Cetinje

Cetinje (Cyrillic Цетиње ) is a small town in Montenegro between Podgorica and Budva with around 15,500 inhabitants. It lies 670 meters above sea level in the valley of the Cetina at the foot of Lovćen massif. Cetinje is the official residence of the Montenegrin president.

Population

At the 2011 census, the municipality of Cetinje had 16,657 inhabitants, of whom described themselves 15,082 ( 90.54 %) and Montenegrins and 727 (4.36 %) than Serbs. Besides living in the community are other smaller groups.

History

The oldest building Cetinje is the Vlaška Crkva (Eng. Wallachian church). It was built around 1450 by living in the region there were shepherds, who were called at that time Vlachs. Ivan Crnojević, prince of Zeta 1465-1490, was the founder of Cetinje. After the Ottomans had conquered in 1479 the Venetian Shkodra, Ivan moved his seat of government of the endangered Zabljak on Skadar Jezero in the mountains east of Lovcen. Here he founded in 1482 a consecrated the Mother of God Orthodox Monastery, which became the nucleus of Cetinje. 1495 there was established a printing company.

From the end of the 15th century until 1918 was the capital of Cetinje in Montenegro. Here resided the first prince of the family Crnojević and since 1516 Vladikas, the prince-bishops who were spiritual and temporal leader of Montenegrins to the middle of the 19th century. 1692, the Turks conquered Cetinje and destroyed the monastery, which was the seat of the bishop. Vladika Danilo Petrovic 1696-1701 built almost at the same place a new monastery.

Under the penultimate Vladika Petar II Petrović - Njegoš (1830-1851) the modernization Cetinje began. It paved roads and built the first houses in the western style. 1838, the Vladika built a new princely residence. This villa was popularly Biljarda because Petar II had there set up a pool table, a very unusual for the former Montenegro furniture.

Prince Nikola (1860-1918) built from the small town to the modern capital of Montenegro, whose independence was recognized internationally in 1878. Water pipes were laid and Cetinje got a street lighting. Several schools, a hospital, a museum and a building for the State Archives were built. The major European powers set up messages that helped shape the new cityscape.

During the First World War Cetinje was from 1916 to 1918 occupied Austrian. After the war, Montenegro was part of the new Yugoslav state and its capital Cetinje lost function. After the restoration of Montenegro as part of Republic of Yugoslavia in 1946 became the capital Titograd ( Podgorica today). Since independence Cetinje is the official residence of the President of the Republic of Montenegro. Cetinje is now considered nationally significant historical and cultural site. The city hosts the faculties of arts, music and drama at the University of Montenegro.

Attractions

Today, some relatively well-preserved former royal and government buildings as well as a monastery can be visited. Two of the former palaces have been converted into museums. Of architectural interest are the numerous former embassy building foreign governments, such as those of Russia or Austria - Hungary.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Frédéric Rossif (1922-1990), director, screenwriter, photographer and documentary filmmaker
• Miodrag Djuric ( Dado ) ( 1933-2010 ), painter
• Vasko Sevaljevic (* 1988), handball players