Islands and monasteries of Skadar Lake: Beška, Grmožur and more

Skadar Lake is dotted with islands, and many carry buildings older than most of Montenegro's towns: medieval Orthodox monasteries, a fortress prison, chapels and cemeteries slowly going back to stone. They can only be reached by boat, which is what makes seeing them feel like a small expedition.

Why monasteries on islands?

In the 14th and 15th centuries the Crnojević dynasty ruled this region from the lake shore, and the islands were the safest ground they had – defensible, quiet, close to the trade route. Monks built here, rulers were buried here, and manuscripts were copied here. When Ottoman power advanced, the same islands became strongholds. Later, under long neglect, most were abandoned; some have been restored and are inhabited again by a handful of monks or nuns.

Beška

The best known. Beška island holds two churches: the church of St George, from the late 14th century, and the church of the Mother of God, built in 1440 by Jelena Balšić, daughter of the Serbian prince Lazar, who retired here and was buried on the island. A community of nuns lives on Beška today, tending gardens and vines between the stone walls. Modest dress is expected if you land.

Starčevo

Starčevo, the "old man's island", takes its name from the hermit Makarije, who founded a monastery here in the 1370s and ran one of the region's early scriptoria. The church and its surrounding walls sit among cypresses and olive trees, and the island is one of the quietest places on the lake.

Moračnik

Moračnik carries a 15th-century church and the ruins of a defensive tower, built by Balša III. Long derelict, it has been partly restored and is again inhabited by monks. The tower and the reed-fringed shoreline make it the most photogenic of the monastery islands.

Grmožur – Montenegro's Alcatraz

Grmožur is the lake's fortress island. Built by the Ottomans in the 1840s to watch the water, it was taken by Montenegro in 1878 and turned into a prison for the country's most serious offenders. The island's defence was the lake itself: prisoners were not taught to swim, and guards who lost one served the remainder of the sentence themselves.

Abandoned since the early 20th century, Grmožur now stands roofless and overgrown, walls rising straight out of the water. It is the most atmospheric stop on the lake.

Vranjina and the shoreline monasteries

Not every religious site is on an island. Vranjina, once an island and now linked by the causeway, holds the monastery of St Nicholas, founded in the 13th century, high on the hill with a wide view over the water. Kom monastery, on a peninsula at the lake's northern edge, dates from the 1440s and still preserves fragments of its original frescoes.

Drowned and abandoned villages

Between the islands stand the empty villages: stone houses, terraces and churches left behind when families moved to the cities or the coast in the 20th century. In high-water years the lake reaches back into some of them. They are among the most memorable sights on a tour – a whole landscape quietly returning to the lake.

How to visit

Only by boat, and only from the water side. Practical notes:

• Landing is possible on some islands and not others; inhabited monasteries are visited respectfully, and at times the community may prefer no visitors.
• Dress modestly – shoulders and knees covered – if you go ashore at a monastery.
• Allow time. The islands are spread across a big lake; longer tours reach more of them, and the fast boats cover ground the wooden boats cannot.
• Best light is early morning and late afternoon.

See them from the water

From Virpazar, tours weave between the islands, the reed channels and the swim coves in a single trip. Every tour includes snacks and drinks, at least one swim stop, free parking and a digital guidebook in 25 languages. Compare the tours or check live availability; the wider park is covered in the complete Skadar Lake guide.

Frequently asked questions

How many islands does Skadar Lake have? Several dozen, varying with the water level; six or so carry significant monuments.

Can you go inside the monasteries? Sometimes, at the community's discretion, and with modest dress.

What is Grmožur? A 19th-century Ottoman fortress island later used as a Montenegrin prison – now a ruin.