Pljevlja
Two thousand years ago, on a plateau above the Ćehotina river, the Romans recognized an Illyrian settlement with the rank of munic...
Updated 9 July 2026
Pljevlja
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The story
The story of Pljevlja
Splonum on the Ćehotina: the Roman origins
The name Pljevlja appears late in the written sources, but the territory was already inhabited and organized in Roman times. On the plateau of Komini, close to the course of the Ćehotina, scholars place the ancient Splonum, a settlement of the Illyrian tribe of the Pirustae raised to the rank of municipium after the Roman conquest of the region. The site, now known as Municipium S., owed its importance to its position as a crossroads between the inland valleys and the routes towards the Adriatic, as well as to the mineral resources of the subsoil, already exploited at that time. With the crisis of the empire and the migrations of the following centuries the settlement lost weight, but its memory remained written in the earth, ready to re-emerge centuries later in the form of a necropolis and artifacts.
From medieval rule to Ottoman dominion: the birth of Taslidža
In the Middle Ages the territory of Pljevlja gravitated within the orbit of the Serbian states, as a border area and passage between the coast and the Balkan hinterland. With the Ottoman advance, between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the region entered stably into the domains of the Sublime Porte and the settlement took on a new urban face, with mosques, bazaars and an urban fabric of Turkish-Ottoman imprint: thus Taslidža was born, the name by which the town would be known for centuries, before returning, in more recent times, to the Slavic name of Pljevlja. Under Ottoman rule the town grew as an important administrative and commercial center for the entire sanjak, with a mixed population that over the centuries would leave parallel traces: Orthodox monasteries and Islamic places of worship a few steps from each other.
The twentieth century: the coal town
The face that Pljevlja shows visitors today owes much to the industrial twentieth century. The lignite basin that extends around the town made it the main mining district of Montenegro, and on that economic base grew, in the socialist era, the country's only coal-fired thermoelectric power plant, still today decisive for national energy. The mining expansion brought new neighborhoods, new infrastructure and a working-class identity that coexists, not without tensions, with the historical heritage of the center. Understanding this dual nature — open-air museum town and energy hub — is the key to reading Pljevlja without reducing it to a simple photo stop: here the Ottoman past and industrial modernity look at each other from close up, separated by just a few hundred meters.
The archaeological site of Komini: the necropolis of the municipium
On the outskirts of the town, the archaeological area of Komini has for decades yielded one of the richest Roman necropolises in Montenegro, linked to the municipium of Splonum. Excavations have brought to light sarcophagi, cist graves and a wide range of funerary objects — pottery, coins, ornamental elements — which testify to the importance of the center between the 1st and 4th centuries. Much of the finds are today kept at the civic museum of Pljevlja, where it is possible to fully reconstruct the profile of a settlement otherwise almost unknown to the major tourist flows. For lovers of less-trodden archaeology, Komini is a stop worth the detour: a direct dialogue with the Roman era of the inner Balkans, far from the more celebrated sites of the coast.
The Monastery of the Holy Trinity: frescoes and treasury
A few kilometers from the center, immersed in greenery above the Ćehotina valley, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity (Manastir Svete Trojice) is the spiritual heart of the town. Founded in the sixteenth century, the monastery preserves a cycle of frescoes that art historians consider among the most significant of the period for Orthodox Serbia in the Montenegrin area, together with a collection of icons, liturgical manuscripts and sacred objects kept in the monastery's small treasury. The stone church, with its apse oriented according to Byzantine tradition, is reached by a short walk that is worth the visit on its own, among woods and an open view over the valley. It is a place of contemplation rather than of large tourist influx, and precisely for this reason it retains its atmosphere intact.
The Husein-pasha Mosque and its minaret
In the heart of the old town, the Husein-pasha Mosque is the symbolic monument of Pljevlja's Ottoman heritage. Built in the second half of the sixteenth century by Husein-pasha Boljanić, a commander originally from the region, it is considered one of the most accomplished examples of Ottoman religious architecture in all of Montenegro, for the balance of its proportions and the quality of its interior decorations. Its minaret, rising well over forty meters, is traditionally counted among the tallest in the entire Balkan area, and remains visible from much of the town as a visual landmark. The interior, with painted decorative motifs and fine ornamental calligraphy, can be visited while respecting prayer times and the entry rules of active places of worship.
The old čaršija: the Ottoman legacy in the houses and the bazaar
Around the mosque there still extends today a core of old čaršija, the Ottoman bazaar that for centuries made Pljevlja a center of exchange between the Montenegrin hinterland, Bosnia and Serbia. The two-story houses with their wooden overhangs, the narrow shops, the inner courtyards hidden behind stone walls tell of an urban fabric that elsewhere in the Balkans has largely been erased by twentieth-century reconstructions. Walking through these streets means encountering, side by side, traditional craftsmanship and the more recent signs of a town that still lives, with its shops, its cafés and its markets, without having turned into a mere backdrop for tourists.
Between plateaus and waters: the landscape of Pljevlja
The territory of Pljevlja is a mosaic of karst plateaus, high-altitude pastures and valleys carved by the watercourses that flow down towards the Ćehotina, the town's main river. It is a harsher, more continental landscape compared to the Montenegrin coast, with snowy winters and a short but bright summer, suited to those seeking a Montenegro far from beach tourism. The villages scattered in the surrounding countryside preserve an economy still linked to livestock farming and pastoralism, with mountain huts and dairies that in summer become populated again. For those who love walking, the hills around the town offer panoramic points over the entire urban basin, with the silhouette of the minaret and the profile of the monastery standing out among the woods.
Lake Otilovići
A short distance from the center, the artificial lake of Otilovići, created by damming the course of the Ćehotina, is today the town's main outdoor recreational space. Born out of needs related to water supply and the thermoelectric power plant, the basin has over time become a leisure destination for residents, with green banks, spots for informal bathing, sport fishing and walks along the embankment. It is not a lake for a glossy guidebook, but precisely for this reason it gives back an authentic image of how the inhabitants of Pljevlja spend their free time: few tourists, many local families, a relaxed atmosphere that in the summer months comes alive with picnics and impromptu swims.
At the gates of the Durmitor and the Tara canyon
Pljevlja is a natural base for those who want to venture towards two of Montenegro's most spectacular landscapes: the Durmitor massif, with its peaks over two thousand meters and glacial lakes, and the canyon of the Tara river, among the deepest in Europe, a destination for rafting and trekking. The distance is covered in a couple of hours along a mountain road, among hairpin bends and plateaus, and it is a route that is worth the experience in itself as a landscape journey. Many travelers use Pljevlja precisely as an alternative base, less touristy and cheaper than Žabljak, to then dedicate one or more days to excursions in the national park and along the gorges carved by the river.
Mountain flavors: Pljevlja cheese and local cuisine
The cuisine of Pljevlja is typical of the Montenegrin hinterland, hearty and tied to the products of mountain livestock farming. The local cheese, pljevaljski sir, traditionally aged in wooden barrels, is among the most appreciated in the country and is often cited as one of the gastronomic symbols of the northern region. Alongside the cheese one finds kajmak, smoked and dried meats prepared according to mountain techniques, thick soups suited to a harsh winter, and dishes based on potatoes and cabbage that reflect a peasant economy still very much present. In the restaurants and taverns of the center the food is simple but substantial, often accompanied by homemade bread and a glass of locally produced rakija.
When to go and how to experience Pljevlja
The best period to visit Pljevlja runs from late spring to early autumn, when the temperatures of the plateau are milder and excursions towards Durmitor and Tara are fully practicable. Winter, harsh and often snowy, nevertheless has its own charm for those seeking an off-season Montenegro, with the town almost silent and the historical monuments all to themselves. One day is enough for the historic center, the monastery and the site of Komini, but those who have more time can use Pljevlja as a base for two or three days, alternating urban culture and trips to the mountains. It is a town best appreciated on foot, at a slow pace, without the rush of the more crowded destinations of the coast.
- Husein-pasha Mosque and its minaret, among the tallest in the Balkans
- Monastery of the Holy Trinity, frescoes and monastic treasury
- Archaeological site and Roman necropolis of Komini (Municipium S.)
- Civic museum (Zavičajni muzej) with the finds from Splonum
- A walk through the old Ottoman čaršija
- Swimming and fishing at Lake Otilovići
- Excursion to the Tara canyon and the Durmitor park
- Tasting of pljevaljski sir cheese and mountain cuisine
FAQ
Quanto tempo serve per visitare Pljevlja?
Come si arriva a Pljevlja senza auto propria?
Dove si parcheggia in centro?
Pljevlja è adatta a una visita con bambini?
Qual è il periodo migliore per andare?
Si può visitare la Moschea di Husein-pascià?
Getting there
- Aeroporto di Podgorica, circa 180 km
- Aeroporto di Tivat, circa 230 km
- Pljevlja si raggiunge in auto tramite le strade regionali che collegano il Montenegro settentrionale a Podgorica (via Mojkovac e Bijelo Polje o attraverso l'altopiano del Durmitor), oltre ai valichi di confine con la Serbia verso Prijepolje e con la Bosnia ed Erzegovina verso Foča.
- Le strade di montagna verso Žabljak e il Durmitor possono chiudere o rallentare in caso di neve tra novembre e aprile: meglio verificare le condizioni prima di partire e viaggiare con calma sui tornanti.
Perfect for
Dal municipium romano di Splonum alla necropoli di Komini, fino al museo civico che ne raccoglie i reperti: un percorso raro nell'entroterra balcanico.
La Moschea di Husein-pascià e il Monastero della Santa Trinità, a pochi chilometri di distanza, raccontano due tradizioni spirituali convissute per secoli.
Altipiani, il lago di Otilovići e la vicinanza al Durmitor e al canyon della Tara ne fanno una base ideale per escursioni fuori dai circuiti costieri.
Il pljevaljski sir, il kajmak e le carni affumicate rappresentano la cucina robusta e genuina del Montenegro settentrionale.
Lontana dal turismo di massa, Pljevlja mostra un tessuto urbano vivo, tra vecchia čaršija ottomana ed eredità industriale del Novecento.
To see
