Žabljak (

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation ...

/ Montenegrin: Жабљак, ) is a small town in northern

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

. It has a population of 1,723. Žabljak is the seat of Žabljak Municipality (2011 population: 3,569). The town is in the centre of the Durmitor mountain region and with an altitude of 1,456 metres, it is the highest situated

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

town.

History

The first Slav name of the place was ''Varezina voda'' (Варезина вода) possibly because of the strong source of drinkable water nearby, making a settlement possible. Later, the town was renamed ''Hanovi'' because it was where caravans rested. The modern name dates from 1870, when in a single day the building of a school, church and captain's home began. However, almost all the original buildings were destroyed during the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and def ...

. All that has remained is the old church of Sv. Preobraženje (Holy Transfiguration), built in 1862 as a monument to a Montenegrin victory in the battle against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

. After Žabljak was established as a town, stores and cafés were opened. As such, in the 1880s Žabljak became a market town, leading it to become administrative center of the region. In the period shortly before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Žabljak was a small town with typical mountain architecture. Its unique nature was already drawing the attention of tourists from the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 191 ...

, and also from abroad, especially

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

(because of close ties between Montenegro and Italy). During

, Žabljak was burnt right to its foundations. After the war, Žabljak rebuilt itself and became Montenegro's main center for mountain tourism and winter sports.

Demographics

Žabljak is the administrative centre of the 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 Zabljak: *March 3, 1981 - 1,379 *March 3, 1991 - 1,853 *November 1, 2003 - 1,937 *April 15, 2011 - 1723 Ethnic groups (1991 census): *

Montenegrins Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Genetics Accordi ...

(91.07%) *

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...

(7.33%) Ethnic groups (2003 census): *

(50.26%) *

(43.03%) Ethnic groups (2011 census): *

(54.21%) *

(36.16%) * Undeclared (6.96%)

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. Among the main tourist attractions of Durmitor are 18

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

lakes A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

; the biggest and closest to Žabljak being Crno jezero, literally "Black Lake". Durmitor's slopes are also becoming increasingly popular among snowboarders. Žabljak caters for activities such as: * ''

Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

'' - Durmitor's snow cover lasts 120 days per year, with decent slopes such as Savin kuk, Štuoc and Javorovača. * ''

Rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

'' - the 1300 m deep Tara River canyon is the second deepest in the world, and is listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. Rafting on Tara River is one of the most popular tourist activities in Montenegro. * ''

Mountaineering Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, ...

'' - Durmitor's conditions are appropriate for this sport. * ''

Hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

'' - The surrounding area of the town of Žabljak provides hiking paths. * ''

Mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

''- Side-hills of Durmitor are perfect for biking while enjoying the view.

Climate

Žabljak has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

: ''Dfb'') with mild summers and cold winters. Precipitation is very high year round.

Transport

One problem hampering the development of Žabljak as major regional mountain tourism destination is the 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 the E65, the main road connection between the Montenegrin coast, Podgorica and the north. The other significant road connection is through

Šavnik Šavnik ( cnr, Шавник, ) is a town in Montenegro and administrative center of the Šavnik Municipality. It is located at the confluence of three rivers - Bukovica, Bijela and Šavnik, at an altitude of 840 meters. It is the lowest lying ...

and

Nikšić Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...

, on to Risan or Podgorica. Since 2010, with the reconstruction of the Risan-Žabljak road, the average trip from Žabljak to the

Adriatic sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...

is shortened to circa two hours. The town has an airport ( Žabljak Airport) but the closest International Airport is Podgorica Airport some away which has regular flights to destinations throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. There are regular minibus links with

and Podgorica which arrive at the centrally located Žabljak bus station.

Notable people

* Jelena Šaulić (1896–1921), teacher, fighter, participant in the Toplica Uprising, Komitadji during World War I

References

External links

Official homepage

Durmitor

Turisticka organizacija Zabljak
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zabljak Populated places in Žabljak Municipality Ski areas and resorts in Montenegro