Ask anyone who visits this slice of absolute paradise and they’ll tell you that Montenegro is a land of Adriatic heaven. Bursting with rolling, majestic peaks, secluded and stunning beaches and some of the friendliest peeps in the world, this small but mighty country proves that some of the best things in life do indeed come in tiny packages.
Culture
Montenegro is a land of differences which go together perfectly. It will be clear to you that people of various faiths and cultures live in Montenegro when you see in the same town Orthodox monasteries, Catholic cathedrals, and minarets. Harmony and belonging are a particular mark of this area. Ostrog Monastery in Danilovgrad, St Tryphon’s Cathedral in Kotor, Hussein Pasha’s Mosque in Pljevlja, and numerous other buildings bear testimony to the fact that living side by side is possible.
The Royal Capital - Cetinje
When you head towards Cetinje it is important to know right away that this is a special Montenegrin story. A museum city, the city of rulers, history, art, culture, and the city of the royal family. Today it is a royal capital which stubbornly preserves its authenticity and tradition. Here everything remains almost untouched since the time when the Petrović royal family walked through its streets. When you visit Eagle Rock, Cetinje Monastery, King Nikola’s Palace, the Billiard Room, Njegoš’s mausoleum on Mt. Lovćen… it will be clear to you just why Cetinje was selected to be the place of royalty. In the city under Lovćen three great Christian holy relics are preserved: the icon of Our Lady of Philermos, the hand of St John the Baptist, and a fragment of the Holy Cross. And this is only a part of what is kept in Cetinje…
Durmitor Standing Stone
These stone grave markers are under UNESCO protection and for centuries have testified to times very little is known about, and which carry a large dose of mystique. They are best preserved in Durmitor and you will find them in Bare Žugića, Novakovići, and Rudinice, but you can also find them if you go to areas of Piva in Plužine. This cultural phenomenon, which is linked not only to Montenegro but also to the neighbouring countries, is becoming more and more interesting to archaeologists the world over.
Roman mosaics
Can you wander back in your imagination to the age when Romans ruled the area of Montenegro? To do this it is only necessary to visit the oldest settlement on the Boka Kotorska – Risan, which hides a real archaeological treat – an architectural monument roughly two thousand years old. Here there is an entire complex of ruins of a Roman villa urbana from the 2nd century AD.
Duklja
Only 3 km from Podgorica is located the ancient city of Doklea which was founded by the Romans in the 1st century AD. According to legend, the Roman emperor Diocletian was also born here. The ruins of many facilities, constructions and buildings are preserved here, and the archaeological excavations in the area of the ancient settlement are one of the main tourist attractions and subjects of scientific interest.
Ahmet and Pava
In the vicinity of Bijelo Polje, history preserves a story of multiethnicity and tolerance. This story is told by two tombstones in the Vraneš Valley, which testify to the love between one Pava and Ahmet-pasha. On one is a cross, on the other a crescent, and together they send a message about the essential values of civilisation.
Durmitor - Unesco Protected
This breathtaking national park was formed by glaciers and is traversed by rivers and underground streams.Durmitor National Park Montenegro is located in the northwest of Montenegro, surrounded by the canyons of Tara, Draga, Sušica and the upper part of the Komarnica valley. The surface area of Durmitor park is about 39,000 ha.
Founded in 1952., thanks to its alluring natural environment, this beautiful national park of mount Durmitor was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site by the decision of the International Committee on World Cultural and Natural Heritage in Paris in 1980.
The Durmitor National Park Montenegro represents the home to a significant number of cultural monuments from the ancient period to the present day. The most characteristic is the medieval monuments: bridges and guards, the ruins of cities and fortifications, monastery complexes and necropolises in the Tara River valley. Along the Tara river canyon, which has the deepest gorges in Europe, the dense pine forests are interspersed with clear lakes and harbor a wide range of endemic flora.
The special charm of Žabljak Durmitor National Park can be sensed while exploring the area relief, a vast plateau at 1 500 meters above sea level, which is intersected by deep canyon valleys. There are also 48 mountain peaks which are rising from the canyons reaching over 2000 meters above sea level.
Kotor Bay - Unesco Protected
Kotor Bay is the most beautiful and southern Bay in Europe. Above the thin coastline is a tall mountain chain protecting this area from the cold continental climate. The Kotor Bay is naturally divided into 4 smaller bays – Herceg Novi, Risan, Kotor, and Tivat. Like pearls, along the coast are beautiful small cities, rich in history and culture: Kotor, Perast, Risan, Herceg-Novi, and Tivat.Often referred to as the southernmost fjord in Europe, the Kotor Bay is in fact a drowned river canyon. The high mountains that bend around the coastline protect the bay from the open sea and from the cold climate of the north in winter. This allows an abundance of Mediterranean vegetation to grow: agave, palm, mimosa, oleander, kiwi, pomegranate, and medicinal herbs can all flourish in these temperatures.
Kotor, a UNESCO protected walled city, is the old coastal and cultural center that has withstood countless invasions over the centuries and now attracts a lively tourist crowd in summer for its splendid churches and squares.