Visiting Montenegro - Things to know before a Montenegro Vacation
A Montenegro Vacation - full of discovery
Montenegro is just waiting to be explored. It is up and coming on the radar of tourists, and perhaps making rounds with backpackers and other holiday makers. It hasn't yet reached the major tourist appeal of Greece, but likely has the nearly as much culture and glorious beach appeal as Greece has.
For any vacation to a new country, it is essential to gain an understanding of the country to fully appreciate your vacation - at least for those people who like to do more than relax and enjoy the sun.
A brief history
Montenegro was the feature country during the James Bond movie Casiono Royal. While watching this film with a friend, he rambled on about how great the country was. For these reasons Montenegro piqued my interest. Ironically however, Casiono Royal was filmed in the Chez Republic.. though that did not stop me from searching and learning more about the country. I would love to visit, perhaps stay a while. Maybe open up a B&B there, or maybe a hostel?
Montenegro is a country which can be found in Southeastern Europe. The name "Montenegro" means "Black Mountain" in English. It is bordered by Herzegovina and Bosnia to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Albania on the south, and Crotia to the west. The current capital city, as well as largest city, is Podgorica. However, the city of Cetinje is the former Royal Capital city - known as the Prijestonica.
From 1918 onward to their referendum in 2006, Montenegro has been through many incarnations of Yugoslavia. Due to the referendum of May 21, 2006, Montenegro declared their independance on June 28, 2006. With this independance, it became the 192nd member state of the United Nations. Nearly a year later, on May 11 2007, it became the 47th member state of the Council of Europe. Right now Montenegro is working on gaining EU candidate status.
The Beauty of Montenegro
Flags and Nationalal Days
On July 13, 2004, Montenegro adopted a new official flag. This flag is based on the royal standard of King Nikola I of Montenegro.
July 13 is the national day of Montenegro. It marks the date in 1878 when Montenegro was recognised as the 27th independent state in the world by the Congress of Berlin. July 13 was also the start of one of the first popular uprisings in Europe against the Axis Powers, in 19141.
The makeup of Montenegro
In the 2003 census, Montenegro had a population of 620 000 citizens. Of this population, as of 2004, about 43% are Montenegrins and 32% are Serbs. The remaining population is made of of Bosniaks, Albanians, Ethnic Muslims, Croats, Roma, Ygoslavs and others. The language most spoken is Serbian with 63% of the people speaking it. However, 22% speak Montenegrin. Interestingly, the Montenegrin language (a variant or dialect of the Serbian language) is a new idea, and has only been promoted to the public since 2004, however the movement began in 1993.
Tourism
Montenegro is well suited for development of all kinds of tourism, as it has both a picturesque coast and a mountainous northern region. The country was a well-known tourist spot in the 1980s, yet, the Yugoslav wars that were fought in neighbouring countries during the 1990s crippled the tourist industry and destroyed the image of Montenegro as a tourist destination.
It was not until 2000s that the tourism industry began to recover, and the country has since experienced a high rate of growth in the number of tourist visits and overnight stays.
Take a visit to Lake Scutari, and the National Park, and see one of the largest bird reserves in Europe. Or visit Boka Kotorska, possibly one of the most beautifull bays in Europe, which has historic old towns along the coast. Including the town of Kotor- a Unesco World Heritage site. You could also visit Tara canyon, the second largest canyon after the Grand Canyon.
Try to find some local Grape Brandy, and enjoy with the local cheeses njeguški or pljevaljski.
