At 150,000 residents, Podgorica is by far the largest city in the country, being home to one-third of all Montenegrins. It is a short drive from the city to Beaches on the sea or to ski resorts in the mountains.
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Moraca River
The Moraca river flows from the mountains of Northern Montenegro, through Podgorica, and empties into Lake Skadar.
City of Many Architectural Styles
Podgorica's mixture of architectural styles reflects the turbulent history of the city. As one regime replaced another, the corresponding style was introduced. The oldest parts of the city, Stara Varos(Old Town) and Drac are typical of this, with two mosques, a Turkish clock tower,and narrow, winding streets. It was then built in the European style. This area is called Nova Varos(New Town). After World War II Podgorica was badly damaged from bombings and was rebuilt in the Eastern Bloc style of mass residential blocks. Podgorica today is changing from a featureless town to a modern European capital of glass and steel buildings.
Common Residential Area
After World War II the city expanded in a form of often chaotic uran sprawl, with densely built private low-rise dwellings leaving little space for streets and sidewalks. The trend of sprawling informal settlements was at peak during the 1990's. Efforts have been made since to improve the infrastructure of those settlements, but many problems remain, especially in large low-rise neighborhoods in North and Northeast Podgorica. Even though most the housing is accomplished with large concrete blocks of flats, it didn't feel depressed. They are generally in good repair with some color added. Not as depressing as some other Eastern Bloc cities.
City Center
The city is close to winter ski centers in the north and seaside resorts on the Adriatic Sea. This is one of the main pedestrian shopping streets. Not busy because of the dreary weather and being early morning.
Millennium Bridge
Located in the background of this park, Millennium Bridge is one of the most prominent landmarks in Podgorica. Finished in 2005, it spans the Moraca River connecting the city center with a new, densely populated residential area. Walking across it offers beautiful views of the unspoiled river.
Tree Lined Streets
Podgorica is quite a green city, not in energy, but in nature. This is a side street in the center with pubs lining the way.
Fountain
An ugly paved square. Perhaps it fills with people in the summer eating and drinking but that was not how I saw it. Podgorica has hot, dry summers. Reaching over 40 C(104 F) some days in July and August. It rarely snows, but is rainy for about a third of the year.
Street Cafes
A normal occurrence in Europe is the street cafe, where can people can enjoy drinking, eating, and people watching outdoors. I do think it was a bit optimistic of these cafes considering the weather of the day.
Under the Hill
The name Podgorica means "under the Gorica" in Montenegrin language. Gorica (meaning "little hill" or hillock) is the name of the cypress-covered hill that overlooks the city center.
Podgorica Airport
Podgorica Airport is 10 km south of the city center located in Zeta Plain and is Montenegr's main international airport. It consists of one terminal and was recently connected to the city with a boulevard. A new passenger terminal was opened on 13 July 2006. Podgorica Airport served over 650,000 passengers in 2010. There are also airports on the seaside that serve tourists coming to enjoy the nice beaches.
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