The Karadjordjevic family, descendants of Yugoslavia’s former royals, want Montenegro to return millions of euros’ worth of property including castles confiscated by the Communists after WWII.
Descendants of the former Yugoslav royals want to be given back castles and a house in Montenegro, but also property in Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Macedonia, according to a document that BIRN has obtained from the Karadjordjevic family’s office.
The document says that the Karadjordjevic family want to be given back a castle in Milocer, Leskovac castle in Rijeka Crnojevic and a house in which King Alexander was born in the historic former Montenegrin capital, Cetinje.
The Karadjordjevics’ office told BIRN that the family will not comment on the case as it is still ongoing.
The property was seized after World War II when the Communists came to power in the former Yugoslavia. Most of it is now used by the Montenegrin state, but several million euros’ worth of land and buildings were privatised or contracted out to be used by private companies.
On February 27, it was revealed that the royal family had demanded the return of 22,000 square meters of land near the five-star Milocer resort in the Budva municipality.
Budva’s local government, now run by several parties who are in opposition at the national level, said that that request was noted in the official book of the country’s Property Administration, which means that the land, although formally owned by the state, cannot be sold.
The decision sparked sharp reactions and divisions in Budva’s ruling coalition, composed of both pro-Serbian and pro-Montenegrin parties who have differing views of the Karadjordjevics’ role in the early 20th Century in Montenegro.
For more read the full of article at The Balkaninsight
