After liberation from the Ottoman Empire in 1877, Nikšić became part of Montenegro, a sovereign and internationally recognized state after the Berlin Congress in 1878 became. With the permission of the Austro-Hungarian authorities, Croatian architect Josip Šilović Slade (1828–1911) was invited by Prince Nikola Petrović (1841–1924) to Montenegro, where he designed a series of significant buildings and infrastructure facilities. One of his most important achievements is the First Regulatory Plan of the City of Nikšić, created in 1883, which draws its roots from the large-scale reconstruction of European cities in the late 19th century.
The first regulatory plan of Nikšić was modeled after ideal Renaissance cities, with a clear geometric layout consisting of five squares and an interconnected system of streets. From the central city square, seven primary streets extend in all directions. These primary streets are connected by secondary streets, forming a radial urban matrix that allowed for the city’s development in concentric urban rings. The main focus of this paper is the urban matrix of Nikšić, a rare typological example of radial city organization.
From the end of the 19th century until the mid-20th century, Nikšić’s growth was slow. After World War II, when Montenegro became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Nikšić experienced rapid urbanization, becoming one of the most rapidly expanding cities in the region. This period of industrialization led to the development of new urban plans which, thanks to the existing urban matrix, were able in turn to define additional urban rings. Today, Nikšić’s urban composition consists of several rings: the city core, public buildings, multi-apartment housing, and individual housing.
The primary aim of this paper is to explore the urban transformation of Nikšić, focusing on the formation of distinct urban rings that have contributed to the unique urban and architectural identity of the city.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/archandurb.2024.58.3-4.11
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