In Montenegro, in the shade of the hill of Saint John, it is located Kotor, an antique town
protected by high walls expertly built along the natural grade of the soil. Approaching to it, the
panorama discloses showing that this sight is one of the most astonishing of the world, not
only of the Mediterranean: Kotor, whether it is observed from the sea or from the road, is really
impressive.
Its distinctiveness derives from many things, first of all the fact that it is situated on the only
natural fjord of its type and in a bay considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
Kotor doesn't offer only stunning scenery, but it also has a great cultural heritage to discover
and admire, during a holiday in Montenegro.
The origin of this town is not sure, even if some archeologists think that it has been built on
the remains of the antique city of Acruvium. There is also a legend, saying that a fairy, called
Alkima, suggested to Stefan Dusan, the Serbian King, to do not found the town in the hills, but
near the sea. Differently, for the Phoenician mythology, Kotor was built after that the Argonauts
conquered the Golden Fleece. Independently of which is its real origin, this town of course
is dated back to antique times, before the poet Homer, when the Phoenicians dominated the
Mediterranean.
The names of the town have changed through the centuries: Katareo, Dekatera and Katarum
are only some of them. The archeological researches have demonstrated that the first
establishment in this area, between the 7th and the 4th century BC, was Greek, succeeded by
settlements of Illyrians and later Romans, rulers of the region for 650 years.
In its history, Kotor has seen various events: the destruction by Visigoths in the 5th century AD,
the domination of the Byzantine Empire, started in 467 AD and lasted for 400 years; the role of
capital of Boka Kotorska Bay in the 7th century AD; and also the rule of Slovenians around the
10th and 11th centuries; the flourishing period during the Serbian Nemanjic dynasty between
1185 and 1371; the Venetian control from 1420 until 1797; a transition period with Austrian,
Russian and French domination; and the unification of Boka Kotorska with Montenegro. After all
these ups and downs, Kotor with the rest of Boka Kotorska and Montenegro became a part of
the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1918.
The Old Town has three entries; the main one is the Sea Gate built on 1555. After the
earthquake in 1667, Kotor has been rebuilt and it became a Baroque town. It lies underneath
the Mount Lovcen; and it's bordered to west by the spring Gurdic and to north by the river
Skurda.
The construction of palaces and houses was the main talent of the people of this town,
but surely not the only one: as revealed by the various layers of history, activities such as
seamanship, weapons' manufacture and artistic production were blossoming in this area.
UNESCO inserted Kotor in the list of world heritage places of interest, also because the number
of important and historic personalities born or operated here, such as sea captains, poets,
publishers, diplomats; and not last the architect and icon painter Fra Vito.
Kotor has also another unique characteristic, which consists in the fact that the nautical tradition
has resisted in its unity and it still exists. The Navy of Boka Kotorska Bay has been operative for
more than twelve centuries and until now it utilizes the traditional admiral, clothing, dance and
ceremonies.
For the tourists, Kotor could be more than one-day trip: it can offer various accommodations,
including self-catering apartments to rent, to spend some days here to discover the town and
its surroundings.
The Old Kotor, being in a strategic area of the Adriatic Sea, has been built as a labyrinth
with the purpose to protect the town; therefore it is quite easy, even for the locals, to get lost
there. Even having a map in hands, it can happen to take on wrong turn and lose the original
destination: if you concentrate in the landmarks, such as the St. Tryphon Cathedral dated
from the 12th century, it will be easier to get around. It will be maybe a bit more difficult to find
particular places like the Maritime Museum, which is situated inside the Grgurina Palace, or the
municipal squares with hilarious names such as the Lattice Square, Flour Square, Milk Square
and Cinema Square.
To visit the town without getting lost, the best choice is to start from the main entrance and go
clockwise: passing from the central Arms Square, you will go directly across the Flour Square to
the Cathedral, then going left you will arrive to the Maritime Museum, straight on to the square
hosting the Churches of St. Luka and St. Nikola and then again left to get back to the point
where you started your tour.
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