One of the places I like most in Podgorica is Gorica Forest Park or Gorica Hill, located only a few minutes’ walk from the center of the city. It is a favorite recreational site for locals and tourists, a great getaway from the summer heat, a place where you can walk in the shade of trees and enjoy fresh and clean air – no wonder that Gorica Hill (130 m high) is known as Podgorica’s lungs.
From early morning until late evening, there are always many people around. Long walking and cycling paths, training equipment, a football field, an adventure park – all of this enables people to have some active time here or just to take a break. Moreover, the top of the hill offers a beautiful view of the right side of the Morača River, as well as the contours of the Millennium Bridge.
Gorica Hill is attractive to visitors throughout the year, but especially during the hot summer days when the temperature rises to 40 degrees Celsius and all people in the capital of Montenegro are trying to cool down a bit. Every day, hundreds of locals and tourists visit this beautiful park, far from the urban hustle and bustle. By the way, staying in nature is therapeutic, especially in forests like the pine forest of Gorica: it has been proven that pines emit chemical substances that purify the air.
And did you know that Podgorica got named after this hill, as Pod-Gorica literally means ‘Under the hill’?
Do you want to visit Gorica Hill? Park your car at the spacious parking lot behind the stadium and take a look at the map in front of the park gate, where you can see the most important sites.
Let’s start with Podgorica’s oldest and prettiest church at the foot of Gorica Hill. The St. George Church was built between the 9th and 11th century. During the turbulent history it has been reconstructed several times, so that its original look has not been fully preserved. The interior is simple, but the 16th-century nave is adorned with 19th– century icons and frescoes of an unknown artist. The St. George Church is the only church of any historical importance in Podgorica.
Just opposite of the St. George’s Church, there is a popular café called Boćari, an idyllic place where you can sit under the shadow of dense leaves and have a cup of coffee or a glass of draft beer. Another nice café with open-air terrace is located next to the Adventure Park – this is where you can catch your breath and enjoy the surroundings.
Although rather neglected and overgrown, the Mediterranean garden remains a place where you can find peace and silence, enjoying the untouched nature.
The most important site of Gorica Hill is, no doubt, the Mausoleum to Fallen Partisan Fighters, which contains the remains of 68 fallen Partisan heroes and is dedicated to the thousands who perished during World War II. After the construction of this Mausoleum on Gorica Hill, it instantly became one of the most important symbols for the city of Titograd. The monument was depicted on nearly every single postcard promoting the city.
The Partisan Fighter Mausoleum in Gorica is the most significant and expressive monument dedicated to the heroes of World War II from Montenegro. The authors of the mausoleum are architect Vojislav Đokić and sculptor Drago Đurović. It was opened on the occasion of the 13th of July Uprising in 1957. Even now, the monument is the central place for marking significant national holidays and anniversaries of events from World War II.
At the time of the construction of the monument in the mid-1950s, the hill was largely free of trees. As such, the monument was constructed in such a way that it could be easily seen from the center of Titograd, with a processional stairway descending down the hill pointing directly towards at the city’s main square.
As the hill was forested in the second half of the 20th century, the stairway lost its original function, although it is still impressive. Nowadays, forests of Aleppo pine and cypress are dominant on Gorica Hill, and to a lesser extent Macedonian oak, ash and other pine trees. These forests are the main potential that contributes to the improvement of living conditions in the city.
As Gorica is a habitat for numerous plant and animal species, it has been declared a protected area in 2022. This is also very important, as in recent times numerous pressures threaten to destroy this space, in particular building projects.
No need to say that the use of open fires is prohibited on Gorica Hill, as there is a constant danger of forest fires – the last one happened in July 2024 and was caused by firework.