montenegrin capital from the Stara Varos district, located in the place where the Ribnica River flows into the much larger Morača. It was here that the city center was located during the Ottoman domination. Despite heavy war damage, an interesting arrangement of cobblestone streets with characteristic one-story or one-story houses on the sides has been preserved here. Some of them still have czaredaks, characteristic for Turkish architecture, built-up balconies. There are also several interesting mosques in the old town (the legacy of the Turkish times is, among others, the fact that about 20 percent of the inhabitants of Montenegro are Muslims). The most interesting restored and working ones are Džamija Osmanagića and Starodoganjska Džamija.
In the center of the district there is also an interesting clock tower, which is still called Sat Kula in Turkish. This 16-meter stone structure was erected here in 1667. Apparently, the clock mechanism was specially imported from Italy, and every half an hour a bell rang in the tower, which could be heard within a radius of several kilometers. You must also see the Old Bridge on Ribnica. It was built of solid stone in the 18th century, at the height of Turkish rule. Interestingly, archaeologists believe that it was placed on the ruins of an earlier bridge built in Roman times. The Morača River divides the city in two, crossing it from north to south. The river here forms an interesting canyon, but in other places it is very easy to access. Thanks to this, Podgorica has several riverside beaches that fill up with people, mainly in the afternoon. Both parts of the city are connected by several bridges, of which the Millennium Bridge certainly deserves attention. It is quite an interesting single-pylon structure, which was erected here in 2005. The bridge is nearly 173 m long, and its pylon rises 57 m above the road level, making it one of the symbols of the modern part of Podgorica.
The greatest sights of the Montenegrin capital
One of the most interesting buildings in Podgorica is also the Cathedral of the Resurrection of the Lord (Black Saborni hram Hristovog Vaskrsenja). The temple is not a monument, it was erected only in 2014, but its facade refers to the appearance of St. Tryphon in Kotor, and its interior is covered with numerous frescoes, which makes it the most characteristic church in the city.
There are also some interesting museums in Podgorica. Near the old town there is an interesting Museum of Nature, presenting the fauna and flora of Montenegro. Art lovers should visit the local Gallery of Modern Art, located in the former residence of the Montenegrin King Nicholas I. In the new part of the city, it is also worth visiting the City Museum, where you can learn about the history of the capital, and the Archaeological Museum, where items related to the earliest history of these areas. A large part of the exhibition concerns e.g. the heyday of the Roman settlement of Dioclea.
The ruins of Dioclea (Monteg. Duklja) can be seen about 5 km north of the city center. At the turn of the century, this Roman city was inhabited by several thousand people. The years of splendor of this place can only be imagined today, because only the foundations of the city forum and several public buildings have survived to modern times. Parts of the columns that once supported the facades of the local buildings and individual stone blocks that once formed the walls of the buildings have been fragmentarily preserved. The rest disappeared forever.
Just 5 km south of the center of Podgorica, on the Lubovic hill, there is a male monastery, the Dajbabe Monastery. In 1897, a hermitage with the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was established here in a rock cave. Over time, the temple was enlarged, and then a new church with two towers and bell towers was built next to it.
Attractions in and around Podgorica
Only 40 km northwest of Podgorica is the Ostrog Monastery, one of the most interesting sacral monuments in all of Montenegro. The monastery was founded in the 17th century, and part of it was built into the rock, over which there is a vertical wall. It is one of the main spiritual centers of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which, apart from the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, is one of the two dominant denominations in the country.
About 20 km southeast of Podgorica is Lake Skadar. It is worth going to this place, if only because it is the largest inland body of water in the entire Balkans. The lake, bordering neighboring Albania, is largely unspoilt and has numerous bird habitats. You can also get to the Adriatic coast relatively quickly from Podgorica. We have two routes to choose from. Driving towards the seaside town of Sutomore, we will pass Lake Skadar on the way.
In turn, following the more northern road towards Budva, on the way we can see Cetinje (Cetinje), the former capital of the principality, and later the kingdom of Montenegro, where the former government administration buildings, the palace of the former king and old wooden houses and local monasteries (Cetynia is one of the main spiritual centers of Montenegrins). In the vicinity of the former capital there is also a very interesting mountain National Park Lovćen, where in addition to admiring nature and beautiful views, it is also worth considering visiting the Mausoleum of Niegosz, the most famous ruler of Montenegro, bishop and poet, Peter II Pertowić-Niegosz.
However, if we skip this attraction, it is worth stopping at least for a moment on the way from Cetinje to Budva and seeing the remains of the Kosmač fort. Built in the 1840s, it was the southernmost stronghold of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, guarding the southern end of the empire’s border with Montenegro.
