1. Montenegrins themselves call their country Crna Gora
1. Montenegrins call their country Crna Gora, but most of the rest of the world knows it as Montenegro. The name "Montenegro" was first mentioned in a charter of King Milutin in 1276. The name "Montenegro", given to the country by the Venetian conquerors, was first mentioned in a document from 1397, and in Montenegrin - in a document dating back to 1458.
2. Contrary to popular belief, the etymology of the word "Montenegro" does not mean "black mountain".
"Gora" in Montenegrin means "mountain forest", so "crna gora" can rather be translated as "black forest". It is believed that the name "Montenegro" appeared due to the dense forests that cover the slopes of Mount Lovcen and its surroundings.
According to another version, which is no longer confirmed, earlier, up until the end of the 19th century, the mountains seemed darker than they do now, because they were completely covered with a rare type of pine – black pine, the trunk of which is dark burgundy. These pines can still be found on Zlatibor (bor – ‘pine’). Nowadays, there are practically no such pines left, because they were used on an industrial scale in shipbuilding.
3. But the name “Montenegro” can be translated as ‘black mountain’ (“monte nero” in Italian).
4. During the Roman Empire and later, part of modern Montenegro was called Duklja, and in 1077 Duklja became the Principality of Zeta – the first state entity in the Balkans.
5. Montenegro emerged as an independent state at the end of the 18th century, and it was the first of the Balkan countries to separate from the Ottoman Empire.
6. The Battle of Kruši, which took place on September 22, 1796, during the reign of Petar I Petrović Njegoš (St. Peter of Cetinje), is famous for the fact that the Montenegrins defeated the Turks in a ratio of 6 thousand to 30 thousand people. It was this battle that completely liberated Montenegro from the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
7. In 2013, the country celebrated the 200th anniversary of the unification of Montenegro and Boka Kotorska. On October 29, 1813, the Montenegrin army under the command of Petar I Petrović Njegoš liberated Boka Kotorska from French occupation. The first cities to be liberated were Risan, Perast and Herceg Novi. Kotor was recaptured only by December. The French were driven back beyond the walls of Dubrovnik.
8. The area of Montenegro (13,812 sq. km) is more than three times smaller than the area of the Moscow region (45,900 sq. km).
9. The caves of Montenegro have preserved rock paintings of primitive people (most of them are in the Bay of Kotor).
10. The history of Montenegro is rich in maritime traditions. The first mention of navigation in the Bay of Kotor dates back to 809.
11. Montenegro is the first country in Europe to introduce mail transportation by car (July 5, 1903).
12. On September 20, 1991, Montenegro was proclaimed an ecologically clean territory. At the UNCED conference held in Brazil in 1992, Montenegro's right to be called an ecologically clean state was confirmed.
13. The referendum on the independence of Montenegro was held on May 21, 2006. For a long time, the Serbian authorities did not want to discuss the idea of holding a referendum, and the European Union offered its help. An agreement was reached that if 55% of voters voted for separation from Serbia, Montenegro would be recognized as an independent state. The turnout exceeded 86%. According to the results of the referendum, the majority of votes were cast for separation: 55.4% of voters voted for the independence of Montenegro, 44.6% voted against.
14. In 2008, Montenegro was included in the "Blue List" - a list of 30 countries that every tourist should visit. And in 2013, The New York Times included Montenegro in its list of "The 46 Places to Go in 2013".
15. In Montenegro, the official currency is the Euro, despite the fact that the country is not part of the Eurozone. Therefore, Montenegro does not have the right to issue Euro and is forced to be content with funds coming from abroad (in particular, from foreign tourists).
16. The last major earthquake in Montenegro occurred on April 15, 1979. Some experts call this event the greatest natural disaster of the twentieth century in Europe: on this day, the entire coastline shook from tremors measuring 9 points on the Mercalia MSK-64 scale (the epicenter was in the Adriatic Sea). The earthquake took the lives of 136 people, and a significant part of the buildings on the coast were destroyed. But now there are practically no traces of what happened: all the buildings have been restored.
17. The Montenegrin company 13 jul Plantaže (Vranac and Krstać wines), which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013, owns the largest vineyard in Europe with a total area of 2,310 hectares.
18. American actor Brad Pitt played his first leading role in the film "The Dark Side of the Sun" in 1988, filming took place in Ulcinj, Montenegro. The Russian film "Gloss" and the second part of the series "Brigada" were also filmed in Montenegro.
19. "At the moment of the birth of our planet, the most beautiful meeting of land and sea took place in Montenegro... When the pearls of nature were sown, this land was "a whole handful was thrown down..." - this is how Lord George Byron wrote about this country.
20. The most famous references to Montenegro in Russian poetry are found in Alexander Pushkin: Montenegrins? What is it? Bonaparte asked. Is it true that this evil tribe Does not fear our forces? and Vladimir Vysotsky: One birth is not enough for me, If only I could grow from two roots, It's a pity Montenegro did not become My second homeland. Monuments to both Russian poets are erected in the main city of Montenegro - Podgorica.
