A Few Days in Podgorica, the Capital of Montenegro

Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro. When first hearing this, I assumed there would be lots to do and see in the city. I soon learned that people joke that it is the most boring capital city in Europe. While it isn’t a tourist hot-spot, we still found it worthwhile to visit during our time in Montenegro.

We went through Podgorica twice while traveling through Montenegro. First as a multi-day stop-over on our journey from Kotor to Durmitor National Park. After our time in Durmitor National Park we took the bus back to Podgorica and from there we traveled up out of Montenegro into Serbia by train.

The Sites in Podgorica

The Old Clock Tower

The Old Clock Tower was built in 1662 and is 62 feet tall. It is one of the few Ottoman structures that survived the bombing that occurred in Podgorica during World War II. The Yugoslav Partisans under Tito requested the Allies bomb Podgorica (1943-1944) after it was taken over by Germany. This bombing campaign largely destroyed the city, which is why there is very little left of the Old Town.

The Old Ribnica River Bridge

The Old Ribnica River Bridge is the oldest bridge in Podgorica. It was built during Roman times and underwent some reconstruction in the 18th century. It is located where the small Ribnica River flows into the larger Morača River.

On the hill just south of the Old Ribnica Bridge is the Ribnica Fortress which seems to also go by the name Depedogen Fortress. The fortress was built above the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača Rivers in the late 15th century by the Ottomans. It is mostly ruins now, but a few walls remain.

^{Ruins of Fortress Depedogen also known as Ribnica Fortress}

The Orthodox Temple of Christ’s Resurrection

The Orthodox Temple of Christ’s Resurrection (built in 2013) is a striking building. The fascinating architecture has layers of various size and shape mashing into each other, visible from the sides and back. A base of large white stones create the base. At the top, large domes and A-frames hold up gold crosses. The front view displays 3 bell towers in a single plane and a large stone arch over the main entrance.

Colorful frescos cover every surface in the interior of the church. The most famous of these is the controversial depiction of Tito, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels in the flaming depths of hell. This scene is on the wall above and to the right of the main door. In my photo, it is near the center in the red section of wall.

^{Inside the Orthodox Temple of Christ’s Resurrection}

^{The painting of Tito, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels in the flaming depths of hell inside the church.}

Beyond the Tourist Sites

Podgorica has lots of small parks to provide green and shady spaces for the locals to hang out in. Multiple pedestrian bridges connect the city over the rivers and plentiful sidewalks provide easy walking options. There are also lots of good restaurants and of a large variety of cuisines to enjoy while in the city.

^{King’s Park – one of many simple parks in Podgorica.}

^{Statue of Karaðorðe in Karaðorðe Park.}

^{Gorica Park is the largest park in Podgorica and has this cafe located within it.}

The Moraća River offers a chance for a refreshing dip. There are a few areas that are easy to walk down and access the edge of the flowing water. Even in summer the water was quite cold but welcome in the June heat.

^{Moscow Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the Moraća River.}

^{View of Millennium Bridge from Moscow Bridge in Podgorica.}

^{Restaurants line the street named Bokeška.}

Time to Leave Podgorica

After seeing the few sites in Podgorica and having some down time to work on planning for our next couple destinations, it was time to catch the bus to our next destination of Durmitor National Park. If you are thinking about visiting Montenegro, check out my posts of Kotor and Herceg Novi for two great destinations on the Bay of Kotor.