Montenegro Info
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 Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 6:00 am Post subject: MONTENEGRO TOURISM GUIDE / TOURISM IN MONTENEGRO |
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MONTENEGRO TOURISM GUIDE
GENERAL
Montenegro is one of Europe's hidden secrets, but that could be all about to change. The country became the world's newest sovereign state in 2006 when its population voted for independence, bringing to an end the former Union of Serbia & Montenegro. Now this tiny republic plans to put itself firmly back on the map.
Visitors can relax on one of 117 sandy beaches along the Adriatic coast, wander through the Old Towns of Budva, Kotor or Bar, climb the peaks of Durmitor National Park, raft down Europe's deepest canyon, explore Europe's last virgin forest or sail into the continent's southernmost fjord.
Montenegro is a small mountainous region on the Adriatic coast north of Albania, bordering Bosnia & Herzegovina to the west, Serbia to the east and Albania to the south. Its small Adriatic coastline comprises the main ports of Bar and those in the Gulf of Kotor.
PODGORICA
Podgorica is already filling with embassies and looking a bit like a Chinese boom town, as the heart of this deliciously different and practically unknown Balkan city is transformed from what was until recently a bit of a backwater into a gleaming new metropolis.
Banja
The old Turkish bath complex, Podgorica's largest remaining historical building, can be found hidden in the Ribnica river gorge east of the centre. It was unfortunately decapitated by city planners who apparently insisted on building a bridge following the grid structure of the city, even if it meant ruining this site. The roofless building is now stuck underneath the Novi Most bridge, and has been transformed into a rather wonderful cultural centre.
Crkva Sv. Dorde
Podgorica's oldest and prettiest church is placed between fragrant trees at the foot of Suma Gorica hill. Inside the simple structure, the dark 16th century nave is adorned with 19th century icons and frescoes. The front room has a small shop where religious trinkets, magnetic icons and candles are sold.
Most Milenijum
Built five years after the new millennium, this 140 metre-long cable-stayed bridge has quickly become Podgorica's landmark structure (for lack of better). The eye-catching bridge has landscaped bridge ends with benches, and is lit up very nicely at night.
Modern Art Gallery
The pretty white palace formerly belonging to King Nikole, perhaps Podgorica's most elegant building, is home to the modern art collection of the city museum. Although the ticket still insists you're in the Socijalistička Republika Crna Gora, the museum is modern and pleasant. It features a lot of African and Asian paintings and sculptures, but also has rooms with Montenegrin 20th century art with works by Risto Stijovic, Milo Milunovic, Filo Filipovic and others. Find the palace up the stairs in the lush park behind the US embassy.
Natural History Museum
A biologer's dream, this museum houses all knowledge there is about algae, plants and animals in Montenegro. The small exhibition room often hosts temporary shows on things like pelicans. The only museum in town with an inviting English-language website.
Ribnica Fortress
Erected at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers by the Turks when they invaded in in 1474, Ribnica Fortress was a massive castle. Nowadays, all that remains are some rubbish-strewn fields and tower walls on the cliff overlooking the confluence.
Ribnica bridge
A cute small 15th century Ottoman arched bridge spans the Ribnice river near the confluence with the Morača. Best reached from the steps going down near the Blaža Jovanovića bridge.
Sahat Kula
Every Ottoman-ruled town had a clock tower to indicate the Muslim prayer times, and Podgorica's 18th century tower is one of the few remaining structures from the time. The tall stone tower hasn't actually got a clock, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone.
Stara Varoš
A warren of quiet residential streets between the Morača river and Kralja Nikole is all that remains of Podgorica's 'old town'. Wandering around here, you'll come across the small Osmanagici and Glavatovici mosques, some old houses and the clock tower.
KOTOR
Just 80km from Podgorica and 90km from Dubrovnik, the town of Kotor (14,000 inhabitants) has the most dramatic setting of any town along the Mediterranean. In the far corner of the impressive Kotor bay 'fjord', surrounded by 1400m-high mountains, its medieval stone buildings huddle together within the small triangle of the old town, squeezed between the waterfront and the mountains raising up vertically behind. It's been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979 and you'd be mad not to visit.
Kotor has a small, atmospheric old town jam-packed with lovely low-key sights and tiny alleys with scraggy cats in the bins. Kotor's magical location comes at a price, and earthquakes, including the last violent one in 1979, have devastated much of the city. Each time it has been rebuilt, and it's not easy to say what's original and what's not.
Clock tower
The hulking clock tower on the main square was started in 1602 and combined Baroque and Gothic architecture. But, this being the Balkans, it still was not finished when the 1667 earthquake struck, causing the tower to tilt. After the 1979 quake, it was rebuilt in the upright position again.
Crkva Sv. Luka
Opposite St. Nicholas, this pretty, small church was built in 1195 by Mauro Kacafrangi and his wife Bona. 'for the salvation of their souls'. They must have done something right, because it's the only building in town that survived the 1979 earthquake without any damage. Inside there are two altars, for Catholic and Orthodox believers, and the floor is paved with gravestones as people were buried here until the 1930s.
Crkva Sv. Nikola
The gloomy Orthodox St. Nicholas Church has shafts of sunlight piercing through the devote atmosphere, with believers lighting up sputtering candles in front of the soot-stained icon screen.
Karampana fountain
An elegant Baroque contraption with a forged iron fence, this fountain was the source of drinking water in the old town.
Katedrala Sv. Tripuna
The most impressive church in town is the 12th century St. Triphon's Cathedral, overlooking the Trg od Katedrala square and framed by the massive mountains behind. Consecrated in 1166, it's undergone enough restauration projects to make even a British property buyer dizzy. The facade and towers were rebuilt in Baroque style after the 1667 earthquake. The impressive romanesque interior has beautiful original architectural features and a few surviving 14th century frescoes.
Kotor fortifications
The 4,5 kilometres of ramparts and walls surrounding the city and creeping up Sv. Ivana hill are Kotor's landmark feature. A fortress has crowned since Illyrian and Byzantine times, but the massive defence system you see now was first planned in the 13th and 14th centuries, and added to by the by the Venetians and Austrians. It remained in use, on and off, until the end of the Second World War. The walls are 20m high and 16m thick in some places.
The lower town is surrounded by a partly restored wall with Venetian-era and older towers, and bastions named Gurdic, Korner, Valijer, Citadela (now a café), Bembo (a theatre) and Riva. Three gates give access to the old town, the main Sea Gate from 1555 (then accessing direcly to the sea), the northern gate from 1540 with a bridge across the Skurda river, and the 17th-19th centur southern gate with a bridge across the Gurdic river.
Above Kotor, the city walls zigzag China-style to the ruined hilltop Sv. Ivana fortress, 260m above sea level. Two steep staircases (one near Sv. Marija, the other close to the cathedral) make their way up the hill, past the Crkva Gospe od zdravlj (Lady of Salvation) church, halfway up.
The fortress can be visited, though it's best to avoid the hottest hours of the day, bring plenty of water and mind your step - the fortress is in a pretty bad shape, though repair efforts are underway. The fantastic views from the top over the bay and the gorge directly behind the fortress are worth the struggle up.
Lapidarium
Inside the reconstructed Sv. Mihailo church, dating back to the 9th-14th centuries, the lapydary a small collection of ancient gravestones and stone monuments is on display.
Maritime Museum
One glance at the mountains around town and you'll see the importance of seafaring history for Kotor. The rambling Grgurina palace has models of pot-bellied local trader's ships, maps, period rooms recreating a merchant's office and a warship interior, Dutch and English nautical instruments and guidebooks and halls full of old weapons. There's also a display on the 1918 mutiny here on the Austrian navy's warship St. Georg. Look for the display of painted bottles, used by seamen to send desperate messages to their beloved ones back home. A Kotor secret is revealed here, as one of the rooms has a surprising view of a lush rooftop garden.
Risan mosaics
In the far corner of the bay, 16km north of Kotor, Risan is the location of an Illyrian settlement (Rhizon) even before the Romans arrived in the 3rd century BC (calling it Rhizinium). According to legend, Illyrian Queen Teuta moved her court here briefly during the Roman invasion. Excavations here have revealed beautiful 2nd/3rd century BC Roman floor mosaics with the deity of dreams, Hypnos, in the centre. The site and tourist facilities have recently been renovated.
Sv. Marija
A small 14th century church on the foundations of a much older church. The interior reveals some 17th century frescoes and an exquisite 14th century wooden crucifix. |
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