Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi, with approximately 200 sunny days a year, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Montenegro.
Located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen, Herceg Novi offers to tourists a rich monumental heritage, monasteries and churches, and numerous fortifications such as Španjola, Kanli Kula, Sat Kula and famous staircase, after which it takes its nickname “City of the stairs”.
Herceg Novi was founded as a fortress in 1382 by Bosnian King Stjepan Tvrtko I and was called Sveti Stefan or Castelnuovo. After the death of Tvrtko, Duke Sandalj Hranić of the Herzegovinian Kosačas acquired Castelnuovo. During his reign, Herceg Novi picked up trading salt, what bothered their neighbors from Dubrovnik, which in this part of Europe held a monopoly over salt trade in that time.
When Hranić died, his nephew, Herzog Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, inherited Castelnuovo. Under Stjepan, Castelnuovo expanded and thus became a city, renaming it to Herceg Novi.
The Turks conquered Herceg Novi in 1482, and ruled for 200 years, until 1687. In that period various nations and civilizations interspersed on its soil, leaving deep marks on the history, culture and overall development of the region.
Herceg Novi is known by a very rich cultural program in the summer months, which includes above all the traditional film and music festivals. Of course, the event are also organized during other months, which contributes to recognizable cultural life of the city.
Požarevac
Požarevac is a city and the administrative center of the Braničevo District in eastern Serbia. It is located between three rivers: Danube, Great Morava and Mlava.
The modern town of Požarevac was first mentioned in the 14th century under the name Puporače, it first being mentioned under its present-day name in 1476. Požarevac was the second capital of the Serbian prince, Miloš Obrenović with the first regular state court in Serbia being established here in 1821. Since 1878, Požarevac became part of the independent Principality of Serbia and since 1882 as part of the Kingdom of Serbia.
The National Museum in Belgrade and Požarevac has some 40,000 items found in Viminacium, of which over 700 are of gold and silver. Among them are many invaluable rarities. In June 2008, a Triballian (Thracian) grave was found with ceramics. These date from the first millennium BC.