Pljevlja

The city of Pljevlja is in the northern part of Montenegro, in the picturesque valley of the rivers Cehotina and Brznica. It borders with Zabljak, Bijelo Polje, Mojkovac, as well as with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city covers an area of 1346 km2 and is located at an altitude of 770 m above sea level, the highest point of the municipality is Ljubisnja Mountain (2238 m), the lowest one is the Tara River Canyon (529 m).
 
Before the invasion of the Greeks in the first century BC, Illyrian tribes lived here. On the ruins of the old city, the Greeks founded the city, which became the cultural center of Dalmatia. On its ruins were found many values: jewelry, glass and ceramic vases. In the VI c. the Slavs conquered these territories, and the town of Bereznica appeared. The city received its name after the river, which flows through the city. Later Bereznica became one of the main cities of the Serbian state Raska. Through the city passed the main road from Dubrovnik, Trieste and Kotor to Constantinople, Sarajevo and Belgrade. In 1338 the first customs house was opened here. Its current name, the town of Pljevlja has been from the 14th century. According to historians, the city received its name in honor of the fertility of the soil of the territory of the monastery, on which crops were grown. Two centuries later, the city was conquered by the Turks and renamed Taslidzh. During their reign, water and sewage systems were built here, mosques, fountains and gardens appeared. In 1569, the Hussein Pasha Mosque was built, which is a masterpiece of eastern architecture.

In 1878, Pljevlja was under the siege of Austria, an army of 5000 soldiers with women and children entered the city. During the reign of the Austrians, Pljevlja was turned into a modern western city with hotels, bookstores and a theater. The first modern pharmacy, a photo studio, a hospital, a brewery were opened. In 1913, the city became part of the Kingdom of Montenegro, and after the First World War - a part of the Yugoslav Kingdom. After World War II, since 1945, it is a part of Montenegro.

Pljevlja is also one of the main driving forces of Montenegro economy. There is a power station, deposits of coal, lead and zinc in this area. The city has well-developed woodworking industry, agriculture and cheese production. In this region there is a large number of forests, which contributes to the development of ecological and winter tourism.

It is Pljevlja, that has the only power station in the country that provides half the population with electricity. Want to try the famous Pljevlja cheese, considered a delicacy? Then head to this beautiful city with every reason.
 
The city of Pljevlja is strongly interwoven with the Islamic and Christian religions. The symbols of the city are two cultural, historical and archaeological monuments: the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and the Hussein Pasha mosque.

For several centuries the Holy Trinity Monastery was one of the main centers of spiritual, educational and cultural life in the northern part of Montenegro. This was especially evident during the years of Turkish rule. The exact date of the construction of the monastery was not preserved, but it can be attributed to different sources by the 15th century. A documented mention of it is found in the annals of 1537. The monastery acquired its present outlines in the 16th century and, with all subsequent changes, tried not to violate its traditional appearance. The Church of the Holy Trinity was built in the 16th century by the abbot of the monastery Vissarion. The main church of the monastery is decorated with rich jagged carving, typical for the architectural style of Raska. This one-nave church with a large porch. The painting of the walls was made by one of the most famous Balkan masters, Strahinja Budimljanin. For several centuries there existed workshops for books rewriting. Each of these folios, equipped with illustrations of monastery icon painters, was a real work of art. Some of them, as well as rare copies of the first prints, are still stored here. In addition to the literary treasures in the temple there is a magnificent collection of icons, expensive old church utensils and many other priceless shrines.

To reach the working monastery, located about two kilometers from Pljevlja, is easy. From the city to it is laid a convenient footpath. Monks are glad to all visitors, and pilgrims to holy places from different countries often stop to spend the night or rest in a hospitable monastery.

Perhaps the most significant monument that has remained since the time of the Ottoman Empire is the Hussein Pasha Mosque built in the 16th century. The mosque was built between 1573 and 1594. It was named in honor of Hussein Pasha Boljanic, born in the village Boljanic near Pljevlja and gained the authority of the Turks with his activity in Constantinople. He also acted as the main contributor of this construction. For the erection of the mosque, gray unprocessed stone was used, which was then decorated with small ornament. The square base is crowned on four columns by a large dome in the center and three small on the sides. The mosque has 25 windows. On the south side there is a minaret with a height of 42 m, it appeared here in 1911 on the site of the former one, destroyed by lightning. This is the highest minaret in the Balkans. The interior of the mosque is rich and beautifully decorated - the walls and vault are painted in classic Turkish style with floral patterns and phrases from the Koran, this is one of the best works of Islamic calligraphy of the 16th century. The floor of the mosque is decorated with an original carpet of 1573, made by order from quilted leather in Egypt, its size is 10x10 meters. Today, Hussein Pasha mosque houses many valuable books and ancient manuscripts, for example, a 18 century Koran in leather binding of 233 pages, complete Arabic script and decorated with 352 gold-plated miniatures.
 
Near the city of Pljevlja there are excavations of an ancient Roman settlement. According to the documents it is called Municipum S. It is believed that in size this settlement was second one only after Duklia.

On the right bank of the Tara River canyon, near the village of Premcani in the municipality of Pljevlja, there is the Dovolja monastery. The medieval monastery Dovolja, together with other monasteries of this region, has long been the spiritual center of northern Montenegro, and in the 19th century it was completely destroyed as a result of the struggle of the Montenegrin people for independence against the power of the Ottoman Empire. The monastery has been destroyed and rebuilt several times in its history. In 1804 the monastery was robbed and burnt by Turkish troops, in 10 years the monastery was rebuilt, but in 1857 the Turks again destroyed it. In the seventies of the XIX century the monastery Dovolja was rebuilt. Finally the monastery was destroyed in 1875, it happened during the uprising of Herzegovina, by the efforts of the Turks, it was almost wiped off from the face of the earth, and a major fire in 1886 completed the destruction of the monastery. At the beginning of the 20th century, the remains of the monastery became the subject of research by historians. In 1934 the journal of the Serbian Scientific Society published a detailed study of the monastery of Dovolja. Committee for the reconstruction of the monastery complex was founded in 1998. After 150 years of desolation in 2002, the monastery bell resounded here, and in 2008 the Assumption Church was consecrated. And today the working male monastery of Dovolja belongs to the Milesevski diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The town of Pljevlja is partially located in the territory of the Durmitor National Park, which is famous for its natural wealth. The main tourist sites of Durmitor are the Black Lake located in its highest part, around which there is a park with paths, you can walk and ride a bicycle, you can also just sit on a bench by the lake, admiring the surrounding nature, or take a water trip on a rented boat; This is the Mlinsky stream, surrounded by ancient fir and spruce forests; It is Crna Poda, a grove of rare black pines, many of which are over 400 years old and over 50 m long; This is the canyon of the Tara River, the second largest in the world and the deepest in Europe, with the grandiose Djurdjevic Bridge; this is Ice Cave, lying at an altitude of 2180 m, within which nature has created a whole kingdom of stalagmites and stalactites; This is the highest point of the country Bobotov Kuk, to which climbing tours are organized in the summer, and climbing is available even for beginners and takes about 10 hours, from the height of this mountain in good weather you can see the Lovcen mountain range located off the coast in another part of the country.
 
There is a bus service to the city. You can see the schedule by clicking on the link. If you prefer to travel by car, you can rent a car.

The surrounding nature and preserved historical monuments create good conditions for recreation in this region, as well as more winter types of tourism.

 

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