Cetinje
Cetinje is a town in Montenegro. 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.
According to the 2023 census, the town had a population of 12,460 while the Cetinje Municipality had 14,465 residents. Cetinje is the centre of Cetinje Municipality. The city rests on a small karst plain surrounded by limestone mountains, including Mount Lovćen, the legendary mountain in Montenegrin historiography. 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.
Name
In Montenegrin, Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian, it is known as Cetinje ; in Italian as Cettigne; in Greek as Κετίγνη ; in Turkish as Çetince ; and in Albanian as Cetina.According to the written data, by the end of the 17th century, down the plain flowed the River Cetina, so that part of the town was called by that river Cetinjsko polje. In Cetinjsko polje, at that time there used to be a small inhabited village, by which the later newly created town got name Cetinje. In the historical documents, Cetinje is mentioned for the first time in 1440.
History
Founding
Cetinje was founded in 1482, when Ivan Crnojević moved his capital from Obod above the Crnojević River to deeper into the hills to a more easily defended location in a field at the foot of Mount Lovćen. He had his court built at the new location that year and also founded a monastery as a personal endowment in 1484. His court and the monastery are the first recorded renaissance buildings in Montenegro. Crnojević was forced to move the seat of the Eparchy of Zeta from Vranjina to Cetinje due to the Ottoman invasions, in 1485. The town was named after the Cetina river.The bishopric of Zeta was elevated to a metropolitanate in Cetinje. It was later to play an important part in both the religious and national life. The Crnojević printing house, the first printing house in southeastern Europe, was active between 1493 and 1496 in Cetinje. Zeta was first put under Ottoman rule in 1499, then annexed by the Ottomans in 1514, organized into the Sanjak of Montenegro.
Early modern period
In the next two centuries, the development of Cetinje stagnated. It was very often subject to attack by Venice and the Ottomans. The city therefore endured many privations in the course of the 16th and 17th centuries.During this period the court and the monastery of the Crnojevići dynasty were destroyed. It was only at the end of the 17th century, in 1697, that Cetinje began to flourish again under the rule of the Petrović dynasty, refounded by Danilo Petrović.
Modern period
Leading the wars of liberation and strengthening the unity in the country occupied Danilo and his successors, so they were unable to devote enough effort to the further development of Cetinje. It was only during the rule of Petar II Petrović Njegoš that far greater progress was made. In 1838 his new royal residence called Biljarda was built. Cetinje was enlarged by building new houses that gradually led to genuine urbanization.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.
Cetinje made great progress under the rule of Prince Nikola I Petrović when numerous public edifices were built. Those include the first hotel, called 'Lokanda', then the new Prince's palace, the Girls' Institute and the hospital. This period also saw the first tenancy houses. In the 1860 census Cetinje had 34 households. 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.
Montenegrin independence was recognized at the Congress of Berlin of 1878 and consequently Cetinje became the capital of a European country. Between 1878 and 1914 Cetinje flourished in every sense. Many renowned intellectuals from other South-Slavic parts came to stay there and made a contribution to the cultural, educational and every other aspect of life. 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. The population census from the same year recorded a massive growth in the world's smallest capital, registering 5,895 inhabitants.
In the Interwar period, Cetinje expanded its territory, as it was now a centre of the Zeta region. But when it was decided by the Parliament of Montenegro that the administrative organs should be located in Titograd, Cetinje went through a harsh crisis. By building certain industrial sections and at the same time neglecting the development of the city's traditional and potential cultural and tourist capacities, the chance to create a strong basis for more solid prosperity was lost.
When Communist forces captured Cetinje in November 1944 the only population that stayed in the town were people who believed they have no reason to fear or hide from anybody. Still, as soon as Communists captured Cetinje, in the night of 13 November 1944, they shot without any trial 28 citizens of Cetinje. They were all summarily executed at "New Cemetery" of Cetinje in Humci.
On 12 August 2022, a mass shooting occurred in Cetinje, in which eleven people died, including the perpetrator, and six others were injured.
On 1 January 2025, another mass spree shooting occurred in Cetinje, in which fourteen people, including the perpetrator, were killed and three others were injured. The two mass shootings that have occurred in the same town are the deadliest in Montenegro's history.
Administration
Cetinje is governed by mayor and the Old Royal Capital Government. Since December 2021, the mayor of Old Royal Capital Cetinje is Nikola Đurašković.National institutions
Although Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro, Cetinje is the seat of numerous national institutions of Montenegro. The official residence of the president of Montenegro is in Cetinje, called the Blue Palace owing to the colour of its walls. Cetinje is the seat of Montenegrin, National Museum of Montenegro, National library and State Archives of Montenegro.Administrative and operational bodies
Administrative and operational bodies of local administration are secretaries, administrations, directorates, managements and services. There are six secretariats in the Old Royal Capital Cetinje: The Secretariat for Local Government, the Secretariat of Finance and Enterprise Development, the Secretariat of Spatial Planning and Environment Protection, the Secretariat for Utilities and Transport, the Secretariat for Culture and Sport and The Secretariat for Social Affairs and Youth. Other administrative bodies are Management of public revenue, Directorate for Property, Directorate of Investment and Development and Center for Information System. Operational bodies are Mayor's Service, Service of Chief Administrator, the City Manager's Service, Public relations Bureau, Common Affairs Service, Protection service and Communal Police.Municipal Parliament (2021–2025)
Skupština Prijestonice Cetinje is the Parliament of Old Royal Capital Cetinje. Local parliament is made up of 33 deputies, or odbornici in Montenegrin. It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Predsjednik Skupštine.The composition of the parliament as of 2021 is as follows:
Local subdivisions
There are two city settlements in the Old Royal Capital – Cetinje and Rijeka Crnojevića.Old Royal Capital Cetinje is divided into 23 local community bodies in which the citizens participate in decisions on matters of relevance to the local community.
Settlements
The prijestonica of Cetinje is divided into two urban settlements: Cetinje and Rijeka Crnojevića, and 92 rural settlements: Bajice, Barjamovica, Bijele Poljane, Bjeloši, Bobija, Boguti, Bokovo, Češljari, Čevo, Dide, Dobrska Župa, Dobrsko Selo, Dodoši, Donja Zaljut, Donje Selo, Dragomi Do, Drušići, Dubovik, Dubovo, Dugi Do, Dujeva, Đalci, Đinovići, Erakovići, Gađi, Gornja Zaljut, Gornji Ceklin, Grab, Gradina, Građani, Izvori, Jankovići, Jezer, Kobilji Do, Kopito, Kosijeri, Kranji Do, Kućišta, Lastva, Lipa, Lješev Stub, Majstori, Malošin Do, Markovina, Meterizi, Mikulići, Milijevići, Mužovići, Njeguši, Obzovica, Očinići, Oćevići, Ožegovice, Pačarađe, Pejovići, Petrov Do, Poda, Podbukovica, Prediš, Prekornica, Prentin Do, Prevlaka, Proseni Do, Radomir, Raičevići, Resna, Riječani, Rokoči, Rvaši, Ržani Do, Smokovci, Šinđon, Štitari, Tomići, Trešnjevo, Trnjine, Uba, Ubli, Ublice, Ugnji, Ulići, Velestovo, Vignjevići, Vojkovići, Vrba, Vrela, Vuči Do, Zabrđe, Začir, Zagora, Žabljak Crnojevića and Žanjev Do.Geography
Cetinje is situated in the karst field of about, with average height above sea level of. It is of airline far from Adriatic Sea and from Skadar Lake. Now, it is on the main road Podgorica-Cetinje-Budva, which makes it open to the interior of Montenegro and the Montenegrin coast.Climate
Cetinje has an oceanic climate, with relatively dry and warm summers, and mild and wet winters.Cetinje is well known for its plentiful precipitations, and is one of the rainiest towns in Europe with around of precipitation annually. Although abundant in precipitation, the Cetinje field and its surroundings do not have water flows on the surface and water sources are scarce. This is a consequence of the karst configuration and its geologic structure.