|
Kotor 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 administrative center of Kotor municipality. The old Mediterranean port of Kotor, surrounded by an impressive city wall built by House of Nemanjic, 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. The Boka Kotorska (Gulf of Kotor), one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea is sometimes called the southern-most fjord in Europe, although it is actually a submerged river canyon. With the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovcen mountains, one of the greatest Mediterranean landscapes was created. In recent years, Kotor has seen a steady increase in tourists attracted by both the natural beauty of the Boka Kotorska and the old town of Kotor itself.
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 Ascrivium 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 Cattaro. The city was plundered by the Saracens in 840. 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 Ragusa (Dubrovnik), 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 triumphantly which surrendered to him peacefully. He spared the City and built in it an impressive Chateu. In the 14th century the commerce of Cattaro, as the city was then called, rivalled 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 by the Republic of Venice and Kingdom of Hungary in turn, it passed under Venetian rule in 1420. 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, but in 1805 , by the Treaty of Pressburg, it was assigned to the French Empire 's client state, the Kingdom of Italy, although in fact held by a Russian squadron under Dmitry Senyavin. After the Russians retreated, Kotor was united in 1810 with the French Empire's Illyrian Provinces.
Up until the beginning of the 20th century, Croats (including Bokeljs) constituted the majority in Kotor as well as in other places around the Gulf of Kotor, with the other major ethnic group being the Serbs. During the last century the percentage of Croats in the area declined sharply and today, Montenegrins make up the majority in all communities. Kotor is still the seat of the Croatian Catholic Bishopric of Kotor, which covers the entire gulf. The old town of Kotor is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in this part of the Mediterranean. It was succeeded in preserving its original form, so typical of towns between the XII and the XIV century. The asymmetric structure of the narrow streets and squares, combined with the numerous valuable monuments of medieval architecture, contributed to Kotor being placed on UNESCO's “The world natural and cultural inheritance” list. The cultural inheritance of this town is enriched by the unique architectural styles and the ambient atmosphere. The fortification system of Kotor, which protects it from the sea, is actually a wall 4.5 km long, 20 m high and 15 m wide, and is preserved as one of the world's historic values. |
