 |
| Podgorica from above with a drone |
What do we know about Podgorica, aside from it being the capital of Montenegro? For those well-versed in history, the space occupied by today's Podgorica was the homeland of Illyrian cities, Birziminium and Doklea, from which the Doklean tribe derived its name. In recent times, in 1864, Podgorica was a district of the Vilayet of Shkodra. However, due to the decision of the Congress of Berlin, despite the will of the town's inhabitants, it became a part of the Kingdom of Montenegro.
For a traveler arriving from Cetinje, Podgorica was the first city that came to life in traditional Albanian attire.
 |
| Albanians in Potgorica |
"From Cetinje, we went to Podgorica, where, for the first time, I saw Albanians. Podgorica was bustling with them, all in their national costumes, as Montenegro had not yet started suppressing this," wrote the enthusiastic British traveler, Edith Durham.
The Albanian League of Prizren frequently mentioned the injustice in Podgorica in the memorandums it telegraphed to the Great Powers.
In 1880, the inhabitants of this town voiced their opposition to accepting Cetinje's authority through a memorandum. It's astonishing how few Montenegrins lived there at the time.
"The inhabitants of Ulcinj strongly opposed surrender, just as the residents of Podgorica did, who in 1880 had only thirty Montenegrin inhabitants," narrates Miranda Vickers, a reputable expert in Albanian history of the 19th century.
137 years later, the demographic landscape of Podgorica has drastically changed.