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Kotor

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This article is about the city of Kotor. For the Star Wars video game abbreviated "KotOR", see Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Kotor
Population
5,341
Area code82

Kotor (Croatian: Kotor; Serbian Cyrillic: Котор; Italian Cattaro, Venetian Càtaro; Latin: Acruvium, Greek Askrèvion, Ασκρηβιον) is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a most secluded part of Gulf of Kotor. The town has a population of 13,510, and is the administrative center of the Kotor municipality.

The old Mediterranean port of Kotor, surrounded by an impressive city wall built by Serbian House of Nemanjić, is very well preserved and protected by UNESCO. Between 1420 and 1797, Kotor and its surroundings were under the rule of the Republic of Venice and the Venetian influence remains dominant among the architectural influences. The Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska), one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea is sometimes called the southern-most fjord in Europe (though it is actually a submerged river canyon). With the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovćen one of the great Mediterranean landscapes is created.

In recent years, Kotor has seen a steady increase in tourists attracted by both the natural beauty of the Gulf of Kotor and the old town of Kotor itself.

History

Kotor, first mentioned in 168 BC, was settled during Ancient Roman times, when it was known as Acruvium, Ascrivium, or Ascruvium and was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia.

Kotor has been fortified since the early Middle Ages, when Emperor Justinian built a fortress above Acruvium in AD 535, after expelling the Goths, and a second town probably grew up on the heights round it, for Constantine Porphyrogenitus, in the 10th century, alludes to Lower Kotor. The city was plundered by the Saracens in 840. Until the 11th century the Dalmatian language was spoken in Kotor.

In 1002, the city suffered damage under occupation of the First Bulgarian Empire, and in the following year it was ceded to Serbia by the Bulgarian Tsar Samuil, but the locals revolted in alliance with the Republic of Ragusa, and only submitted in 1184, as a protected state, preserving intact its republican institutions, and its right to conclude treaties and engage in war. It was already an episcopal see, and, in the 13th century, Dominican and Franciscan monasteries were established to check the spread of Bogomilism. In 1185, on his campaign to annex Zeta, Serbian Duke Stefan Nemanja entered Kotor, which surrendered to him peacefully. He spared the City and built an impressive castle within it.

In the 14th century the commerce of Cattaro, as the city was then called, rivaled that of the nearby Republic of Ragusa, and provoked the jealousy of Venice. The downfall of Serbia in 1389 left the city without a guardian, and, after being seized and abandoned in turn by the Venetians and Hungarians, it passed under Venetian rule in 1420. Cattaro (Kotor) was part of the Albania Veneta of the Republic of Venice from 1420 to 1797, except for periods of Ottoman administration between 1538-1571 and 1657-1699. Those four centuries gave to the city the typical Venetian baroque architecture, that has contributed to make Kotor an UNESCO "world patrimony".

Under Venetian rule, Cattaro (Kotor) was besieged by the Ottoman Empire in 1538 and 1657, visited by the plague in 1572, and nearly destroyed by earthquakes in 1563 and 1667. Under the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797, it passed to the Habsburg Monarchy. However, in 1805, it was assigned to the French Empire's client state, the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy by the Treaty of Pressburg. After the Russians retreated, Kotor was united in 1810 with the French Empire's Illyrian Provinces. Kotor was then captured by British naval Captain William Hoste with his ship HMS Bacchante (38 guns). Working jointly with Montenegran forces he attacked the mountain fortress, hauling ships' cannon and mortars to positions above the fort using block and tackle. The French garrison had no alternative but to surrender, which it did on 5 January 1814.

The "Albania veneta" areas of Montenegro around Kotor (1420-1797)

It was then restored to the Austrian Empire by the Congress of Vienna. In 1838, The Palace of the Serbian Gathering was built in Kotor as a three-story house as well as the Serbian Library. The following 1839, the Serbian Vocal Society Unity (Jedinstvo) was founded. In 1848, the Serbian People's School under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Church was founded in Kotor. The Serbian Library became the Slavic Library in 1849 to attract local Croats, Slovenes and Czechs. In 1854, the Serbian Memorial Music School was built, in 1862 the Serbian National Guard; in 1868 the Serbian National Charity Society Saint George; in 1869 the Serbian Orthodox School, while the Serbian Orthodox Episcopate was established in Kotor in 1870 and the Schism of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Boka Kotorska and Dubrovnik was first printed in Kotor, in 1874. The attempt to enforce compulsory military service, made and abandoned in 1869, but finally successful in 1881, led to two short-lived revolts among the people of Krivošije on the western branch of mount Orjen, during which Kotor was the Austrian headquarters. In 1893 the Serbian Memorial Women Primary School was opened; in 1895 the Serbian Tamburitza Orchestra; in 1897 the Serbian Music; in 1899 the Serbian Workers' Cooperative; in 1901 the Serbian Credit Union. In 1903 the Unity was canceled as it joined the Union of Serbian Vocal Societies. The Serbian Falcon Society was founded in Kotor in 1910. In 1912, a massive celebration was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Serbian National Guard in Kotor.

In World War I, Kotor was one of the three bases of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, homeport for the Austrian Fifth Fleet consisting of pre-dreadnought battleships and light cruisers. The area was the site of some of the fiercest battles between local Montenegrin Slavs, and Austria-Hungary. After 1918, the city (called Cattaro until then) became a part of Yugoslavia and became known as Kotor officially. Between 1941 and 1943 Italy annexed the area of Cattaro to the italian Governatorato di Dalmazia, but after 1945 it became a part of the then Socialist Republic of Montenegro within Yugoslavia's second incarnation.

In 1979 (April 15) a major earthquake hit the Montenegrin coastal area. The victims were approximately 100 people. Half of Kotor's Old Town was destroyed. St. Tryphon's Cathedral was partly damaged.

Up until the beginning of the 20th century, Catholics constituted the majority in Kotor as well as in other places around the Gulf of Kotor (the other major ethnic groups in those years were the Serbs and the Italians).

Kotor is still the seat of the Croatian Catholic Bishopric of Kotor, which covers the entire gulf.

Population

Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Alley in Kotor
CriteriaCultural: i, ii, iii, iv
Reference125
Inscription1979 (3rd Session)
Extensions1979-2003

Kotor is the administrative centre of Kotor municipality, which includes towns of Dobrota, Risan and Perast, as well as many small hamlets around the Bay of Kotor. The municipality has a population of 23,481 (2003. census). The town of Kotor itself has 5,341, but Kotor and Dobrota are practically one town, they have combined population of 13,510.

Population of Kotor (Including Dobrota):

Ethnic groups (1991 census):

Ethnic groups (2003 census) - 22,947:

According the documents from 1900, Kotor had = 7,617 Catholics (Croats), 7,207 Orthodox Christians (Serbs).

Kotor is still the seat of the Croatian Catholic Bishopric of Kotor, which covers the entire gulf.

The 2003 census listed 23,481 citizens, of whom 78% were Orthodox Christians (predominantly adherents of the Serbian Orthodox Church, with some adherents of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church) and 13% Roman Catholic.

Notable persons

A square in Kotor

Tourism

Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (Sv. Tripun)

Kotor is a major tourist destination. It has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic, listed with UNESCO world heritage sites. It has numerous other sights, such as Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in the old town (built in 1166), and ancient walls which stretch 4,5 km directly above the city. Sveti Đorđe and Gospa od Škrpijela islets off the coast of Perast are also among more popular destinations in Kotor vicinity.

Nightlife is another thing which attracts tourists to Kotor. Old town is filled with pubs, taverns and cafes, and there are some excellent nightclubs in Kotor. With the opening of Maximus nightclub, it has once again become the focus of nightlife of Montenegro's coast.

Summer events, such as Summer Carnival or Bokeljska Noć, are visited by thousands of tourists. These are the most visited happenings in Montenegro during the summer, with over 30,000 people partying in Kotor during Summer Carnival.

Kotor is not a premium destination for sunbathing, as there are no sandy beaches, and water is not of reasonable quality in this part of the Bay of Kotor. However, the drive is no more than half an hour to some of the beaches on the Budva Riviera.

Transport

File:View from one of the beaches of Kotor.JPG
View from one of the beaches

Kotor is connected to the Adriatic Motorway and the rest of the coast and inland Montenegro by Vrmac Tunnel. Inland is reachable by detouring from Adriatic motorway at Budva or Sutomore (through Sozina tunnel). There is also a historic road connecting Kotor with Cetinje, which offers spectacular views of the Kotor bay.

Tivat Airport is 5 km away, and there are regular flights to Belgrade and Zürich, and dozens of charter planes land daily on Tivat airport during the summer season.

Podgorica Airport is 65 km away, and it has regular flights to major European destinations throughout the year.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kotor.

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