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The legend of garnet from Crmnica, the colour of red wine

Hidden from time and human eyes, in the village of Brijega in Crmnica, there is a small deposit of the mineral garnet whose crystals are the colour of red wine. Garnets are the size of pepper grains and have 16 facets with satelit. They are all identical and belong to the group of minerals called spesarini.
According to tradition, in the ancient world, during the period of grape-gathering, the first poured wine was carried by a virgin in a jug. She spilt it in the woods, in token of gratitude to the goddess of the Earth. A girl carrying the jug with the famous wine on her head was once caught at night time on her way to the destination. Not even the moonlight could help her find her way and the girl got lost. Finding herself in an unknown area full of dark shadows, the girl became paralysed with fear and the jug smashed; at the place where the wine was spilt, the earth’s depths delivered garnets the colour of red wine. The former tradition was abandoned and a new one was created. According to the new one, garnet crystals are collected and kept in the first poured jug of wine, as a fertility amulet for a good grape harvest

The legend of fairies, fairy coins and Fairy Cave

slThe legend of fairies, fairy coins and the Fairy Cave is related to the locality of Asprica, situated on the slopes of Sutorman, the mountain located above the city of Bar, abundant in stone, water and trees. 
Fairies used to live around the mountains, while their true residence was one cave, inaccessible, situated in the rock under one of the Sutorman’s peaks, Lonac (1,004 m), which was even named after the fairies – Fairy Cave. According to folklore, no one ever managed to enter the cave except Ivo Dragišić from Limlja ni (in the 19th century)
According to the tale he told to his descendants, after he had climbed down the ropes into the cave, fastened to the tree trunks, he saw a round stone carved dining table, stone kneading tables and eating utensils in the first part of the cave. He could not enter the second part of the cave, nor was he allowed to, since the fairies warned him that the whole village would be cursed if he did that. 
According to legend and folk-tales retold from generation to generation, beautiful and diligent fairies gladly helped cripples, lonely and all unfortunate people, by finishing work which they had not managed or did not know how to finish, during the night. Fairies used to advise people, reprimand and console them, watch the many springs and wells of Sutorman, take revenge on and warn those who were dishonest and insincere. They were friends with shepherds and often helped them.
It is said that once, one fairy, returning from a man who lived alone and whom she helped cooking, was seen by some young villagers. That is the reason why fairies, who according to the tradition must not be seen by people during the day and among people, decided to leave this area and their cave. 
The fairy that was seen said: “I swear by the 365 springs of Sutorman, there is no place for us here any longer!”
However, they did not want people who lived in that area to remember them for evil, but only for good. Leaving the mountain, they threw fairy coins around, granting anyone who passes that way and finds at least one fairy coin, with fortune in life.
It is not easy to notice and find fairy coins, neither is it easy to find fortune in life.Besides the unusual and unforgettable experience, the challenge of finding fairy coins and a unique trip to the history of the legend, the locality of fairy coins and the Fairy Cave is very attractive and rich in numerous streams, healing springs, and fresh air enriched by the preserved oak and beech forests on Mount Sutorman.

The legend of Vladimir and Kosara.

krst-sv-vladimiraVladimir’s cross is kept by the Andrović Brotherhood, which considers it its most important relic. Each year, on Trinity Day, the cross is taken to the peak of Rumija, to the place where, according to tradition, the church was located. It is believed that people who take part in the procession should take one stone with them, since, according to the tale, the church will revive by itself after enough stones are collected. People who take part in the procession are believers of all three confessions.
After St. Marija’s Church in Krajina was demolished, the cross was found and has been kept by the Andrović Brotherhood for centuries. The cross, 45cm tall, 38cm wide and 2.5cm thick, was made of wood, and plated with gold leaf on the outside. The place where the cross is kept is known only by the two eldest members of the family.  
The story about the cross is related to the Duke of Duklja, Vladimir (980 - 1016) whose capital was in Krajina (Ostros). In the war with the Macedonian tsar in 997, Duke Vladimir was captured and taken to the dungeon in Prespa. The daughter of Tsar Samuilo, Teodora (Kosara) fell in love with the handsome Duke of Duklja. He seemed to her “sweeter than honey and honeycomb” and she told her father that she would drown herself in the lake unless she married Vladimir. Very soon they got married and lived in a palace, not far away from the monastery called the “Virgin of Krajina” on Skadar Lake.
After Tsar Samuilo’s death, Vladislav became the successor to the throne and very soon invited Duke Vladimir to visit him in Prespa. As a token that he would not be hurt, he sent him a golden cross. Knowing how cunning Vladislav was, Duke Vladimir asked him to send a wooden cross, since the “Redeemer was crucified on one”. Vladislav sent three monks with a wooden cross, but as soon as Vladimir arrived at Prespa, he was murdered at the church door. At the moment of his murder, in his hands he held a wooden cross, which was buried with him in Prespa.
Vladimir’s wife Kosara took his dead body to the “Virgin of Krajina” Monastery. She entered the monastic order and she was, in accordance with her wishes, buried beside the Duke. Duke Vladimir was declared a saint.

vladimir-i-kosara

Sveti_DjordjeSt. George was a medieval patron of Bar. Great cathedral was built in the twelfth century was dedicated to him.
maslinjaciThe municipality of Bar has diverse flora and fauna. The type of vegetation that dominates the coastal part of Bar is maquis. Up north, towards the mountain massifs of Sutorman, Lisinje and Rumija, there is a mixture of oak and beech forests. The maquis of Bar’s coastal area is comprised of the following: oak, holm oak, laurel, myrtle, Spanish broom, oleander, hawthorn, sloe, thorn, butcher’s broom, asparagus etc.
Citrus fruits (tangerine, orange, lemon), pomegranate, olive, grapevine and fig are characteristic plant species in Bar. An attraction for the tourists is the old olive tree at Mirovica and Ginkgo Biloba in the park of King Nikola’s palace. 
In the territory of the municipality of Bar there are various kinds of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and attractive invertebrates. The most significant part of Bar, in terms of rich ornithofauna, is the Skadar Lake basin. Skadar Lake is inhabited by approximately 270 bird species, among which especially important is the pelican, as an unusual and rare bird.
Ostros, Rumija, Lisinj, Sutorman and Sozina are attractive sites rich with plenty of game (rabbit, badger, fox, wolf and boar).

3Sea flora and fauna make up one of Bar’s great resources. On the coast, there are various kinds of shells, snails, echinodermata, cephalopoda and crayfish, which have a high quality, healthy meat.
bar_1571Bar is an ancient city. There is very little precise information on its origin. 
The claim that life existed in this region in the prehistoric, Illyrian, Greek and Roman times is confirmed by archaeological findings of significant scope and quality: the remains of Neolithic material found during excavation of a well in the settlement of Čeluga an Eneolithic axe from Šušanj, the Great Grave in Šušanj, a tumulus in the village of Ravanj, various black figured vases etc.
The old olive tree at Mirovica represents a monument of nature that has witnessed the existence of organised settlements and the hard-working people in this region for more than 2000 years.  
The origin of its name is explained in different ways. Its Greek name was Antibareos, Roman Antibarum, Slavic name - Bar.
Its turbulent, interesting, “glorious” and often tragic history bears witness to frequent changes in conquerors and rulers. 
At the beginning of 7th century, Slavs inhabited this region. In the 9th century, it was in the hands of Zeta rulers, who founded the first Slavic state in this territory; Duke Vladimir had his seat in Krajina (Ostros); and in the 9th and 10th centuries Bar belonged to the Byzantine Empire.


555px-DUKLJA_iz_1050.godineIn the year 1042 it was freed by the ruler of Zeta, Vojislav, who defeated a huge Byzantine army in the famous “Battle of Bar” on the slopes of Mount Rumija. The son of Duke Vojislav, Mihailo, was crowned king here in 1077, and he received a royal designation from the Pope. His son and heir Bodin ruled Bar in the period 1082 - 1101. Through the persistent efforts of Bodin, the Diocese of Bar was promoted to an archdiocese in 1089 and that is when Bar became the religious centre of Bodin’s state. 
In the mid of the 11th century it became a part of Duklja (Doclea), and later, until 1183, it was again under Byzantine rule, when it was joined to the Nemanjić state, together with the rest of Zeta. It remained under the rule of the Nemanjić Dynasty until 1360. During that period it truly flourished. It had city autonomy, statute, coat of arms and its own money. In the biography of his father, Stevan Nemanja Prvovjenčani (the First-Crowned) mentions “the glorious city of Bar” and that is the first written-down Slavic name of the city.
During the 1360’s, Bar accepted the supreme power of the Balšić Dynasty, a family that created an independent territory in the area of Skadar. Jelena, Đurađ’s widow, and Balša III considered Bar their capital.
At the beginning of the 15th century the time of wars and regional rulers started. Bar passed from hand to hand: from 1404 it was in the hands of the Venetians, from 1412 it fell again into the hands of the Balšić Dynasty; from 1421 it was under the patronage of Despot Stefan Lazarević, and from 1427 it was under the patronage of Despot Đurađ Branković, when Bar was again the throne of the state of Zeta.
In 1443, the Venetians conquered the city together with the coastal zone, taking it over from Stefan Vukčić Kosača, and in 1571, Bar was was captured by the Turks. It remained under Turkish rule for 307 years, until 1878, when the Montenegrins freed the city. During battles to liberate the city, Bar was largely destroyed. In that period the majority of the population moved close to the seaside, where the first sea port was founded at the beginning of the 20th century, and later a new city was built.
In 1908, the Ministerial Council of the Principality of Montenegro passed a decision that the new city, which had just started to be constructed, should be named Bar. 
In the 12th century in Bar, a famous literary and historical text, “The Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja” or “The Bar Genealogy” was written. This is the oldest document of that kind in the culture of the South Slavs. It records folk narratives and historical legends from the arrival of Slavs until the mid-12th century, mainly describing the history of Duklja (Zeta).
The population of the municipality of Bar is approximately 40,000, concentrated mostly in highly urbanised settlements. As villages are easily accessible by road, this is an extremely developed coastal and lake region. This area is known for its multi-ethnic and multi-confessional population structure with developed standards of tolerance between people. A good tradition of community life in this area, untypical for the Balkan region, has not been disturbed even by numerous state and political changes through history.
An interesting characteristic of the population in this area is the difference between smaller localities, which is especially visible through various features of the folklore. Thus, for example, the Bar area has a variety of traditional national costumes, which other parts of Montenegro can hardly match. Maybe, it is precisely the phrase “harmony created through differences” that can briefly describe population of the municipality of Bar.

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