Standing tall in Montenegro

For a country that is only two years old, Montenegro has a lot of history.

The citizens of Montenegro are the tallest, on average, in Europe and the country is standing tall among its regional and continental equals.

This modestly-sized Balkan state narrowly voted for independence from its larger neighbour Serbia in 2006, finally putting the former Yugoslavia to rest and beginning a new era in its history - and that of the region.

The attractiveness of this largely mountainous nation is undoubted. Its beaches, valleys and atmospheric towns are among the best in the Balkans.

But Montenegrins are facing huge challenges, not least the need to carefully nurture political stability and investment, without ruining the country's unique charm through impatient development.

Montenegro may well emerge as the jewel of the region, becoming a sophisticated location for the Mediterranean's beautiful people.

One thing is for certain - Montenegrins will be hoping the next 100 years are better than the last. After losing its independence in the First World War, Montenegro suffered the ignominy of annexation and occupation before links with Serbia saw it suffer during the violence that engulfed the region in the 1990s.

But thankfully, fears of civil war have not materialised and the Montenegro I discovered appeared one of optimism, energy and change.

The signs of a troubled past are still there - ruined houses by the roadside still stand in silent memorial to suffering, reflecting in their own way the powerful statues of solidarity from that time now scattered throughout Montenegro.

I arrived on the first ever flight by Montenegro Airlines from London and was greeted at the quiet Tivat airport by beaming girls dancing proudly in national costume.

Their awkwardness was utterly charming and their country, like their smiles, proved entrancing.

There is a deep wish among Montenegrins to shape their own future independently from the rest of the world. They want to leave the conflicts of the past behind. The country seems set on the road to lasting peace and prosperity.

The new Montenegro, emerging from its amicable divorce with Serbia in 2006, has much to be proud of. It has attractive coastal resorts, skiing only a few hours distant and, in between, beautiful deep valleys, spectacular mountains and rolling hills.

Four national parks highlight the variety of scenery - from the giddy peaks of Durmitor to the stifling heat sitting over Skadar Lake. Pelicans make Skadar a must-visit for birdwatchers, while salt marshes near Tivat boast pink flamingos.

Primeval forests await visitors in Biogradska, where some trees are over 1,000 years old. Within the town walls of Kotor the atmosphere of its medieval golden age still lingers.

The raw ingredients for a tourism tour de force are all present and now the government is stepping up its efforts to bring this about. The local press is full of talk of a new highway linking Montenegro with Serbia, which will improve access in the region.

Montenegro's status as the world's first eco-state is continually underlined by the government. Madonna is even rumoured to be performing a concert in Budva this autumn.

The number of British visitors has jumped by 14 per cent in 2007 alone and new regular flights suggest the growth will continue.

British businessman Peter Munk is building a luxury marina for mega-yachts in Tivat. Our tour guide pointed out countless previously uninhabited valleys earmarked for development.

Former campsites are now hotels; markets are becoming shopping malls. The influx of foreign money is having a sweeping impact and this is most noticeable in the coastal resorts.

There are concerns that the development may happen too quickly. In Budva, the hills are covered with building sites, the number of beds exceeds the number of places on the beach twelve-fold, and the town suffers regular water shortages in the summer months.

But there are also positives, including the cleanup of the banks of the River Moraca, which runs through Podgorica.

Cetinje is a tired and sleepy town which has the potential to be greatly improved by investment.

It is difficult to overstate the emotive power the present turnaround holds for Montenegrins, coming as it does after centuries of oppression. Its history of repeated subjugation makes the trials of the 20th century seem mild and physical evidence of this torrid past can be seen throughout the country.

I was first alerted to this in Budva, where the old town is dominated by the medieval citadel. Its guns point inwards as well as outwards. Could it be its constructors were as worried about Budva's inhabitants as potential future assailants?

Even more imposing proof of this repressive past is the castle on the heights above Kotor, first built against the Saracens in the ninth century.

There are less obvious, but equally striking, examples. The road from Kotor to Cetinje is dotted with small, almost quaint, bunkers built by the Italian fascists in the Second World War.

Also in Cetinje, we came across the fence of one church, made from the guns of the failed Montenegrin army following the First World War. An Austrian-Hungarian redoubt, controlling the pass back to Budva, underlines that defeat.

I quickly developed a sense of Montenegro as an embattled country, a nation of insurgents. Its early history reflects this; the mountainous terrain of its interior was as ideally suited to guerrilla warfare and armed resistance in the tenth century as it was in the 20th.

This, of course, is the reason it has been a lynchpin in the age-old regional struggles of the last 1,000 years. Castles on the coast, part of the traditional border between east and west, embodies Montenegro's defiant spirit.

It is hardly surprising that, centuries later, Tito's communist partisans hid among the ruins in the Second World War. Montenegrins specialise in resistance. Amid the optimism, I sensed a desperate desire to put the past well and truly behind them.

Allegations of crime and corruption are angrily refuted by Montenegrins, who claim these are merely the result of a culture clash with western Europe. On the Adriatic coast, gift-giving is a natural thing to do - as we found during one meal on Skadar Lake, when a morose-looking man doled out a variety of herbs and flowers to the assembled females.

Crime, in its usual sense, is remarkably low - centuries of harshness towards criminality have taken care of that.

The government is keen to join the queue of Balkan states seeking accession to an enlarged European Union but Montenegro is also heavily influenced by Russia.

After centuries of being a frontier state between east and west some things never change. The Montenegrin crest shows two eagles, looking both ways. That seems as apt today as it ever has been: Montenegro remains a border country.

One thing is for sure, Montenegro is welcoming tourists and holidaymakers so experience its unspoilt beauty while you can.

Alex Stevenson