In fact Podgorica is a capital of Montenegro, as the Government, Parliament and Supreme Court of the state are situated there. The city was founded by the Romans and was called Doclea. Under the name of "Podgorica" it was first mentioned in 1326. In 1474 the city was seized by the Turks. Since 1878 Podgorica has been a part of Montenegro. From 1946 till 1992 it was being a capital.
Nowadays it is the biggest city of the country (170,000 inhabitants), main transport, administrative, scientific and economic center. Railway Bar-Belgrade and motor roads from the seaside to Belgrad and Sarajevo go through the city. International airport connects Podgorica to many European cities (Paris, Zurich, Vienna, Ljubljana, Moscow, Rome etc.).
The main old relics and monuments in Podgorica are excavations of antic Doclea with triple-nave basilica and the church with socle in form of trefoil (VI), St.George Church at the mountain Gorica (IX-XI), old Vizier's bridge and tower Sakhat (XVIII). From the period of the Petrovic-Njegos dynasty, the Palace of King Nikola (1891) remains.
