CERES Country Profile - Montenegro

7/30/2019 CERES Country Profile - Montenegro

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Country in a Box:

MontenegroCrna Gora

A Teachers Guide

Compiled by the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European StudiesEdmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown Universityhttp://ceres.georgetown.edu

Perast, an old town in the Bay of Kotor
http://www.ceres.georgetown.edu/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Perast.jpghttp://www.ceres.georgetown.edu/


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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 9

Montenegros Culture 10-12

Folklore: A Kotor LegendHow Dobrota was Founded 13

Additional Resources 14

100 Perpers Kingdom of Montenegro, 1910

Chinzorig


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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 Montenegrobegan in the 15th century when the Crnojevicdynasty began to rule the Serbian principality ofZeta; over subsequent centuries Montenegro wasable to maintain its independence from theOttoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries,Montenegro became a theocracy ruled by a series

of bishop princes; in 1852, it was transformed intoa secular principality. After World War I,Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom ofSerbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became theKingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929; at the conclusionof World War II, it became a constituent republicof the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegrofederated with Serbia, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looserunion of Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under theConstitutional 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:162land: 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 intourist-related areas such as Kotor
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A red f ie ld bordered by a nar row golden-ye l low s t r ipe with the Montenegr in coa t ofa rms cente red; the a rms cons is t o f a double-headed golden eagle - symbolizing the unityof church and s tate - surmounted by a crown;the eagle holds a golden scepte r in i t s r igh tc law and a b lue orb in i ts le f t ; the breas tshield over the eagle shows a golden lionpassant on a green f i e ld in front of a b luesky; the l ion is symbol of ep iscopa l au thor i tyand harks back to the three and a ha lfcentur ies tha t Montenegro was ru led as a

theocracy .

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%, Muslim3.3%, 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

Executive Branch: chief of state: PresidentFilip VUJANOVIC (since 6 April 2008); headof government: Prime Minister Miloukanovi (since 4 December 2012)

Legislative Branch: unicameral Assembly(81 seats; members elected by direct vote toserve four-year terms; note - seats increasedfrom 74 seats in 2006)

Judicial Branch:Constitutional Court (fivejudges serve nine-year terms); Supreme Court(judges have life tenure)

Political Parties and Leaders: Coalition forEuropean Montenegro (bloc) [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Coalition SNP-NS-DSS (bloc); Movementfor Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; New Serb Democracy or NOVA [AndrijaMANDIC]; 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
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Although Montenegro is not a member of the EuropeanUnion, the country is using Euro as its currency(http://www.ecb.int/euro/banknotes/html/index.en.html)

Economy - Overview:Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbiaduring the Milosevic era and maintained its own central bank, adopted the Deutchmark, then theeuro as official currency, collected customs tariffs, and managed its own budget. In January2007, Montenegro joined the World Bankand IMF. Montenegro is pursuing its own

membership in the World TradeOrganization and signed a Stabilization andAssociation agreement with the EuropeanUnion in October 2007. The EuropeanCouncil granted candidate country status toMontenegro at the December 2010 session.Unemployment and regional disparities indevelopment are key political and economicproblems. Montenegro has privatized itslarge aluminum complex as well as most ofits financial sector, and has begun to attract

foreign direct investment in the tourismsector. The global financial crisis has had asignificant negative impact on the economy,a decline in the real estate sector, and a fallin aluminum exports.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity):$7.429 billion (2013 est.), country comparison to the world:159GDP - 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


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Before the Slavs:

Ancient IllyriansThe Illyrians were Indo-Europeantribesmen who appeared in thewestern part of the Balkan Peninsulaabout 1000 B.C. The Illyrian kingdomof Bardhyllus in western Balkansbecame a formidable local power inthe fourth century B.C. In 358 B.C.,however, Philip II, father ofAlexander the Great, defeated theIllyrians and assumed control of theirterritory. Centuries later, underRoman rule Illyrians distinguishedthemselves as warriors in the Romanlegions and made up a significant

portion of the Praetorian Guard.Several of the Roman emperors wereof Illyrian origin, including Diocletian(284-305) and Constantine the Great(324-37)--who accepted Christianityand transferred the empire's capitalfrom Rome to Byzantium, which hecalled Constantinople.(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+al0014))

History of Montenegro_______Text taken directly from Britannica Website:http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/390727/Montenegro

Early History:TheSouth Slavpeoples of the region were the ancestors of todays Serbs andMontenegrins. The peoples were organized along tribal lines, each headed by aupan(chieftain).Between 931 and 960 one such upan, eslav, operating from the upanijaof Zeta succeeded inunifying a number of neighboring Serb tribes. Zeta and its neighboring upanijaof Raka(roughly modernKosovo)then provided the territorial nucleus for a succession of Serb

kingdoms that in the 13th century were consolidated under theNemanji dynasty.On the death ofStefan Duanin 1355, theNemanji Empire began to crumble, and its holdings weredivided among different principalities.

Serb disunity coincided with the arrival in the Balkans of the

armies of theOttoman Empire.After the Bali dynasty died outin 1421, the focus of Serb resistance shifted northward toabljak. There a chieftain named Stefan Crnojevi set up hiscapital. Stefan was succeeded by Ivan Crnojevi (Ivan theBlack). Ivans son Djuradj Crnojevi built a monastery atCetinje,founding there the see of a bishopric, and importedfrom Venice aprinting press that produced after 1493 some ofthe earliest books in theCyrillic script. During the reign ofDjuradj, Zeta came to be more widely known as Montenegro.

Under the Prince-Bishops: In 1516 the last of the Crnojevi

dynasty retired toVenice and conferred the succession on thebishops of Cetinje. Formerly, the loyalty of minor chieftains andof the peasantry to their rulers had been unstable. It was notunusual for political control throughout the Balkans to passfrom Slav rulers to the Ottoman Turks, not because of the defeatof the former in battle but because of the failure of localmagnates to secure the support of their subjects. In Montenegrothe position of vladika, as the prince-bishop was known,brought stability to the territorys leadership.Nevertheless, thisperiod was a difficult one for the small, then landlockedMontenegro, 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 tosubdue it completely: the obdurate resistance of the population,the inhospitable character of the terrain and the adroit use ofdiplomatic ties with Venice.

Two important changes occurred in the wider European contextfor Montenegro during Danilos reign: the expansion of
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Petar II Petrovic Njegos is seen bymany scholars as the most impressiveMontenegrin leader of all times. Apartfrom having laid down the foundation

of the modern Montenegrin state andthe subsequent Kingdom ofMontenegro, he was also one of themost glorified South Slav poets. Hisaffection for poetry, however, did notmake him soft hearted. According toRussian Colonel Tatijanov, Njegoswas crueler than any of hispredecessors. In domestic affairs,Njegos was a reformer. In 1832, hecreated a formal central governmentconsisting of the Senate, the Guardiaand the Perjanici. Like hispredecessors, Njegos fought manybattles against Turkish and Austrianforces striving for an independentMontenegro. He died while planningto coin the Montenegrin money inorder to facilitate the commerce andexchange of goods in Montenegro.(http://www.montenet.org/history/njegos.htm

Ottoman territory was gradually reversed, and Montenegro found inRussia a powerful newpatron to replace the declining Venice. In spite of the establishment of an Orthodox theocraticpolity and the apocryphal mass slaughter of those who had converted toIslam (the MontenegrinVespers of Christmas Eve, 1702), there is contested evidence that Montenegrin lineages shiftedin a very fluid manner not only between theRoman Catholic and Muslim faiths but also between

Montenegrin and Albanian identity.

The replacement of Venice by Russian patronage was especially significant, since it broughtfinancial aid, modest territorial gain, and formal recognition in1799 by the OttomanPorte of Montenegros independence. Aturning point in the fortunes of Montenegro came whenSerbiadeclared war on theOttoman Empire in 1876. Montenegrojoined Serbia immediately and Russia the following year. As aresult of the war, the state doubled in size, and for the firsttime its borders were set down in an international treaty. Mostsignificantly, Montenegro secured vital access to the sea.

Trade expanded, tobacco and vines were cultivated, a statebank was founded, motor roads were built, a postal servicewas initiated, and in 1908 the first railway was opened.

The peaceful economic expansion that the country experiencedafter 1878 ended with theBalkan Wars of 191213.Montenegro sided with Serbia and the otherBalkan Leaguestates against the Ottoman Turks. Gains from theTreaty ofLondon (1913) which concluded the war brought Montenegroto its greatest territorial extent and for the first time gave it acommon border with Serbia. Discussions began about apossible union between the two countries, but these wereinterrupted byWorld War I.Following the end of hostilities inNovember 1918, a national assembly deposed the king andannounced the union of the Serbian and Montenegrin states.Montenegro was taken into the newKingdom of Serbs, Croats,and Slovenes on Dec. 1, 1918(renamedYugoslavia in 1929).

Montenegro in the two Yugoslavias:Between the two WorldWars little economic development filtered into Montenegro. Inpost-1929 Yugoslavia Montenegro vied for the lowest level ofeconomic development. DuringWorld War II,Montenegrowas occupied by the Italians under a nominally autonomousadministration. Spontaneous armed resistance began within afew months. Notwithstanding the local conflicts, the localstrength of the Communist Party gave thecommunists aneffective base in Montenegro. In addition, the areasremoteness and difficult terrain made it an important refugeforJosip Broz Titos communistPartisan forces.
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The Montenegrins traditionalPan-Slavism made them natural allies of the communist plan toreunify Yugoslavia. Montenegroselevation to the status of a republic ultimately securedMontenegrin 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 ofSlovenia andCroatia,and in 1992 it joinedSlobodan Miloevis thirdYugoslavia, a federal republic comprising only Montenegro andSerbia. Relations between Montenegro and Serbiabegan to deteriorate at the end of 1992. Montenegrinsreacted negatively when an attempt to settle the disputeover Montenegrosfrontier with Croatia in the PrevlakaPeninsula was headed off by the Miloevi regime inBelgrade. Montenegrins also became increasinglyfrustrated with Serbias unequal access to power in thenew federation and with its failure to address economicreform. Disagreements over the conduct of the wars in

Bosnia and Croatia led to the withdrawal of Montenegrinunits from the Yugoslav army.

In April 2002, Prime Minister jukanovi negotiated anagreement with Yugoslav and Serbian authorities inMarch, calling for Montenegroscontinued associationwith Serbia in a virtual federation. The agreementrenamed the country Serbia and Montenegro andallowed each republic to hold a referendum onindependence and to withdraw from the union after threeyears.

Independence:In a referendum held on May 21, 2006,Montenegrins voted to end the federation of Serbia andMontenegro. On June 3, 2006, Montenegro declared itsindependence. Montenegro was accepted as a NATOmember in 2009. Montenegrosrecognition ofKosovosindependence in 2008 troubled relations with Serbia.The countrys regional relations were promising acrosssoutheastern Europe. Meeting the conditions forbecoming an EU candidate country constituted the majorinternational challenge for Montenegro. Montenegrobecame an EU candidate in December 2010.

Milo Djukanovicled Montenegro throughthe turmoil of the 1990s Balkan wars and thepostwar 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 ofMontenegro - between 1991 and 2006, and he

spearheaded Montenegro's successfulcampaign for independence. Mr Djukanovicrealized a series of reforms for EU accession,as well as plans to push for membership inNATO

His retirement from active politics in October2006 came as a surprise, coming only monthsafter a referendum vote in favor of breakingMontenegro's union with Serbia that waswidely seen as Mr Djukanovic's personalachievement. In February 2008 he returned topolitics. He was re-elected by a landslide in

parliamentary elections in March 2009. Hestepped down as the Prime Minister inDecember 2010.(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_pr

ofiles/5033274.stm#leaders)
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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 andSlovenes.

1945- Together with Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia and Bosnia, Montenegro becomesone of republics in new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito.

1992- Montenegro joins Serbia in Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Rising nationalist andindependence aspirations bring bloody conflict with Croats and Bosnian Muslims.

1999- Milo Djukanovic declares Montenegro not a party to the conflict over Kosovo as SerbianPresident Milosevic's actions there spark NATO air strikes. Montenegro abandons dinar in favorof German mark.

2002January - Montenegro adopts euro as its currency.

2002March - 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 sayyes.

2008November - Montenegro recognizes Kosovo's self-declared independence, promptingprotests from Serbia.

2008December - Montenegro presents official application for EU membership.

2009December - Visa-free travel within EU's Schengen zone comes into effect for Montenegro's

citizens.

2010November - European Commission recommends that Montenegro be named as a formalcandidate to join the European Union.

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


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Kacamak

Ajvarrelish made principally fromred bell peppers

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

MontenegrosCulture

Cuisine of Montenegro:Text taken directly from: http://www.visit-montenegro.com/montenegro-food.htm

Kacamakis a mushy, strong meal which made of wheat, buckwheat, barley, or corn flour andwhich is being served with cheese and sour milk. Wet kacamak is called the one to which thecheese is added, or kajmak and which is being stirred for a long time with a special woodenspoon.

Cicvarawith this meal usually white cooked potato and sour milk are being served. Youngcows cheese or kajmak are mixed with flour while the grease is released. It is a meal of highenergetic value, of pleasant tasteit literarily melts in your mouth.

"Popara"with mixing of bread with milk, oil and cheeseyou get an interesting and cheap meal which is deeplyseated in the Montenegrin cuisine.

Thick soupsthick soups in Montenegro are usuallyprepared with noodles, potato or vegetables. Especiallyinteresting thick soap is the one made of nettle, and almostevery thick soup included the cooked fresh meat, so they areextremely nourishing and rich.

"Rastan"a strong meal made of local vegetable from thefamily of cabbages, it is cooked with white potato and with a lot of spices.

"Japraci"is an extremely rich and nourishing meal. In akilo of rastan and half a kilo of young cows meet rice,pepper, and even dry meat are added. With cooking thegrease is being released, and the meal gets the right flavor.Sarma, stuffed peppers, stew, pilaf etc are still just somemeals which beside in Montenegro are characteristic forsome other countries on the Balkans. Each of these mealscarries a small but significant part of Montenegro in

themselves, so we are warmly recommending them duringyour staying in these areas.

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


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Gusle, a single string

traditional instrument

Prsuta (smoked ham)most famous prsut, the one from Njegusi, excels with quality evecompared to the Italian producers. It is the meat of which people take care day and night, while itis dried exclusively on beech logs, for several months. It is served with the domestic, most oftengrape brandy, and with the dry cheese from Njegusi.

Music

Gusle: Gusle is a very old instrument played all over theSerb lands and in the Balkans. People gathered around gusleplayers and listened epic songs about heroes and suffering ofthe nation. Very often, large crowd and players began tocry touched by very emotional contents. Montenegrin prince-bishop, famous poet and father of modern Serb andMontenegrin national identity Petar II Petrovic Njegos, in hispoem "The Mountain Wreath" through words of his literarycharacter Vuk Micunovic said: "In a house where the gusle isnot heard, both the house and the people there are dead"1.

Literature

Montenegro has a strong literary tradition dating back nearlya thousand years. The oldest literary work, Kingdom of theSlavs, was written in Bar in the 12th century by ananonymous Benedictine priest. Monasteries and otherlibraries contain a number of manuscripts from the 13th

century, many illustrated with magnificent miniatures, but book production really stems from theintroduction to Cetinje of the first printing press in southern Europe, and one of the firstanywhere 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 culturein the area. As a consequence of Turkish attack this early press was closed in 1496. A subsequentone 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 forRussian military and financial support. Montenegrin rulers also used their literary efforts forpolitical ends, leading the way in writing and encouraging books which served to unite thedisparate clans in national solidarity against the Ottomans. Montenegro has often inspiredauthors from the rest of the Europe, and books by Montenegrins were published abroad,especially in Venice and London.Rime Vulgari( Vernacular Rhymes ) written byLudovico

Pasquali of Cattoro was for descriptive works on the areawith hisA journey to Dalmatia, writtenin 1682, while the various wars of the 19th century inspired a number of works on both politicsand travel. Various books and operas in the second half of the 19th century took up the theme ofMontenegro the exotic. Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow is based on Prince Danilo and theromantic goings on of the court at Cetinje. Alphonse Daudet borrowed the persona of a real lifeMontenegrin con-artist and lady-killer for Tartarin de Tarascon. Paris saw the operetta The

1http://www.njegos.org/heritage/gusle.htm


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Metropolitan Petar II Petrovic Njegos, the nineteenth-century ruler of Montenegro, andhis 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 manuscriptcontaining only 1528 verses were found in 1889 in the Viennese National Library. Thefirst 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 theNew Testament. According to Professor Vasa D. Mihailovic, whose English translation

of The Mountain Wreathwas published in 1997 in Belgrade by Serbian EuropePublishing, Njegos is revered as Montenegros most illustrious son and the greatest

poet in Serbian literature.The Mountain Wreathis set in eighteenth-century Montenegro and deals with

the attempts of Njegoss ancestor, Metropolitan Danilo, to regulate relations among theregions warring tribes. Njegos constructed his poem around a single event thatallegedly took place on a particular Christmas Day in the early 1700s, during

Metropolitan Danilos rule: the mass execution of Montenegrins who had converted toIslam. (https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/soi/article/view/8038/7210)

Montenegrins in 1894. Pierre Loti drew upon his military experiences in the Boka and a numberof Italian authors profited from the traditional ties to feature things Montenegrin inmiscellaneous works; indeed a Montenegrin bibliography published in 1993 lists no fewer than1.043 Italian books on the country published in Italy between 1532 and 19412.

2http://www.discover-montenegro.com/Culture%20Literature.htm
https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/soi/article/view/8038/7210#fn1https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/soi/article/view/8038/7210#fn1https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/soi/article/view/8038/7210#fn1https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/soi/article/view/8038/7210#fn1


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A 19thcentury painting of Dobrota by Rudolph von Alt

Folklore: A Kotor Legend How Dobrota was Founded

_______Edited text taken from http://www.destination-montenegro.com/kotor-legend.htm

Two travelers, who were travelingaround the world, came to the greysea. Since they were alreadyexhausted from the long trip, they saton a big rock to get some rest and torefresh themselves. One of them

moved a little to the side and noticeda plaque with an inscription on it.The inscription read: "Measure 10lengths, dig and stop".

When they read that, they wonderedwhat that could mean. Then theydecided to do as it says and measure10 lengths from the plaque. Whenthey measured the required length,they dug a small hole in the ground

and they found a small chest. Whilethey 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 goldenletters. Travelers were puzzled. Not being able to figure out what that phrase meant, they wereunable 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 awhile. 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 witha 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 inand beautiful wives to spend their lives with before returning to their sleep. When they woke upin the morning they were speechless. There was a white castle by the sea and two beautifulwomen were looking at the sea from one of its many large windows. Overjoyed, the poortravelers immediately moved into their new home, and lived happily ever after. Since that day,


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every night before they went to sleep, travelers wished for another nice house, which came intobeing 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 inMontenegro, 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 1830-1851, Boulder, CO: East European Monographs, 2005.

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