Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
Regular services from Berane (€3, one hour) pull into the bus station on the main road.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Around Plav
Holy Trinity Monastery Манастир Св Тројице
On the approach to Plav, in the last village before the lake, Brezojevica Monastery is a
study in rural tranquillity. Meadows of yellow and purple flowers line the riverbank
broken by the occasional abandoned stone building.
Holy Trinity Church
(Crkva Sv Trojice) has had a hard life. The present structure was built
in the 16th century on 13th-century foundations but was damaged during WWII and left
to decay, used only by the local Orthodox community for funerals. It's a testimony to the
religious revival of recent years that the monastery is being restored. There's a new stone
gate leading from the highway, topped by a shiny golden Orthodox cross. Inside the
church are the faded remains of original frescoes, although the only subject that's easy to
discern is the
Dormition of the Mother of God
over the door.
Gusinje Гусиње
It's difficult to understand why Plav has such a shabby, frontier-town feel when Gusinje
(pronounced '
gu·
si·nye'), 10km further towards nowhere, is such a tidy and laid-back
place. The setting is idyllic, surrounded by verdant farmland hemmed in by the rugged
majesty of the Prokletije Mountains. You could easily lose a day exploring the back roads
and villages either by bicycle or car.
While the 1700-strong community is overwhelmingly Muslim, the town's two
mosques coexist comfortably with both an Orthodox and a Catholic church. The most
impressive architecturally is the
Vizier's Mosque
(Vezirova Džamija; 1626). This stone struc-
ture has a wooden porch and minaret that are similar to the mosques in Plav but better
preserved. It's interesting to note the four prominent communist graves in the little
cemetery.
