Serbia and Montenegro

Overview

Although certain areas must be avoided, there are many regions where the delights of Serbia and Montenegro can be experienced. The Big and Ada Liganlija beaches, the Petrovaradin Castle at Novi Sad and archaeological site at Lepenski Vir or flowers of Goc and the Rajiko cave are just some of these. Hundreds of mineral water springs and mud and gases with medicinal properties can help make any type of trip especially relaxing.

The capital, Belgrade is on the banks of the Sava and Danube. Communist architecture is mixed with older types. Modern shops, the National Theatre and Kalemegdan Fortress should strengthen the ideas of Serbian delights mentioned above, but Montenegrin attractions should not be ignored. The Oshog Monastery, the natural wonders of the Biogradska Gora and Tare rivers as well as the UNESCO protected Kotor Bay.

Those keen on the outdoor side of life should go to Zlatibor and Dumitor National Park or skiing in Kopaonik, hunting in Brezon or fishing in one of the rivers.

History

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 was resisted by various paramilitary bands that fought each other as well as the invaders. The group headed by Marshal TITO took full control upon German expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his new government and its successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In the early 1990s, post-TITO Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines: Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were recognized as independent states in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (FRY) in April 1992 and, under President Slobodan MILOSEVIC, Serbia led various military intervention efforts to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." All of these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful and led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992. In 1998-99, massive expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo provoked an international response, including the NATO bombing of Serbia and the stationing of a NATO-led force (KFOR), in Kosovo. Federal elections in the fall of 2000, brought about the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav KOSTUNICA as president. The arrest of MILOSEVIC in 2001 allowed for his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague...more