Rijeka Crnojevica (montenegrin. Rijeka Crnojevića) is a small settlement near the river of the same name, 20 km from Cetinje, which is one of the historical centres of Montenegro. The reason is that this is where the capital of Montenegro was located from 1475 to 1481. Despite this, there is little to remind you of that period: the whole settlement has a couple of dozen houses along one street and a 19th century bridge built by Prince Danilo I Petrovic Njegoš.
History of the town's founding
Legend has it that originally these places were completely waterless. Once Prince Ivan Crnojević and his retinue hunted here, but somehow the hunt did not go well. By evening they were thirsty and had no prey. But suddenly they saw a big wet wild goat, which was shaking off in the sun. The hunters shot the goat, but as soon as the first blood appeared on its body, suddenly water rushed out from under the rocks. The goat managed to escape, but not all the hunters were able to escape from the water on the rocks nearby. Since then, a river has been flowing in this area, known for its sudden rises in water level.
It is not known exactly when the settlement on the River Crnojevića was established, but the river itself has an older name. Until the 15th century it was called «Cetinja voda», as it flows through the Cetinja field. The name of the settlement is also relatively recent. On historical maps and documents you can find another name — Obod or Rijecki grad. This settlement was also the centre of Rijecki Nahia — one of the 4 territorial units of «historical» Montenegro.
All that is known about Obod is that it was the capital fortress of Ivan Crnojevic after he left Žabljak. However, it did not last long before it was moved again (this time to Cetinje), so there are no remnants of those fortifications left to this day.
It is known that in the nineteenth century, Reka Crnojevića was a fairly developed settlement. Thus, Vikenty Makushev, historian and philologist of the Russian Empire, in 1866 in his work «Diary of a journey from Dubrovnik to Montenegro» wrote as follows: «If any place in Montenegro deserves the name of a city, it is Rijeka, the centre of Montenegrin industry and trade. There is a weekly market here, on Saturdays, which is attended by merchants mainly from Albania. The town is situated on the bank of a shallow river flowing into the Zeta, overgrown with reeds and apparently the cause of the prevailing fevers here.»
Now, of course, there's not much left of that time….
Rijeka Crnojevica. What to see
Rijeka Crnojevića is a settlement that suffered from Ottoman raids, so there are not many remnants of the past. However, despite its complicated past, some places can still be highlighted.
Danilo's Bridge and Mostina
На территории Реки Црноевича два моста — пешеходный Данилов Мост, построенный в 1853 году князем Данилой I и автомобильный «Новый мост», построенный Николой I. Как правило, интерес у туристов вызывает Данилов Мост, который связан с жилым домом, называемым также Мостиной.
There are two bridges in the Rijeka Crnojevića — the pedestrian Danilo's Bridge, built in 1853 by Prince Danila I and the vehicular «New Bridge», built by Nikola I. As a rule, tourists are interested in Danilov Most, which is connected to the residential house, also called Mostina.
Crnojevic Printing House
In 1493, Ivan Crnojevic's son Djuraj Crnojevic founded a printing house in Obod. Under the direction of Hieromonk Makarius, on 4 January 1494, the first Cyrillic alphabet book in the South Slavic regions was published here — «Oktoih Prvoglasnik».
A total of 108 copies of this book were published. Each copy contained 270 sheets measuring 29 x 21.6 cm. It is worth noting that the book was of high quality and was two-coloured — red and black inks were used. The printing was decorated with headpieces and initials printed from Renaissance engravings using old manuscript traditions.
The printing house was closed in 1496 due to the fact that Prince Djuraj was forced to leave Montenegro for the Republic of Venice. During this time, 5 books were published in the printing house:
• Oktoih prvoglasnik;
• Oktoih petoglasnik;
• Psaltir s posledovanjem;
• Trebnik;
• Četvorojevanđelje.
Today you can see the foundations of this printing house in the Old Church grounds near St Nicholas Monastery. You can find them behind the church, there will also be a commemorative inscription. Entry is free.
Remains of water mills on Rijeka Crnojevića
If you go upstream from the village, you can see the remains of old water mills on the river. They were first built in the 15th century and later used by the monastery of St Nicholas. The inhabitants of the neighbourhood used them to grind wheat, corn and other crops. At the end of the 19th century, 6 mills were dismantled and moved downstream where the water flow was stronger.
Obod cave
One of the three most popular tourist caves in Montenegro. Unlike Lipa cave, it is not equipped and is free to visit. According to legend, it was near this cave that Ivan Crnojevic was hunting and met a wild goat.
The entrance to the cave has a vault height of about 20 metres and the same width. It is possible to go deep into the cave without speleological equipment for about 100 metres, but this activity must be done at your own risk.
It's worth noting that Google Maps doesn't offer a route to the cave, but you can do so in the Maps.me app. An alternative to this is a marked hiking trail.
How to get to the Rijeka Crnojevića
There is no regular transport connection to the Rijeka Crnojevića. You can get there either by boat by water from the shores of Lake Skadar, e.g. from Virpazar, or by own or rented car.
It is worth considering that the roads leading here are very winding and narrow, so if you do not feel confident on the mountain roads, it is better to drive from the direction of Cetinje or Podgorica first on the M2.3 motorway, and then turn off at one of the turns.
