Interesting Facts About Montenegro
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On May 22nd, Montenegro has regained its independence from Serbia and became one of the youngest countries in the international community. In this text, we wish to bring you some less familiar but certainly interesting facts about this small Balkan country on the Mediterranean.
#1 fact
At the surface of just
13.812km2, more than 60% of the country has peaks
higher than 1000 metres, with
Zla Kolata in
Prokletije being the highest mountain point â
2,534 metres above sea level.
#2 fact
Also, Montenegro is the home to the
highest Mausoleum in the world. Rising from the magnificent
Boka Bay, and sitting on the top of the
LovÄen Mountain at 1657 metres above sea level, it takes
461 steps to reach the place where one of the Montenegrin greatest rulers and poets,
Petar II PetroviÄ NjegoÅ¡ sleeps. Mountain Lovcen is also
one of five national parks in Montenegro.
#3 fact
The second deepest canyon in the world, and the
deepest in Europe, Tara Canyon flows through
Durmitor National Park in Montenegro. The canyon is 82 kilometres long and at its deepest point, it is 1.300 meters deep. You can explore this
UNESCO World Heritage Site area by rafting along a one-mile long path or go for the
largest zip line in Europe, crossing from one river shore to another.
#4 fact
At the border between
Montenegro and
Albania,
the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula,
Skadar Lake lies. The 2/3 of its surface stretches in Montenegro. The lake's surface is
six metres below sea level, which makes it a unique
crypto depression,
the biggest one in Europe. Skadar Lake is also one of the biggest
bird preserves in Europe; it is home to over than 280 bird species, and the most popular ones are the
Dalmatian Pelicans.
Skadar Lake has around
40 islands and islets, on which there are numerous monasteries and fortifications. One of the most famous ones is
Grmožur, which used to be a prison. Only one prisoner managed to escape from Grmožur, and he is popularly known as the
Montenegrin Alcatraz.

#5 fact
Montenegro has a total of
117 beaches, along the
294 kilometres of coastline, and the
Velika Plaža in Ulcinj takes the title of the largest beach at this part of the Adriatic. With its clean water and fine sand, this beach is 13 km long and 60 metres wide. Additionally,
Ulcinj is one of the sunniest cities on the Montenegrin coast, with an average of about 2,530 hours of sunshine a year.
#6 fact
Stara Maslina or the Old Olive Tree, in the town of Bar, is known as one of the oldest olive trees or according to many, the oldest olive tree in the world. More than
2,000 years old and with a volume of 10 metres, this olive tree is one of the greatest attractions of the city. Another interesting thing is that in Bar, more than
10.000 olive trees are more than 1.000 years old. The city of
Bar is well known for its olive oil, called
Barsko Zlato, that can be purchased in all the bigger markets around Montenegro.
#7 fact
The picturesque towns of Kotor, Tivat, Herceg Novi and Risan surround the winding bay of
Boka Kotorska, the breath-taking bay on the Adriatic Sea. Formerly given the status of the
southern-most and deepest fjord in Europe, it is an islet formed by the partial submergence of a river valley.
#8 fact
River Bojana is the only river in the world that flows upstream, due to its geographical configuration. It is also considered that the river has two gorges.
#9 fact
The 10 % of the country's surface is covered in
5 national parks. One of them is
NP Biogradska Gora which is one of the three
last remaining virgin forests in Europe.
#10 fact
GurdiÄ is one of the most unusual rivers in the world because it is a river without a riverbed. It is located on the south side of the
Old Town of Kotor. During rainy days, the river goes from the cave hatch and returns the seawater, which enters like a bay, into the sea. When it dries up, GurdiÄ gets lost in the abysses of the LovÄen Mountain in the hinterlands of Kotor Bay and its basin is filled with seawater.
Gurdic is a natural phenomenon called
estavel.
#11 fact
Ostrog Monastery is in of the most visited
religious places in this part of Europe. It is carved in the rocks on the side of a mountain, and with this unique position/location attracts millions of visitors, especially
Orthodox believers and worshippers. Particles of the
Holy Cross and
the hand of Saint John the Baptist are located here.
Additional Religious Fact
Three famous
Christian relics are located in Cetinje Monastery. These are the
hand of Saint John the Baptist,
the particle of the Holy Cross of the Lord and the
icon of the Most Holy Mother of God Philermos.
#12 fact
Another
sacred place important for the members of the
Islamic community is
Huesin Pasha Mosque in Pljevlja. The mosque dates back from the 16th century, and an extremely valuable relic is placed here -
a hair from the beard of Prophet Muhammad.
#13 fact
Kotor is a medieval town, considered to date
back before Christ. Another interesting fact is the
Saint Tryphon Cathedral, located in the heart of the Old Town, was supposed to be built in
Dubrovnik, but due to bad weather conditions, it was decided to build it here, thinking it was the wish of the Saint Tryphon. The Cathedral is
50 years older than the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
#14 fact
Montenegro was the first country in the world that was officially declared an ecological state in 1992, writing about ecological protection in its Constitution:
âWe, the members of the Parliament of the Republic of Montenegro, are aware that due to the threats to nature, the protection of the identity of the area in which we live and work became our immediate and timely obligation. Being aware of our debt to nature, which is the source of our health and inspiration of our freedom and culture, we are drawn to its protection in the name of our survival and generations to come. Man and nature within and around him are complete only in their depth, both in their essence and designation. Therefore, the abuse of man has always been followed by the abuse of nature. In this sense, opting and fighting for human dignity, we are called to fight for the dignity of nature. Adopting this Declaration, Montenegro is establishing the state policy towards nature and calls upon the wisdom of the people to prevent an environmental disaster that threatens us.â
#15 fact
Montenegro is amongst the top ten countries in the world when it comes to the use of telephones per capita. Each resident has an average of 2 phones.
#16 fact
Village Crkvice in Montenegro is the place with the highest annual rainfall in Europe; total annual precipitation of 5,000mm. In contrary to this fact, Montenegro is a country with very high insolation and for instance, the city of Bar has over 290 sunny days during the year.
#17 fact
Montenegrins are some of the tallest people in the world with an average male height of 1.832m (6ft). They share the first position on the European continent with The Netherlands.
#18 fact
One of the most successful actors in the world,
Brad Pit, has had
his first professional role filmed here in
Montenegro. âThe Dark Side of the Sunâ was his debut movie and it was filmed in
Kotor in 1987, right after the city was re-opened for the visitors and inhabitants, after the great earthquake in 1979.
#19 fact
The infamous scene from the
Casino Royale movie, on the
James Bonds movies, was filmed in
Casino Royale BeÄiÄi, now Merit Casino Royale Splendid. Although it is said that the movie wasnât filmed in Montenegro at all, and it was just used for setting, we suggest you visit the place and see it for yourself, and even maybe go for a game of poker just like James Bond did.
#20 fact
Montenegro was the first country in the world to have a national printing house â âÅ tamparija CrnojeviÄaâ. In 1493, in the territory of todayâs Montenegro, first Cyrillic book in the Slavic South, âOktoih Prvoglasnikâ, was printed at this printing house. It represented a unique cultural phenomenon of European proportions in medieval Montenegro.
Additional Fact
Montenegro is the first country to introduce mail by car in 1903. Besides, the first intercity bus line in Europe connected Podgorica and Cetinje.
***
Montenegro is increasingly becoming one of the most popular destinations, so it is not surprising that it is often found in world-famous magazines as a suggestion for your next trip. Take a look at some of the articles written about Montenegro.
Despite
COVID-19 pandemic, assuming its size and natural beauty with an unlimited number of uncrowded places to visit, Montenegro is our recommendation for your travels in 2021.