Matica-Sitnica is one and the same river. It flows not far from Podgorica. Lesser known, or almost entirely unknown, unlike Moraca and its tributaries: Zeta, Ribnica, Cijevna…
In the upper course, under the name Matica, it hides unusual beauty. In the lower course under the name Sitnica, the river takes on different characteristics, thus the story is born from the contrast of these two faces of the same river. The area of the upper course is interesting from several aspects: hydrogeological, historical, linguistic, ecosystemic… The sources of Matica and the surrounding area form a special whole. Within it, using underwater cameras, an interesting hydrogeological phenomenon is examined – the Oko Matice estavela, and a rarely seen phenomenon – the river flowing upstream!
The lower course of the river, named Sitnica, is, in contrast to Matica, which never dries up, completely lifeless in summer. During that time, its riverbed from Komanski Bridge onwards is completely dry and unattractive, turned into landfills and dumping grounds for various waste.
The final part returns us to Matica with a reminder that what we have, often without even realizing it, especially the precious wealth of water, needs to be carefully preserved. The text, largely factual, is based on research and the use of little-known facts from geographical, hydrological, and hydrogeological characteristics of the Matica-Sitnica river’s course, as well as interesting aspects related to the local ecosystem, folk traditions, valorization for tourism and agriculture purposes, and the necessity of protecting this and other watercourses in Montenegro.
