Cuce --- The Old Montenegro

This thread covers the highlands with Cetinje as a geographical and political center. 

After the breathtaking climb from Kotor

we enter the silent mountain plateau I like to call

The Old Montenegro.

 

The region is called Crna Gora (Montenegro) on the map.

Here you can also see how this small nation got bigger and bigger.

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Njeguši is the first village we meet.

 

This village is best known as

the birthplace of Montenegro's royal dynasty Petrović,

which ruled Montenegro from 1696 to 1918.

You might even have heard of the delicious brands

Njeguški sir and Njeguški pršut (cheese and smoked ham).

After Njeguši the climb continues to some 1.000 m,

where you choose to go north to Grahovo or south to Cetinje.

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Lovćen

We could also have taken another road from Njeguši to this national symbolic mountain massif.

In National Park Lovćen is an adventure park, Ivanova Korita.

Štirovnik (1,749 m) and Jezerski vrh (1,657 m).

Mausoleum of Njegoš lies at the summit of Jezerski vrh.

Petar II Petrović Njegoš (1813-1851)

was the Prince-Bishop of Montenegro,

the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan of Cetinje

and a philosopher and poet.

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Cuce

 

The district "Old Montenegro" seemes to be a sparse landscape.

In 1718, after the Peace of Passowitz,

Cuce became de facto independent from the Ottoman Empire.

Village Čevo

Village Ržani do

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Grahovo

 

Village Vilusi

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Cetinje

14.000 inhabitants (2011). The town is the old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also still a historical and the secondary, "honorary" capital of Montenegro, with the official residence of the President of Montenegro.

Wars of conquest led by the Turks forced Ivan Crnojević, the ruler of Zeta at that time, to move the capital of his country from the fortified town of Žabljak to the inaccessible parts, to Obod in 1475, and soon after at the foot of Mt. Lovćen. In the field of Cetinje in 1482 his court was built and two years later the monastery as well. By building the court and the monastery a new capital was founded. Its name was Cetinje. It was named after the River Cetina that runs through it.

The building "Biljarda" is today a museum of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš.

It was earlier senate offices and Njegoš's own residens.

There is also a large scale relief map of Montenegro

constructed during World War I by Austrian soldiers.

"Vladin Dom" (government), today the National Museum of Montenegro,

 historical, arts and archaeology.

The "Blue Palace", today residence of the President of Montenegro.

Mausoleum at Eagle Hill (Orlov krš),

dedicated to Montenegrin bishop Danilo Petrović, erected in 1896.