Photos: Velizar Veso Roganovic

1482. Ivan Crnojević, the lord of Zeta, under pressure from the Turks, moved the capital of his small country from Obod to the Cetinje field, where he first built a palace and then a monastery. The city was named after the river Cetina, which flowed through the field in those ancient times. In 1499, Zeta fell into the hands of the Turks, and from that moment Cetinje became the center of the only free space in the Balkans, and the surrounding areas the core of freedom and independence, a symbol of resistance to all enslaved Balkan peoples. Historical records say that later Cetinje was exposed to many blows and temptations. There was no significant development and progress of the city until the coming to power of the progenitor of the Petrović dynasty, bishop Danilo Šćepćević Petrović, when the center of events and decision-making moved to the small capital. Further development of the city continued during the reign of Bishops: Sava and Vasilij Petrović, Saint Peter of Cetinje, Peter II Petrović Njegoš, Prince Danilo Petrović and King Nikola I Petrović, and experienced its culmination in the period from the international recognition of Montenegro in 1878 until the beginning of the First World War. Then the city got all the features of a modern European capital with castles, a theater, a hotel and numerous embassies such as England,

France,

Russia,

Bulgaria,

Italian, Belgian, which still adorn this beautiful place today.

Today, Cetinje is an important historical and artistic crossroads. With its 590 m above sea level, located below the peak of Lovcen, this town represents an oasis of peace and quiet, natural beauty and an abundance of clean and fresh air. Cetinje is located a twenty-minute drive from Budva, the same distance from the capital Podgorica, or a forty-minute drive from Kotor via the famous Njeguš. After visiting the city sights: Cetinje Monastery,

Church on Ćipur,

Billiards,

Orlov Krš, then the castle of King Nikola, Government House, walk through Balšića market and Katunska street, pass by the old Mlin, then be sure to stop by Yellow Moon for refreshments. If you are delighted with what you saw in the port, you can spend the night in the Cetinje Grand Hotel or at Ivani Koriti. During your tour of Cetinje and the Podlovce part of Montenegro, don't forget to try Njeguš specialties: cheese, prosciutto and the famous Crmnica wine. Montenegro.com