Country in a Box:

Montenegro

Crna Gora

Perast, an old town in the Bay of Kotor

A Teachers Guide
Compiled by the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
http://ceres.georgetown.edu
1

Montenegro in a Box: Table of Contents

Facts at a Glance

3-5

History of Montenegro

6-8

Timeline of Major Events in the History of Montenegro

Montenegros Culture

9
10-12

Folklore: A Kotor Legend How Dobrota was Founded

13

Additional Resources

14

Chinzorig

100 Perpers Kingdom of Montenegro, 1910

Montenegro: Facts at a Glance

_______
Text and map taken directly from Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook: Mongolia.
Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mj.html
Country Name: Montenegro
Capital: Podgorica
Background: The use of the name Montenegro
began in the 15th century when the Crnojevic
dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of
Zeta; over subsequent centuries Montenegro was
able to maintain its independence from the
Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries,
Montenegro became a theocracy ruled by a series
of bishop princes; in 1852, it was transformed into
a secular principality. After World War I,
Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom of
Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929; at the conclusion
of World War II, it became a constituent republic
of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro
federated with Serbia, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser
union of Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the
Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from the
state union. The vote for severing ties with Serbia exceeded 55% - the threshold set by the EU allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June 2006.
Location: Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia
Area: total: 13,812 sq km; country comparison to the world: 162
land: 13,452 sq km; water: 360 sq km
Area - Comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Terrain: highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain backed by rugged high limestone
mountains and plateaus
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m; highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m
Natural Resources: bauxite, hydroelectricity
Environment - Current Issues: pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in
tourist-related areas such as Kotor
3

Population: 650,036 (July 2014 est.); country comparison to the world: 168
Urbanization: urban population: 63.3% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 0.38% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Ethnic Groups: Montenegrin 45%, Serbian 28.7%, Bosniak 8.7%, Albanian 4.9%, Muslim
3.3%, Roma 1%, Croat 1%, other 2.6%, unspecified 4.9% (2011 est.)
Religions: Orthodox 72.1%, Muslim 19.1%,
Catholic 3.4%, atheist 1.2%, other 1.5%,
unspecified 2.6% (2011 est.)
Government Type: Republic
Independence: 3 June 2006 (from Serbia and
Montenegro)
Legal System: civil law

A r e d fi e ld b o r d e r ed b y a n a r r o w g o l d e n ye l l o w s t r i p e wi t h t h e M o n t e n e g r i n c o a t o f
a r ms c e n t e r e d ; t h e ar ms c o n s i s t o f a d o ub l e h e a d ed g o ld e n ea g l e - sy mb o l i z i n g t h e u n i t y
o f c h u r c h a n d s ta t e - s u r mo u n t e d b y a cr o wn ;
t h e e a g l e h o ld s a g o ld e n s c e p te r i n i t s r i g h t
c l a w a n d a b l u e o r b i n it s l e f t ; t h e b r ea s t
s h i e l d o v er t h e e a g l e s ho ws a g o l d e n l i o n
p a s s a n t o n a g r ee n f i e l d i n f r o n t o f a b l u e
s k y; t h e l i o n i s s y mb o l o f e p i s co p a l a u t h o r i t y
a n d h a r k s b a c k to t h e t h r e e a n d a h a l f
c e n t u r i e s t h a t Mo n t e n e g r o wa s r u l e d a s a
t h e o c ra c y.

Executive Branch: chief of state: President

Filip VUJANOVIC (since 6 April 2008); head
of government: Prime Minister Milo
ukanovi (since 4 December 2012)
Legislative Branch: unicameral Assembly
(81 seats; members elected by direct vote to
serve four-year terms; note - seats increased
from 74 seats in 2006)
Judicial Branch: Constitutional Court (five
judges serve nine-year terms); Supreme Court
(judges have life tenure)

Political Parties and Leaders: Coalition for

European Montenegro (bloc) [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Coalition SNP-NS-DSS (bloc); Movement
for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; New Serb Democracy or NOVA [Andrija
MANDIC]; Socialist People's Party of Montenegro or SNP [Srdjan MILIC] and others.
National Anthem: name: "Oj, svijetla majska zoro" (Oh, Bright Dawn of May);
lyrics/music: Sekula DRLJEVIC/unknown, arranged by Zarko MIKOVIC;
note: adopted 2004; the anthem's music is based on a Montenegrin folk song

Economy - Overview: Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia
during the Milosevic era and maintained its own central bank, adopted the Deutchmark, then the
euro as official currency, collected customs tariffs, and managed its own budget. In January
2007, Montenegro joined the World Bank
and IMF. Montenegro is pursuing its own
membership in the World Trade
Organization and signed a Stabilization and
Association agreement with the European
Union in October 2007. The European
Council granted candidate country status to
Montenegro at the December 2010 session.
Unemployment and regional disparities in
development are key political and economic
problems. Montenegro has privatized its
large aluminum complex as well as most of
its financial sector, and has begun to attract
foreign direct investment in the tourism
sector. The global financial crisis has had a
Although Montenegro is not a member of the European
significant negative impact on the economy,
Union, the country is using Euro as its currency
(http://www.ecb.int/euro/banknotes/html/index.en.html)
a decline in the real estate sector, and a fall
in aluminum exports.
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $7.429 billion (2013 est.), country comparison to the world:
159
GDP - Real Growth Rate: 1.5% (2013 est.), country comparison to the world: 163
GDP -Per Capita (PPP): $11,900 (2013 est.), country comparison to the world: 107
Labor Force: 251,300 (2011 est.), country comparison to the world: 166
Agriculture - Products: tobacco, potatoes, citrus fruits, olives, grapes; sheep
Industries: steelmaking, aluminum, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism
Current Account Balance: -$1.938 billion (2012 est.), country comparison to the world: 140
Exports - Partners: Croatia 22.7%, Serbia 22.7%, Slovenia 7.8% (2012 est.)
Imports - Partners: Serbia 29.3%, Greece 8.7%, China 7.1% (2012 est.)
Debt - External: $1.7 billion (2012 est.), country comparison to the world: 147
Exchange Rates: Euro (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7634 (2013 est.)
Military Service Age&Obligation: compulsory national military service abolished August 2006

History of Montenegro
_______
Text taken directly from Britannica Website:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/390727/Montenegro
Early History: The South Slav peoples of the region were the ancestors of todays Serbs and
Montenegrins. The peoples were organized along tribal lines, each headed by a upan (chieftain).
Between 931 and 960 one such upan, eslav, operating from the upanija of Zeta succeeded in
unifying a number of neighboring Serb tribes. Zeta and its neighboring upanija of Raka
(roughly modern Kosovo) then provided the territorial nucleus for a succession of Serb
kingdoms that in the 13th century were consolidated under the
Nemanji dynasty. On the death of Stefan Duan in 1355, the
Nemanji Empire began to crumble, and its holdings were
divided among different principalities.

Before the Slavs:

Ancient Illyrians
The Illyrians were Indo-European
tribesmen who appeared in the
western part of the Balkan Peninsula
about 1000 B.C. The Illyrian kingdom
of Bardhyllus in western Balkans
became a formidable local power in
the fourth century B.C. In 358 B.C.,
however, Philip II, father of
Alexander the Great, defeated the
Illyrians and assumed control of their
territory. Centuries later, under
Roman rule Illyrians distinguished
themselves as warriors in the Roman
legions and made up a significant
portion of the Praetorian Guard.
Several of the Roman emperors were
of Illyrian origin, including Diocletian
(284-305) and Constantine the Great
(324-37)--who accepted Christianity
and transferred the empire's capital
from Rome to Byzantium, which he
called
Constantinople.
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID
+al0014))

Serb disunity coincided with the arrival in the Balkans of the

armies of the Ottoman Empire. After the Bali dynasty died out
in 1421, the focus of Serb resistance shifted northward to
abljak. There a chieftain named Stefan Crnojevi set up his
capital. Stefan was succeeded by Ivan Crnojevi (Ivan the
Black). Ivans son Djuradj Crnojevi built a monastery at
Cetinje, founding there the see of a bishopric, and imported
from Venice a printing press that produced after 1493 some of
the earliest books in the Cyrillic script. During the reign of
Djuradj, Zeta came to be more widely known as Montenegro.
Under the Prince-Bishops: In 1516 the last of the Crnojevi
dynasty retired to Venice and conferred the succession on the
bishops of Cetinje. Formerly, the loyalty of minor chieftains and
of the peasantry to their rulers had been unstable. It was not
unusual for political control throughout the Balkans to pass
from Slav rulers to the Ottoman Turks, not because of the defeat
of the former in battle but because of the failure of local
magnates to secure the support of their subjects. In Montenegro
the position of vladika, as the prince-bishop was known,
brought stability to the territorys leadership. Nevertheless, this
period was a difficult one for the small, then landlocked
Montenegro, which was almost constantly at war with the
Ottoman Empire. Cetinje itself was captured in 1623, in 1687,
and again in 1712. Three factors explain the Ottoman failure to
subdue it completely: the obdurate resistance of the population,
the inhospitable character of the terrain and the adroit use of
diplomatic ties with Venice.
Two important changes occurred in the wider European context
for Montenegro during Danilos reign: the expansion of
6

Ottoman territory was gradually reversed, and Montenegro found in Russia a powerful new
patron to replace the declining Venice. In spite of the establishment of an Orthodox theocratic
polity and the apocryphal mass slaughter of those who had converted to Islam (the Montenegrin
Vespers of Christmas Eve, 1702), there is contested evidence that Montenegrin lineages shifted
in a very fluid manner not only between the Roman Catholic and Muslim faiths but also between
Montenegrin and Albanian identity.
The replacement of Venice by Russian patronage was especially significant, since it brought
financial aid, modest territorial gain, and formal recognition in
1799 by the Ottoman Porte of Montenegros independence. A
turning point in the fortunes of Montenegro came when Serbia
declared war on the Ottoman Empire in 1876. Montenegro
joined Serbia immediately and Russia the following year. As a
result of the war, the state doubled in size, and for the first
time its borders were set down in an international treaty. Most
significantly, Montenegro secured vital access to the sea.
Trade expanded, tobacco and vines were cultivated, a state
bank was founded, motor roads were built, a postal service
was initiated, and in 1908 the first railway was opened.
The peaceful economic expansion that the country experienced
after 1878 ended with the Balkan Wars of 191213.
Montenegro sided with Serbia and the other Balkan League
states against the Ottoman Turks. Gains from the Treaty of
London (1913) which concluded the war brought Montenegro
to its greatest territorial extent and for the first time gave it a
common border with Serbia. Discussions began about a
possible union between the two countries, but these were
interrupted by World War I. Following the end of hostilities in
November 1918, a national assembly deposed the king and
announced the union of the Serbian and Montenegrin states.
Montenegro was taken into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats,
and Slovenes on Dec. 1, 1918(renamed Yugoslavia in 1929).
Montenegro in the two Yugoslavias: Between the two World
Wars little economic development filtered into Montenegro. In
post-1929 Yugoslavia Montenegro vied for the lowest level of
economic development. During World War II, Montenegro
was occupied by the Italians under a nominally autonomous
administration. Spontaneous armed resistance began within a
few months. Notwithstanding the local conflicts, the local
strength of the Communist Party gave the communists an
effective base in Montenegro. In addition, the areas
remoteness and difficult terrain made it an important refuge
for Josip Broz Titos communist Partisan forces.

Petar II Petrovic Njegos is seen by

many scholars as the most impressive
Montenegrin leader of all times. Apart
from having laid down the foundation
of the modern Montenegrin state and
the
subsequent
Kingdom
of
Montenegro, he was also one of the
most glorified South Slav poets. His
affection for poetry, however, did not
make him soft hearted. According to
Russian Colonel Tatijanov, Njegos
was crueler than any of his
predecessors. In domestic affairs,
Njegos was a reformer. In 1832, he
created a formal central government
consisting of the Senate, the Guardia
and the Perjanici. Like his
predecessors, Njegos fought many
battles against Turkish and Austrian
forces striving for an independent
Montenegro. He died while planning
to coin the Montenegrin money in
order to facilitate the commerce and
exchange of goods in Montenegro.(
http://www.montenet.org/history/njeg
os.htm)

The Montenegrins traditional Pan-Slavism made them natural allies of the communist plan to
reunify Yugoslavia. Montenegros elevation to the status of a republic ultimately secured
Montenegrin loyalty to the Yugoslav regime.
Federation with Serbia: Following the breakup of the Yugoslav federation after 1989 the
republic joined Serbia in fighting the secession of Slovenia and Croatia, and in 1992 it joined
Slobodan Miloevis third Yugoslavia, a federal republic comprising only Montenegro and
Serbia. Relations between Montenegro and Serbia
began to deteriorate at the end of 1992. Montenegrins
reacted negatively when an attempt to settle the dispute
over Montenegros frontier with Croatia in the Prevlaka
Peninsula was headed off by the Miloevi regime in
Belgrade. Montenegrins also became increasingly
frustrated with Serbias unequal access to power in the
new federation and with its failure to address economic
reform. Disagreements over the conduct of the wars in
Bosnia and Croatia led to the withdrawal of Montenegrin
units from the Yugoslav army.

Milo Djukanovic led Montenegro through

the turmoil of the 1990s Balkan wars and the
postwar quest for independence from Serbia,
which was finalized in a referendum in 2006.
Mr Djukanovic was in power without a break
- as prime minister or president of
Montenegro - between 1991 and 2006, and he
spearheaded Montenegro's successful
campaign for independence. Mr Djukanovic
realized a series of reforms for EU accession,
as well as plans to push for membership in
NATO
His retirement from active politics in October
2006 came as a surprise, coming only months
after a referendum vote in favor of breaking
Montenegro's union with Serbia that was
widely seen as Mr Djukanovic's personal
achievement. In February 2008 he returned to
politics. He was re-elected by a landslide in
parliamentary elections in March 2009. He
stepped down as the Prime Minister in
December 2010.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_pr
ofiles/5033274.stm#leaders)

In April 2002, Prime Minister jukanovi negotiated an

agreement with Yugoslav and Serbian authorities in
March, calling for Montenegros continued association
with Serbia in a virtual federation. The agreement
renamed the country Serbia and Montenegro and
allowed each republic to hold a referendum on
independence and to withdraw from the union after three
years.
Independence: In a referendum held on May 21, 2006,
Montenegrins voted to end the federation of Serbia and
Montenegro. On June 3, 2006, Montenegro declared its
independence. Montenegro was accepted as a NATO
member in 2009. Montenegros recognition of Kosovos
independence in 2008 troubled relations with Serbia.
The countrys regional relations were promising across
southeastern Europe. Meeting the conditions for
becoming an EU candidate country constituted the major
international challenge for Montenegro. Montenegro
became an EU candidate in December 2010.

Timeline of Major Events in the History of Montenegro

_______
Text taken directly from BBC News. Timeline: Montenegro. Available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/5075632.stm
15th-18th cc - Montenegro retains substantial measure of autonomy from Ottoman Empire.
1798 - Montenegro acknowledged as independent principality.
1878 - Montenegrin independence recognized under international treaties.
1918 - Following First World War, Montenegro becomes part of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and
Slovenes.
1945 - Together with Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia and Bosnia, Montenegro becomes
one of republics in new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito.
1992 - Montenegro joins Serbia in Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Rising nationalist and
independence aspirations bring bloody conflict with Croats and Bosnian Muslims.
1999 - Milo Djukanovic declares Montenegro not a party to the conflict over Kosovo as Serbian
President Milosevic's actions there spark NATO air strikes. Montenegro abandons dinar in favor
of German mark.
2002 January - Montenegro adopts euro as its currency.
2002 March - Yugoslav, Montenegrin and Serbian leaders sign EU mediated accord to set up
new state, to be called Serbia and Montenegro, in place of Yugoslavia.
2006 Montenegro holds an independence referendum - just over the required 55% of voters say
yes.
2008 November - Montenegro recognizes Kosovo's self-declared independence, prompting
protests from Serbia.
2008 December - Montenegro presents official application for EU membership.
2009 December - Visa-free travel within EU's Schengen zone comes into effect for Montenegro's
citizens.
2010 November - European Commission recommends that Montenegro be named as a formal
candidate to join the European Union.

2010 December - Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic resigns, is replaced by ally Igor Luksic.

2011 December - Montenegro agrees terms that should allow it to join the World Trade
Organisation in 2012.

Montenegros Culture
Cuisine of Montenegro:
Text taken directly from: http://www.visit-montenegro.com/montenegro-food.htm
Kacamak is a mushy, strong meal which made of wheat, buckwheat, barley, or corn flour and
which is being served with cheese and sour milk. Wet kacamak is called the one to which the
cheese is added, or kajmak and which is being stirred for a long time with a special wooden
spoon.
Cicvara with this meal usually white cooked potato and sour milk are being served. Young
cows cheese or kajmak are mixed with flour while the grease is released. It is a meal of high
energetic value, of pleasant taste it literarily melts in your mouth.
"Popara" with mixing of bread with milk, oil and cheese
you get an interesting and cheap meal which is deeply
seated in the Montenegrin cuisine.
Thick soups thick soups in Montenegro are usually
prepared with noodles, potato or vegetables. Especially
interesting thick soap is the one made of nettle, and almost
every thick soup included the cooked fresh meat, so they are
extremely nourishing and rich.
Kacamak

"Rastan" a strong meal made of local vegetable from the

family of cabbages, it is cooked with white potato and with a lot of spices.

Ajvar relish made principally from

red bell peppers

"Japraci" is an extremely rich and nourishing meal. In a

kilo of rastan and half a kilo of young cows meet rice,
pepper, and even dry meat are added. With cooking the
grease is being released, and the meal gets the right flavor.
Sarma, stuffed peppers, stew, pilaf etc are still just some
meals which beside in Montenegro are characteristic for
some other countries on the Balkans. Each of these meals
carries a small but significant part of Montenegro in
themselves, so we are warmly recommending them during
your staying in these areas.

Montenegrin lamb in milk is a real specialty. From about 2 kg of meat which are being
cooked in domestic milk with the addition of spices and potato, you can serve 8 persons, so
especially in the north, this meals is being prepared during some solemn occasions.

10

Prsuta (smoked ham) most famous prsut, the one from Njegusi, excels with quality eve
compared to the Italian producers. It is the meat of which people take care day and night, while it
is dried exclusively on beech logs, for several months. It is served with the domestic, most often
grape brandy, and with the dry cheese from Njegusi.
Music
Gusle: Gusle is a very old instrument played all over the
Serb lands and in the Balkans. People gathered around gusle
players and listened epic songs about heroes and suffering of
the nation. Very often, large crowd and players began to
cry touched by very emotional contents. Montenegrin princebishop, famous poet and father of modern Serb and
Montenegrin national identity Petar II Petrovic Njegos, in his
poem "The Mountain Wreath" through words of his literary
character Vuk Micunovic said: "In a house where the gusle is
not heard, both the house and the people there are dead"1.
Literature
Montenegro has a strong literary tradition dating back nearly
a thousand years. The oldest literary work, Kingdom of the
Slavs, was written in Bar in the 12th century by an
Gusle, a single string
anonymous Benedictine priest. Monasteries and other
traditional instrument
libraries contain a number of manuscripts from the 13th
century, many illustrated with magnificent miniatures, but book production really stems from the
introduction to Cetinje of the first printing press in southern Europe, and one of the first
anywhere on the continent, in 1494.
The first Montenegrin book, Oktoih, The book of palms, was published in Cyrillic the same year,
with intricate engravings. The cetinje press played a major role in diffusing literacy and culture
in the area. As a consequence of Turkish attack this early press was closed in 1496. A subsequent
one was installed in 1834 by Petar II Petrovic Njegos. The earliest history of Montenegro,
written by prince-bishop Vasilije and published in Moscow in 1754, was really an appeal for
Russian military and financial support. Montenegrin rulers also used their literary efforts for
political ends, leading the way in writing and encouraging books which served to unite the
disparate clans in national solidarity against the Ottomans. Montenegro has often inspired
authors from the rest of the Europe, and books by Montenegrins were published abroad,
especially in Venice and London. Rime Vulgari ( Vernacular Rhymes ) written by Ludovico
Pasquali of Cattoro was for descriptive works on the area with his A journey to Dalmatia, written
in 1682, while the various wars of the 19th century inspired a number of works on both politics
and travel. Various books and operas in the second half of the 19th century took up the theme of
Montenegro the exotic. Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow is based on Prince Danilo and the
romantic goings on of the court at Cetinje. Alphonse Daudet borrowed the persona of a real life
Montenegrin con-artist and lady-killer for Tartarin de Tarascon. Paris saw the operetta The
1

http://www.njegos.org/heritage/gusle.htm

11

Montenegrins in 1894. Pierre Loti drew upon his military experiences in the Boka and a number
of Italian authors profited from the traditional ties to feature things Montenegrin in
miscellaneous works; indeed a Montenegrin bibliography published in 1993 lists no fewer than
1.043 Italian books on the country published in Italy between 1532 and 19412.

Metropolitan Petar II Petrovic Njegos, the nineteenth-century ruler of Montenegro, and

his poetic endeavors occupy central stage in the South Slavic myth-making factory.
Njegoss magnum opus is his epic poem The Mountain Wreath, written in 1846 in
Cetinje and published in February 1847 in Vienna. Segments of the original manuscript
containing only 1528 verses were found in 1889 in the Viennese National Library. The
first edition of the poem does not correspond entirely to the original manuscript.[1] The
poem appeared in print in the same year as Vuk Stefanovic Karadzics translation of the
New Testament. According to Professor Vasa D. Mihailovic, whose English translation
of The Mountain Wreath was published in 1997 in Belgrade by Serbian Europe
Publishing, Njegos is revered as Montenegros most illustrious son and the greatest
poet in Serbian literature.
The Mountain Wreath is set in eighteenth-century Montenegro and deals with
the attempts of Njegoss ancestor, Metropolitan Danilo, to regulate relations among the
regions warring tribes. Njegos constructed his poem around a single event that
allegedly took place on a particular Christmas Day in the early 1700s, during
Metropolitan Danilos rule: the mass execution of Montenegrins who had converted to
Islam. (https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/soi/article/view/8038/7210)

http://www.discover-montenegro.com/Culture%20Literature.htm

12

Folklore: A Kotor Legend How Dobrota was Founded

_______
Edited text taken from http://www.destination-montenegro.com/kotor-legend.htm
Two travelers, who were traveling
around the world, came to the grey
sea. Since they were already
exhausted from the long trip, they sat
on a big rock to get some rest and to
refresh themselves. One of them
moved a little to the side and noticed
a plaque with an inscription on it.
The inscription read: "Measure 10
lengths, dig and stop".
When they read that, they wondered
what that could mean. Then they
decided to do as it says and measure
10 lengths from the plaque. When
they measured the required length,
A 19th century painting of Dobrota by Rudolph von Alt
they dug a small hole in the ground
and they found a small chest. While
they were trying to figure out how to open the chest, to their astonishment, it opened by itself.
At the bottom of the chest was written "this is for the good of everyone" with glittering golden
letters. Travelers were puzzled. Not being able to figure out what that phrase meant, they were
unable to decide whether they ought to stay where they are, or to continue their journey? Still,
affected by the unusual turn of events travelers couldnt risk leaving the area, at least for a
while. At the same place they found the chest, they quickly made a small hut and went to sleep.
During the night something very strange happened. The wooden chest started glimmering with
a new set of shiny golden letters, while the old letters were nowhere to be found. The new
message read: "Wish whatever you want before sleep".
Both of the travelers were very poor and lonely, they wished for nice stone houses to sleep in
and beautiful wives to spend their lives with before returning to their sleep. When they woke up
in the morning they were speechless. There was a white castle by the sea and two beautiful
women were looking at the sea from one of its many large windows. Overjoyed, the poor
travelers immediately moved into their new home, and lived happily ever after. Since that day,

13

every night before they went to sleep, travelers wished for another nice house, which came into
being every morning with dawn.
That is how Dobrota, near Kotor, was founded.

Select Bibliography of Sources on Montenegro

Deliso, Christopher. Culture and Customs of Serbia and Montenegro, Westport, Conn.:
Greenwood press, 2009.
Destani, Beitullah (ed). Montenegro: Political and ethnic boundaries, 1840-1920, Slough:
Archive Editions 2001.
Finlan, Alastair. The Collapse of Yugoslavia 1991-1999 (Essential Histories), Oxford: Osprey
Publishing 2004.
Golemovic, Dimitrie O. Balkan Refrain: Form and Tradition in European Folk Song (Europa:
Ethnomusicologies and Modernities), Scarecrow Press, Har/Com edition: 2010.
Morrison, Kenneth. Montenegro: A Modern History, New York, NY: 2009.
Prance, Gerald. The Land of the Black Mountain: The Adventures of Two Englishmen in
Montenegro, Bibliobazaar: 2007
Roberts, Elizabeth. Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro, Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University Press 2007
Silber, Laura. Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation, New York: Penguin Books 1997
Wiles, James W. & Prince Bishop of Montenegro Petar II. The Mountain Wreath of P. P.
Nyegosh: Prince Bishop of Montenegro, 1830-1851, Greenwood Press: 1970.
Zlatar, Zdenko. Njegoss Montenegro: Epic poetry, blood feud and warfare in a tribal zone 18301851, Boulder, CO: East European Monographs, 2005.

14