Thanks to the famous Serbian epic poem, there is hardly a citizen in Serbia who hasn\u2019t at least once used the phrase \u201clike Shkod\u00ebr on the Bojana\u201d to describe something built with great difficulty. The question of who truly owns this ancient city has long been debated, but one lesser-known chapter of its history reveals that Shkod\u00ebr was part of Montenegro for less than a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBuilding the town, Shkod\u00ebr on the Bojana,
Building it for three long years,
Three hundred craftsmen, working each day;
They could not raise the foundations,
Let alone complete the town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These lines from the epic poem The Building of Shkod\u00ebr on the Bojana<\/em> are well-known to anyone who attended elementary school in Serbia. They reflect both the symbolic and historical weight the city has carried for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In history classes, students in Serbia learn that Shkod\u00ebr was once the capital of the medieval state of Duklja under Prince Saint Jovan Vladimir, and later fell under the control of Grand \u017dupan Stefan Nemanja along with the Zeta region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Shkod\u00ebr\u2019s later history receives less attention\u2014perhaps because much of it unfolded under Ottoman rule. Despite this, a Serbian presence persisted in the city. By the early 20th century, the Serbian Orthodox Church community in Shkod\u00ebr included 120 families.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFIND OUT MORE: <\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n