Montenegro - die Perle der Adria

Viele Mythen, Legenden und unaufgeklärte Theorien ranken sich um die Herkunft des

geheimnisvollen Namens

„Crna Gora - Schwarzes Gebirge“.

Berge gibt es - hauptsächlich sogar - aber richtig schwarz ist keiner von ihnen, eher grau und grün und sie wirken zudem überaus einladend.

Der englische Dichter Lord Byron schrieb über Montenegro:

„Als die Perlen der Natur gesät wurden, erhielt dieses Land eine Handvoll davon."

The official advertising slogans could not sound more cosmopolitan, inviting and descriptive:

"Pearl of the Adriatic"

or

"Wild Beauty"

These few words say almost everything about the small country. Montenegro is a landscape jewel with almost no flaws and without equal, a country full of contradictions and opposites, with rough edges and yet certainly one of the most beautiful in all of Europe. It is a country of records, superlatives and extremes. Europe's southernmost fjord and the deepest gorge as well as one of the oldest primeval forests on the continent are located here.

It has the majority of the largest inland lake in the Balkans and the longest beach in the Adriatic.

It is home to the largest bird sanctuary in Europe and has the highest rainfall. The almost 300-kilometer-long coastal landscape with the unique Bay of Kotor, with its countless beautiful bathing bays surrounded by rugged cliffs and long sandy beaches, is certainly one of the most atmospheric and fascinating in the world.

Nowhere else on the Adriatic is the sea a deeper blue and the water as crystal clear as here. But you will look in vain for solitude here, because historic cities and lively towns, whose legendary architecture has shaped rich merchants, captains and sailors for centuries, line the busy areas in front of the impressive cliffs of the coastal mountains. Five national parks that could not be more different protect an incredibly rich and in some cases rare flora and fauna on an area of 126,250 hectares. The forests are home to wild brown bears and deer, which you rarely see. A fantastic and, in the truest sense of the word, magnificent high mountain range with bizarre limestone formations, the cleanest mountain rivers, idyllic and isolated glacier and mountain lakes, impressive gorges and canyons, is unparalleled. Montenegro is an unparalleled hiking and climbing paradise and has one of the most extensive, marked trail networks of any country of its size. It was not a difficult decision for UNESCO to award its valuable title twice. So much beauty and individuality requires space and the small country gains this space due to its small size through its altitude; no other country in Europe is higher on average. Over 2/3 of the country's surface is above 1,000 meters. In a country where the trails mostly only lead upwards, many of the unique cultural monuments can be found on the wide plateaus or peaks of the countless mountains and mountain ranges. The small western Balkan country has one of the most fascinating and eventful histories in southern Europe. Its historical past stretches back thousands of years.

Manche Gebiete waren bereits weit in der vorchristlichen Epoche besiedelt und alle bedeutenden Großmächte, einflussreiche Stämme und Völker hinterließen ihre eindrucksvollen Zeitzeugen. Das Land musste eine lange und bittere Entwicklungsgeschichte durchleben, bis hier sämtliche Religionen und Menschen konfliktfrei nebeneinander leben konnten. Die Umstände der Vergangenheit machten Montenegros Bevölkerung zu etwas ganz Besonderem - wie auch ihr Land.

Die Menschen hier sind einzigartige und schroffe, doch charaktervolle Gestalten. Sie besitzen einen rauen und wilden Stolz, sind besessen von einem ausgeprägten Freiheitsdrang und strahlen gleichzeitig eine enorme Güte und Freundlichkeit aus. Die Montenegriner schätzen und verehren ihre alten Brauchtümer, die sie vehement überliefern. Uralte Riten haben sich besonders in den Berg-regionen bis heute erhalten. Die Menschen dort leben immer noch das Leben wie es vor ein- oder zweihundert Jahren Bestand hatte.

Ganz im auffälligem Gegensatz zum modernen und zeitgemäßen Leben in der Hauptstadt und der Küstenregion. Zugleich zeichnet die Menschen Montenegros eine typisch südländische Lebensweise aus. Sie sind nicht nur äußerst lebensfroh, weltoffen und gesellig, sondern auch von einer ausgesprochenen Herzlichkeit und fast unübertroffenen Freundlichkeit und Hilfsbereitschaft Fremden gegenüber, die überall gerne willkommen sind.

Unfortunately, Montenegro cannot only boast brilliant achievements. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe in terms of economic figures. Despite independence and reforms, the traces of the political past continue to the present and corruption and nepotism are still omnipresent and determine everyday domestic politics. It must be mentioned that the tiny

The former Yugoslavian state already has a long tourist history. The Balkan country was already a popular travel destination for Western Europeans in the 1970s and 1980s, although tourism was limited to the coastal regions at the time. In contrast to the still pristine mountain regions, the country can no longer be described as an insider tip. Natural disasters, wars and ultimately the process of self-discovery set Montenegro back decades in terms of tourism development. This is one of the reasons why tourism in the former smallest republic of Yugoslavia is still clearly in its infancy or needs to be redefined, despite the well-developed infrastructure. The country's future as a tourist destination is secure and the small state is making great strides towards a brilliant career. With its resources, Montenegro has incredible potential to become a top destination among the travel countries in the Western Balkans. The targeted support and strict control of the government to keep tourism development within reasonable limits and to protect the diverse landscape and nature of Montenegro is required.

Now is the ideal time to discover and get to know this extraordinary and wonderful part of the world before mass tourism and package holidaymakers claim it completely for themselves.

The Serbian poet Nenadović aptly said:

"I'm surprised the sun sets here. You won't find such beauty anywhere else."