PODGORICA

formerly (194692) Titograd, capital city of Montenegro, Yugoslavia, situated near the confluence of the Ribnica and Moraca rivers. The first recorded settlement was Birziminium, a caravan stop in Roman times, though it probably was an Illyrian tribal centre earlier. As a feudal state capital in the early European Middle Ages, it was known as Ribnica; it was called Podgorica from 1326. It fell to the Turks in 1474 but was restored to Montenegro in 1878. In 1916 it was occupied by the Austrians, in 1941 by the Italians, and in 1943 by the Germans. Only the Turkish clock tower (late 18th century), a mosque, and several houses survived the destruction of the old city in World War II. The city's bloody history is portrayed through an impressive number of war memorials. In 1946 Podgorica became Titograd in honour of the Yugoslav leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito. Almost a completely new city, it has one-seventh of its area devoted to parks and recreational facilities. It has a university (1974), theatre, museum, and sports centre. Manufactures are mainly consumer items; an aluminum works began in 1972 exploiting rich bauxite deposits nearby. After the collapse of communism, the city revived its old name, Podgorica, in 1992. Pop. (1981) 96,074.