According to ITYPEJOB, Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro. Podgorica lies in the Skadar lake basin, at the confluence of the Rybnitsa River in Moraca. It is the main transport hub of Montenegro: the railway line Belgrade – Bar passes through it. In addition, there is a railway line from Podgorica to Niksic, but passenger service is scheduled to begin only in 2009. The only railway connecting neighboring Albania with the rest of the world leads from Shkoder to Podgorica, but it has not been used recently. Highways passing through Podgorica, connect Belgrade with the Adriatic coast, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina with Albania. The international airport is located 12 km from Podgorica.
In ancient times, there was a Roman settlement on the site of the modern city. After the Slavic tribes settled the territory of Montenegro in the 7th century, the settlement became known as Ribnitsa. In the 13th – 14th centuries, Ribnica (renamed Podgorica around 1330) was ruled by the Serbian Nemanjić dynasty. In 1361-1421, Montenegrin princes Balshichi ruled in Podgorica, then despot Stefan Lazarevich, from 1427 despot Djuraj Brankovich. Podgorica was one of the centers of the Principality of Zeta. In the struggle against the Ottoman Empire, the representatives of Podgorica entered into an alliance in 1455 with Venice. After the foundation of the Skadar Sanjak by the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II (1479), Podgorica was included in its composition. By decision of the Berlin Congress in 1878, Podgorica was returned to Montenegro. November 26, 1918 in Podgorica, the Great National Assembly decided to overthrow the Montenegrin dynasty of Petrovich and unite Montenegro with Serbia. In the united Yugoslav state , Podgorica was one of the centers of the revolutionary struggle in Montenegro. In April 1941 it was occupied by Italian troops. Since April 1945 Podgorica – the capital of the People’s Republic of Montenegro. In 1952 the city was renamed Titograd in honor of Broz Tito. In 1992 the name Podgorica was returned to the city.
The modern look of Podgorica was formed in the 50s of the XX century, since during the Second World War the city was almost destroyed. Few historical sights have survived, testifying to the important place of this city in the history of Montenegro. In the old city center, the remains of a Turkish fortress, which was built in 1474-77, have been preserved. on the site of a fortress in the middle of the 15th century and destroyed in 1879. You can see the palace of King Nikola, which now houses a museum. On the hill Goritsa, from which the name of the city comes from, there is the church of St. George, built at the beginning of the 12th century, and in its interior there are frescoes of the late 16th – early 17th centuries. Not far from the city are the ruins of the Roman city of Doclea with the remains of the forum, temples, baths and villas. And in the northeast, 13 km from Podgorica, there are the remains of a ruined fortress from the 3rd century BC.
One of the main shrines of Montenegro – Ostrog Monastery – located 40 km north of Podgorica. The monastery was built in a sheer cliff at an altitude of 900 m above sea level. Ostrog Monastery is not the oldest in Montenegro: it has become widely known since the end of the 17th century in connection with the life and work of the great Orthodox saint – Basil of Ostrog, known far beyond the borders of Montenegro, although the stone caves in Ostrog served as a refuge for monks from time immemorial. A continuous series of miracles is associated with the name of the saint. The persecution of the Turks forced Metropolitan Vasily to move to Ostrog, where under his leadership in 1665 the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was built and the ancient Vvedenskaya Church was painted. Here he died in 1671 and was buried in the Vvedenskaya Church. His relics were miraculously discovered in 1678. Ostrog became a place of pilgrimage for believers not only from Montenegro, but from all over Serbia, and the relics of Vasily Ostrogsky became the greatest shrine of Montenegrins.
Lake Skadar, the largest and most famous lake in Montenegro, lies south of Podgorica. The railway connecting Podgorica passes by it. with a coastal bar. On the coast of the lake there is a national park designed to protect the unique nature of these places and, above all, the nesting sites of many species of birds, including rare and endangered ones. in the Skadar Lake National Park there are many archaeological sites, as well as fortresses and monasteries of the 15th century. Once upon a time there were more than 20 monasteries on the coast of the lake, for which this area was called the “Zetskaya Holy Mountain”. Near the city of Rijeka Chernovitsa was located the fortress of Chernovichi, the ruling clan of Zeta (medieval Montenegro). Churches and remains of medieval fortifications can be found everywhere in the mountainous areas.
