Cetinje, city in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in the southeastern part of the republic of Montenegro, near the Adriatic Sea. Cetinje is located on a plateau 670 m (2198 ft) above sea level at the eastern foot of Mount Lovcen (1749 m/5738 ft). The city is a base for winter resorts in the area. Industries in Cetinje produce household electrical appliances and footwear. After World War II (1939-1945) major roads were built to connect Cetinje with the rest of Yugoslavia, aiding the city's economic development. Among the historical sites in Cetinje is the palace of 19th-century prince-bishop Petar II of the Petrovic-Njegos dynasty. The palace is now a museum.
Cetinje developed around a monastery founded here in 1484. Because of its strategic location in a mountainous area, Montenegrin rulers retreated here in the 16th century to better defend against Ottoman invasions. The Ottomans sacked and burned the settlement several times in the 17th and 18th centuries but never succeeded in a conquest. Cetinje was the capital of independent Montenegro from 1878 to 1918, when Montenegro became part of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). It remained the capital of Montenegro until 1946, when the capital was moved to the larger city of Titograd (now Podgorica). Population (1981) 14,088.
