The oldMediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded byfortifications built during theVenetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska), one of the most indented parts of theAdriatic Sea, which constitutes aria, meaning a submerged river canyon. Together with the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs ofOrjen andLovćen, Kotor and its surrounding area form the unique landscape.
Once populated by theIllyrians, the exact time of foundation of the first settlement is not known. According to some sources, the oldest settled area dates two millennia back.
The city has been fortified since the earlyMiddle Ages, when EmperorJustinian built a fortress above Ascrivium in 535, after expelling theOstrogoths.[5] Ascrivium was plundered by theSaracens in 840. It was further fortified towards the peak of Saint Ivan byConstantine VII Porphyrogennetos in the 10th century.
It was one of the more influentialDalmatian city-states, initially with a Romance-speaking population, as throughout the early Middle Ages, and until the 11th century theDalmatian language was still spoken in Kotor. The city was part of Byzantine Dalmatia in that period, and the modern name of Kotor probably originated in the Byzantine name for the city:Dekatera orDekaderon.
In 1002, the city suffered damage under the occupation of theFirst Bulgarian Empire, and in the following year it was ceded toDuklja by the BulgarianTsar Samuil. Duklja, or Dioclea, was a vassal duchy of the Bulgarian Empire at the time. The local population resisted the pact and, taking advantage of its alliance withDubrovnik, maintained its high autonomy. Duklja, the biggest Serb duchy at the time, gradually became more powerful underVojislavljević dynasty and eventually independent from Byzantium in 1040. The city remained autonomous up until Duklja was once again subdued by Byzantium in 1143.
The city was conquered in 1185 byStefan Nemanja, the ruler of theGrand Principality of Serbia and founder of theNemanjić dynasty. At that time Kotor was already an episcopal see subordinated to the archbishopric ofBari, and in the 13th century,Dominican andFranciscan monasteries were established to check the spread ofBogomilism. Under the rule of the Nemanjić, Kotor became a partially autonomous city, enjoying many privileges and maintaining its republican institutions. This is backed by a statute from 1301, which demonstrates that Kotor had the status of a city under Serbian rule. In the 14th century the commerce ofCattaro, as named in Latin scripts (in SerbianКотор, град краљев/Kotor, grad kraljev/Kotor, city of the King), rivaled that of Republic of Ragusa, and caused theRepublic of Venice to be envious. Kotor remained the most important trading port of subsequent Serb states –Kingdom of Serbia andSerbian Empire, up to its downfall in 1371.
After thefracturing of the Serbian Empire, the city was taken by theKingdom of Hungary, only to change hands repeatedly between them and the Republic of Venice in the period between 1371 and 1384. After that, Kotor was held by theKingdom of Bosnia underTvrtko I Kotromanić between 1384 and 1391. The king of Bosnia, who claimed the Serbian throne, minted his coins in Kotor.
After the death of Tvrtko in 1391, Kotor became fully independent, until the administration, wary of the loomingOttoman danger, asked Venice for protection. The city acknowledged thesuzerainty of Venice in 1420.
Four centuries of Venetian domination have given the city the typical Venetian architecture, that contributes to make Kotor aUNESCO world heritage site.[6]
In the 14th and 15th centuries, there was an influx of settlers from the oblasts ofTrebinje (the region around forts Klobuk Ledenica and Rudina) and theDuchy of Saint Sava (Gacko andDabar) to Kotor.[7] The Italian name of the city isCattaro. Under Venetian rule, Kotor was besieged by theOttoman Empire in1538 and 1657, endured theplague in 1572, and was nearly destroyed byearthquakes in 1563 and1667.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the customs of the local administration of Kotor, such as the right of thepopolari to elect urban representatives, were unchanged and tolerated by theProvveditore of the city, despite Venetian laws prohibiting such institutions. In 1627, during a dispute between the populari and Kotor's nobility, this right was revoked by theconsultareFulgenzio Micanzio, thus empowering the position of the city's urban elite.[8]
The Cathedral Square in Cattaro depicted byRudolf von Alt, 1841Napoleonic coins were minted in 1813 in Kotor
After theTreaty of Campo Formio in 1797, it passed to theHabsburg monarchy. However, in 1805, it was assigned to theFrench Empire's client state, theNapoleonic Kingdom of Italy, by theTreaty of Pressburg, although in fact held by a Russian squadron underDmitry Senyavin. After the Russians retreated, Kotor was united in 1806 with this Kingdom of Italy and then in 1810 with the French Empire'sIllyrian Provinces. Kotor wascaptured by the British in an attack on the Bay led by Commodore John Harper in the brig sloopHMS Saracen (18 guns). To seal off Kotor, residents along the shore literally pulled the ship in windless conditions with ropes.Saracen's crew later hauled naval 18-pounder guns above Fort St. John, the fortress near Kotor, and were reinforced by Captain William Hoste with his shipHMS Bacchante (38 guns). The French garrison had no alternative but to surrender, which it did on 5 January 1814.
It was restored to the Habsburgs by theCongress of Vienna. Until 1918, the town, then known asCattaro, was head of the district of the same name, one of the 13Bezirkshauptmannschaften in theKingdom of Dalmatia.[9]
DuringWorld War I, Cattaro was one of three main bases of theAustro-Hungarian Navy, the home port of the Austrian Fifth Fleet, consisting of pre-dreadnought battleships and light cruisers, and a base for Austrian and German submarines. TheCattaro mutiny of sailors of the Austro-Hungarian Navy occurred in Kotor starting on 1 February 1918. The mutiny remained isolated and had to be abandoned after three days due to the arrival of loyal troops. Four sailors were subsequently executed according to naval law.[10]
The area was the site of some of the fiercest battles between local Montenegrins andAustria-Hungary. The city came under the alliedoccupation of the eastern Adriatic in 1918. After 1918, the city became a part ofYugoslavia and officially became known asKotor.
Entrance of old city Kotor with post-World War II sign "What belongs to others we don't want, ours we don't give."
Between 1941 and 1943 theKingdom of Italy annexed the area of Kotor which became one of three provinces of the ItalianGovernorate of Dalmatia – theProvince of Cattaro[11] had an area (subdivided in 15 "Comuni") of 547 km2 and a population of 39,800 inhabitants. Most of the city's inhabitants were Orthodox (with some Roman Catholics). After the war the remainingDalmatian Italians of Kotor (300 inhabitants) left Yugoslavia towards Italy (Istrian-Dalmatian exodus).[12]
It is home to numerous sights, such as theCathedral of Saint Tryphon in the old town (built in 1166), and the ancient walls which stretch for 4.5 km (3 mi) directly above the city. Sveti Đorđe and Gospa od Škrpijela islets off the coast ofPerast are also among the tourism destinations in the vicinity of Kotor.
Kotor hosts several summer events, such as theSummer Carnival orBokeljska Noć. Together withBudva, and the small town ofTuzi, nearPodgorica, the city hosted theFederation of European Carnival Cities (FECC) World Carnival City Congress in May 2009.
Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children is one of the most important festivals of its kind in Southeast Europe.[13] Thirty years of this manifestation have marked performances by artists from over 30 countries, from 5 continents. It was founded in 1993, not far from the place where the first play for children in the Balkans was performed in 1829. The 2017/18 festival was awarded the EFFE Label by the EFA (European Festivals Association).[14] Kotor Festival is highly regarded in the local community and has a large volunteer base.
Kotor has a large population of cats that have become a symbol of the city.[15] The city has several cat stores and a cat museum, as well as the Cats' Square (Trg od mačaka).[16] Water and food is left throughout the city for the cats to feed on, and cardboard boxes are often arranged to be a place for the cats to sleep in.[17] Tourists may notice cats in poor health, which may be due to malnutrition, lack of shelter, fighting, or illness (often a common viral respiratory condition for which medicine is unavailable).[18] The charity Kotor Kitties[19] exists to try and help the cats of Kotor through spaying and neutering. Kotor is described evocatively at the beginning of Marguerite Yourcenar's story 'Marko's Smile.'
Kotor is the administrative centre of Kotor municipality, which includes the towns ofRisan and Perast, as well as many small hamlets around theBay of Kotor, and has a population of 21,916.[21]
The town of Kotor itself has 1,360 inhabitants, but the administrative limits of the town encompass only the area of the Old Town. The urban area of Kotor also includesDobrota (7,345) andŠkaljari (3,342), bringing the population of Kotor's urban area close to 13,000 inhabitants. The total number rises to around 15,000 if the neighbouring hamlets ofMuo,Prčanj andStoliv are included. The entire population ofKotor Municipality was 21,916, as of the 2023 census.
Ethnic composition of the municipality in 2011:[22]
Throughout history, there was a significantItalian-speaking community in Kotor. Until the 19th century the main language of Kotor wasItalian,[23] which then began to decline in favour ofSerbian. According to the Austrian censuses, there were 623 residents of the central settlement that usedItalian as theirhabitual language[24] (18.7% of the total population) in 1890, and 257 (8.1%) in 1910.[25] The commune as a whole had 646 (11.9%) Italian speakers in 1890, and 274 (4.6%) in 1910.[25] The majority of the Italian population left the city for Italy after theTreaty of Rapallo (1920).[citation needed] In 2011, only 31 people declared themselves as Italians, corresponding to 0.14% of the total population.[26]
In 1848, the population of the city of Kotor itself was 3,550 people, of whom 2,384 wereCatholics and 1,157 wereOrthodox Christians. However, theCircolo (administrative area) of which Kotor was the capital had a population of 34,326, of whom the majority (24,498) were Orthodox and a minority (9,819) were Catholic.[27] The population of the city proper increased to 5,400 by 1890 and 5,700 by 1900.[28]
According to documents from 1900, Kotor had 7,617 Catholics, and 7,207 Orthodox Christians. Kotor is still the seat of theCatholicBishopric of Kotor, which covers the entire gulf. In 2011, 78% citizens of Kotor were Orthodox Christians, while 12% were listed as Roman Catholic.
Kotor is connected to theAdriatic Highway and the rest of the coast and inland Montenegro byVrmac Tunnel. Inland is reachable by detouring from Adriatic highway at Budva orSutomore (throughSozina tunnel). There is also a historic road connecting Kotor withCetinje, which has views of Kotor bay.
Tivat Airport is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away, and there are regular flights toBelgrade,Moscow,Paris andLondon. Dozens of charter planes land daily on Tivat airport during the summer season.
Podgorica Airport is 65 kilometres (40 mi) away, and it has regular flights to major European destinations throughout the year.
Kotor is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Montenegro due to its well-preserved medieval architecture.[30] In 2019, it welcomed over 250,000 tourists.[31]
In June 2021, the first and only public aquarium in Montenegro,Aquarium Boka, was opened in Kotor.[32] It is the organizational unit of theInstitute for Marine Biology of theUniversity of Montenegro, a unique institution in Montenegro that combines research and education to promote and practice the efficient conservation of marine wildlife.[33] In the first three months, the Aquarium was visited by more than 8,000 people.[34]
^Van Gelder, Maartje; Judde de Larivière, Claire (2020).Popular Politics in an Aristocratic Republic: Political Conflict and Social Contestation in Late Medieval and Early Modern Venice. Routledge.ISBN978-1000057867.
^Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm KLEIN, 1967
^Paul, G. Halpern: The Cattaro Mutiny, 1918. In: Christopher, M. Bell/Bruce A. Elleman (Ed.): Naval mutinies of the twentieth century. An international perspective. London 2003, pp. 54–79, here p. 54. Available at:[1], free registration required.
^Le bocche di Cattaro nel 1810: con notizie sul Montenegro : relazione di Luigi Paulucci, delegato napoleonico, con altri documenti e appunti di storia "bocchese" : biografie dei Marchesi Paulucci, nei loro legami dalmati, veneti, piemontesi e russi
^"Bratimljenje"(PDF).database.uom.me (in Montenegrin). Zajednica opština Crne Gore. January 2013. p. 29. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 18 May 2015. Retrieved29 December 2019.
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