North of Montenegro differs significantly from the more familiar coast - and nature, and architecture, and culture. For about 5 centuries, the northern cities of Montenegro belonged to the Ottoman Empire, and this left a huge mark on the past and present of these places. One of the major centers of those places was the town Plav.
An interesting fact: back in the 70s of the last century, Plav, due to its natural beauties, attracted more tourists than Budva! Unfortunately, now Plav is neglected by the authorities and does not have mass tourism, but to this day it attracts fans of nature, history and outdoor activities.
Let's start with the fact that Plav is located in a beautiful place off the coast of a beautiful Plavskoye lake and at the foot colorful mountain Vizitor and the highest mountain range in Montenegro - Prokletija (the highest peak of Montenegro - Zla Kolata - is located precisely in the Prokletije massif and has a height of 2556 m above sea level). Interesting fact: Plavskoye Lake is the second largest lake in the former Yugoslavia! Guess which lake is in the first place? Of course, this Skadar Lake – also in Montenegro! Behind the pass of Mount Vizitor - at a distance of a couple of hours from the city - there are 2 more beautiful mountain lakes - Hrid Lake glacial origin (1970 m above sea level) and Visitor lake. Thanks to its natural wealth, Plav attracts fans of outdoor activities and mountains. There are several ethno-settlements and eco-hotels in the Plav area and near the shores of Lake Plavskoe where you can stay while enjoying the natural beauties of the area. Hiking in the surrounding mountains, accompanied by a local guide, will be an ideal leisure activity that will help you forget about the city bustle of everyday life, relax your body and soul and get a huge boost of health and positive.
Modern Plav bears little resemblance to the once quite rich city in the Ottoman Empire, many historical sites were destroyed during numerous wars and under the inexorable yoke of history. Remained from its former glory Recepagicha tower - built in 1671 (and, according to unconfirmed reports, in the 15th century!) Hasan Recepagich, a representative of a respected Muslim family. The Rejepagic Tower has survived to this day almost in its original form. The once high status of the city is also evidenced by the fact that the Old Library, built in 1471, was located in Plav. Building Old Plav Library was one of the oldest monuments of culture and history of Montenegro of this kind, but, unfortunately, it was recently destroyed.
In addition to natural beauties, you will be interested to know what Plav has the highest number of Muslim mosques in Montenegro - as many as 4 - and this despite the fact that there are only 13,000 local residents. Among these mosques, the most famous is Old Mosque, built by the Turks already in 1471 for their soldiers. In the course of history, the Old Mosque changed its appearance more than once, and acquired its modern look in the 18th century. Not far from Plav - in the suburb of Gusin - there is another famous mosque - Vizirov Mosquedated 1626. In the vicinity of Plav there is also the interesting Church of the Holy Trinity of the Serbian Orthodox Church, built by Hieromonk Nestor in 1567.
