Ostroš

Ostroš is the main village of Krajina, the belt of hill country along the south-western shore of Lake Skadar in Bar municipality. It stands on terraced slopes above the water, with the lake spread out below and the long ridge of Rumija rising behind it, separating the basin from the Adriatic. The road that climbs out of Bar, crosses the mountain and drops down toward Ulcinj passes through here, which is why a settlement of this size has long acted as the local centre for the smaller hamlets scattered around it. The character of the place is agricultural and unhurried. Stone houses sit among olive groves, fig trees, vineyards and sweet chestnut woods, and the chestnut harvest still shapes the local autumn. Most families here are ethnic Albanian, and the village keeps its own language and cooking alongside the wider Montenegrin one. There is a school, a mosque and a few shops and cafés; anything more than that means driving down to Bar or round to Virpazar. What brings visitors is the lake. Below the village the shoreline at Murići has a pebble beach shaded by chestnut trees, and small boats run from there to Beška and Starčevo, two medieval island monasteries still in use. All of this lies inside Skadar Lake National Park, where pelicans, herons and cormorants feed among reed beds and summer carpets of water lilies. Fishermen still work the shallows from flat-bottomed boats. Ostroš suits travellers who want the lake without the tour buses and who are comfortable with a rented car and simple facilities. Late spring and September are the best months: the water is warm, the light is long, and the heat in the basin has eased. Autumn brings the chestnuts and the clearest views from the Rumija road.