Kotor is a seaside town in Montenegro with a population of about 13,500. It is well known for its medieval World Heritage sites, including churches and fortresses, as well as its amazing natural location on the very edge of the Bay of Kotor surrounded by mountains.
It is located at the most secluded end of the Boka Kotorska Bay, in the northern part of the Montenegrin coast of the Adriatic Sea. In the middle of Kotor is the Old Town, which is its biggest landmark and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Kotor Bay is the deepest natural bay, and the landscape around it including the steep mountains that reach almost to the water’s edge is spectacular. Kotor is also unique because it is the only city on the east Adriatic coast that is located by name in historical and strategic maps.
The old town of Kotor was built as a labyrinth for protective purposes and it is very easy to get lost here. Even locals are often killed. Turn in the wrong direction and you will end up far from your destination. This can happen even with a city map in hand.
The population of Kotor is multiethnic: less than half are Montenegrins, less than a third are Serbs and one tenth are Croats. Kotor is still the seat of the Catholic Bishopric of Kotor, which covers the entire area around the Bay of Kotor.
The history of the city
It is not known exactly when the city was founded, but archaeologists know that it was before the time of Homer and that the city was Greek, as well as that it was home to the Greeks, Illyrians and Romans. It was destroyed by the Visigoths in the 5th century AD and then ruled by many foreigners. It became part of Yugoslavia in the early 20th century, then Serbia, and finally became independent in 2006.
What to visit?
– The Old Town – the most famous part of Kotor where the history, culture and tradition of Kotor are preserved. There are a number of monuments of medieval architecture: churches, cathedrals, palaces and museums. They are complemented by a multitude of narrow streets, squares and markets. The main and largest square is the Trade of Weapons. That square was and remains a major gathering place. The old town of Kotor is today considered to be the best preserved medieval urban entity in the Mediterranean. There are three entrances to the Old Town, the main being the Seaport of 1555.
– St. Trifun Cathedral – built in the 11th century, and reconstructed after the earthquakes. Romanian-Gothic architecture. In the chapel are the remains of St. Tryphon, the patron saint of Kotor.
– St. Nicholas Church – the largest Orthodox church in the Old Town.
– Maritime Museum – housed in the baroque Gregorian Palace. In the museum you can find three floors of portraits of famous captains, models of old galleys and sailboats, navigation instruments, photographs, uniforms, weapons, paintings and models of ships.
– Bogorodica Island on the rocks – is one of the two beautiful islands in the Bay of Kotor, located in the bay opposite Perast. The other island to visit is St. George’s Island. This island is also called the “Island of the Dead”, because according to a legend, a French soldier, firing from a cannon at Perast, hit the house of his beloved girlfriend and killed her. The island of Bogorodica on the rocks is an artificial island, made by sailors from Perast and Kotor, who carried large stones on their large sailboats. According to the stories, a fisherman from Perast, after a shipwreck near the island, found an icon of the Holy Mother of God with Christ on a sea rock, so they swore that they would build a church on the island. They built the church in 1630. Because the island was to be maintained, sailors continued to bring in stones, so that tradition is still alive today. Her name is Fasinada from Perast.
– City walls – stretch about 4.5 km east of the Old Town on almost vertical cliffs. They look like a short version of the Great Wall of China. The climb to the 1350 stairs will be rewarded with a great view of Kotor and the bay of the Church of the Assumption, which is located halfway, as well as the fortress of St. John at the top.
