LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

The Old Bar. The Old town of Bar is the largest urban agglomeration in ruins in Montenegro. It is the witness of tumultuous historical events and medieval civilisations. It is 4 km from the present-day city of Bar. It is located on a large rock and protected by cliffs on three sides. Along the western side it is protected by ramparts.
The ruins of 240 buildings can be found in the city, with narrow winding streets and asymmetrical squares. Structures were made of hewn stone, with one or more floors.
Several attractive sightseeing structures, such as Turkish baths, a powder magazine and a clock tower (that dates from 1753) were constructed during the period of Turkish rule, as well as an aqueduct from the 17th century, which was used for supplying water to the Old Town of Bar.
There are also several ruins of church structures, that date from the Middle Ages, such as St. Teodora’s Church (later, St. Đorđe’s Church), St. Nikola’s Church (later, St. Marko’s Church), St. Veneranda’s Church and St. Katarina’s Church, in the city.
The position of the Old Town of Bar provides visitors with the opportunity of enjoying watching the panorama of the green plain of Bar, the new part of the town, the harbour, open sea and the Mount Rumija massif.
A special attraction of the Old Town of Bar is the market place (in the local language called “pjaca”), where salesmen dressed in traditional costumes offer customers domestic products, such as citrus fruits, olives, olive oil made in Bar, cheese and various handicraft products.

St. Tekla’s Church. The Church of St. Tekla is located west of Sutomore, one kilometre from the sea. It was built in the 14th century. It has two altars: the Orthodox one is in the altar apse and the Catholic altar is by the south wall.
Both Orthodox and Catholic priests served equally in the church. In front of the church there is a graveyard for members of both confessions.

Ribnjak Monastery. Ribnjak Monastery is located in the village of Zupci. Ruins of the church, which was, according to legend, founded by Jelena Anžujska (d‘Anjou) Nemanjić were found at the location of the current Ribnjak Monastery.
The monastery consists of the church dedicated to the St. Vasilije Ostroški, a baptistry and accommodation building.
The upper church, located above Ribnjak Monastery, on the hill called Gradac is dedicated to the Holy Cross. It was constructed after battles for liberation from 1877 to 1878. It is said that King Nikola used to come here in order to follow “operations for the liberation of Bar”. The church, which is located on the hill, was built by two sirdars and a senator of the Principality of Montenegro, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, as a legacy of the liberation wars.
The long tradition of going to Ribnjak on St. Vasilije Ostroški’s Day on May 12th, is very interesting for many tourists.

The village of Godinje. The village of Godinje is located in Crmnica, an area with tradition of grape growing and production of the famous wine for more than 500 years. Nowadays, Godinje is one of the most preserved rural entities of historical importance.
The first written data regarding Godinje dates from the 13th century, while in the village, traces of the Balšić Dynasty, which lived during the 15th century, can still be found. Traditional architecture, stone houses with arched doorways and inns, as well as structures that are typical of the former way of life, such as, threshing floors and mills, are prevalent here.
Houses are built close together and form a compact unit that resembles medieval fortified settlements, with one metre-thick loop-holes in the walls.
Nowadays, they have been adapted to modern living conditions, but their old shape and external appearance have mostly been preserved. They represent a true pleasure for people who are interested in traditional architecture, wild nature and for connoisseurs of high-quality wine from Crmnica.

The biggest lake in the Balkans. It is located in the south-east of Montenegro in a basin divided from the sea by Mount Rumija. The lake is 50 km long and 14 km wide, but its size varies. In the spring and autumn, when the water level rises, it is approximately 500 km2, while in the summer, with a low water level, the size decreases to approximately 350 km2. On the lake is the border with Albania. Some 63.2% of the lake falls inside Montenegrin territory. The shore is jagged, with numerous coves and colourful fishing settlements. The lake has a number of islands popularly called “mounts”. Not far from Virpazar, towards Krajina, there are a number of coves with sandy beaches, of which the best known is Murići Beach, 560 m long.
The lake represents a unique ecosystem with a high percentage of swamp zones. In the summer, the lake looks like a huge green meadow with numerous blossoming water lilies and other types of sedge vegetation. The lake is inhabited by over 40 subspecies of fish (carp, bleak, eel...) and it is well known for the variety of birds that live in the surroundings (270 subspecies). Some of them are rare (pelican, eagle, heron, grebe and woodcock). The lake is a well-known hunting resort. Above the lake, there is an observation point that gives a wonderful view of the lake panorama, along with sandy beaches, chestnut forests and dispersed islands.
There are boat tours and cruises organised on Skadar Lake. Rich flora and fauna, cultural and historical monuments, picturesque settlements as well as the opportunity to taste local specialties such as carp, bleak, grappa (“loza”), Crmnica’s famous wine, altogether represent a special experience. A particularity is also “kasoronja”, a plant with edible seeds, characteristic only of this lake