Looking for a place to stay in Montenegro

I just wanted to find a peaceful place: a little sun, nature, maybe a small garden. A place where one can come, breathe and feel peace. For me, this search has never been just a question of buying. I have Serbian-Montenegrin roots, I grew up in Germany, but I have always felt connected to this area. Maybe that's why I'm not just looking for a plot of land, but also a place where one day the future, belonging and inner peace could meet.

But the longer I search, the more clearly I see how quickly a beautiful hope can turn into a complex search for answers.

At first glance, much of it seems idyllic: greenery, little construction, lots of landscape. And then, as soon as you look more closely, the questions begin. The geoportal shows a lot: plots, objects, lines, changes in space. Yet the more you look, the less you feel like you really understand what you are seeing. Without local knowledge, the data often remains silent.

During my own search, I also noticed a very long plot of land, which stretches almost like a ribbon through the terrain. Its very form naturally raises questions: what is such an area for, why was it left vacant, and is it a planning reserve? It is precisely in such details that uncertainty begins for people coming from outside. A person can find a lot, but he cannot interpret everything independently and with certainty.

This opens up a wider dilemma. Terms such as protection zone, corridor and planning appear. On the one hand, it is constantly emphasized that nature, water and sensitive areas must be protected. On the other hand, corridors are left for possible roads, bypasses or other infrastructure. And this is where the question arises, which, I believe, is not only mine.

In the area of ​​Zelenika and Sutorina, it is almost self-evident: if such a corridor passes through a sensitive area, along a watercourse or through karst, how can it be ensured that any construction does not endanger groundwater and natural streams?

Karst is a sensitive terrain. Water often flows invisibly, below the surface. That's why interventions in the land don't always stay where they are made. The consequences are sometimes not immediately visible, but they are very much felt later. That's why the question is not only whether something will be built, but also how it will be built and according to what rules.

Additional concern is that the problems with septic tanks, wastewater and the lack of sewage have been pointed out in public and in discussions for years, while at the same time questions about further planned development remain open. If sensitive areas are truly being protected, then the question naturally arises as to why concrete solutions are not being insisted on even more strongly: functional sewage systems, safe closed systems and clear conditions where technical solutions are even possible.

For buyers and interested parties, there is another problem: the answers are often unclear. You talk to agents, ask questions, try to understand the situation, but all too often you get the impression that plans, reality and information do not speak the same language. This does not have to be done with bad intentions. It is possible that the situation itself is too complex. But that is precisely the problem.

That is why much greater transparency would be valuable. If there is a route or corridor, people want to know what it means in concrete terms: who is providing reliable information, what are the possible buffer zones, what conditions apply to surrounding plots and what areas could be affected in general. The very fact that answers to such questions often have to be sought from institutions such as Monteput or other competent authorities shows how complex the situation has become for the ordinary buyer.

This is not about rejecting development in advance. A country can and should develop. Infrastructure is important. But protection and development should not be at odds with each other. They should be linked in a clear, understandable and equitable way.

Because in the end, a man is not just looking for a piece of land.

It also seeks clarity.

And trust.

Mirjam ZELEWSKI-HARDTKE