Nikšić, Montenegro: the city’s history and which sights to see according to Montenegro tour guide Nikolay Stepanov
Licensed guide in Montenegro and a historian
This industrial city in Montenegro is not considered a tourist destination, but it is worth a visit. Do it to understand how real, non-touristic Montenegro and its people live, and where this relatively large town by Montenegrin standards — and the country as a whole — hides its true landmarks. You can stop in the city on your way from the coast to the high-mountain north and use the recommendations in this article to discover Nikšić and decide what to see.
And it is best to do this by car or taxi.
Read below about all these landmarks and about the city itself.
Contents
History and population of Nikšić
Landmarks of Nikšić
1. Onogošt Fortress
2. Bedem Fortress
3. Tsar’s Bridge
4. Freedom Square
5. Monument to Nikola I
6. Cathedral of St. Basil of Ostrog
7. Ostrog Monastery
Nikšić beach area
Transport around Montenegro
Map of Nikšić landmarks
Conclusion
Top 3 historical landmarks of the city:
- In the city center you will easily find Freedom Square - it was recently turned into a cozy pedestrian zone with lots of cafés and small restaurants.
- On it stands a monument to King Nikola, the Montenegrin monarch under whom the country gained access to the sea - a dream of dozens of generations of Montenegrins.
- After visiting Freedom Square you can easily reach the Cathedral of St. Basil of Ostrog, which is a 10-minute walk along cozy city streets. This church is dedicated to a saint highly revered in Montenegro and Serbia and was built in memory of Montenegrins who died in wars with the Turks at the end of the 19th century.
If you want to see the top 5 architectural landmarks, you should definitely visit
- Ostrog Monastery,
- the Cathedral of St. Basil of Ostrog,
- the Roman Bridge,
- Tsar’s Bridge, and
- Onogošt Fortress.
Some tourists love beautiful views, others prefer engaging stories and the artifacts connected with them. The places for this article were chosen with that in mind: each site will catch your eye with its appearance and, at the same time, it has its own history that commands respect. All these places are in the city or very close to it, and visiting them will not take too much time.
History and population
Slansko Lake is famous for its panoramas, which you can see along the Nikšić - Trebinje route.
The industrial city of Nikšić is the second most populous city in Montenegro. About 70 thousand people live in this largest municipality by area. There once operated here a bauxite mine, steelworks, woodworking factories, and automotive enterprises - for these, the Yugoslav authorities brought many engineers and technical workers from neighboring Serbia. Even now it has the reputation of a “Serbian” city.
Next to the city, in the Nikšić field, lives the Montenegrin tribe Župa Nikšićka. They have always been like two different worlds - Nikšić and Župa. The founder of the Župa tribe is considered to be Nikša of Grbalj (Niksa Grbljanin). The residents of Župa still carefully tend his grave, which is located in the village of Zagrade.
It is believed the burial is about 800 years old, since Nikša and his related clan moved from the coast to these parts in the 14th century, pushing aside or assimilating the local “old settlers.” Župa even has its own informal capital-monastery. Popular assemblies, councils of elders during the Turkish occupation of Nikšić-Onogošt, were held in the Župa Orthodox Monastery of St. Luke, which still functions today.
The city’s history includes Roman, Herzegovinian, Ottoman, Yugoslav, and modern eras. Yes, it once belonged to the domains of the ubiquitous Duke Stjepan Kosača. To this day these places are popularly called Old Herzegovina. After the Duke, the city - but not Župa - was captured by the Ottomans for 400 years.
The city received its modern look after World War II. In 1944 it was subjected to devastating bombardments by Allied aviation, as the German occupiers saw it as a key defensive point on the same Podgorica - Mostar (Trebinje) route. So what we see now is a city built mostly during socialist Yugoslavia.
Landmarks of Nikšić
From my first days working as a guide I have been getting questions, especially from travelers transiting through the city toward Durmitor National Park. They ask me: “What should we see in Nikšić itself?”
It is nice that each year there is more to see. The authorities are investing more and more money in the landmarks of Nikšić, as in many cities of Montenegro.
Both the Onogošt Fortress, the old city bridges, and its cozy pedestrianized center are interesting. Believers can venerate Orthodox relics at the Ostrog Monastery.
Around the city there are beautiful freshwater lakes, which locals use as swimming areas in summer.
So, the most interesting ↓
1. Onogošt Fortress
Onogošt Fortress was recently restored and you can visit it completely free of charge.
The Turkish Onogošt Fortress guarded the Ottoman transit routes from Podgorica toward Dubrovnik, Mostar, and Trebinje. The fortress is now restored and can be easily visited. Views of the city open from its walls and viewpoints, and in front of the entrance to the walls there is a spacious parking lot.
Like Podgorica, Nikšić and its Onogošt Fortress became part of the Principality of Montenegro only after the Berlin Congress, in 1879. Archaeologists claim that Roman roads once passed through the fertile plain (the Nikšić field). A reminder of those times is the recently restored “Roman Bridge” on the Moštanica River, and in the city fortress walls the first stones, according to archaeologists, were laid by the Romans or even the Illyrians.
The history of Onogošt Fortress begins in the 3rd century AD, when, to protect the Roman road passing through these places, a Roman fortification was erected on a 25-meter hill. Later the route through the valley was controlled by the Serbs, but the fortress reached its greatest development under the Turks. Its length reached 210 meters and its width almost 30 meters. You can now appreciate the scale of this legendary and formidable stronghold. In the 17th-19th centuries the fortress protected the southern borders of the Bosnian Pashaluk of the Ottoman Empire and was taken by the Montenegrins with difficulty in 1877. It immediately lost its importance and remained in poor condition until the mid-2000s.
Now the fortress walls, a bastion, the gunpowder store (barutana), and the barracks have been restored. Entry to the walls of Onogošt Fortress is free. Scholars still debate the historical value of the present-day “Onogošt Fortress,” but you will definitely get a beautiful view of the city from the walls, so - onward to the walls, to the assault!
2. Roman Bridge
The Roman Bridge is considered the oldest bridge in the country.
The Herzegovinian village of Velika Moštanica lies within this Montenegrin municipality. The Moštanica River that once flowed here has left behind only a dry riverbed and the old bridge. This beautiful arched bridge on the Moštanica was built during the Roman Empire (3rd century AD).
The bridge on the Moštanica was part of the imperial road from the Roman port of Epidaurum (near modern Dubrovnik) to Shkodër (modern Shkodra). Its length is 30 meters, and its classical Roman architecture fascinates with its antiquity and power. Imperial trade and military caravans crossed the bridge.
The Roman Bridge has been reconstructed several times. If you want to touch real antiquity, remember that the oldest stones are at the base of the 2-meter pillars that support the powerful arches of this bridge. The last major reconstruction of the bridge was carried out in 1957 under the guidance of architect Đorđe Minjević.
3. Tsar’s Bridge
Tsar’s Bridge in Nikšić once stood on the floodplain of the Zeta River. Now water flows only through one span of this beautiful bridge.
Another bridge - “Tsar’s” - can be seen on the side opposite the Roman Bridge. This bridge of hewn stone was thrown across the Zeta River in the 19th century and still functions. For its time it was a grand structure, and even now its length of 269 meters and its arched architecture impress. The bridge has 18 graceful spans, and the height of the central arches is 13 meters. The bridge was built by the Austro-Hungarian engineer Josip Slade and was commissioned by Prince Nikola Petrović, whose monument stands in the city center on Freedom Square.
The bridge is located on the old Podgorica - Onogošt route. Tsar’s Bridge is named in honor of Russian Emperor Alexander III, who sponsored its construction. Construction of the bridge was completed in 1896, or according to other data, in 1894. In the days of socialist Yugoslavia, a channel was built to divert the Upper Zeta River toward the Perućica hydroelectric power plant. Engineers-hydrologists carefully preserved the bridge’s architecture in full accordance with the original design - the channel was built into the bridge arches without damaging its supports and arches.
4. Freedom Square
Freedom Square will attract your attention with its calmness and the smell of coffee.
On every corner of this small square you can see how and what Montenegrins really live by. There is no rush here at all. It feels like all the residents gather at Freedom Square before noon and leave it late in the evening. Here on the square is also the main shopping center with the very original name “Nikšić.”
Interestingly, the gathering of café-sitters or just pedestrians on this square is not tied to weekends or workdays - people are here all the time. Yes, unemployment in the city is high, a consequence of its industrial past. Even on workdays people stroll around the main square and the nearby streets - people drink coffee, sit on benches, or stand in groups and chat.
And the working-age residents sometimes go to the European Union for work and, together with the government of Montenegro, are waiting for investor-employers for their beloved hometown, which still has great potential. The Serbian engineers, though older, have not gone anywhere.
5. Monument to Nikola I
The Monument to Nikola I symbolizes an entire era - 60 years of the monarch’s rule.
On the same Freedom Square are two of the most important historical monuments. The first monument is dedicated to the king, who else. The liberator of Nikšić from the Turks, King Nikola I of Montenegro, is depicted sitting on a horse. Prince, and from 1910 king, Nikola I Petrović enjoyed the great respect of all Montenegrins because during his 60-year reign Montenegro gained access to the sea through Bar and Ulcinj. Another achievement of this Montenegrin monarch was the annexation to Montenegro at the end of the 19th century of vast fertile plains in the areas of Podgorica and Nikšić. The cities themselves, naturally, also became Montenegrin.
The second monument on Freedom Square is dedicated to Čedomir (Ljubo) Čupić, a partisan of World War II. He was born in America but studied and grew up here, and from here he joined the partisans. He is famous throughout Montenegro for a photograph of his courageous smile, which he flashed at the executioners and the photographer a moment before the shooting. With the same smile he is immortalized in full length on the monument.
In addition, the city has three monuments not to people but to a unique phenomenon - Yugoslav architecture. These are monuments to the era that came as a result of the victory of Čupić’s comrades-in-arms, the era of socialism.
The “Onogošt” hotel still operates - a Yugoslav behemoth on a thin leg. It resembles a turned-over bottle a little, and note, this is in a seismically active zone. If from the “upside-down” Onogošt hotel you walk one hundred meters and cross Njegoš Street, you can see the unfinished giant House of Revolution. The authorities, it seems, still do not know what to do with this concrete monster. Part of it is glazed, part abandoned.
Such is this city of contrasts, a child of Socialist Yugoslavia. On the other hand, if not for socialism, the city would have remained a remote transit province. And now, for example, besides the mentioned steelworks “Željezara” and the Bauxite mine, the city is home to the country’s only brewery. By the way, have you tried “Nikšićko” beer yet? Excellent beer!
The third architectural monument of SFRY is an unusually shaped monument to the city’s residents who died in World War II. It is located at the foot of Trebjesa hill. This hill now serves as a city park and walking area.
6. Cathedral of St. Basil of Ostrog
The Church of St. Basil of Ostrog stands on a very beautiful hill.
On the hill of Trebjesa park there is a viewpoint, a children’s playground, and a small hotel of the same name. The asphalt path through the hill-park begins behind the city church of St. Basil of Ostrog. It is easy to spot - it stands on the hill Petrova Glavica.
The Church of St. Basil of Ostrog was connected by road to the Ostrog Monastery at the end of the 19th century. Part of this road is another city landmark - Tsar’s Bridge. This cathedral Orthodox church was designed by Russian architect Mikhail Timofeyevich Preobrazhensky. Among this architect’s achievements are, for example, the construction of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn, St. Nicholas Cathedral in Nice, Holy Trinity Cathedral in Buenos Aires, and the Church of the Nativity in Florence.
The first stone in the foundation of the church was laid in 1895 and already in 1900 this cathedral church was built and consecrated. The church stands out not only for its height but also for a 2.5-meter diameter clock. It is dedicated to the heroes - the Montenegrins who died during the liberation wars of 1875-1878. The church bears on its walls 3,075 surnames of Montenegrin heroes.
Interestingly, the hill of Petrova Glavica on which the church stands was cut down by 3-4 meters during construction. The height of the church is 34 meters. Its height and the height of the hill at 14 meters give a dizzying total of 38 meters. The church is visible from any part of the city.
7. Ostrog Monastery
Ostrog Monastery attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and tourists per year.
If you are tired of the urban scenes described above - and unfortunately there are no others in this industrial city - switch to the spiritual side of life by heading to the nearby cliffside Ostrog Monastery, the most visited Orthodox shrine in the Balkans. This sacred place is only a half-hour drive from Nikšić at an elevation of 900 meters above sea level.
The history of the monastery is known from the late 17th century, namely from 1672, when here, on the Ostrog ridge, near a small cave, died the bishop of southern Herzegovina, St. Basil of Ostrog. He died near a small cave in which he spent the last 10 years of his life in prayer. After death his body was found incorrupt - it still rests in the same cave where he prayed for the salvation and health of all of us.
Both in life and after death St. Basil of Ostrog somehow miraculously not only strengthened the spirit but also gave health to people praying near him. Numerous pilgrims now arriving at the Ostrog Monastery near Nikšić still ask St. Basil of Ostrog first and foremost for health. The monastery keeps records of all healings, and some time ago the “Book of Miracles of St. Basil of Ostrog” was published, which you can easily buy at the monastery shop, including in Russian.
Beach area
Since the city is located away from the sea and lies at an elevation of 650 meters above sea level, the climate here is continental: it can snow in winter, but there is no exhausting heat in summer. The recreation area with a beach here was created on the shore of the freshwater reservoir “Krupac Lake.” The artificial lakes on the Zeta River running through the city were created to supply water to the “Head of Zeta” hydropower plant. This hydroelectric plant was meant to power local industry; it still operates, and now its megawatts are gladly used by Montenegro’s tourist coast.
You can use the dam of the second reservoir called “Slansko Lake” simply for walks. Swimming from its shores is difficult - the lake’s banks are steep and rocky.
Transport around Montenegro
The city has a railway station that connects it to Podgorica by commuter trains. A highway passes near the city, along which you can drive from Podgorica to the north of Montenegro to the grand Durmitor National Park and its high-mountain “capital,” Žabljak.
From here you can also reach Piva Nature Park and Plužine, located on the shores of the artificial yet very picturesque Piva Lake reservoir. In addition, from Podgorica through this city the shortest route leads to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Map of city landmarks
On the map you will see that all landmarks are compactly located and grouped along three directions: north, south, and center.
Conclusion
Nikšić is not a tourist city at all. Rare tourists are looked at with curiosity here, so in local restaurants you can try “real” Montenegrin cuisine. Go, for example, to the Kastel restaurant on the way out toward Trebinje and see how you can eat here both inexpensively and deliciously.
On the way to this restaurant you can easily stop by the Roman Bridge on the Moštanica. If you do not want to leave the center, you have at your disposal the cozy and tasty Freedom Square with the monument to King Nikola. And if you want to feel the energy of the Ostrog Monastery, drive to it along the old road via Tsar’s Bridge.
If you want to tour these places, we recommend using the services of a professional and experienced guide to Montenegro, Nikolay Stepanov.
Licensed guide in Montenegro and a historian