The capital of Montenegro and its main attractions. Podgorica: highlights of the city

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

What attractions can there be in the Montenegrin capital? Podgorica, alas, rarely sees crowds of tourists on its streets. The city, perhaps, can be very successfully compared with Simferopol. Travelers arrive here by plane and, without delay, go to the shores of the Adriatic.

Montenegrin capital and its sights. Podgorica – the city of old and new

Many travelers mistakenly believe that there is absolutely nothing interesting in this city. The average and uninformed tourist will definitely ask: what sights can be here? Podgorica, however, is ready to pleasantly surprise those who pay even a little attention to it.

It should be noted that the city was badly damaged during World War II. Its quarters were subjected to air strikes at least 70 times! Of course, most of the historical buildings did not survive this. But even despite this moment, there are worthwhile and interesting sights in Podgorica.

Podgorica is one of the smallest European capitals. Hereonly about 185 thousand people live. Curiously, this number corresponds to almost 30 percent of the entire population of the country! Podgorica is surrounded on all sides by low hills. Almost every one of them offers picturesque views of the city.

The Montenegrin capital is quite diverse. Here, the old and the new are surprisingly combined: a tourist has just walked along a narrow old street, when suddenly a modern building made of glass and metal has grown in front of him. Expensive branded clothing stores and multi-storey unfinished buildings, colored fountains and lifeless wastelands - all this can be seen in the unusual capital of a young country.

Church of St. George

We offer to take a virtual tour of Podgorica and its environs, visiting the most famous sights of the Montenegrin capital.

One of the hills towering over the city is called Goritsa. It is not difficult to guess where the "legs grow" from the name of the Montenegrin capital. The village near Goritsa arose seven centuries ago.

The oldest building in Podgorica, the Church of St. George, has been preserved on this hill. Scientists are still arguing about the date of its construction. Some call the 9th century, others date it to the 11th century. Outwardly simple and restrained, the church hides its main treasure inside - magnificent and colorful frescoes of the 17th century. Near the temple there is an old cemetery, which may also be of interest to tourists.

Depedogen Fortress

The next attraction belongs to the legacy of the once mighty Ottoman Empire,stretching its tentacles to the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Powerful ruins, overgrown with shrubs and grass, are impressive and at the same time transport you to past eras.

The Depedogen Fortress in Podgorica was built in the 15th century, with the advent of Ottoman power. The stronghold helped the Turks to restrain periodic raids on the city by unfriendly Serbs and Montenegrins. A huge amount of ammunition was stored in the stronghold, which was the reason for her death. In 1878, there was a terrible explosion that destroyed most of the fortress.

Near the Depedogen fortress is the confluence of the Rybnitsa and Moraca rivers. A very beautiful and romantic stone bridge has been built across Rybnitsa, where you can always see couples in love.

Other sights of Podgorica

There are other interesting places and objects in the Montenegrin capital. For example, the so-called Millennium Bridge (or Millennium Bridge), opened recently - in 2005. It connects both banks of the Moraca River. The bridge is very unusual in its appearance and very photogenic. The length of the structure is 140 meters, and the maximum height is 57.

On the banks of the already mentioned river there is another unique attraction. It is a must-see for all indigenous people of the post-Soviet space. This is a monument to Vladimir Vysotsky - a famous bard, singer and film actor. Vysotsky visited Podgorica twice - in 1974 and 1975. Many are surprised by the fact that at the pedestal of this monument liessmall bronze skull. In this way, the authors of the monument recalled Vysotsky's magnificent performance of the role of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Skadar Lake (Montenegro) - the largest in the Balkans

Priceless natural pearl - Lake Skadar - is divided between two states. However, two-thirds of this reservoir is located on the territory of Montenegro.

Today the lake is a national park, which can be entered for 4 euros. What historical monuments can Skadar Lake please a tourist?

Montenegro, as you know, is rich in all sorts of ancient monuments. There are especially many of them on the coast of the lake. Here you can see the remains of ancient sites, ancient monasteries (Starchevo, Beshka, Vranina and others), as well as the ruins of numerous fortresses built during the 13th-19th centuries.

However, the main highlight of Lake Skadar is its nature. About 250 species of birds live here, and the waters are rich in fish. The flora of the shores of the lake is also very diverse.