Podgorica (Подгорица) (formerly Titograd and Ribnica) is the capital of Montenegro and the judicial capital of Serbia and Montenegro, located at 42.47° North, 19.28° East. In 2003 it had a population of 139,500.

The name literally means "under the Gorica" in Serbian; Gorica (meaning "little mount") is the name of the hill that overlooks the town. In the Middle ages, the town was known as Ribnica, and between 1945 and 1992 it was called Titograd. Podgorica has several theatres, libraries and a university.

Economy

Traffic

• Rail links:
  • Belgrade-Bar
  • Nikšić
  • Shkodër-Tirana, Albania (now defunct).

• International Airport: TGD / Golubovci

Sights

St. George's church (10th century), clock tower, old bridge, citadel, mosques.

Medun - famous roman city and medieval castle. Birth place of Montenegrin duke and poet Marko Miljanov Popovic.

About one mile north from town there is strange object like volcano, with nice garden in center.

History

Ribnica was the birthplace of Serb prince Stefan Nemanja (1132). In 1326, Ribnica was renamed Podgorica and became part of Serbia and Venice.

From 1466 to 1878 it was part of the Ottoman Empire, and later of Montenegro. In 1918 it was the site of the Grand National Serb Assembly which voted for the inclusion of Montenegro in Serbia in November of that year. Later, along with Serbia, Podgorica and Montenegro joined the new state of Yugoslavia.

The town was occupied by Italian fascist forces in 1941 and by the Nazis in 1943. The Allied bombings of the town in 1944 ravaged the city and killed many of its residents. The Communists then rebuilt the town and changed its name to Titograd (after leader Josip Broz's nickname Tito) in 1945 and transferred the capital of Montenegro from Cetinje to Podgorica in 1946.