Landmarks and monuments in Montenegro

Balsica Tower was built at the end of XIV - beginning of XV century on order of the Balšić dynasty ruling Montenegrin lands within Skoder region. They have chosen Ulcinj as a capital, that's why some buildings having common history with this powerful family have been preserved. Later, when the town was conquered by the Ottoman, the Turks have completed the third floor to the tower and reconstructed the hall with spherical vault on the ground floor. The tower in Ulcinj is built on the highest spot of the Old Town and is high on its own, therefore the top floor provides very beautiful three side view to the Adriatic sea. Today Balsica Tower is used as an Art gallery and place for poetry events.

The Blue Palace is located at the center of Cetinje between two main parks. The palace was built in 1895, its architectural style is the Late Empire. The best Italian and Montenegrin masters were hired to complete the palace. Later the building was surrounded by a high fence consisted of metal bars, the yard was equipped with tennis court and swimming pool. Electric lighting has been switched in 1910. The heir to the throne, Duke Danilo has been living in the palace till 1916. In XX century the Blue Palace was used as a gallery for different exhibitions and biennale. It has been a residence of Montenegrin President since 2010.

Near the popular resort town of Budva, in the district of Becici, grows the centuries-old Olive tree, which is more than 2000 years old !!! The oldest olive tree can be reached on foot along Ive Lole Ribara (about 2 km.) or by car. The distance is small, but because of the steep climb up the road takes about an hour of walk. To the cave leads a narrow and in some places an impenetrable path, intersected by streams, trees and stones. It is worth noting that if you go on foot, you can see the steepest views of the nature of Montenegro, the Adriatic Sea, the beaches of Becici and Rafailovici and the entire Budva Riviera...The Old Olive, which grew back in the time of Jesus, is still green and still bears fruit! It is also an excellent object for a photo shoot. Next to Oliva are an old olive oil extraction mill and a cave. They can be reached by the signs that are located on the road. In the premises of the old olive mill, up to the 70s of the 20th century, olive oil was squeezed with the help of people's and bulls' power. Now there is a museum here.  

Clock Tower of Kotor was built in 1602 at the order of Antonio Grimaldi, the Deputy of Venice. The Tower consists of 4 overground storeys and one underground storey. The Clock Tower is made of massive stone blocks mined out of Lovchen mountain group. The watches are installed on both sides, the other two towers are enclosed by buildings attached to them.  The Clock tower in Kotor is attributed to the category of leaning towers. Its inclination is not so obvious as of a famous Tower of Pisa, it is about 20cm (in top point towards foudation). The bottom of the Clock Tower was strengthened after the earthquake in 1979 to prevent further decline.

Tower Sahat-Kul is located in Herceg Novi at the entrance to the old town between the squares of Dzhurkovicha and Duke Stefan. By order of Turkish sultan Mahmud Clock Tower Sahat Kula was built in 1667. During the Turkish period there was a mosque on the square near the tower. Sahat Kul has on several sides mechanical clocks, which showed that it was time for daily Muslim prayers. In addition, the tower has served as the main gate of the town. The tower is not only a monument of architecture of Herceg Novi and its historical sights, but also the main heraldic symbol of the town. Its image is used on the flag of the town and all kinds of tourist trappings. The tower, which has become the most recognizable feature of Herceg Novi, has some other names: Tora, Sahat Kula or simply Clock Tower. In 1753, the Russian Empress Catherine II made a gift to the citizens of Herceg Novi, bell-alarm appeared in the tower, which is preserved to this day. There is a unique relief inside the Clock Tower that deserves special attention. This is an image of Our Lady under the title "Black Madonna", made of old smoked wood. The author of this work is the sculptor Afran Hozich from Sarajevo. And the relief itself was established in memory of...

Embankment Pine in the resort town of Tivat, Montenegro.

Drvengrad or Mecavnik is a village built by filmmaker and musician Emir Kusturica, originally for filming, and later for his actors permanent living, himself, and many tourists. Stunning views, natural landscapes are typical for this region that served as decorations for the films "Testament", "Life as a miracle" etc.The main attraction is the old narrow-gauge railroad "Sharganskaya Eight", restored on the money of Emir Kusturica, on which till now locomotives run. Here the main actions of the movie "Life as a miracle" took place. On this road, rushing like the "eight" uphill, you can ride, experiencing unforgettable feelings. Also you can visit the art gallery in the village and the cinema "Underground" where you can see one of the movies of Emir Kusturica in Serbian.The idea of creating Drvengrad Kusturica described in July 2004 as follows: "I lost my city [Sarajevo] during the war. So I wanted to build my own village. It carries the German name Küstendorf. I will organize seminars there for people who want to learn how to create movies, play concerts, make ceramics, and draw. This is the place where I will live, and where some people can come from time to time. There, of course, will live and other residents who...

The Mamula island fortress is located on water boundary of two countries, Croatia and Montenegro, between Prevlaka and Luštica peninsulas. The island has been formerly known as Lastavica till Austro-Hungarian general Lazar Mamula has built a defensive fortress in the middle of the 19th century. The fortress has been preventing the enemy entrance into Boka Kotorska bay. Since then island fortress has been called Mamula.The diameter of the fortress is 200 meters and the height is 16 meters. During the World War I the Austrians have been using the fortress as a prison. And during the World War II, since May 30, 1942 Italian fascists have made a concentration camp out of prison.  There is information that Montenegrin patriots were cruelly tortured in this prison. There is just a memorial stone memorizing about this.Today, the fortress is protected by the Government as a cultural monument. It is preserved in good condition and attracts the tourists. There is also a park with numerous tropical and subtropical plants and unique species of Mimosa. Besides, the buildings of bakery and control tower, old spiral stairs are preserved. Despite that the pier is damaged, tourists come to plunge into history for one-hour...

St. Stephen Island (Sveti Stefan) is an island-hotel and a deluxe resort (of the highest category), located a few kilometers from the tourist center of Montenegro - the city of Budva. The island is connected with the shore by a narrow sandy isthmus and is a "visiting card of Montenegro". Panoramic view, opening from the observation deck near the restaurant - hotel Adrovic on the island of Sveti Stefan, the boundless Adriatic Sea and the coast of Montenegro is one of the most iconic and famous in the world and widely spread on tourist postcards in Montenegro.  History of the island The legend of the island of St. Stephen says that local residents, pashtrovichi, returning home after a joint victory with the Kotor citizens over the Turks, besieged Kotor, saw Ottoman ships near the Jaz beach close to the Old Town of Budva. Having destroyed them, the pashtrovichi took possession of a considerable quantity of trophies and decided to build a fortress on these funds, which was done in 1442. The name was given to it by the name of the church dedicated to Stephen Protomartyr, built on the island first. Later, especially during the days of the Venetian Republic, Sveti Stefan was an important trade center and transport hub, that...

Karampan fountain is considered to be one of the real masterpieces of XVII century smith craft. Long ago Karampan fountain was the only source of fresh water in Old Kotor. City residents have been sharing news and gossips, while coming to replenish fresh water supplies. Today the fountain stays a popular place for meetings.

Lighthouse in Petrovac, Montenegro

Peter II Petrovic Njegos is the first metropolitan of Montenegro, which contributed to the transformation of Montenegro into an independent modern state. A statesman and a reformer of the rules during the period 1830-1851, and is also considered one of the most outstanding Serbian poets and philosophers of all time.Radivoj (Rade) Tomov Petrovich (Peter II Petrovic Njegos) was born on 13 November, 1813 in the village Njegusi and until 12 years was a shepherd. In his childhood he was taught at the Savinsky and Cetinsky monasteries by the Serbian poet and historian Simo Milutinovic. Radivoj Tomov belonged to the noble family of the rulers of Montenegro, as he was a nephew of the Metropolitan Peter I Petrovic.The Petrovic-Njegos family from 1697 to 1918 was the ruling dynasty in Montenegro: from 1697 - as Metropolitan of Montenegrin, from 1852 as princes, and since 1910 - as kings. In 1830, after the death of Peter I Petrovic and according to his will, Peter II Petrovic Njegosh took the place of the monarch of Montenegro, taking monasticism with the name of Peter. During his reign, he constantly fought for the independence of Montenegro from Turkey, suppressed tribal separatism in Montenegro itself, demarcated the...

The capital of Montenegro - Podgorica is famous for its historical, architectural, cultural and natural attractions. The architecture of the city is quite diverse and unique - here, among the new fashionable hotels and restaurants, all kinds of shopping and entertainment centers, you can find ancient buildings, historic houses, churches and various buildings of great value and heritage of the country.On July 13, 2005, on the Day of the Statehood of Montenegro, Podgorica became richer for one more attraction - the Millennium Bridge (the Serbian Миленијум). It is not difficult to guess that the Millennium Bridge acquired its name due to its year of construction. The appearance of this bridge is so unusual and unique that it cannot be confused with any other in the whole world. Particularly picturesque bridge is at night, in the rays of special illumination. This monument of architecture, despite its short life, has already won the great love of both locals and tourists. For several years the Millennium Bridge has become a kind of visiting card not only of the city of Podgorica, but of the whole of Montenegro.The Millennium Bridge was built in less than a year, and its opening was timed to coincide with the...

The relationship and web of the destinies of two Slavic peoples close in spirit - Russian and Montenegrin is confirmed not only by many facts from the life of these two countries, but also by numerous architectural structures, as well as by historical and cultural monuments. Since ancient times, it is known about the close friendship between Russia and Montenegro and their mutually beneficial cooperation in various spheres. Russians have traditionally been considered the elder brothers of a small, but very proud and bold Montenegrin people. Montenegrins themselves have always surprised and amazed their brothers with courage and fortitude in the face of the enemy. One of these monuments is located in the capital of Montenegro - Podgorica and is dedicated to the great Russian poet - Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. It is located on Njegoseva Street in the center of the capital of Montenegro, on the eastern bank of the Moraca River near the bridge of Blazo Jovanovic.The history of the creation of the monument to Alexander Pushkin.​ Thanks to the extremely close friendly contacts between the authorities of Montenegro and Russia, or rather their capitals - Moscow and Podgorica, at the end of the 20th century a decision was...

The ancient olive tree (Old Olive tree). The town of Bar in Montenegro is not only a world-renowned resort, but also a city that is famous for a large number of olive trees. In the vicinity of Bar, there are more than one hundred thousand of them, and the average age of olive trees close to a thousand years.   "According to one local legend, a young man has no right to marry until grow the right amount of olive trees. " Among all these ancient trees stands an olive-patriarch, the same age as our era, is now considered the oldest tree in Europe, and according to some sources in the world - The old olive tree (Ancient Oliva), which has an age of over 2000 years. Scientific analysis of the wood tissue was carried out in 2015, which showed that the olive tree has an age of 2240 years!!! It is believed, that it was the mother of all the olive trees in the vicinity of Montenegro. The tree, it seems, is absolutely out of control of the years, which remembers in its lifetime even the emergence of the Christian faith - next to it is a good sense of transience of human life. Despite such solid years, old olive tree thrives and still bears fruit. However, be aware that most of the leaves and olives actually come from new shoots...

Porto Montenegro is a complex de luxe project with very well developed infrastructure. The luxurious complex is located in Tivat town, Montenegro, on the shore of Boka Bay. Actually, the project was conceived and further realized as a small town, where there are all necessary for rest and accommodation of yacht owners or yacht sport lovers. On the territory of the complex (more than 10,000 m²), there are a marina, a yacht club, fashionable hotels (e.g. Regent), luxurious blocks of flats, conference center, sport complex, art gallery, museum, restaurants, bars, boutiques of clothes and footwear from famous world brands, grocery stores, various offices and much more. Guests of the complex (tourists) can walk freely along the streets, visit cafes and certain berths to see the chic yachts, speed boats and even rare types of vessels. There is not any analogical complex in the Adriatic, and there are a few ones in Europe. The history of project development began in 2006 on the initiative of Canadian businessman Peter Munk. The formation of the investment project pool was also attended by Jacob and Nathaniel Rothschild, Anthony Munk, Bernard Arnault and Shandor Demyan. The beauty of the Bay of Kotor, excellent conditions for...

Railway bridge over the river Malaja in Montenegro is the highest one in Europe. Among the natural resources of Montenegro, there is no place that you would not like. In combination with the unique facilities, for which Montenegro has received a special recognition, to be here is just a pleasure. Today we want to introduce you a bridge on the river Malaja. The railroad connecting Belgrade andBar, is a unique one in many respects, information about it can often be found in the pages of numerous international magazines, which again and again admire it. However, anyone who had an opportunity to travel on the road Belgrade - Bar across the railway bridge on the river Malaja, located 20 kilometers north fromPodgorica, towardsKolasin, unanimously approve an unforgettable impression. Length of this facility is 498.8 meters and its height is 200 meters. For its size, the bridge is the highest railway one in Europe and fourth in the world. The construction of the bridge took four years, from 1969 to 1973. The work was intense, with a lot of obstacles. Bridge on the river Malaja, which hasn’t any analogue in the region, was designed by Ljubomir Yeftovicha together with the engineers: Milorad Lukovic, Milivoye...

After Austro-Hungarian Army has realized breakthrough of Lovchen front in Cetinje and hold the southern part of Biljarda with the headquarter of occupation forces in 1916, two-level object with relief map was erected with the proportion 1: 10.000. The relief, where Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania and Serbia can also be seen, was made out of concrete on the stone base using the latest for that period of time accurate Austrian topographic map. To identify the angle of the height on the map, thin metal cores were used (more than likely it was armature) and the space around was filled manually to fit ground imaging. The relief surface was completed by roads, waterways, forests and towns.   To make map observation comfortable, the bridge was installed above the central part of the map, from where every detail was seen. Besides of Austro-Hungarian soldieries, Montenegrin prisoners also took part in the construction, among them a famous sculptor Marko Brezhanin. The old object was destroyed at the beginning of the eighties of XX century and substituted by glass metal construction, which can be seen today. According to the decision 1794/1 dated 14.09.1948, the relief map of Montenegro was recognized as an...

The Republic Square is not only the central and largest area of the capital of Montenegro - Podgorica, but also the largest in the whole country, its area is 15 thousand square meters. The Republic Square has a rectangular shape and along the length it is decorated with two alleys of oaks and palms. It is located in the New part of the city, the areas of which are built in the typical style of Soviet urban architecture.History of the construction of the Republic Square.​ During the Montenegrin kingdom, the ruler of Nicolas I planned to build a small promenade and a market on this place. After the incorporation of Montenegro into Yugoslavia, a new square appeared there, named after King Alexander I. After the bombing of Podgorica in 1990, the city had to be rebuilt. Then, new shady boulevards were laid, and the former area of Alexander I was renamed the Main Square. When Montenegro declared its independence in 2006, the square was completely repaired and renamed into the Republic Square. The reconstruction works were supervised by engineer-architect Mladen Durovich.The square is decorated with colonnades and palm trees, and around it there are various historical and cultural monuments. In the center of the square is a...

All residents and guests of Montenegro who want to see the remains of the residence of the ancient Roman noblemen come to the small ancient town of Risan, which is located in the Bay of Kotor near the popular resort town of Kotor. This museum in Risan, which represents the remains of a Roman villa built in the 2nd century AD, is also called "Roman mosaics". The main advantage of this historical and cultural monument is the floors, laid out in various mosaics. This famous ancient landmark, which is now the oldest architectural monument in Montenegro, is about 2 thousand years old. At the moment the museum represents the foundation of the ancient Roman villa Urbana with various mosaic patterns on the floors in each room and the atrium in the middle. Mosaics are made of pebbles of three types - white (local), gray-blue and black (imported), having a square shape.The Roman villa Urbana in Risan includes 7 different rooms for the family, covered with mosaic and 3 rooms for servants, in which only the land served as the floor. The villa was built in such a way that the top represents the sun, which in those days was the symbol of Rome, with the rays of sunlight coming out in a circle. In the center of the house there is a...

In Budva, one of the busy tourist towns of picturesque Montenegro on the Adriatic Sea, has a beautiful bronze sculpture of a girl, frozen in a graceful pose - "Dancer from Budva" or "Gymnast from Budva". Sometimes the monument is called "The Ballerina from Budva", but this is not entirely true, since the girl does not have the main attribute of a ballerina - a special skirt called a "pack". If you carefully consider the sculpture, you can see that the dancer does not have clothes at all, that's why the tourists-jokers call this sculpture "The Girl Who Lost the Swimsuit". The sculpture of the dancer is perhaps one of the most famous and photographed attractions not only of the seaside town of Budva, but of all Montenegro. Beautiful and graceful bronze gymnast, located on a rock among the rocks near the beach Mogren and the famous hotel Avala, is a symbol of fidelity and has recently become an unofficial symbol of the city of Budva. Despite the huge popularity, not many tourists know the history of the origin of this stunning sculpture. Among the local population there are many different legends that explain the appearance of the statue of "Gymnasts from Budva" near the Budva Old Town near the sea coast.Versions about the...

A short, in working ammunition, with a nose that shines brightly in the sun ... This is how the bronze sculpture of the chandelier-chimney-sweeper Rudolf Rudy Karujic looks, which is popular with the locals, adorns the resort town of Herceg Novi in Montenegro. The monument was installed in 2008 on the city embankment, near the Old Town of Herceg Novi, where it is still. The sculpture of the chimney sweep is rather miniature, as Rudolf Rudy Karujic is immortalized in full size. The same place is decorated with a sign with a rather interesting inscription: "Pamitim nase Oribinalje", which is translated as "Remember our Originals".Rudolf Karujic was born in 1926 in Herceg Novi. He was the first and to this day remained the only officially registered chimney sweeper in Herceg Novi. Rudolph Rudy Karujic was of a small stature, looked always amusing in his uniform of chimney sweeper, constantly walked with tools and had an extremely important appearance. Its distinguishing feature was "perpetual employment". For example, if Rudy was asked to clean the pipe, he looked at his notebook puzzling, shook his head and offered to clean the pipe after the New Year. Moreover, all without exception appointed for the same time. In the...

Sculpture of a woman on the seafront "5 Danic" (Pet Danica) in the city of Herceg-Novi, Montenegro.  

Square of slaves in Ulcinj is located on the territory of the old town, in its upper part by the church, the mosque and the tower Balsica. In most cases, people were kidnapped for ransom, so slaves weren’t forced to work, but only kept in captivity, while claiming money from their friends and relatives. The slaves were mostly from Italy (Puglia and Sicily), and Dalmatia, the pirates often attacked the rich villas built along the shore of these areas. In the middle of the XVIII century, the situation changed. Rich people began to buy slaves as servants, slaves from Africa were appreciated most of all, so the pirates began to bring black slaves out from Africa for sale. Their children and grandchildren were often sold several times to new owners, late after receiving the freedom they became sailors from Ulcinj and husbandmen. Among the present inhabitants of the town the community of their descendants has been preserved till now.