Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro and a city that tourists usually ignore when traveling to this country. It has been serving as the capital since the end of World War II, during which it was largely destroyed. Remnants of the old buildings and a few nice parks have been preserved here.
The original capital of the country was Cetynia, located in the mountains, where successive presidents still reside today. Josip Broz Tito decided to move to Podgorica after World War II. The city was then in ruins and its rapid expansion began, not caring about lifting the historic buildings from the ruins. The destruction of the historic buildings was done by the earthquake of 1979.
Today, the symbol of the city is a stone clock tower from the 17th century, Sahat-kula, which is one of the few surviving monuments. The others include two mosques, the Starodoganjska džamija from the 15th century and Džamija Osmanagić, which is three centuries younger.
According to popular belief, Podgorica is the site of the Ribanica Castle in the early Middle Ages. The remains of walls from this period can be seen at the mouth of the Ribanica River to Moraca.
The most impressive contemporary building in Podgorica is the Cathedral of the Resurrection. Its interior is decorated with frescoes made at the beginning of the 21st century, but modeled on traditional Byzantine patterns.
On the outskirts of Podgorica there are also the ruins of the Roman city of Dioclea, of which many foundations have been preserved. Today, these areas are developed mainly for vineyards where you can buy homemade wine.
