Modernism in the Petrified Landscape: Architecture in Montenegro 1945-1980

The subject of this paper is architectural heritage of the former Socialist Republic of Montenegro (SR Montenegro) in the period between 1945 and 1980, with particular emphasis on the role of stone in modern architecture. Stone, as a primordial building and design material, is present in post-war modernist Yugoslav architecture, especially during the first decades, the 50s and 60s of the 20th century. It establishes the continuity of construction, which in Montenegro has two fundamental links: the first is the connection with the vernacular principles of construction in the dry, rugged Mediterranean landscape that extends all the way to the central part of Montenegro, and the second is the connection with the beginnings of the modernist architectural idiom in Montenegro in the interwar period when stone was used mainly in a classical, academic manner. While the paper sheds the light on a hidden part of a very fruitful but neglected architectural heritage, standing in sharp contrast with today’s trends of neo-liberal design practices in the country, it also aims to discern an intrinsic influence of the Mediterranean ethos on the architectural and urban developments on the southern and central region of Montenegro. Although most of the addressed buildings are part of the urban context, the imprints of the Montenegrin landscape, with stone being its dominant characteristic and a certain kind of national demarcation present through its authentic use, create recognizable genius loci. Finally, while deconstructing this phenomenon, the paper will help to communicate the process of retreat with respect to the wider tendencies of European architectural currents of the 20th century.