Ribnica

Sastavci and the old bridge

Sastavci is the name of the ground where the Ribnica enters the Morača; younger people call the spot Skaline, older residents call it the bridge at Sastavci. The old stone bridge over the Ribnica here is believed to date from Roman times and is the oldest bridge in Podgorica, one of the few traces left of the Roman-era settlement in the area. It has a single arch, stands only a few metres above the water and is thought to be built of river stone. It has long been a meeting place, in hot summers people cool off in the river below it, and the sunset view from the bridge is the reason to come late in the day.

The fortress

Above the confluence stand the walls of the Ribnica fortress, also called Depedogen. Ottoman rule over the town began in 1474, and the Ottomans built the fortress in the late 15th century, around 1477. In 1878, the year Podgorica joined Montenegro after the Congress of Berlin, an explosion set off by lightning heavily damaged it.

Stara Varoš

The Ottoman-period quarter beside the confluence, Stara Varoš, keeps the Clock Tower, built in the 18th century by Hadži Mehmed-paša Osmanagić and one of the few Ottoman buildings to survive the Second World War; the Čubranović house, probably the oldest surviving medieval house in the city; and the hamam. Roman Doclea, destroyed in the 5th century, lies 3 to 4 km from the centre at the confluence of the Zeta and the Morača, not here; the medieval settlement of Ribnica followed it, and the name Podgorica is first recorded in 1326, in a Kotor archive document.

Fishing

The Ribnica has no fishing zone of its own; the fly zone in the city is on the Morača, from the Millennium Bridge to the Union bridge, catch and release all year. Under the national order of 2026 (Sl. list CG 75/2026, in force 11 June 2026) trout in Podgorica waters are closed from 1 November to 1 April and carp and other cyprinids from 15 March to 15 May; huchen and pike are closed in all waters until 1 April 2029 and must be returned alive. Permits and zones are on the fishing page.

Getting there

The confluence is in the centre of Podgorica, on foot from the main squares; the bus and railway stations stand next to each other near the centre, and Podgorica Airport is about 12 km from the city. The river is at its lowest in summer, when the bed below the bridge is often dry; outside summer it carries water.

Questions

Does the Ribnica have water all year?

No. It usually dries up in summer; outside summer it runs over gravel into the Morača at Sastavci.

Is the fortress medieval?

It is Ottoman, built in the late 15th century, around 1477, after Ottoman rule began in 1474. The medieval settlement of Ribnica is older than the fortress.

How old is the bridge?

It is believed to date from Roman times and is the oldest bridge in Podgorica.