King Nicola's Palace

In the city of Cetinje, the most magnificent building is the palace of King Nikola, whose full title is knight of the Imperial Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Nicholas I Mirko Petrovich Njegos. Its construction was timed to coincide with the coronation of Prince Nicholas I in 1910. In the salons and at the courts of Europe, it was said with condemnation that it was too beautiful and luxurious for such a small country.

The palace is decorated in the style of Art Nouveau, which is characterized by an abundance of decorative details, bizarre forms and stylized floral patterns. The silk-covered walls, stucco ceilings and carpeted parquet floors made the interior of the palace worthy of receiving any, the highest-ranking guest. One of these guests was the Russian Tsar Alexander the Great, who considered Nicholas I "the only true and loyal friend of Russia." It should be noted that the ties between Montenegro and Russia were not only political, but also related - the daughter of Nicholas I was married to the nephew of Alexander the Great.

Each of the rooms of the palace is designed in its own style: Eastern, Venetian, Victorian. The palace houses collections of objects related to the history and culture of the country from the Middle Ages to 1918 – furniture, weapons, paintings, stamps, flags and many other things of true museum value. The collection of military orders made of gold and precious stones deserves special attention. The court library, which occupies 4 halls, stores up to 10,000 copies of rare, including church, books.

The King Nicholas I Museum was founded in 1896 and until 1916 was housed in the Zetski dom (government building). During the Austrian-Bulgarian occupation in 1916-1918, the museum was looted, but in 1926 it was opened on the site of the royal palace.