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Подгорица
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Dr Miomir Mugoša
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1,399
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136,473
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169,132
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UTC +1
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14th Century
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42°47' N
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19°28' E
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81
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http://wwwpodgoricacgyu/
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Podgorica Montenegrojpg
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( of
Montenegro and the judicial capital of
Serbia And Montenegro , located
at , 44 m above sea level. A census in
2003 put the population at 136,473. The favourable geographical position of Podgorica, at the confluence of the
Ribnica and
Morača rivers, has made the city an attractive location for settlement. The city is situated only a few kilometers from winter ski centers in the north, while to the south the
Adriatic Sea is also close at hand. The city's location significantly influenced its rapid development.
The name literally means "under the Gorica" in
Serbian ; Gorica (meaning "little mount") is the name of one the hills that overlooks the town. The city was known as
''Doclea'' in pre-Roman and
Roman times. In the
Middle Ages , the town was known as Ribnica, and between
1945 and
1992 it was called
Titograd . Podgorica is home to several theatres, libraries and a university.
Podgorica is located at the
Crossroads of several important routes that lead down to the city along the valleys of the rivers
Zeta ,
Morača ,
Cijevna ,
Ribnica , and
Sitnica , in the ravine of
Skadar Lake and in the vicinity of the
Adriatic Sea , in the fertile lowland with favorable climate conditions. The area has been suitable for human habitation since ancient times, with the earliest human settlements being founded in prehistory. The oldest remains of material culture on this area belong to the late
Stone Age . During the
Illyria n age, the area of
Zeta and
Bjelopavlići ravine was inhabited by members of two Illyrian tribes -
Labeati and
Dokleati , that directly influenced the genesis of local settlements.
Labeati inhabited the area from
Skadar to today's Podgorica. They had their own fortress Meteon (now
Medun ), and developed organization of life, especially military.
Dokleats also inhabited the valley of the
Zeta River , and thanks to the fertile plain and favorable geographical and road position, experienced fast economic growth. Their biggest settlement was
''Doclea'' . The city was situated about three kilometers northwest from today’s Podgorica. From the urban point of view, Doclea was adapted to the terrain configuration. At that time it was a big city, with 8 – 10 thousand inhabitants, in which all core urban issues were resolved. A relatively high population density in an area with a radius of just over ten kilometeres was conditioned by geographical position, a favorable climate, positive economic conditions and defensive positions that were of great importance at that time.
Beginning in the
5th Century , since the arrival of the first
Slavic and
Avar tribes and the beginning of the break up of the
Roman Empire , the area bore witness to many noteworthy events. Eventually, the existing fortifications ceased their function, and new towns were created. Slavic groups that inhabited the area were in constant fights with Byzantium and tended to establish a new state. The result of the turmoil was establishment of a new settlement that was probably named after the river Ribnica on the banks of which it was erected. The first mention of Ribnica is related to the period of rule of
Nemanjići . Geographical position conditioned route importance of Ribnica, as the crossroads of main road directions enabled connection of these areas with the West. When they finally inhabited these areas, the
Slavs , by creating a new state, started developing their own culture and art. That culture was acceptable to the medieval church and feudal class.
The name of Podgorica is mentioned for the first time in
1326 in one court document of the
Kotor archive. Podgorica was economically strong. Merchant connections between
Dubrovnik and the State of Nemanjici, well developed at that time, were maintained over the road that led through
Trebinje and
Nikšić to Podgorica. As it was sited on the busiest crossroads, Podgorica was the center of very vivid flow of goods, merchants, messengers and other passengers that augmented to its development, economic power, military strength and strategic importance. Turkish occupation of Podgorica in
1474 interrupted economic, cultural and artistic rise of the city. The
Turks built up a huge
Fortress in Podgorica and the existing settlement with highly developed merchant connections turned into the main defensive and attacking bastion against the rebellious tribes. The fortified city, with towers, gates and defensive ramparts, enabled the Turks resisted all attacks.
Pursuant to the decision of the
Berlin Congress in
1878 , Podgorica was integrated in
Montenegro . That marked the end of four centuries long Turkish occupation and the beginning of new era in the development of Podgorica and Montenegro. The city has developed relatively fast and grew into strong market. First forms of capital concentration started to show up. In
1904 the first significant financial institution was formed – Zetska
Savings Bank that would soon grow into Podgoricka bank. Roads to all neighboring towns were constructed, and in
1902 Podgorica got the first significant commercial company -
Tobacco plant.
In the period between the two wars Podgorica counted around 13,000 residents.
In
World War II it was bombarded over 70 times and was devastated to the ground, with the deaths of over 4,100 victims. It was liberated on
December 19 ,
1944 .
Under the name of Titograd, on
July 13 ,
1946 , it becomes the capital of the Republic. That marked the beginning of new life. In the period that followed a general transformation of the town was realized. Material, personnel and scientific – technical potential was increased, education experienced strong growth, many new cultural and health institutions were founded, and by modern roads and air connections the city became connected to the rest of the state and foreign countries. Titograd thus became commercial, social-economic and cultural center of Montenegro.
The name of Podgorica was reinstated on
April 2 ,
1992 .
Podgorica is by far the largest city in
Montenegro , with almost one third of
Montenegrins living there. There are around 170,000 people in Podgorica municipality, which includes the small towns of
Tuzi and
Golubovci , and around 140,000 people in the city itself.
The majority of the citizens are ethnically
Montenegrins , comprising 56.64% of the population in 2003. The second largest ethnic group, at 26.27% are
Serbs , followed by
Albanians at 5.5% and
Muslims at 2.6%. No other ethnic group, including
Bosniaks ,
Roma and others, reaches 2%.
Population of Podgorica:
Besides being the political center of Montenegro, Podgorica is also its main economic engine. Much of Montenegro's industrial base is situated in and around Podgorica, including
Aluminium and
Tobacco processing,
Textile Industry and many more. Much of the economic activities of Podgorica are small-scale.
The
Montenegro Stock Exchange , founded in
1993 , and NEX Stock Exchange, founded in
2001 , substantially contributed to the privatization of state-owned companies.
The main transit road connections are:
All the main roads in Montenegro are two-laned only, and often not very well maintained; efforts are being made to begin construction of a modern highway, to connect the north part of the
Montenegro with Podgorica, and on to the
Adriatic Sea . The present road which connects Podgorica with the north of the country, and with
Serbia , is considered very dangerous, especially during the winter.
The newly built tunnel
Sozina , 4 km long and a very modern tunnel, even by European standards, shortens the journey from Podgorica to
Bar , Montenegro's main sea port, to under half an hour.
The airport is situated 12 km south of the city, and a new passenger terminal building is currently under construction. There are regular flights from Podgorica to
Belgrade ,
Budapest ,
Zurich ,
Frankfurt ,
Ljubljana ,
Paris ,
Rome and
Vienna .
Buses provide
Public Transportation but they are unreliable and often late, so the very well organized
Taxi service is the popular choice of Podgorica citizens.
St. George's church (
10th Century ), on the slopes of the Gorica hill, is draws many visitors. Old Turkish town called "Stara Varoš" (meaning literally "old town"), with its mosques and old clock tower, also shows some of Podgorica's remaining early architecture. Much of the rest of the older buildings, however, were destroyed during
World War II bombing raids.
In recent years some new landmarks have been emerging, such as 34 m tall "Hristovog vaskrsenja"
Orthodox Temple , and recently completed
Millennium Bridge , which has already become a symbol of the city.
The great park surrounding
King Nikola 's castle, Gorica hill, "Skaline" (the stairs) on the outfall of the Ribnica river to Morača, and Mareza resort are all great places to relax and take a pleasant walk.
Architecture in Podgorica is wildly varying. Old parts of town, "Stara Varoš" and "Drač" are perfect examples of Turkish architecture, with narrow curvey streets.
Following
World War II , a devastated Podgorica (soon to be renamed Titograd) was in need of rebuiding, mostly to house the thousands of citizens left homeless following the carnage. As in all European cities to have suffered damage, the trend was to errect mass residential apartments of varying height. The immediate post-war design was very basic but with the ensuing years up to and including the present, the buildings gradually gained more detail and thus became more attractive. Although these buildings have had their fair share of criticism from locals, they were in fact built from bricks but covered in a thin surface. This meant that although some Podgorica apartments may not be attractive, they are none the less built with a solid foundation.
Over the past decade, Podgorica's look has continued to advance, not only with more attractive apartments, but with business complexes boasting designs on par with those in Western Europe, and the newly completed
Millennium Bridge added much to the Podgorica skyline, with its 57 m high
Pylon .
Podgorica is home to many sport clubs. Most well-known are Budućnost football and Budućnost basketball clubs. There are also karate, volleyball, handball, boxing, and other clubs named "Budućnost", so "Budućnost" is first association with a sport club in Podgorica. Other football clubs situated in Podgorica are
FK Dečić (
Tuzi ),
FK Zeta (
Golubovci ),
FK Crvena Stijena ,
FK Ribnica ,
FK Grafičar ,
FK Mladost ...
Other sport venues includes "Malih sportova" stadium and
Tennis courts, both under the Gorica hill,
Sport Shooting range under the Ljubović hill, and many more smaller stadiums and fields...
