"Old capital of Montenegro" Cetinje by Jeca011

Cetinje Travel Guide: 44 reviews and 122 photos

Cetinje is the old capital of Montenegro, located at the foot of Mount Lovcen. Cetinje began to grow around 1482 when Ivan Crnojevic, a ruler of the Crnojevic dynasty, moved under Turkish advance from the southern town of Zabljak on Skadar Lake and named Cetinje his new capital. The name Cetinje derives from the tiny river Cetina that used to flow through the valley and vanish underground at its lower end.

Cetinje is much more than a capital city to Montenegrins. Cetinje and Mount Lovcen are symbols of the Montenegrin nation and state created in the centuries-old struggle for independence, and freedom. They are also symbols of the highlanders ethic of honesty, courage and loyalty to their country. Cetinje was the seat of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church and the center of the organized resistance against the Turks.

Cetinje began to grow rapidly in the 19th century when Montenegro secured international recognition of its independence.
Cetinje reached its zenith under Nikola I Petrovic who ruled from 1860 until 1918. Under Nikola I Cetinje flourished. The development was particularly notable after 1878, when Montenegro was officially recognized as an independent state at the Berlin Congress. Cetinje was the smallest European capital, but had many foreign embassies, a palace, hospital, theater, girls institute, schools, museum, and archives. After World War II Podgorica become capital.

In 1993 government of the Republic of Montenegro moved certain government functions from the capital Podgorica to Cetinje. This time Cetinje become twin capital with Podgorica.

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In a nutshell:Symbols of Montenegro

Intro Updated Jan 16, 2005
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Reviews (20)

Artistic Museum Things to Do (13)

The Artistic Museum of Montenegro was established in 1950, originally as the Artistic Gallery of Montenegro. It is... more travel advice

Former England consulate Things to Do (13)

The English consulate was built in the typical English simple style in 1912.It was built according to the project of... more travel advice

Former Russian consulate Things to Do (13)

In 1903 a building of the Russian consulate was built according to the project of Italian architect Corradini. This... more travel advice

Dynasty Petrovic-Njegos Favorites (3)

Dynasty Petrovic-Negos was ruling Montenegro, and brought western ideas of statehood and culture. Bishop Danilo... more travel advice

Local Customs (1)
Biennial of Cetinje

Off The Beaten Path (3)
See All Mausoleum at Lovcen

Comments (8)

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Jim_Eliason Feb 8, 2009 at 4:15 PM

Great tips Jelena!
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Hermanater Oct 4, 2006 at 11:34 AM

Happy Birthday....I have never heard of this place (Or country). Looks like an interesting place to visit.
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chewy3326 Feb 2, 2006 at 2:31 PM

What an interesting place! I've never known much about Montenegro, thanks for the insights
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Iteris May 28, 2005 at 9:32 AM

Visiting the mausoleum was the one thing I missed out doing on my recent visit to Montenegro. The views must have been good too!
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croisbeauty Feb 8, 2005 at 3:18 PM

Dobro si ovo uradila ðevojko. A jel znaš da u Kraljevskim dvorima ima dvije krasne slike Vlahe Bukovca napravljene po narudžbi kralja Petra?
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JLBG Jan 18, 2005 at 7:24 AM

Jelena, you have written a great page which is the reference page on Cetinje. It is loaded with very informative historical tips. I have learned a lot and I will use it when I will visit Cetinje (not yet scheduled, but I will). Hvala mnogo Jelena!
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Aurorae Jan 17, 2005 at 12:04 PM

Fantasticna stranica!!! Ne znam ko ce je prevazici!!! Sve si rekla! I pokazala! :)
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cbeaujean Jan 16, 2005 at 6:14 AM

at last,a comprehensive and nice written page about an unjustly forgotten capital:all you have to know about cetinje,montenegro capital is here.