Exploring Skadar Lake: Village Godinje

Do you like visiting small old settlements where you can let your imagination travel back to ancient times while listening to the stories and legends about the place you stay at? If yes, then there is one more spot for you to discover while being in Montenegro. Village Godinje is a must when exploring Skadar Lake!

Few kilometers from Virpazar village in the direction to Bar, lies one of the most interesting hidden spots of the Skadar Lake surroundings – Godinje village. This place, with authentic architecture, interesting history and an amazing view of the lake, is without a doubt one of the cutest places I have ever visited in Montenegro. Its houses were built as if each lean to one another; they look like they are somehow connected, and guess what… they actually are!

You can visit this village without catching sight of a sun. Houses in Godinje are linked by basements which residents had built in order to protect themselves from the Ottoman Empire as this was where the Turkish border was placed. Just under the homes, tunnels were built so it was possible to walk from the first to the last house in the village. The tunnels had several purposes, inter alia, people used them on their way to bring water and to conserve wines.

What I like the most in the village are numerous springs of drinkable water, active during whole year and remains of the old mills and there used to be 9 of them. Godinje is also known for its good homemade wine that you have to taste when coming here.

There are many anecdotes about the village. The name Godinje has its own story. It comes from the verb ‘’goditi’’ which means to please. The story about name of the village is related to X century and Prince Jovan Vladimir who loved spending time here because he felt pleased and that’s how the village got its name.

Nowadays, there are not many residents in the village. If you visit Godinje during summer you are probably not going to be the only tourists here as each year more and more people are wishing to spend some time in this place. You will find residents who are willing to take you around, show you the village and give you an insight to their way of living. If you choose colder days than it is most likely that you will surprise the only few locals who are staying here regardless of the weather conditions. However, they will always welcome you, offer you a homemade wine and tell you the secrets about their precious village.