Stara Varo & Sahat Kula
Stara Varoš y Sahat Kula
The old Ottoman quarter with narrow streets and a clock tower.
The district preserves mosques, stone houses and the 17th-century clock tower. It offers a glimpse of Podgorica before World War II.
How to Get There
From Podgorica by taxi or transfer ~31 min.
From Virpazar by taxi ~17 min.
From Petrovac by taxi ~28 min.
From TGD airport (Podgorica) by taxi/transfer ~21 min.
From TIV airport (Tivat) by taxi/transfer ~58 min.
Description
What it is
Stara Varoš is Podgorica’s Ottoman-era old quarter between the Morača and Ribnica rivers. Sahat Kula (Clock Tower, 1667) stands on Bećir-beg Osmanagić Square, one of the few Ottoman monuments to survive WWII.
Key features
- Sahat Kula, ~19 m tall – built by Hadži-paša Osmanagić; received a new clock in 1890 and a metal cross marking the post-Ottoman era.
- Ribnica Fortress (Depedogen) – Ottoman stronghold at the confluence, founded in the 15th c.
- Old Ribnica Bridge (Adži-paša’s Bridge) – ancient crossing, major 18th-c. reconstruction.
- Quarter mosques: Osmanagić Mosque (late 18th c.) and the Starodoganjska Mosque.
- Heavy destruction in 1944 bombing; the tower and several sites survived.
What to see
- Stone Sahat Kula and the surrounding square.
- Ruins of Depedogen with views over the Ribnica–Morača confluence.
- Old Ribnica Bridge, lane network, courtyards and the two mosque complexes.
History
An Ottoman settlement grew by the Ribnica crossings in the 15th century, with Stara Varoš as the craft-and-trade hub. The civic emblem, Sahat Kula, was erected in 1667 by local benefactor Hadži-paša Osmanagić.
After Podgorica was incorporated into Montenegro in 1878, a metal cross was added and, in 1890, a new Italian clock mechanism installed. WWII bombing in 1944 devastated much of the quarter, but the tower and several landmarks endured.
Today Stara Varoš preserves fragments of the Ottoman street fabric and worship sites; Sahat Kula is a protected cultural monument.
Practical information
Location: south of central Podgorica, between the Morača and Ribnica rivers; Bećir-beg Osmanagić Square is the landmark for Sahat Kula.
Getting there: 10–15 min on foot from Trg Nezavisnosti via Ulica Slobode into Stara Varoš; by car, use edge-of-quarter parking.
Access: streets and the square are open 24/7; interior access to the tower is limited; dirt paths lead to the fortress remains.
Visiting hours: best in daylight; evening lighting emphasizes the tower’s silhouette.
Visit duration: 40–90 min for a circuit including the bridge and fortress.
Best time: April–June and September–October; summers are hot with little shade.
Notes: avoid walking on the fortress wall edges; riverside paths by the Ribnica can be slippery after rain.
Nearby attractions
"Niagara" Falls on the Cijevna River
Vodopad Nijagara
20 km
Petrović Castle (Museum of Contemporary Art)
Dvorac Petrovića
22 km
Old Ribnica Bridge
Adži-pašin most
23 km
Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ
Saborni hram Hristovog Vaskrsenja
23 km
Independence Square (Trg Nezavisnosti)
Trg Nezavisnosti
23 km
Millennium Bridge
Most Milenijum
24 km