Interesting facts about Montenegro

Montenegro is an extremely popular tourist destination, but it seems that some of the most interesting facts about it are not well known. It's time to change that. We have prepared for you interesting facts about Montenegro that make it a destination that every traveler must visit at least once in their life.

 

1. Montenegro was declared an ecological country in 1992 and is the only one of its kind in the world.

2. It got its name from its characteristic mountain relief.

3. There are four world heritage sites in Montenegro and another six are on the provisional list.

4. Crkvice is the place in Montenegro with the most precipitation in Europe during the year.

5. Ostrog Monastery is one of the greatest miracles of Orthodox Christianity.

6. Durmitor is proud of its 18 glacial lakes.

  

 

7. Biogradska gora, one of the two rainforests in Europe, covers 5,400 hectares and is located between 832 and 1,116 meters above sea level.

8. The Bojana River is the only river in the world that, due to the configuration of the terrain, flows both upstream and downstream.

9. Bar is home to the oldest olive tree in Europe.

10. The oldest and most beautiful preserved glass cup in Europe (diaret) from the 4th century BC was found near Pljevlja. It is 14.2 cm high and 12.9 cm wide.

11. Montenegro is home to over 3,000 plant species and 22 endemic species.

12. The Cathedral of St. Tripun in Kotor is one of the oldest churches in Europe. It was built in 1166 and is older than Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

                                  

 

13. 180,000-year-old artifacts were found at the Crvena stijena archaeological site.

14. Tara Canyon is the deepest canyon in Europe (1,333 m), and the second in the world. In Montenegro, there is another canyon that stands out for its beauty, and that is Nevidio. The first organized exploration of the canyon was in the middle of the last century.

   

 

15. The majority of the Orthodox population of Montenegro celebrates baptism, a custom that originates from the pre-Christian period.

16. Christian relics, the hand of St. John the Baptist, a fragment of the Holy Cross of the Lord and the icon of the Most Holy Mother of God Philermosa are located in Cetinje.

17. Montenegro is home to the tallest mausoleum in the world, the Njegoš Mausoleum.

                             

 

18. Grlja river canyon near Gusinje is one of the most interesting canyons in the world. On both sides of the river rise smooth cliffs, about twenty meters high, and they are two steps away from each other.

19. Sailors Stevan Vukotić (1823-1826), who sailed under the Russian flag, and Ivo Visin (1853-1859), who sailed under the Austro-Hungarian flag, were the first sailors from a South Slavic country to sail around the world.

20. The first intercity bus line in Europe was introduced between the Montenegrin cities of Podgorica and Cetinje, during the reign of King Nikola.

21. In the Crnojević printing house, which was transferred from Obod to the Cetinje monastery by the last medieval master of Zeta, Đurađ Crnojević, Oktoih first letter, the first Cyrillic printed book of the South Slavs, was printed. Printing began in the winter of 1493, and ended on January 4, 1494.

21. In the past, tribal affiliation played an important role in the life of the Montenegrin population. Most people today know their tribal origins. Some of the tribes in Montenegro are: Vasojevići, Moračani, Drobnjaci, Bjelopavlići, Piperi...

22. Montenegro is one of the founders of the Red Cross, as well as the first country to introduce mail transportation by car (1903).

23. Matej Zmajević (1680-1735) was one of the greatest admirals of the Russian Navy. A Catholic, he lived in Montenegro, Croatia and Russia.

24. Montenegro is among the first in the world when it comes to the use of mobile phones per capita. According to data from 2013, every resident has almost 2 mobile phones.

25. On the other hand, Montenegrins use the slowest Internet in Europe, the average speed of which is 5.76 Mb/s.

26. The most famous Montenegrin export products are "Vranac" wine and Njeguška prosciutto.

27. On Mount Visitor there is a lake with a unique floating island, which, according to legend, was created from a raft on which shepherds sheltered their cattle during the night.

28. Žabljak is a town located at the highest altitude in the Balkans, at 1485 meters above sea level.

   

 

29. Velika plaža in Ulcinj (12.5 km), is one of the longest sandy beaches in Europe. This place is not only ideal for swimming, as you can also enjoy kitesurfing, horse riding, as well as playing beach volleyball and football.

30. In 1904, Montenegro declared war on the Japanese Empire. The peace agreement between Montenegro and Japan was signed in 2006.

31. The Bečići beach, located not far from Budva, was declared the most beautiful beach in Europe in 1935 in Paris.

32. The Montenegrin coast is one of the sunniest in Europe. Ulcinj is the sunniest town on the Montenegrin coast. On average, there are about 2,530 sunny hours per year.

33. Lake Skadar is a real geographical phenomenon - it has forty islands and islets as well as numerous species of flora and fauna that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

  

 

34. Grmožur Island in Lake Skadar is called the Montenegrin Alcatraz, because on it King Nicholas used the remains of the Turkish fortress as a prison for political opponents and exclusively non-swimmers.

35. Gurdić is one of the most unusual rivers in the world, because it is a river without a bed. It is located on the south side of Kotor. During rainy days, the river, which is about eighty meters long, boils from the cave's mouth and the seawater, which enters there like a gulf, returns to the sea. When it dries up, Gurdić is lost in the lovčen abyss, and its place is filled with sea water.

                    

 

Montenegro is certainly one of the most interesting countries in the world. Throughout the centuries of its rich history, Montenegro survived and remained one of the brightest examples of the struggle for freedom and for its own existence. Christian, Muslim, Illyrian, Byzantine, Turkish and Slavic civilizations merged here, making Montenegro a crossroads of culture and history.

 

 

Come, get to know our country and enjoy your unforgettable vacation in Montenegro!