Officially presented to the public on Wednesday July 25, 2007 08:00pm during a press conference at the “Centre for Contemporary Art of Montenegro”, the National Museum Guidebook for Montenegro — first published in a run of 5,000 copies by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Media of Montenegro with the support of the Section for Culture of the UNESCO Office in Venice - Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE) — is now available in electronic edition.

By presenting 32 museums over some 200 pages, the National Museum Guidebook offers an informative tool for encouraging and facilitating the discovery of Montenegrin museum collections, in all their richness and diversity. Most significant museums of the country, at both national and local level, are reviewed, accompanied by a rich iconography, explanatory texts and useful information for visitors.

2007 Guidebook to Museums of Montenegro

Contents
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INTRODUCTION

• The National Museum of Montenegro :: Cetinje
• Historic Museum of Montenegro :: Cetinje
• Museum of Fine Arts of Montenegro :: Cetinje
• Ethnographic Museum of Montenegro :: Cetinje
• Njegoš Museum (Biljarda) :: Cetinje
• Museum of King Nikola :: Cetinje
• Cetinje Monastery :: Cetinje

• The Museum of Natural History :: Podgorica
• Centre for Modern Arts :: Podgorica
• Museums and Galleries of Podgorica
• Museum of Marko Miljanov at Medun

• Centre for Culture Nikšić - Homeland Museum

• Centre for Culture Danilovgrad - Homeland Museum

• Maritime Museum Kotor
• Museums Kotor - Museum of the Town of Perast, Lapidarium Kotor
• St. Tryphon’s Cathedral :: Kotor
• Our Lady of the Rock :: Perast
• St. Nikola’s Church :: Perast

• Homeland Museum and Artistic Gallery “Josip Bepo Benković” :: Herceg-Novi
• Savina Monastery :: Herceg-Novi

• Centre for Culture Tivat - Museum Collection and Gallery

• Museum, Gallery and Library of Budva

• Cultural Centre Bar - Homeland Museum

• Centre for Culture Ulcinj - Homeland Museum

• Piva Monastery :: Plužine

• Homeland Museum :: Pljevlja
• The Holy Trinity Monastery :: Pljevlja
• Hussein-Pasha’s Mosque :: Pljevlja

• Centre for Cultural Activities “Vojislav Bulatović Strunjo” :: Bijelo Polje

• Museum of Polimlje :: Berane

• Homeland Museum - Ganića Kula :: Rožaje

• Centre for Culture Kolašin - Homeland Museum

NOTES

Introduction
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The rich cultural and historic heritage of Montenegro, embedded in remnants of many civilisations, from the Illyrian and Ancient Greek and Roman, to the Venetian and Ottoman, bears witness of the existence and continuance of life, of our people, its identity and its distinct material and spiritual creativity.

The beginnings of collecting and recording national cultural heritage appear as early as during the Crnojević’s Dynasty. The Last Will of Djurdje Crnojević, from late 15th century, is one of the earliest testaments of the contents and richness of Cetinje Monastery treasuries, built in 1484. With coming into power of the Metropolitan from the Petrović Njegoš’ Dynasty, the preservation of cultural assets improves considerably. Metropolitans, as both the spiritual and secular rulers, continue collecting various valuable items: manuscript books, documents, elaborately decorated trophy weapons, prince-bishop gowns. The existence of such rich treasuries led eventually to the establishment of museums.

The reign of Metropolitan Petar I Petrović Njegoš (1784-1830) marks a significant milestone in the establishment of state authorities, but also in better understanding of the value and, consequently, the preservation of cultural heritage. At the time, subject registers are introduced in the state office.

With the coming into power of Petar II Petrović Njegoš (1830-1851), there begins the period of further development of state authorities, of the printing house and the first school. The construction of Biljarda in 1838 provided the space to house the archives, a library, church relics and trophy arms. The hall of war trophies within the Biljarda building, the so-called Arsenal (Oružnica), is an authentic museum of Montenegrin warship, a predecessor of the military museum and the museum service in Montenegro as such.

In 1870, Prince Nikola I Petrović Njegoš (1860-1918) built a separate building called Laboratorija. For a time, it used to house a workshop for repairing arms and producing ammunition (arsenal). Within the same premises, some trophy weapons, flags and other war paraphernalia were displayed.

King Nikola enacted the Law on State Library and Museum of the Princedom in 1896, which meant the beginning of institutional organisation of museum service in Montenegro. The Museum owned a substantial collection of trophy arms, but also some archaeological, numismatic and ethnographic items.

After long years of war, the State Museum was established in Cetinje in the former court of King Nikola (1926). The museum’s permanent display represents a reconstruction of the interior of the ruler’s residence. The museum items bear witness of Montenegrin political, cultural and military history, from Middle Ages until the disappearance of the independent Montenegrin state in 1918.

In late 1930s, new museums were opened in Perast (1937) and Kotor (1938). Their displays are based on rich and valuable collections of items illustrative of the maritime and mercantile history of the area.

During the second half of the 20th century museums were opened in most Montenegrin towns. At a much later stage, the museums in Kolašin (1983) and Rožaje (1991) were set up, as well as the Nature Museum of Montenegro (1995) in Podgorica. Unfortunately, Žabljak, Plužine, Andrijevica, Šavnik and Plav still hold no museum displays at all.

The museums, collections and treasuries presented in this Guide are a testimony of centuries-old harmonious coexistence within the territory of Montenegro, where the cultures of the East and the West met, crossed paths and mingled, an invaluable feature of Montenegrin historic heritage.