Bar is supposed to be a shortened Slavic variant ofAntivari.[2][3] The name is thought to be derived from the LatinAntibarum orAntibari, which later in Greek was transformed intoAntivárion / Antivari due to its pronunciation. "Antibari", meaning "oppositeBari", is a name taken because of it is location across theAdriatic Sea from Bari inItaly.[4] Variations are inItalian,Antivari / Antibari; inAlbanian,Tivari orTivar; inTurkish,Bar; inGreek, Θηβάριον,Thivárion, Αντιβάριον,Antivárion; inLatin,Antibarium.
Archaeological findings of substantial extent prove the presence of life in this location during prehistoric times.[3] Local archaeological findings date to theNeolithic era. It is assumed that Bar was mentioned as the reconstructedRoman castle,Antipargal, in the 6th century. The nameAntibarium was quoted for the first time in the 10th century.[citation needed]
Between 1405 and 1412.Venetians controlled Bar, and this was also the time when the city had the most growth. The Venetians granted the Barans rights in an effort to appease and win them over, and as a result, Bar developed into acity-state. Barans had their own Statute of Communes, were in charge of their own defense, possessed judicial authority, printed their own currency, and were exempt from military service in times of war. After the Venetians, Bar was again ruled by the Balšićs.Stefan Lazarević andĐurađ Branković also occupied Bar in the first half of the 15th century.[3]
Bar in 1863
From 1443 to 1571, the region was ruled by the Venetians, who called itAntivari, and it was part of theVenetian Albania. It was a town with its owncoat of arms, flag, statute and mint. In 1571, theOttomans captured Antivari and held the town until 1878.[6] Thearchdiocese was preserved. With the Ottoman conquest, the Catholic Church in the border area and theArchdiocese of Bar began to collapse, because indigenous people who began to migrate as Ottomans to that area brought a new ethnic and religious element. Because of a lack of Catholic priests, entireparishes were converted to Orthodoxy.[7] One of the archbishops during this period wasAndrija Zmajević.
In 1571, The Ottomans expelled the Orthodox and Catholic population.[8]
In 1878, The Ottomans ceded Antivari to Montenegro at theTreaty of Berlin, after losing theRusso-Turkish War. Montenegro's initial main goal in the negotiations was its expansion intoHerzegovina and theSanjak of Novi Pazar, but Austro-Hungarian expansion made it unrealistic. The Ottomans, represented byAlexander Karatheodori Pasha, declared that they would cede the port ofSpizza to Montenegro but not Bar and other areas because they claimed they were primarily inhabited by Catholics and Muslim Albanians. After negotiations between Foreign MinistersGyula Andrássy (Austria-Hungary) andPyotr Andreyevich Shuvalov (Russia), it was agreed that Bar would be ceded to Montenegro in return for Russian support for Austrian control overHerzegovina. The city-port of Bar itself became militarily neutral, the total number of Montenegrin vessels in the port was placed under limitations and Austria-Hungary acquired the right of patrol of Bar's coastline.[9]
In 1885 the castle ofKing Nikola was built. The king had it constructed for his daughterPrincess Zorka and his future son-in-lawPrince Petar Karađorđević. It has a chapel, watchtower, winter garden, small and huge castles, and a park. A wooden pier for docking ships was located in front of the structure. Additionally, there is a sizable flower shop with unique construction, a gift from King Emmanuel of Italy, and a catering establishment called "Knjaževa bašta." The former castle complex is now the Bar Heritage Museum, which hosts cultural events.
In the new Montenegrin Orthodox state, Bar went through urban depopulation because many of its urban inhabitants were Muslims, who either left or were expelled from the town. In the late 1850s, the town had 4,000 inhabitants, 62.5% of which were Muslims. More than half of its population left or was expelled after 1878. The first population register of the town under Montenegrin administration in 1879, counted 1,879 inhabitants. Muslims were 30.9% of the population, 24.6% were Catholics (mostly Albanians) in addition to Orthodox (mostly Montenegrins and Serbs).[10][need quotation to verify]
When the Montenegrins recaptured the city after Russo-Turkish War, life could not be organized in it due to the destruction of war. The population first moved to Podgrađe, and the urban core was formed at the beginning of the 20th century below Volujica. The settlement is called Pristan (Novi Bar).[3]
Guglielmo Marconi, theItalian scientist and pioneer in wireless telegraphy, usingNikola Tesla's patented technology, made a radio connection between Antivari (Bar) and Bari on 30 August 1904. In 1908, the first railroad in this part of the Balkans was put into operation there.[citation needed]
On 8 August 1914 Austria-Hungary responded to Montenegro's declaration ofwar by sending theirprotected cruisers SMSZenta and SMSSzigetvár accompanied by the destroyer SMSUskoke and torpedo boat72F to conduct an unopposed bombardment of the port of Antivari, targeting its wireless station and harbour facilities. They were driven away by coastal batteries and destroyed only a wireless station. The Austrians declared a formal blockade of the Montenegrin coastline on August 10. On August 16, SMSZenta and an accompanying destroyer were ambushed and trapped off Antivari by a very large French fleet (over twelve battleships), and in the subsequentBattle of Antivari theZenta was sunk with considerable loss of life. The destroyer escaped. On the 18 September following, the Austro-Hungarian coastal battleshipSMSBudapest with supporting warships bombarded Antivari, the port and facilities, causing major damage, and on October 17–18 the destroyers SMSScharfschutze, SMSStreiter and SMSUlan bombarded Antivari's harbour. On November 18 the destroyer SMSUskoke also conducted a brief bombardment. The Austrians made their largest raid to date on the evening and night of 1–2 March 1915 when their destroyers SMSCsikós, SMSStreiter, and SMSUlan covered a raid by three torpedo-boats into Antivari harbour. The latter destroyed the main wharf and stocks of food and ammunitions along the waterfront, and captured the Montenegrin royal yachtRumija, which was later torpedoed. The destruction of the wharves prevented larger ships from unloading supplies at the port restricting Allied shipments of food and munitions to the Montenegrin army. The Allies realised that with the Austro-Hungarian naval base ofCattaro close by there was little they could do.[11]
In 1945, Albanians in Bar were massacred by Yugoslavs partisans. This event is known as theBar massacre.
In 1976, Pristan was demolished, with the aim of expanding the Port in its place. The population was mainly moved to Topolica, where until urbanization there was only a complex of the Castle of King Nicholas.[3]
After the catastrophic earthquake of 1979, especially conditioned by the work of the Port of Bar, the city experienced a demographic boom. In the period until 1990, Bar was one of the crucial ports ofSFR Yugoslavia, which was invested in and which became the political, industrial, tourist, cultural, sports center of the region. This was especially contributed by the opening of the roads Bar-Titograd in 1959 and Bar-Belgrade in 1976.[12]
When Montenegro signed an agreement with theChinese Government to build a motorway from Bar to theSerbian border (part of theBelt and Road initiative) in 2014, large tracts of land around Bar were agreed as collateral in the event of the Montenegro government defaulting on payment of the 1 billion dollar loan. The project was financed by theExport-Import Bank of China.[13][14] Contractual disputes can only be resolved through a Chinese court.[15]
Bar is located on the coastal western border of Montenegro on the shore of the Adriatic Sea. It is approximately 53 kilometres (33 mi) fromPodgorica, the capital of Montenegro. To the east is the largest lake inSouth Europe,Lake Skadar. To the west, across the sea, is Italy.[16]
Bar has a borderlinehumid subtropical (Cfa) andMediterranean climate (Csa) in theKöppen climate classification, since the driest month has 37 mm (1.5 inches) of precipitation, preventing it from being classified as solely humid subtropical or Mediterranean.[17] Winters are cool and rainy, with an average high of 12.3 °C (54.1 °F) in January and a low of 4.3 °C (39.7 °F). Snow is very rare occurrence in Bar, it usually snows once in a few years. The highest recorded snowfall occurred during January 2000, when 9 centimetres (3.5 in) was measured. Summers are generally warmer, drier and sunnier than the winter months. During summer, the highest temperatures are around 27 to 28 °C (81 to 82 °F) and the lowest 18 °C (64 °F). Precipitation is low during the summer months, although rainfall can still occur, with July averaging 4.5 days with measurable precipitation. Spring and fall are transitional seasons that feature mild weather that can often be wet and unpredictable. There are, on average, 2523 hours of sunshine per year, ranging from a low of 111.6 hours in December to a high of 350.3 hours in July.[18]
Climate data for Bar (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1949–present)
The coastal part of Bar supportsmaquis shrubland with oak, holm oak, laurel, myrtle, Spanish broom, oleander, hawthorn, sloe, thorn, butcher's broom and asparagus. To the north and the mountains, there are oak and beech forests.Citrus fruits including tangerine, orange and lemon grow in the Bar area as do pomegranates, olives, grapevines and figs. Ginkgo biloba grows in the park of King Nikola's palace.[citation needed]
Skadar Lake is rich in bird life including the pelican. Game animals are found in Ostros, Rumija, Lisinj, Sutorman and Sozina and include rabbit, badger, fox, wolf and boar. At the Bar sea shore one finds various kinds of shells, snails,echinodermata,cephalopoda andcrayfish.[citation needed]
Bar is the administrative centre ofBar Municipality, which includes the town ofSutomore and other small coastal towns. A census in 2023 recorded 46,171 people in the Bar Municipality. The town of Bar had 15,868 inhabitants.[1][21]
Stari Bar (the Old Town of Bar)A fragment of the town walls of Stari BarKing Nikola's Palace
The economy of Bar relies upon thePort of Bar, theBelgrade–Bar railway and theSozina tunnel. The Port of Bar is the most recognizable feature of the city. It occupies 3,100 m (10,170.60 ft) of seacoast, land area of 800 ha and aquatorium of 200ha. It is capable of reloading 5 million tons of goods annually. In 1976, the Belgrade – Bar railway was opened. It made the Adriatic coast accessible to tourists, and transport to the Port of Bar. The food company,Primorka has been operating in Bar for more than 50 years. It producesolive oil andpomegranate juice. There are 95,000olive trees, about 80,000citrus trees (lemon,orange,tangerine andgrapefruit) in the municipal area. The centre for subtropical cultures, founded in 1937, is the oldest scientific institution in Montenegro. Tourism is also a major part of Bar's economy.[citation needed]
Bar has a ferry line to Bari, Italy which is operated by Montenegro Lines.[23] In season, ferries also go toAncona, Italy. Bar is well connected with inland Montenegro, as well as with the rest of the Montenegrin coast. TheSozina tunnel, completed in 2006, shortened the road connection with Podgorica to around 50 km (31 mi). Bar is connected to other coastal towns by the Adriatic motorway, which extends fromUlcinj toHerceg Novi, and on toCroatia. Bar is also the final station of theBelgrade–Bar railway, which connects Bar with Podgorica, northern Montenegro andSerbia.Podgorica Airport is about 40 km (25 mi) from Bar. There are regular flights toBelgrade,Budapest,Zürich,Frankfurt,Ljubljana,London,Paris,Rome andVienna.[citation needed] As well the Blueline bus company provides public bus service with the central city of Bar as well as near the city of Sutomore. There is also inter city buses as well as international buses such as Flexbus.
There are numerous sports facilities in the Bar hotels and schools. In the centre of town, most of the facilities are in the Sports and Recreation Centre. Water sports such as diving are common.[citation needed] Sports tourism is promoted because of the proximity to the sea and lake. Bar hosted the 2010FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship and the 2010 Men's u18 European Handball Championship.
^Room A.Placenames of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features and Historic Sites. 2nd edition, 2005.ISBN0786422483
^Ivan Jovović, 2013, Dvooltarske crkve na crnogorskom primorju, {Glavni razlozi propadanja katoličke crkve na graničnim područjima, kao što je na primjer barska arhidijeceza jeste emigracija starosjedilačkog stanovništva, ali i imigracija ovog etničkog i vjerskog elementa, koje dovode Turci, "The main reasons for collapse of the Catholic Church in border areas, such as Archdiocese of Bar, are emigration of the indigenous population, but also immigrationof new ethnic and religious element, brought by the Turks"}https://www.maticacrnogorska.me/files/53/06%20ivan%20jovovic.pdfArchived 2022-03-25 at theWayback Machine #page= 67
^"Dnevni prosjeci i ekstremi" (in Montenegrin). Hydrological and Meteorological Service of Montenegro. May 2018. Retrieved6 March 2021.
^Становништво, упоредни преглед броја становника 1948, 1953, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2003, подаци по насељима. Подгорица: Републички завод за статистику. 2005. COBISS-ID 8764176.
^"Bratimljenje"(PDF).database.uom.me (in Montenegrin). Zajednica opština Crne Gore. January 2013. p. 29. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2015-05-18. Retrieved2019-12-29.
