Pictures and text: Boro Milović Godinje is a small village in the hills above Lake Skadar, with about a hundred homes. The village is famous for many things, and it is especially distinguished by the incredible architecture of the country houses, which has been studied and admired by many famous architects.

In order to protect themselves from the attacks of the Ottoman Empire, the inhabitants of this village built "house upon house" and developed a special system of passage through the village. Therefore, in the area where the cattle were kept, the so-called "tavern", passageways were built, which could be used to pass from one house to another. Thus, the tunnels "under the hellebore" could be reached from the first to the last house in the village. The places in front of the houses, where you could rest and sit, give a special charm to the appearance of the village. These places are called "volat". The center of events in the village, however, was busy - a large circle, in the lower part of the village, where dances and celebrations were held. There, both young and old, when they had done all the work, came to dance the Montenegrin circle and sing Montenegrin folk songs.

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In the past, life in the village was very difficult. They made a living from fishing and game hunting. The inhabitants of this village are reluctant to remember that time, when they had to go "to the woods", that is. to collect branches for firewood, or to trade, at the market, which was located in Virpazar, four kilometers away from the village. The main occupation was viticulture, so of course this region is also best known for the production of quality wine and grape brandy. Various kinds of fruits and vegetables were grown, orchards were cultivated...

There are ten living sources of drinking water in the village, the most famous of which is "točak - lješkovac". According to tradition, a very strange event took place under the hazelnut trees. The founder of the Leković brotherhood (who live in the village of Godinje) - Leka, was a goat with a wet beard. Pursuing him, he caught up with him at the spring. There he saw him drinking water, and decided to kill him, so that the source would never dry up. To this day, this source does not dry up, neither in summer nor in winter.

A Montenegrin beauty in London in 1907. One event in particular made this village famous in the world. Namely, in London in 1907 the competition of the most beautiful women in the world was held. King Nikola should have sent a representative of Montenegro to that important competition. In order to find the most beautiful, the king sent messengers to Montenegrin villages to look for beautiful girls. That's how they came across the beautiful Milena Delibašić. Due to traditionalism, her father strongly objected to sending his daughter to this competition. However, at the great insistence of King Nikola, he had to accept this decision. Milena was the most noticeable at the competition. Many clamored for her stay in London and further engagement, and she was even offered marriage by a very rich man. Nevertheless, she returned to her homeland and married a guy named Leković from Godinje. When King Nikola asked why she didn't get married there, she replied that the king didn't send her to get married there, but to show Montenegrin beauty. Even today, in Godinje, in one of the Leković houses, pictures and clippings from world-famous newspapers are kept, which published the story of this beautiful Montenegrin woman, who refused wealth and fame, and returned to live in Montenegro, in very difficult conditions.

Boro MILOVIĆ Montenegro.com