Cetinje – Where a glorious past meets vibrant modern life
A visit to Cetinje is a journey through time and space, a place where history meets everyday life. This is how a tourist guide would describe Cetinje
Cetinje is the historical and cultural heart of Montenegro, a town that blends a magnificent past with a vibrant modern life.
Its streets breathe the spirit of royal times, while museums, parks, and galleries preserve stories that shape Montenegrin culture. A visit to Cetinje is a journey through time and space, a place where history meets everyday life. This is how a tourist guide would describe Cetinje.
Yet Cetinje is all of that – and something entirely different – when seen through the eyes of someone who actually lives there. That someone is Božidar Zuber, an actor with the typical Cetinje sense of humor, known locally as “the boy from Njegoševa Street.”
When asked why travelers should visit Cetinje first when coming to Montenegro, he answers:
“Because it’s magical. Because it’s unique. Because everything you need to see in Montenegro is right here, in Cetinje. Let anyone be upset if they like. Let them come and see. Every house is a monument. Look here – the first post office. There’s also the first hospital. Everything started here, that’s why others can’t stand us.”
He points to King Nikola’s Palace, which is currently under renovation.
“Yes, it’s being renovated, but the doors are still open. Even when we renovate, our doors stay wide open. So we take those who are unsure of who they are, what they are, where they come from – straight into the archives. And I tell them: please, ask whatever you want. I won’t even mention the Monastery, or the Billiard House, the Government House, Filermosa… People come to me for 15 minutes, and end up staying for two days,” Zuber laughs.
Explaining what the Billiard House (Biljarda) is, he says it was Njegoš’s residence.
“And we all know who Njegoš was. Everyone may claim him as their own, I don’t mind that at all,” he adds.
He explains that inside the Billiard House there is a relief map created during Austro-Hungarian rule, designed to help them plan their conquests.
“It’s the complete relief of Montenegro, placed right there,” Zuber says, noting that the billiard table is also preserved inside.
When asked who would have won a game of billiards against Njegoš, he quickly replies:
“He would. Just read his works – I couldn’t match him. I could sit with him, share a joke, but nothing more…”
From the Billiard House, the path leads to Ćipur, the church built on the remains of the first Cetinje Monastery, where King Nikola and Queen Milena Petrović are buried.
Zuber says he likes to take visitors straight across to the Cetinje Monastery (Monastery of Saint Peter of Cetinje).
“Then I tell them: ‘Pray to God and think carefully about what you’re going to ask me.’ Because they all have questions, and that’s why I take them to the State Archives first,” he explains.
He also points out the Summer Stage, one of only three amphitheaters in Europe, and the Zetski dom, the first royal theater in Montenegro.
Zuber highlights that Cetinje was home to the first golf and tennis courts in the country.
“During King Nikola’s time, there were eight tennis courts here – or something close to that number,” he says.
( Vijesti online )