Mojkovac
Mojkovac is a town and the center of the Mojkovac Municipality in Montenegro, settled in the valley of the Tara River, in the foothills of the Bjelasica and Sinjavina Mountains, and it belongs to the Brda (Highlands) of the northeastern part of the Republic of Montenegro, between two National Parks: Biogradska Gora and Durmitor.
Our town was founded during the reign of Uroš I Nemanjić, 1242-1276. Silver coins minted during this period in Brskovo are very well known, so this place became the center of the Mojkovac parish: a mining and trade center with a caravan station between Kotor and Novo Brdo, as well as the consulate of the Republic of Ragusa (Republic of Dubrovnik).
It is said that the name “Mojkovac” was created by merging the well known words “my minted coins” (“Moj kovani novac), uttered by King Uros I during the minting of coins in the Brskovo mine.
In the middle of the 20th century, Mojkovac was one of the most important industrial centers of Montenegro. Today, due to the great natural potential that Mojkovac possesses, agriculture and tourism are recognized as new priority branches for the development of the municipality. The Tara River runs through Mojkovac, whose canyon is the second deepest in the world, and is protected by UNESCO.
Get to know Mojkovac
History
Population
Census 2011
Municipality of Mojkovac
The Municipality of Mojkovac covers an area of 367 km2 and, in terms of population (8,622, according to the 2011 census,) is one of the smaller municipalities in Montenegro. The urban settlement is located at an altitude of 853 m.
Its mathematical position is determined by geographical coordinates: the northernmost point is located at 43° 05' SGŠ, which is also the lowest point of the municipality, and is located on the banks of the Tara River; the southernmost point is Đevojačka Glava on Sinjajevina, at 42° 54' SGŠ; the easternmost point is Mokro Polje, on Bjelasica at 19° 40' EGD, and the westernmost point is Pećarac Peak, on Sinjajevina at 19° 21' EGD.
In relation to the territory of Montenegro, Mojkovac has a favorable geographical position for travel because important roads to the north and south, i.e. to the coast, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, and several other locations, have led through it since ancient times.
The Adriatic Highway and the Belgrade-Bar Railway have the greatest importance in connecting this area of Montenegro with other regions of the Balkans and Europe.
Traffic connections with other municipalities of the Northern region are relatively satisfactory and rely on the existing network of regional and main roads. Among the more significant regional roads, the Mojkovac - Žabljak road, with a length of 70 km, stands out.
The proximity of the Podgorica Airport, which is only 100 km away, is of great importance for Mojkovac.
The territory of this municipality borders the municipalities of Kolašin, Šavnik, Žabljak, Bijelo Polje and Berane.
Climate of the Mojkovac Municipality is defined by its geographical position and terrain configuration. The Mojkovac region is located in a mountainous continental climate zone.
Mojkovac slightly feels the influence of the coastal climate and mostly has moderate - continental climatic features, although the mountainous areas of the municipality have a continental-mountainous and sub-mountainous climate.
The warmest month is July, with an average temperature of 19.1°C, and the coldest is January, with -6.3°C. The area of Mojkovac experiences frequent cloudy weather, and the relative humidity of the air coincides with regional cloudiness and is within the limits of 70-80%.
The Mojkovac area receives an average of up to 2,200 mm of precipitation per year. Although recipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, it is more pronounced in winter than in summer. July and August are the driest months. The number of snowy days in a year is around 120, and the height of the snow cover reaches up to 150 cm. There is significantly more in the mountains.
Fauna
Flora
In the territory of the Mojkovac Municipality, the largest area includes forests at about 50%, meadows and pastures at over 35%, and thickets and unvegetated forest land, rocky areas, water bodies, fields and orchards, built-up areas, etc. at about 15%. On the gravelly-sandy soil of the Tara Valley, in the part where it meanders, willow and alder meet. Cereals and vegetables are grown on the alluvial - deluvial and deluvial material above the river beds of the Tara and its tributaries. On the higher ground, fruits are also grown.
Meadows and pastures are most represented in the area of Sinjajevina, Bjelasica,and Konjica. Forests are most abundant in the zone around Bistrica, Gojakovići (above), Palješka Gora, Bjelojevićka River, above Mojkovac (Razvršje), Cer, and parts of Gostilovina.
Shrubs are prominent in the area above Gostilovina and Štitarica. The forests are mostly deciduous and mixed. The most common communities are mixed forests of beech with ash, fir, alder, and hemlock. There are also communities of spruce forests, black and white hornbeam, low juniper and wild rose).
In the Crna Poda Reserve, there is a beech habitat, but the coniferous black pine dominates with trees up to 400 years old. At altitudes above 1000 m, there are mixed stands of spruce and dominantly fir. According to Gostilova, deciduous trees also grow on terrains up to 1,500 m high, although they occur mainly as mixed forests at 800-1,200 m high (beech, maple, ash, and hornbeam).
Around Lake Zabojsko there are conifers of fir and the dominant spruce. The ground flora includes blackberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, and blueberries on higher ground. In the localities of Crvena Lokva, Petrovića Omar, and Buren, there are meadows in combination with mountain pastures. These are areas with scarce water where spruce and beech grow. Morel, boletus, chanterelles, and blueberries can be found in wetter areas.
Particularly valuable plant species in the wider area are: pine tree (in the National park Durmitor and on Bjelasica), yew, and holly (on the whole territory of Montenegro). These species must not be displaced, destroyed, or endangered in any way.
Endemic plant species are represented by munika (located above Bistrica in the Tara Canyon), mountain maple (Bjelasica), and decorative licorice (Sinjajevina and Bjelasica). Rare and endangered species are shown through eelgrass (Sinjajevina), lincura (Bjelasica and Sinjajevina), yew (the Tara Valley), and other local plants.
Important info
How to
reach us
- Mojkovac – Bijelo Polje – 29.5 km
- Mojkovac – Kolašin – 22,8 km
- Mojkovac - Podgorica 81 km
- Mojkovac – Kolašin – Podgorica – Cetinje –
Budva –Tivat – Kotor - Herceg Novi 189 km - Mojkovac – Kolašin – Podgorica – Bar - Ulcinj 158 km
- Mojkovac - Beograd - 380 km
- Mojkovac - Žabljak 69,50 km.
- Mojkovac – Đuđevića Tara 49.70 km
- Mojkovac – Biogradska gora 12.7 km
You can check the timetables on this website: www.busticket4.me
Mojkovac railway station Information: +382 (0)50 472 130
Useful info
Instructions
According to the Aliens Act, all foreigners are obliged to register their stay within 24 hours after entering the country. If a foreigner stays with a registered accommodation provider (hotel, motel, registered apartment, etc.), the registered accommodation provider is obliged to report and deregister the foreigner's stay to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) within 12 hours from the moment of registration of that foreigner at the accommodation provider.
If a foreign citizen will not stay with the registered accommodation provider, he is obliged to register and de-register his stay within 24 hours from the moment of entering our territory. Registration of residence is done at the police station or tourist organization.
The procedure is quick and simple, and when applying for a stay, you must provide:
- Passport or other document with which the tourist crossed the border crossing
- Information about the accommodation provider - first and last name, JMBG, address and phone number.
The registered accommodation provider and the tourist organization apply electronically by entering data into the RB 90 application, which is in the possession of the Police Administration.
Registration of a foreigner's residence can be done:
In the premises of the Tourist Organization Mojkovac
Address: Trg Ljubomira Bakoča bb
Monday-Friday from 08:00 to 15:00
In the Tourist Information Center
Address: 21. Maja (in the area between the two bridges on the Tara River)
Every day from 08:00 to 20:00
Residence Tax
The amount of the residence tax is determined depending on the category of the accommodation facility and for:
accommodation facilities 3-5 stars - per person per night in the amount of €0.80
accommodation facilities 1-2 stars - per person per night in the amount of €0.60
Residence tax reduced by 50% is paid by persons aged 12 to 18, and children up to 12 years of age do not pay residence tax.
Currency
Another foreign currency can be exchanged at bank counters.
The largest number of catering establishments, restaurants, hotels, bars, gas stations, food stores and consumer goods allow payment by card.
Important phone numbers
- The area code for Mojkovac is 050
- Postal code Mojkovac 84205
- Police 122
- Firefighters 123
- Emergency 124
- Bus station +382 (0)50680195
- Railway station +382 (0) 50472130
- AMSCG 19807
Taxi Tara - +382 (0) 68-610-111
Taxi Rosić - +382 (0) 69-060-620 ; +382 (0) 68-291-547
Taxi Rakočević - +382 (0) 69-536-850
- North Tour Montenegro- 067/208-690 info@northtour.me
- Montenegro Extreme – 068/770-688 info@montenegroextre.me
Medieval
Brskovo
Medieval Brskovo
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the medieval town of Brskovo was an economic center of great importance for the state, due to the mineral wealth found in the inaccessible mountain terrain of the northern ranges of Bjelasica.
The town of Brskovo was first a parish town that coincides with the territory of today's Mojkovac municipality. The excavations indicate that it was surrounded by walls, one to two meters thick, as well as two towers, in the extreme east and west, which were built using crushed local stone and mortar.
The beginning of the Brskovo coin minting is linked to King Uroš I, as well as the name “Mojkovac”. According to tradition, he said "My Minted Coin", because the first silver coin in this region was minted in Brskovo. A greater number of issues and different types were minted, such as dinars with a cross or lilies or dinars with a sword. Currency from Brskovo is mentioned as a means of payment with a considerable international reputation.
The remains of the Brskovo fortifications and settlements were formed in the center of the ore-bearing region. The fortress, with an irregular longitudinal base, is integrated into the rocky configuration of the Gradina hill. The elevated part of Gradina, which is oval in shape, formed the western part of the fortification. Its defensive position is secured from the outside by a dry trench. The only possible approach to the fort is from the east, where a circular tower with a diameter of 12m was built, with a preserved height of up to 2m. In the hinterland of Gradina, in Doganjice, the settlement and square Brskovo was established.
The walls of two buildings could be seen here. The first building is a church with a fenced gate, used for burials. The church had a simple plan, vividly painted, as evidenced by the fragments of frescoes that were found along the southern wall of the nave. Another interesting discovery in Doganjice is the remains of a building cut into the hillside at 12m above the level of the square. A rectangular room was attached to these walls. The only thing that was preserved was a threshold made of pinkish marbled limestone, the floor was wooden, under which there was a cellar that was used as an ossuary. Smaller fragments of unknown compositions, halos and clothing have also been preserved. The partially preserved image of the Virgin with a red halo stands out.
Among the movable findings discovered during the investigation of the room, fragments of glass stand out. A considerable amount of glass belongs to oculus fragments made of colorless transparent glass. The second group belongs to very rare window glass, which are fragments of stained glass. The discovered fragments belong to decorative borders and are made of colorless, yellow, purple and green glass. The drawings on them consist of stylized plant motifs and successive rows of geometric forms that have models on the stained glass windows of Western Europe of the second half of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century.
All the materials discovered so far, primarily the frescoes with the remains of saints, speak in favor of the sacral function of the building. Even folk tradition presents these walls as the remains of the Saxon Church.
Traces of the mining tradition that were recorded in the area framed by the right tributaries of Tara, Rudnica and the Bjelojevića river were first registered in Toponimia, and based on geological research data, the highest concentration is found in the town of Doganjica. This is supported by the data obtained from the archaeological excavations in Doganjice, where the archaeological units mostly consisted of layers of baked earth, soot and slag. Further west, spilled slag was discovered, on the basis of which it can be clearly established that ore was processed at this place.
The mining activity at that time consisted of miners going once or twice a day into the pit to a depth of 80-100m in order to excavate as much as they could bring to the surface of the Earth in a few hours. Their success is visible by the fact that some frames that were used in more than 150 found mining shafts from that era, could have been used during the examining in the 1950s.
It is still not entirely clear whether there was a gradual demographic decline of Brskovo after the death of Emperor Uroš Nejaki, or suddenly due to the Turkish occupation. However, in 1433, the deputies from Dubrovnik said that the trade in Brskovo was over. The center of gravity was shifting to the Lim valley, and Brskovo can be said to have lost its status as a square and a mine.
Mojkovac
Once & Today
Mojkovac
Once
Mojkovac, like Brskovo at the time, had a very important trade, craft and mining role in the state of Nemanjića in the Middle Ages.
Mojkovac experienced a new boom in the 70s and 80s, until the collapse of the SFRY. In that period, it was one of the most important industrial cities of Montenegro. Over 5,000 people were employed in light (hardware, textile, wood, construction) and heavy industry (metalworking, mining).
Today, all the big industrial giants, such as: the lead and zinc mine "Brskovo", the timber combine "Vukman Kruščić", the textile factory "MISS", are closed and are no longer in business.
From a typical industrial town, Mojkovac has reoriented itself towards the development of tourism and agriculture, for which it has enormous potential.
Mojkovac
Today
Due to its great natural potential, agriculture and tourism have been recognized as new priority branches for the development of the Municipality of Mojkovac. The western part of the municipality, including Sinjajevina, the Tara Valley and the Prošćenske Mountains, represents great potential for the development of winter ski tourism, as well as rural tourism, which combines accommodation in country houses, organically produced food, mountaineering, cycling, horse riding, kayaking and rafting, paragliding, touring skiing, observing natural beauty, birds and other animals, plants and getting to know the cultural heritage, including katuns, local food and products.
Through municipal spatial plans and tourism development programs, the activation of the potential of individual microzones should be emphasized, of which the Marinkovac microzone stands out in the municipality of Mojkovac, as part of the area with fundamental values and it basically coincides with the area of the Biogradska Gora National Park and must remain under strict protection, and appropriate touristic, ecological and scientific-educational programs and contents should be implemented on the basis of its recently adopted Development and Protection Program.
Locations that have the most favorable conditions for the development of tourism and the production of healthy food are: Bjelasica, Sinjajevina, Tara Canyon and Valley, the heights above Podbišće, and the Prošćenske Mountains. Mojkovac, as a tourist center of the Municipality, represents a zone where different tourist movements and facilities come together and a zone where various tourist services and facilities are developed.
Timeline
Once
MOJKOVAC
Once & Today
