17 May 2023 - Prcanj

The weather continues to be "mixed" i.e. bad and we were disturbed during the night by the rain pounding on the deck.  As this was forecast to continue to mid day today, we had taken the opportunity to arrange for a hire car, so that we could go inland.  The car was duly dropped off this morning and, with some trepidation, having seen the width of the roads and some of the driving styles, we set off.

Our first destination was the Mausoleum of Njegoš which is where Petar II Petrović-Njegoš is interred. It is located on the top of Mount Lovćen (1,749 m 5,738 ft) and it is reached by driving up a twenty one kilometer, winding road, which is for the most part only a bit wider than single track and has nearly sheer drops on one side. The road has 25 hairpin bends, helpfully numbered as you climb, but we thought that they missed a couple of the "practice" hairpins on the lower slopes. Not for the faint hearted. It is the sort of road that would be featured on Top Gear. The views became more spectacular as we climbed.

We discovered that we were joined on the climb by cars on some sort of rally.  These were mostly Porsches from a car club in Belgium, but there were a few other types.  We decided that we would pull over where it was possible, so that they could pass.  They were wanting to go faster than we were.  Most of them gave appreciative waves as the overtook.

Part way up, we turned off this road, into a National Park.  Here the road appeared to brand new, and was 2 carriageways wide and super smooth. However, as we climbed, we went into the cloud, and the visibility reduced.   The final part, up to the car park was back to the single track, but now we could barely see 20 metres in front, as the cloud was so thick. We crawled along, but eventually made it.  

The Mausoleum, which is the highest in Europe, is finally reached by climbing 461 steps, but as the visibility was nil, we decided to have a coffee and wait to see if it cleared.  Coffee then became lunch, with the café starting to get busier. We spotted gradual improvements in the visibility, although initially these were quickly lost as the weather closed in again.  Eventually, we decided that we could see enough, and we set off for the summit hoping that things would have improved there as well.  The majority of the steps are contained within a tunnel, which gives protection from the wind, but was very damp inside.

The Mausoleum contains the tomb of Petar II, and a massive statue, carved from a single piece of granite.  The roof is a mosaic of gold tiles.  

By the time we had seen this, the cloud had lifted further and we could see in all directions, including the road that we had taken, snaking away below us.

When we had seen enough, we drove on to Cetinje. It is the former royal capital of Montenegro and is the location of several national institutions, including the official residence of the president of Montenegro.  Cetinje was founded in the 15th century and became a cradle of the culture of Montenegro. Its status as the honorary capital of Montenegro is due to its heritage as a long-serving former capital of Montenegro.

Many modern buildings designed for foreign consulates were built due to the newly established relations with various European countries, including the French, Russian, British, Italian and Austro-Hungarian consulates.

After initially holding off Ottoman incursions in 1852 and 1853, Cetinje was captured by Ottoman Omar Pasha's forces during the Montenegrin–Ottoman War of 1861–62. Ottoman rule over Montenegro did not last much more than a decade however, as 14 years later the "Great War", the third successive contest between the two nations, ended in Montenegrin victory, with most previously-Montenegrin territory returning to their control.

When Montenegrin independence was recognized at the Congress of Berlin of 1878, Cetinje became the capital of a European country. Between 1878 and 1914 Cetinje flourished in every sense.  Montenegro was proclaimed a kingdom in 1910. This had a great effect on Cetinje's development. At this time the Government House, the symbol of state power, was built. 

Between the 2 World Wars, it was decided by the Parliament of Montenegro that the administrative organs should be located in Titograd (previously and presently Podgorica), Cetinje went through a harsh crisis. 

The High Street

The former British Embassy, now a music school

The Blue Palace

The Monastery

We wandered along the delightful pedestrianised High Street and viewed as many of the grand old buildings as we could. Eventually, though it was time to leave, and we drove back along the other side of the National Park, before embarking on the 25 hairpins again.  They were easier on the way down, with better visibility and drier roads that in the morning.

A fabulous and interesting day.

Miles today            0 (only 27 floors climbed today)

Miles in 2023     450

Steve (& Tricia)