Žabljak

"See Žabljak Crnojevića for historical capital of Montenegro."

Infobox Montenegro
city_name=Žabljak
city_name_cyr=Жабљак
mayor=Isailo Šljivančanin (DPS)
city=
area=445
population=1,937
municipality=4,204
Time zone=UTC+1
founded=1871
latitude=43.15
longitude=19.11| area_code=89
car_plates=ŽB
postal=84220
website=www.zabljak.cg.yu
location_pic=
flag_pic=No_image.png coa_pic=No_image.pngcolour_scheme=background:#cccccc;

Žabljak (Serbian Cyrillic: Жабљак, _tr. Yabliyak) is a town in northern Montenegro. The town of Žabljak has a population of 1,937.

Žabljak is the seat of the Montenegrin municipality with the same name (population 4,204 in 2003). The town is in the centre of Durmitor mountain region, at an altitude of 1456m, which makes it the highest situated town on the Balkans.

History

The first Slav name of the place was “Varezina voda” possibly because of the strong source of drinkable water nearby, making a settlement possible. Later, the town was renamed “Hanovi” or originally “Anovi” because it was where caravans rested. Today's name is dates from the year 1870, when in one and the same day the building of a school, of a church and of a captain's home was begun. However, almost all the original buildings were destroyed during the Balkan Wars. All that was left was the old church of Sv. Preobraženje (Holy Transfiguration), built in 1862 as a monument to the victory in the battle against the Turks. Right after Žabljak was established as a town, a few retail stores and a few cafes were also opened. Thus, in the 1880s Žabljak was already a kind of a market-place, making it in time also the administrative center of the region.

In the period shortly before World War II, Žabljak was a small town with typical mountain architecture. Its unique nature was already drawing the attention of tourists from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and also from abroad, especially Italy (because of very close ties between Montenegro and Italy).

During World War 2 Žabljak was burnt right to its foundations. After the war, Žabljak rebuilt itself and has become Montenegro's center for winter sports.

Population

Žabljak is the administrative centre of Žabljak municipality, which has a population of 4,204. The town of Žabljak itself has a population of 1,937, and there are no other bigger settlements in the region.

Population of Žabljak:
*March 3, 1981 - 1,379
*March 3, 1991 - 1,853
*November 1, 2003 - 1,937

Ethnic groups (1991 census):
*Montenegrins (91.07%)
*Serbs (7.33%)

Ethnic groups (2003 census):
*Serbs (50.26%)
*Montenegrins (43.03%)

Tourism

Žabljak is centre of Montenegro's mountain tourism. The entire area of Durmitor mountain is protected as a national park, and offers great possibilities for both winter and summer mountain tourism.

The town of Žabljak has proven as an excellent base for activities such as:

* Skiing - Durmitor's snow cover lasts 120 days per year. The best slopes are Savin kuk, Štuoc and Javorovača.

* Rafting - the 1,3 km deep Tara River canyon is the second-deepest in the world, and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. Rafting on Tara River is among most the most popular tourist attractions in Montenegro.

* Mountaineering - Durmitor has perfect conditions for this sport, as cliffs and slopes are abundant.

* Hiking - The surrounding area of the town of Žabljak provide great hiking paths.

One of the main tourist attractions of Durmitor are 18 glacier lakes, the biggest, most beautiful and closest to Žabljak being "Crno jezero" - literally Black lake.

Durmitor's slopes are also becoming increasingly popular among snowboarders.

Transport

The main problem that hampers the development of Žabljak as major regional mountain tourism destination is lack of quality road infrastructure. The situation has been improving somewhat in recent years.

Žabljak's main road connection with the rest of Montenegro is the road that links Žabljak with Mojkovac and E65, the main road connection between the Montenegrin coast, Podgorica and the north.

The other significant road connection is through Šavnik and Nikšić, on to Risan or Podgorica. Efforts are made to thoroughly reconstruct the Žabljak - Risan corridor, which would shorten the trip from Žabljak to Risan to around two hours.

The closest airport is Žabljak Airport and closest International Airport is Podgorica Airport some 170 km away. It has regular flights to destinations throughout Europe.

External links

* [http://www.zabljak.cg.yu Official homepage]
* [http://www.durmitorcg.com/opstina_eng.php Durmitor]
* [http://www.destination-montenegro.com/zabljak.htm Destination-Montenegro.com]
* [http://www.visit-montenegro.com/cities-zabljak.htm Visit-Montenegro.com]
* [http://www.photo-montenegro.com/home.php?fOpstina=%C5%BDabljak&akcija=rezpret Photo-Montenegro.com]