Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE 527

Montenegro’s mountains have long

provided a buffer between this small

country and its neighbours. To the

north lies Serbia; to the west, Bosnia

and the coastal sliver of Croatia.

However, despite an eventful and

frequently war-ravaged past,

Montenegro has attracted a steady

flow of visitors since the 1970s. Its

lush forests, glacial lakes, waterfalls

and mountains offer rewarding

opportunities for rafting, caving,

climbing, skiing and hiking.

HISTORY

The region now known as

Montenegro was settled as early as

the Stone Age. However, its complex

history begins in the 6th century BC

with the Illyrians. During the Illyrian

Wars of the 3rd century BC, the

Romans conquered much of the

territory and maintained a strong

presence there until the split of their

empire in the 4th century AD, when

the Byzantines wrested control of the

region. Meanwhile, Slavic Serb and

Croat tribes settled in the west and

developed a Slavic state, which was

recognized by the Byzantine Empire.

In 1189, the Serbian ruler Stefan

Nemanja con quered Montenegro –

known at the time as Duklja – and

renamed it Zeta. Upon the collapse

of the Serbian Empire in the late 14th

century, two powerful local tribes,

the Balšić and the Crnojević, took

control of Zeta. The Balšić held

MONTENEGRO

F

amous for its idyllic Adriatic coastline, Montenegro is

enormously popular with those looking to plant beach

umbrellas or moor their luxury yachts, yet this small and

newly independent country has far more to offer. Venetian-

flavoured, fortified towns line the coast, while national parks protect

the best of its abundant and largely unspoilt natural beauty.

A stretch of Slovenska Beach, one of Budva’s most popular attractions

The serpentine Crnojević river, Lake Skadar National Park