Around Rijeka Crnojevića

Picture a boat leaving the quay early in the morning. The engine hums, the village slips behind, and the river slowly widens between the reeds. Then the lake opens ahead: Skadar, the largest lake in the Balkans.

Out there are fishing villages, watermills, a monastery built by the Crnojevićs and a fortress that was once their capital. Most of these places are reached by boat or by car. This page gives a short note on each one. We could not confirm road distances for all of them, so check a map before you drive.

Karuč

Karuč is a fishing village. Here you find the Karučko oko spring (“the eye of Karuč”) and the deepest point of the lake, about 40 m. Boat trips from Rijeka Crnojevića go to Karuč.

You may see a founding year for Karuč online. We could not confirm it, so we leave it out.

Dodoši, Drušići and Poseljani

Our sources link these three villages with watermills. Water mills have a long history here: back in 1485, Ivan Crnojević gave a water mill at Obod to the monastery of St Nicholas. Boat trips from the village also go to Dodoši.

Žabljak Crnojevića

Žabljak Crnojevića is a fortress and an earlier capital of the Crnojevićs. In 1478 it fell to the Ottomans. Ivan Crnojević then moved his seat to Obod, at Rijeka Crnojevića. Read the whole story in The Crnojević dynasty and Obod.

In 2026, the Days of Žabljak Crnojevića (Dani Žabljaka Crnojevića) took place on 26–27 September, run by TO Cetinje, the Cetinje tourist organisation.

Kom monastery

The village’s name means “River of the Crnojevićs”. At Kom, you meet the family decades before Ivan Crnojević’s rule. Đurađ and Lješ Crnojević built the monastery between 1415 and 1427, more than 60 years before the printing press. It has 15th-century frescoes (paintings on the walls). In 1831, Njegoš was ordained here. We could not confirm visiting times.

Lesendro

Lesendro was contested between Montenegro and the Ottomans; it was lost in 1843 and regained in 1878.

Starčevo

Starčevo carries the oldest date on this page: 1376–78. For now, our research records only this date. We will add more when we can confirm it.

On the lake

If you go by boat, you travel through Skadar Lake National Park. About 280 bird species are recorded here, and there are 5 bird-watching stations. In 2026 the Dalmatian pelicans had their strongest nesting season on record, with about 306 birds. See Birdwatching and Nature.

Further along: wine and Virpazar

Wine tasting is possible in the Crmnica region and at Lipovac (Građani); see Wine. Virpazar is about 25 km away, about 35 minutes on a single-lane lakeside road. In February it hosts the Wine and Bleak Festival (Festival vina i ukljeve), which reached its 28th edition in 2026. That year, no bleak was served, to protect the fish stock.

How to get there

Most of these places are reached by boat or by car. Boat trips from the village go to Karuč and Dodoši, among other places. Prices vary; confirm with the operator. See Boat trips and our neutral list of boat operators. If you are driving, start with Getting there.

Places to eat in the village and around it are in our restaurant directory, listed in alphabetical order.