PODGORICA: THE NICKNAMES OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

When I take a taxi downtown to go home, I never mention my exact street address. I just say: „Preko Morače (across the Morača river), Vektra building, in front of the CKB bank“. The taxi driver does not ask any questions, for him – and for many other inhabitants of Podgorica – this is a normal situation. My apartment is located in a street with regular house numbers, but is still called after the investor and constructor of the building: Vektra (picture 1).

Many buildings in our city have been the inspiration of ingenious co-citizens who have given them funny nicknames. They bear the name of constructors, tenants, the color of their facade, their form, location or even popular TV series.

Along the bank of the Morača river we still have our „Five Widows“ (picture 2).

Their name is quite logical: in the period when they were built „across the Morača river“, i.e. in the seventies of the last century, they were quite lonely. No other buildings around to keep them company!

Another funny example is the residential settlement „Pejton“ (picture 3). This group of dwelling buildings, built in the seventies, was called after the popular American TV series „Peyton Place“.

Some buildings have also got ironic names. What do you think of the two high-rise blocks on the road to Tuzi, called „lemon“ and „orange“ (picture 4) due to the colors they got? (Honestly speaking, the color of the „lemon“ building has faded since a long time). Or the „carrot“, a (once) orange building near the former Big Market?

We have also got Blok 5 and Blok 6 with its Russian towers that have got their name due to their Russian way of construction. And we should not forget the „Solarne“ in Blok 6 either. They got their name because of the solar panels placed on their roof – which have ceased to function many, many years ago…

The old governmental building on the bank of the Morača river has got a well-chosen nickname: „Two coffins“. It must admit that this name really applies to the architectural solution…

But there are many other examples. „Lordovka“, in Bulevar Sveti Petar Cetinjski, was the building were many state officials got an appartment in the seventies. „Napoletanka“ got its name after a popular biscuit. But by the way, does anybody know how Maxim (picture 5) got its name?

With new buildings and new tenants, new anecdotes and nicknames will appear. In time, they will become main characteristics of the newly built settlements. Formally, their addresses will be omitted. Only names will be left that will provoke a smile and a lot of curiosity to learn how they were invented.

But what about the responsibility of the municipal administration? Is it really normal that so many addresses in the capital of Montenegro do not have a house number? I know many people whose address is indicated with BB, no number. Not only in the rural area of Montenegro, but also in Podgorica. In order to get their post they add different data to their address: „above Voli Market“, „at the round-about“, „opposite to the Life Clinic“ … But is this an efficient solution? Is there any possibility for the municipal administration to find a solution for this problem?