Nikšić
On September 8, 1877, the troops of Prince Nicholas I of Montenegro entered the Ottoman citadel of Onogošt, closing centuries of T...
Updated 9 July 2026
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Towns in the province
The story
The story of Nikšić
History: from medieval Onogošt to the industrial city
The site where Nikšić now stands was already inhabited in Illyrian and then Roman times, when a fortified settlement called Anderva controlled the passages of the plain. In the Middle Ages the settlement took the Slavic name of Onogošt and became a contested centre between the Kingdom of Zeta and neighbouring powers, with a fortress that changed hands more than once. The Ottoman conquest, from the 15th century onward, turned Onogošt into a strategic Turkish outpost on the borders of the free, mountainous Montenegro, a role it kept for about four centuries amid clashes, sieges and Montenegrin attempts at reconquest that never succeeded until the 19th century. Liberation came in 1877, during the Russo-Turkish War, when the forces of Prince Nicholas I took the city: from that moment Onogošt changed its name to Nikšić and became part of the Principality of Montenegro, beginning a phase of urban reconstruction in Austro-Hungarian style that has left the town centre still visible today. In the 20th century the city grew as an industrial hub, with its steelworks, its brewery and later its university, becoming the country's second urban centre.
Bedem fortress, sentinel over the old town
On the hill overlooking the historic centre lie the remains of the Ottoman fortress known simply as Bedem, meaning 'bastion' in Ottoman Turkish, the defensive core around which the old Onogošt grew. The stone walls, now partly in ruins, tell of centuries of Turkish garrison and the Montenegrin sieges that followed one another until the liberation of 1877. From here, visual control over the plain and its access routes was almost total, and it is easy to understand why the site was chosen even earlier for the first fortifications. Today Bedem is not a restored showcase monument but a lived-in place: its walls and open spaces have for years hosted concerts, theatre performances and screenings as part of the city's summer cultural season, which enlivens summer evenings with a mostly local audience. Climbing up to the fortress also rewards visitors with one of the widest views over the lower town, the course of the river and the first stretches of the karst plain.
Carev most, the elegant Austro-Hungarian bridge
In the urban heart, over the course of the Gračanica river, one crosses the Carev most, the 'Emperor's Bridge', built in the final years of the 19th century at a time of intense modernisation of the city following its annexation to Montenegro. The name comes from its ties to the Habsburg imperial house, which played a role in the financing or diplomacy behind its construction, at a time when Austria-Hungary looked with interest at relations with the small Montenegrin kingdom. With its squared stone arches and sober profile, the bridge has remained one of the city's most photographed architectural symbols, often appearing as an emblematic image of Nikšić alongside the cathedral and the fortress. Strolling along its balustrades, especially at sunset when the light reflects on the green water of the river, offers a good sense of the contrast between the Ottoman imprint of the old town and the Central European feel of the 19th-century centre built after liberation.
Nikšićko beer and the Trebjesa brewery
In 1896, on the hill of Trebjesa at the edge of the centre, the brewery that still produces Nikšićko pivo was founded — the most widely drunk beer in Montenegro and one of the country's most recognisable industrial symbols. The choice of site was no accident: the hill's water springs, cool and abundant, guaranteed the ideal raw material for production, while the elevated position offered favourable storage conditions before the advent of modern refrigeration. The brewery came through the regime and border changes of the 20th century unscathed, remaining in uninterrupted operation and becoming a source of civic pride as much as an economic engine. Even today the green Nikšićko label is found on every table in the country, from the bars of the capital to the restaurants of the coast, and has become almost synonymous with the city's own name. For anyone visiting Nikšić, a cold glass drunk in one of the bars in the centre is a simple and authentic way to connect with local identity.
The Cathedral of St Basil of Ostrog
On the plain, clearly visible from much of the city, stands the cathedral dedicated to St Basil of Ostrog, one of the largest Orthodox religious buildings in the Balkans by volume. Work began as early as the late 19th century at the will of King Nicholas I, but the construction had a troubled history: interruptions for the Balkan Wars and the First World War, then decades of neglect and even improper use as a warehouse during the Yugoslav socialist period, when the unfinished building long remained an empty shell on the city skyline. Only from the 1990s onward did work resume in earnest, culminating in the official consecration in 2016, which gave the city back a place of worship of monumental scale, with imposing domes and interiors richly decorated with mosaics and frescoes. Beyond its religious significance for the Montenegrin Orthodox community, the cathedral is today also a visual and urban landmark, visible for kilometres across the plain.
The lakes of the plain: Krupac, Slano and Liverovići
The karst territory around Nikšić, poor in stable surface watercourses, was transformed over the course of the 20th century with the creation of three artificial reservoirs that are now an integral part of the landscape and outdoor life of the city: Lake Krupac, Lake Slano and Lake Liverovići. Created to meet water supply and hydroelectric production needs also linked to the city's industrial activities, these bodies of water ended up becoming the favourite destinations of the people of Nikšić in the warm months, with shores equipped for swimming, sport fishing and simple walks. Lake Krupac, the closest to the centre, is probably the most frequented, with small informal bathing spots and a family atmosphere far removed from the mass tourism of the coast. The waters, fed by karst springs, often retain a surprising clarity, and on clear days offer reflections of the surrounding mountains that are worth a stop even just for a photograph.
Trebjesa hill, the city's green lung
Right behind the centre rises the wooded hill of Trebjesa, which besides hosting the historic brewery has become over time the main urban park of Nikšić. Paths among the pines lead to a small monumental cemetery and a memorial dedicated to those who fell in the wars of the 20th century, a testament to the role the city played in the conflicts that marked Montenegro. The view from the top of the hill takes in the entire old town, the cathedral, the course of the river and, on the clearest days, the mountains that close the plain on the horizon. For residents the hill is above all a place of everyday life: people come here to run in the morning, to picnic on Sundays or simply to get a breath of air away from the traffic of the centre. For visitors, a walk up Trebjesa is probably the quickest way to grasp the scale and geography of Nikšić before heading down to explore its streets.
The Ostrog Monastery, nearby
About thirty kilometres from Nikšić, on the road down towards Podgorica, lies the Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro's most important pilgrimage site and one of the most venerated sacred places in the entire Orthodox world. The monastery was founded in the 17th century by Bishop Basil of Ostrog, who chose to build his cells and church set directly into a vertical rock face, several hundred metres above the valley below: a choice that made the site defensible and, at the same time, charged with a strong spiritual meaning of withdrawal from the world. The complex is divided into a lower monastery, set in the woods along the access road, and an upper monastery, literally anchored to the cliff face, where the saint's relics are kept and where pilgrims arrive every year from across the Balkan region, on foot or by car along the hairpin bends that climb the mountain. Nikšić, with its direct road links, is the most convenient logistical base for anyone wishing to visit Ostrog without facing the traffic of the coast.
Flavours and local cuisine
The cuisine of Nikšić reflects its position between mountain and karst plain, with hearty dishes designed for a climate harsher than that of the coast. Alongside Nikšićko beer, the undisputed star of every table, one finds aged cheeses and kajmak, the typical Balkan dairy cream, often served with home-baked bread and smoked cured meats from the nearby pastoral areas. Dishes such as cicvara, a creamy polenta made from cornmeal and cheese, or lamb slow-cooked under the cast-iron bell (the sač), tell of a long-standing peasant tradition, passed down more in homes and village taverns than in tourist restaurants. In the markets and small grill houses of the centre one also finds the classics of Montenegrin street food, from cevapi to burek, ideal for a quick bite between one visit and the next. It is an honest cuisine, unspectacular in presentation but well able to convey the hardworking character of a city not much inclined towards polished tourism.
When to go and how to experience the city
Nikšić sits at a higher altitude than the coast and has a more continental climate, with cold and sometimes snowy winters and summers that are hot but less muggy than on the coast thanks to the ventilation of the plain. Spring and early summer, between May and June, are probably the best time to visit: the plain is green, the lakes begin to fill with local bathers and temperatures remain pleasant for walking between the old town and Trebjesa hill. July and August are ideal for those who want to combine the city with a swim in Lake Krupac or Slano, while autumn offers a clear light perfect for photos from Bedem fortress or from the hill. Nikšić can be enjoyed well even in a single day, but it deserves to be used as a base for two or three nights if you want to include in your itinerary the excursion to Ostrog monastery, less than an hour away by car, thus avoiding the longer travel times that would be needed starting from the coast.
- Walk among the walls of Bedem fortress and, in season, catch an evening concert or performance
- Cross Carev most on foot at sunset, with a view over the Gračanica river
- Drink a cold Nikšićko in a bar in the centre, a short walk from the Trebjesa brewery
- Visit the interior of the Cathedral of St Basil of Ostrog and its mosaics
- Swim or take a walk along the shores of Lake Krupac in the warm months
- Climb Trebjesa hill for the view over the city and the plain
- Devote a day to the excursion to Ostrog monastery, between the lower and upper monastery
FAQ
Come si arriva a Nikšić?
Quando è il periodo migliore per visitare Nikšić?
Cosa vedere a Nikšić in un giorno?
Si può visitare il monastero di Ostrog partendo da Nikšić?
Dove si può fare il bagno vicino a Nikšić?
Nikšić è adatta a una visita con bambini?
Getting there
- Aeroporto di Podgorica (TGD), circa 50 km, il più vicino e meglio collegato
- Linea ferroviaria Nikšić–Podgorica, con stazione in città
- Da Podgorica si raggiunge Nikšić in circa 45-50 minuti lungo la strada statale M-2/M-18; la città è anche il principale snodo stradale verso il monastero di Ostrog e verso la costa via Risan o Danilovgrad.
- Chi arriva dalla costa può risparmiare tempo passando da Nikšić per raggiungere Ostrog, evitando il traffico estivo delle strade costiere più a sud.
Perfect for
Dalla fortezza ottomana Bedem al Carev most austro-ungarico, il centro racconta secoli di dominazioni diverse in poche centinaia di metri.
I bacini di Krupac, Slano e Liverovići offrono bagni, pesca e passeggiate immersi nel paesaggio carsico della piana.
Il vicino monastero di Ostrog, addossato alla roccia, è una delle mete spirituali più importanti dei Balcani e si visita comodamente da Nikšić.
La birra Nikšićko, il kajmak e i piatti di montagna come la cicvara rappresentano l'anima gastronomica autentica e poco turistica della città.
La collina di Trebjesa e le rive dei laghi vicini sono i luoghi dove i nikšićani stessi trascorrono il tempo libero, lontano dai circuiti turistici classici.
To see
What to see in Nikšić
Routes · Trovido Route
