Montenegro’s bridges, from the Ribnica to the Moračica: the back story

About Montenegro’s bridges, from the Ribnica to the Moračica: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Podgorica Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Podgorica is a city of rivers, and its story can be told in bridges: the old stone bridge on the Ribnica, the cable-stayed Millennium Bridge of 2005 and, in the canyon just north of the city, the Moračica, the greatest structure on the motorway that opened in 2022.

Where the town began

Where the little Ribnica flows into the Morača, an old stone bridge crosses the river below the ruins of the Ottoman fortress. This is where the town began, and it is still one of the most peaceful corners of the city, with the water running clear below.

The Millennium Bridge

Downstream, the Millennium Bridge crosses the Morača with a single tall pylon and fanned cables. Since it opened in 2005 it has become the emblem of modern Podgorica, lit up at night above the river. Nearby, the Moscow Bridge, a footbridge over the Morača, gives you the finest view of it at dusk.

From the old canyon road, the Moračica bridge passes so far overhead that its piers seem to hold up the sky.

The bridge over the Tara

In the north of the country, the Đurđevića Tara Bridge crosses the Tara canyon on five concrete arches, with its roadway about 170 metres above the river. It was completed in 1940, blown up during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1946, and it is still one of the most spectacular crossings in the Balkans, with ziplines strung across the canyon beside it.

The Moračica

The newest giant is just north of Podgorica. Montenegro’s first motorway, the first section of the Bar–Boljare motorway, about 41 km from Smokovac on the edge of the city to Mateševo near Kolašin, opened in July 2022. Its most dramatic structure is the Moračica bridge, which crosses the canyon of the Moračica on a prestressed concrete deck about 960 metres long, with three main spans of 190 metres.

Its tallest piers rise more than 150 metres from the canyon floor. Built by China Road and Bridge Corporation, the bridge carries the motorway high above the old road through the Morača canyon, which still winds along the river below.

Seeing the bridges

In town, walk from the old Ribnica bridge along the Morača to the Millennium Bridge in the early evening, when the river glows and the mountains turn pink. For the Moračica, drive north on the old canyon road towards Kolašin and look up; then take the motorway home and cross it yourself.

Our advice: keep the Tara bridge for a day in Durmitor, set off early, and stop on the bridge for the view straight down the canyon.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Montenegro’s bridges, from the Ribnica to the Moračica: the back story before you go.