Montenegro – ‘Black Mountain’

11.04.2023

There are many stories and legends which might give you an indication of where the ‘Black Mountain’ name for Montenegro comes from, but in order to understand it’s true origins we have to take you back to the time of the 15^th Century when much of the country was ruled by local Noble families of the Zeta Medieval Principality.

Before we do that though, let’s go back further in time to when Montenegro is first found mentioned in a papal epistle from 1053 – and is referred to as Monte Nigro. Only a small piece of land back then, ruled by a local tribe, which became part of a much wider region ruled primarily by the Venetians who occupied the towns of Kotor and Budva, up until the end of their empire in 1797.

Zeta’s leader at the time of 1482 was Ivan Crnojević, and in order to better protect his lands, he actually set up a new capital deep in the mountains, right at the foot of Montenegro’s most famous Mountain, Mount Lovcen. Called Cetinje, it proved a nightmare to get to for Montenegro’s enemies, which of course worked in it’s favour, however, it also proved extremely difficult for Venetian merchants who wished to sell their wares and trade with the city. Starting with the city walls at Kotor, they had to travel up and over the mountain before reaching the city, leading them to refer to the area as the ‘The Place over the Dark Mountain’. Of course, the Mountain they were referring to was Lovcen, which is now a major National Park, and which is where many people would say that Montenegro itself was born.

Lovcen has a lot going for it, and it’s obvious to see why Zeta’s leader chose to build an impenetrable city here but in addition to that, it’s also obvious to see why it attracts thousands of visitors per year. The views from the peak are simply outrageous with stunning panoramic vistas of the surrounding hills and valleys plus just below the peak is the resting place of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš who was a Prince-Bishop of Montenegro during the 19^th Century. He’s remembered as a National Hero, poet and philosopher whose’ writings are extremely popular throughout the cultural landscape.

So, now you know the real reason for the ‘Black Mountain’ let’s just consider some of those other stories, which include the sailors who named it so because of the mountains surrounding The Bay of Kotor which reach directly from the water into the Sky, or the people who named it so because of the incredibly dense forests in Northern Montenegro, making them look almost black to outsiders. Which story do you prefer?

Whatever you believe to be the truth – it’s worth coming to experience it for yourself… and CMM Montenegro are on hand to give you further information if you require it.

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Reviews

• In period May-August 2022 we sold our flats in St-Petersburg Russia and  have bought two  ones here in Montenegro, Becici. We decided to move here and make new home and business with my husband. Our agent Milica Zugic  is really became our angel - provider here in Montenegro. She is very reliable, responsible , professional  employee of CMM Budva department. She has developed intuition and found very fast necessary properties which we needed. Also she helped us to speed up the process of registration documents in MUP.( list nepokretnosti, etc). She was our real provider here. Very appreciated her and all staff of Budva department for there assistance. Separately to lawyer Ivan and his legal team. Very recommended choose Milica Zugic as real estate manager when you search for assistant in this complicated and important field as buying property in Montenegro.

  Liudmila Nosova St-Petersburg Russia , 13.09.2022 09:20:09

• At the beginning of April 2022, our family living in Prague bought a house in Sutomore with the assistance of your company.
  Let me express my gratitude to the management of your company for the service provided, and especially to your employees - Anastasia Zeyak, Alexei Grachev and Elena Bozhovich for their attention, patience and even care for the whole time of buying real estate and the services provided after the purchase.
  I would really like all companies to work with the same quality of service. After coming into contact with this kind of attitude towards the client, all our environment, if necessary, will refer to your company only.
  With gratitude on behalf of our family.

  A.V. Ter-Gazaryan, 12.07.2022 10:32:19

• Based on my experience with CMM in Budva, Montenegro, I can say that they are reliable, fast, and they deliver what they promise. They take really good care of their clients. For instance, I was offered a lift from the airport, and they would take me back and forth from Tivat to Budva and Becici to see various properties. They would answer all of my questions and respond promptly. They have an excellent team: Katarina, Alexander, Natasha, Martin and some other guys whose names I don’t remember. Katarina, my wonderful agent, went to every length to help me find a perfect home. Unfortunately, my situation changed and I had to postpone my relocation to Montenegro.
  I would strongly recommend this company to anyone who is looking for a property in Montenegro.
  

  Val , 13.05.2022 02:18:13

• We were introduced to CMM by friends who had already done research on Montenegro and CMM. We purchased our apartment in Dobrota, just outside Kotor, all remotely from South Africa, during the lockdown. Everything was seamless without any problems at all. All the CMM departments work together well from the sales team, head office, legal, interior design and rental department. Every detail was well communicated with an abundance of zoom meetings, videos, emails etc
  We are thrilled with the outcome and enjoyed working with the CMM team. They were incredibly professional.
  After sales service is also excellent as we move into the rental phase of the apartment and over all management of the apartment including maintenance.
  We have been directly and indirectly involved with many houses/apartments all over the world and this was the up there with the best service we have received.
  Thanks to everyone we dealt with at CMM it has been an absolute pleasure dealing with you all. We look forward too many happy years working with you on our rental.
  

  Mandy and Antoine, 06.10.2021 08:56:22

• Biz Montenegroda CMM komandayla  tanish olmushug. Snejana ve Milan bize cox  yaxshi destek olublar. Artig bizim burada evimiz de var. Bize gosterdiler cox yuksek service, ve artig butun bizim senedler de gaydasindadir. Boyuk hormetle onlara Cox sagol bildiririk!

  Dilara, 01.10.2019 06:17:27

• Last year we decided to find a new home close to the sea. It was quite difficult in the beginning to make the right choice. Once we found CMM Company was a great luck! We immediately received detailed consultation on the country and purchase opportunities. Being attracted by Kotor - one of the most amazing parts of the coast, we decided to take a family trip and maybe make our dream of new home come true. As just discoverers of Montenegro, we were accepted like at home which was a one more pleasant surprise. The most important, we received all detailed information about country regions and procedure of buying property during the first few days. And how beautiful the car journeys were! Difficult choice, but when you find the home you want you can't refuse it. CMM did best to help us with this finding! All the purchase procedure passed well with CMM professional work! Now we are happy owners of a wonderful house with a Kotor bay view, being perfectly served by CMM Management company (of course, we've chosen CMM as professional house manager). Hope our friends and relatives would also move to Montenegro with the CMM help soon !!!

  Kate, 22.03.2019 11:06:21