Marijana Vukcevic
The long tradition and stormy history of the modern capital city and leading business centre in the region
In our constant advance through time and space we forget to stop and listen to what the cities we live in, which we are always just passing through, or ones that we are planning to visit, have to say to us. One such town with a truly remarkable history whose journey through the ages has left significant traces on the infrastructure, way of life and population structure is Podgorica, the capital and largest city of Montenegro. Through that long and tempestuous history Podgorica has live through many cataclysms, to which the five names of the city bear the best witness.
Podgorica as it once was - survey of the recent and the more distant past of the city
The oldest cultural remains tell us that the area of today's Podgorica and its closest surroundings was inhabited as early as the Stone Age. Two thousand years ago there was an Illyrian and Roman town known as Birziminium at the confluence of the rivers Ribnica and Moraca. In the Illyrian period the area was inhabited by two tribes, the Labeati and the Docleati, who had the most direct influence on the establishing of settlements in this area. The Labeati settled in the area from Skadar to what is now Podgorica. They had their own fortress of Meteon (Medun) and a well-developed social structure, particularly in military terms. The Docleati were settled in the Zeta river valley and thanks to the fertile plane and the favorable geographical and travel situation they experience rapid economic growth. Their largest settlement was Doclea. Doclea is first mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century BC, and is located some three kilometers Northwest of what is today the centre of Podgorica, at the place where the river Zeta joins the Moraca. During the time of the Romans, Doclea became the centre of the province of Prevalis and continued to experience growth as an economic, political and religious centre. According to some data it had from 8 to 10 thousand inhabitants at the time. The wider area around took its name Doclea from the city and it was not until after the eleventh century that the name Zeta came into common use.
In the fifth century, at the beginning of the disintegration of the Roman Empire the first Slav and Avar tribes began to arrive in the region. The interest of the Slavs in establishing their own state and the interests of Byzantium came into conflict and constant wars were fought during which Doclea was demolished. The most likely date for this event is 602 AD, since after that date there is no longer any mention of the city as a thriving community. During the eleventh century a more important new settlement, known as Ribnica came into existence where Alata had once been. Ribnica was later renamed Podgorica, but it seems that both names were used equally right up to the fifteenth century. The name Podgorica was first used in1326 in a document from Kotor, and it comes from the name of a hill called Gorica in the northern part of the town. In the middle ages Podgorica was a significant trading, religious and cultural centre. Located in a fertile plane it was an important crossroads on the trade routes.
When it fell to the Turks in 1484 the character of the town changed extensively. The Turks built fortresses, town walls, minarets and houses, giving it the appearance of an oriental military city. In 1878 Podgorica was united, by the decision of the Congress of Berlin, with the Kingdom of Montenegro. At that time there were about 1,500 houses in Podgorica, with more than 8.000 people - of Orthodox, Roman-Catholic and Muslim faiths. In the First World War Podgorica was occupied by Austrian troops, and liberated in 1918. In the period between the two world wars it had a population of about 13,000. During the Second World War it was bombed more than seventeen times and completely destroyed, with the loss of 4,100 lives. It was liberated on 19th December 1944.
It began its new life as Titograd on 13th July 1946, and became the main city of the then Republic of Montenegro. After its liberation the redevelopment of the war-ruined city began. The rapid development of Podgorica began at that time and with this rapid development the population grew too. What was once Tito's city with typical socialist dwelling blocks, monotonous parks and identical streets, with a town plan that envisaged a postwar population of sixty thousand, today is a town with three times as many inhabitants and an infrastructure of which not many larger European centers can boast.
Podgorica today
The Old Lady stands proudly in two fertile planes (Bjelopavlicka and Zetska) surrounded by mountains (Vranjska gora 85 m, Ljubovic 101m, Gorica 130 m, Dajbabska gora 172 m, Malo brdo 205 m, Hum 276 m, Vranjina 303 m ...) cut into by no less than five rivers: Zeta, Sitnica, Ribnica and Cijevna which flow into the Moraca and into Lake Skadar. Lake Skadar, the vicinity of the sea, it's height above sea-level, the relief of the land, the geographical expanse, all have created the conditions for a sub Mediterranean climate with mild winters and very hot summers. Podgorica is located 44 meters above sea-level, just a hundred or so kilometers from well-known seaside resorts and attractive winter sports centers. The construction of the Sozina tunnel allows travelers to reach the Adriatic in just half and hour's drive. Construction is proceeding at such a pace that almost daily the foundations of new building are laid, and new cultural, scientific institutions, modern roads (especially bridges), business centers, promenades, schools, hospitals, monuments, hotels and restaurants and sports facilities are springing up almost overnight. It can rightfully be said that today's Podgorica is the unquestionable administrative, cultural, financial, business, transport and service center of the country.
A business Mecca, a university center, a capital of culture, a city of the young and the future. One of the modern symbols of Podgorica is the largest bridge on the Moraca,The Millennium bridgewhich dominates the skyline of the city. With its famous grape brandy, its even more famous wines (from the largest vineyard in Europe - AD Plantaza) impressive cultural monuments (of which there are very few due to the massive destruction in the 2nd World War) its famous Old Podgorica humor, its bohemian characters and beautiful women, Podgorica truly has something to show the chance visitor. And that's not all. With the reestablishment of its status as an independent state Montenegro and Podgorica as a center of scientific, cultural, political institutions are at the beginning of a new period of whirlwind development. Foreign investments of hundreds of millions of euros in 2006 and further promises of even larger ones are a guarantee of even more rapid development of the city. New embassies, representative offices of the most well known international corporations, and international and domestic cultural events are bringing the business and cultural elite to the city and Podgorica has every chance of becoming a modern European town where the past serves as a warning and the future demands the preservation, advancement and creation of a favorable environment for the times that are ahead.
