Durmitor National Park

Žabljak, Montenegro

Remember how I liked Kolašin because it was a small town surrounded by nature and mountains? Well Žabljak is like Kolašin’s younger, much prettier sister. With half the population (just 1700) and right on the doorstep of Durmitor National Park, Žabljak is a mountain oasis with a quaint town center and oodles to explore. Durmitor National Park has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site and it’s not hard to see why. The park boasts more than 50 (fifty!!) peaks higher than 2000m, is home to numerous glacial lakes, and the Tara river snakes through the park creating the deepest gorge in Europe. Montenegro’s highest mountain – Bobatov Tuk (2525m) is in the middle of the park and plays host to enthusiastic mountaineers and hikers year-round.

Mac and I based ourselves in Žabljak for three nights and spent our days trying to get the most out of the incredibly beautiful Durmitor National Park. We visited in mid-April when snow banks still covered the ground and the temperature barely reached double digits. Needless to say, attempting to summit Bobatov Tuk in the inclement weather was out of the question. Fortunately there were plenty of other sights we managed to see and this area quickly became my favourite place we visited in Montenegro.

Durmitor National Park

Tara Bridge

As I mentioned above, the Tara River Gorge is one of the longest AND deepest in Europe. At 82km long it stretches from Montenegro through to Bosnia and Herzegovina. At its deepest, the gorge is 1300m (4300ft) deep. (For reference, the Grand Canyon is 1857m deep, and Colca Canyon in Peru is 3270m deep.) At the highway split to go to Žabljak, a monumental bridge spans the Tara River and has much to offer for the curious (and/or adventurous!) traveller.

The Đurđevića Tara Bridge is 356m long and stands 172m above the Tara River. It was completed in 1940 and had a dramatic role during World War II. This region of Yugoslavia was occupied by the Italians in 1941-42, and they later took control of the bridge to aid in their guerrilla warfare. Eventually the Yugoslavian Partisan raiding party took matters into their own hands and demolished the central span of the bridge. As this bridge was the only feasible crossing over the Tara River, the Italians were effectively cut off and prevented from making any further advances. The bridge was rebuilt in 1946 and stands impressive and majestic to this day.

After pulling over to take a photo of the bridge, the next most popular activity is zip lining. Mac and I counted no fewer than five different zip lining options, some boasting a max speed of over 80km/hr! If zip lining isn’t your thing, you can always bungee jump, or go white water rafting in the river below. Like I said, this bridge has a LOT to offer!

Crno Jezero // Black Lake

I dare you to visit Žabljak without going to Crno Jezero. This glacial-fed lake is a brief walk from town and has some of the most breathtaking views around. Mac and I hiked through the forest (in ankle deep snow!) until we reached the shores of the Black Lake. Our first glimpse of the surrounding area was just stunning, but we continued along the shore and turned a corner to one of the most magical views I’ve seen in a while. Huge snow-capped mountains tower over the lake making it impossible not to stop and gasp at the beauty of the scene.

After stopping to attempt to capture the scene in my sketchbook, Mac and I followed the trail that circumnavigates the entire lake. There weren’t a lot of fellow hikers around and the thick forest made it seem like we had the whole place to ourselves.

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The road back to Žabljak’s center is lined with tall trees and small wooden stalls that I imagine are occupied in the summer months with trinkets and homemade goods galore. New mountains appear around every corner making it hard to concentrate on the walking path! I so loved this part of Žabljak and would go back in a heartbeat.

Lost in Translation

Funny story: The word for Montenegro in Montenegrin is Crna Gora – Black Mountain in English. While hitchhiking we would try and converse with the lovely folks that gave us rides. Sometimes they spoke English, but often we would have to stumble through the few words we knew and rely heavily on Google Translate. We often heard “do you like Montenegro??” and we would enthusiastically nod yes and say “super!” and “dobro (good)” over and over. Eventually Mac started adding “mountains, mountains, mountains!!” (“Crna, crna, crna!!”). We would wink at each other, pleased with how our language skills were improving. It was only when we arrived in Žabljak and saw signs for Crno Jezero that we realized “gora” is the Montenegrin word for mountains, not “crna”. So, Mac had been excitedly proclaiming to our (probably VERY confused) drivers, “black, black, black!!!”. We mostly stuck to “super” and “dobro” after that…

Spomeniks

It was in Žabljak where I first learned of Spomeniks. The word translates to “monument” in Serbian, but it’s come to refer to a special type of Yugoslavian concrete creation of which there are hundreds scattered throughout the Balkans.

“Spomeniks are a series of memorial structures built from the 1950s-1990s during Tito’s Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, whose primary intent was to honour its people’s resistance struggle during the National Liberation War (1941-1945) (aka WWII) against Axis occupation. They commemorate not only the crimes which occurred during the region’s brutal occupation, but they additionally celebrate the ‘Revolution’ which defeated them, all lead by Tito’s Partisan Army of rebels and fighters.” (source: Spomenik Database)

Thousands of these memorials were constructed, but only a few hundred remain today. When Yugoslavia fell and broke into separate states in the 1990’s, many of these monuments were abandoned, neglected, and quickly fell into a state of disrepair. The monuments that do remain however, are unique and quite interesting to behold. The spomenik in Žabljak sits on the top of a small hill in town and is surrounded by busts of what I assume are notable men from the town. This hill was also a great spot to get some pretty epic mountain views.

For more information about spomeniks and one of the most complete and up to date directories, be sure to head to SpomenikDatabase.org. I learned SO much from this website and will definitely be adding spomenik-hunting to my to-do list if/when I make it back to the Balkans!

*****

Our time in Durmitor National Park was limited, and with the still-winter weather and no access to a car we were unable to see and experience a vast majority of the 32100ha (321km²) park. BUT! What we did see was incredible and enough to convince me to go back. There are so many trails to hike (including the one to the summit of Bobatov Tuk!) and lakes and forests to explore. If you find yourself in Montenegro, I would highly recommend devoting some quality time in Durmitor National Park.

Tell me, what’s the funniest language oopsie you’ve ever committed? Have you ever gone bungee jumping or zip lining?

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