In this article we will talk about the real miracle of nature, which the guidebooks call "the southernmost canyon." This is Boka Kotor Bay (Montenegro). It is located in the south-west of the country and is rightly considered its business card. In general, Kotor Bay is usually defined by epithets in an excellent degree. This is the “southernmost fjord”, and the bay of the Adriatic Sea most deeply protruding into the land, and the most convenient harbor of Europe. Much of this is true, but not all. The fact that in Kotor Bay you will catch your breath from the panorama that opens is pure truth. It is not for nothing that UNESCO included this natural monument on its list. But the fact that this is a fjord is incorrect from a scientific point of view. Below we will reveal the secret of the emergence of the Boka Kotor Bay. In the meantime, we add that this bay is interesting not only for its natural beauties. Its banks are decorated with a whole placer of ancient towns. And each of them has preserved many historical and cultural attractions.
Geography and etymology
The name of the bay was given by the Venetians. "Boccha" in Italian means "mouth, throat." And since the city of Kotor is located in its very depths, all natural education began to be called Bocche di Cattaro. The Slavic tribes who arrived here, settled on the shores of the bay, even began to distinguish themselves as a separate nation - the Bokels. For a long time it was believed that the bay is a fjord. But how could it have arisen in southern Europe? After all, there are no other landforms formed by the pilots. It turned out that this bay is actually not a fjord, but a river canyon. As a result of the movement of tectonic plates, the mouth of the water stream sank and was flooded by the sea. It so happened that under the southern sun of the Adriatic there is a completely "Scandinavian" landscape. The so-called fjord, curiously curving, cuts deep into the mainland for thirty kilometers. The width of the Bay of Kotor at the entrance to the “pharynx” is 3 km, and in the narrowest place (Verige Strait, where the Vrmac peninsula separates the Tivat Bay from the deepest part) - only three hundred meters.
History
Boka Kotor Bay (Montenegro) is known not only for its natural beauties. Lovers of antiquity will satisfy their passion here - after all, the shores of a river canyon immersed in the sea are covered with cities - one older than another. The first in the annals appears Rhizonicus Sinus - the current Risan. This city was founded by the Illyrians in 229 BC. Sixty years later, he was occupied by Rome. The city of Askrivium (in other sources, Askruvium) was first mentioned in 168 BC. Now it is Kotor. He quickly became dominant from the entire string of settlements. Therefore, he gave the name to the whole bay - Boca di Cattaro. Already in the early Middle Ages, in 535, a fortress was built here by Emperor Justinian. However, the powerful walls did not protect Askrivium from subsequent conquests. He visited the First Bulgarian Kingdom, Serbia, Bosnia, the Kingdom of Hungary, until he came under the rule of the Republic of Venice in 1420 . For one hundred and twenty years, Kotor was under the oppression of the Ottoman Empire, after which it passed to the Habsburgs, then to Italy, then to the French possessions seized by Napoleon. Since 1815, Kotor with the bay was part of the Dalmatian kingdom as part of Austria-Hungary. Having been a part of Yugoslavia, this region was transferred to the independent Republic of Montenegro.
How to get to Boka Kotor Bay
It will be most convenient to get to the main city of the “southernmost fjord”. Kotor is located just seven kilometers from Tivat with its international airport. Comfortable buses depart from Budva and other coastal resorts of Montenegro. Travel time - half an hour, travel - about three euros. The bus station is located a five-minute leisurely walk from the old part of Kotor. But if you want to see the “fjord” in all its glory, take the risk of driving from Cetinje to Trinity along the P1 mountain road or along the serpentine towards Nigushe. The Boka Kotor Bay will appear just as stunningly beautiful if you take a boat trip on a boat or yacht. The first (if moving from the Adriatic Sea) will be the Gulf of Herceg Novi. Then there will be a narrow duct, because of which the bay was called the “pharynx”. Following to the right will be opened to the delighted eyes of Tivat Bay. This is followed by the passage of the bottleneck - three hundred meters wide of the Verige Strait. And already behind it are shown two bays - Risan and Kotor.
Kotor Bay: Rest
Different categories of tourists come here. Surprisingly, in the Bay of Kotor there is something to do for both avid divers and lovers of excursions. And families with children will be comfortable here. Indeed, in the deep, crashing into the coast for thirty kilometers, the bay there are no storms. There are no strong dangerous currents here. The banks of the former river canyon plummet to the depths. But there are wonderful beaches of the Bay of Kotor, where you can comfortably swim and sunbathe. Especially many such coasts in the vicinity of Tivat and Herceg Novi. There are excellent sandy and pebble beaches. It should be noted that oyster farms also use calm water without strong currents. If you see bright orange buoys off the coast, you should know that there is a restaurant nearby where you can enjoy the freshest seafood. Some places of the Boka Kotor Bay, such as Igalo and Prcanj, are famous as balneological resorts.
Montenegro, Kotor Bay: hotels
Where to stay in order to fully enjoy your vacation in the bay? Tourists have a large selection. Especially a lot of hotels in the largest city on the banks of the Boca - Herceg Novi. Tivat is the second largest settlement of the Bay of Kotor. But this city, despite its antiquity, was built up during the time of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. In Kotor there is the Old City, where hotels are very expensive, and the New, in which you can find accommodation for every taste, including on the front page. Kotor Bay is also attractive for tourists to small towns bearing the stamp of the Venetian buildings. In Perast, Risan, Prcanj and other small towns of Boka, hotels occupy historic buildings.
What to do on vacation
It will be just a crime (primarily against yourself) if you devote your entire vacation to thoughtless lying on the beach. Kotor Bay gives tourists an unforgettable experience. Several dozens of ships of different eras found reassurance in its bowels, which provides an incentive for divers to dive. And those who have not mastered scuba diving can go on an excursion to various islands. Each of them - St. Marco and St. George, Mamul, Gospod od Milo and Gospod od Shkrpela - is of particular interest to tourists. On the shores and islands of the Boka Kotor Bay are ancient Catholic and Orthodox churches and monasteries. Some of them are pilgrimage sites. Of the main shrines, it is impossible not to mention the Savina Monastery in Herceg Novi and the Church of St. Tryphon in Kotor.
Ancient Kotor
Now we will study the towns that are located on the shores of the bay. Let's start with Kotor. The old town is perched on the slope of Mount Lovcen, at the very end of the “throat”. When an earthquake occurred in 1979 that caused great damage to Kotor, UNESCO took it under its auspices. The “Adriatic Bride” (also called this city) is still surrounded by walls. You can get to Old Kotor through the gates: Gurdich, River or Sea. Cobbled streets resemble a labyrinth, and numerous winged lions on the facades of houses remind us that the city has been part of the Venetian Republic for many years. The main tourist attraction is the fortress of St. John. It dominates the city, and from it the whole Boka Kotorska Bay opens at a glance. Tour to the fortress is paid. In addition, it will be necessary to overcome the fourteen hundred steps. Other sights of the city include the Cathedral of Tryphon, the Church of St. Luke, the Clock Tower, the pillory and the Maritime Museum.
Herceg Novi
Kotor Bay opens from this "City of a Thousand Steps". The name is no coincidence. Herceg Novi is located on a mountain, and most of its streets are pretty steep stairs. Another colorful and apt epithet of the city is the Botanical Garden of Montenegro. Herceg Novi earned this name by the fact that at one time sailors planted many exotic plants here from around the world. In the center of the old city, you can see as many as three defensive fortresses, as well as churches and a clock tower built by the Turks. In the resort village of Igalo, which is located seven kilometers from Herceg Novi, there is a medical center where they treat with mud and mineral water. Because of him, the fame of the balneological resort passed to Herceg Novi. On the other side of the city, in Melin, guidebooks advise visiting Savvino Monastery.
Perast
This little old town looks like a toy. Colorful houses clung to a hill on the bay. In the troubled era of war, the peace of the inhabitants of Perast was guarded by the citadel of the Holy Cross. Residents of the Boka Kotor Bay adopted the fashion for tall bells from Italians. Each city wanted its “companion” to be the record holder. In the seventeenth century, Perast became a leader among the settlements on the Adriatic. The height of the local bell tower is fifty-five meters. It should be climbed to the top to see how far below shimmers with all shades of blue Kotor Bay. Not far from Perast there are two islands: the natural one, with the Benedictine monastery of St. George, and the bulk, bearing the name of the Virgin on the Reef.
Prcanj
Opposite Kotor across the bay is a former fishing village. The whole history of Prcanj is somehow connected with the sea. There was a naval school, a forge of cadres, supplying young captains. One of his graduates, Ivo Vizin, was the sixth person to circumnavigate the world (in the mid-nineteenth century, on the Splendido). In Prcanj there is a mysterious church, which is famous for Boka Kotorska Bay. It was built one hundred and twenty years: it began under the Venetians, and completed already under Austro-Hungarian rule. The Catholic Church, dedicated to the Virgin, is next to another, the same Roman denomination. Who needed to build this cathedral? It is believed that this temple was built by order of the Knights of Malta.
Tivat
This city has an international airport where charter flights land. Even in Tivat there are many trendy shops, restaurants with European, Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. As the yacht port is located in the city, it is easy to rent luxury apartments here. But the main attractions of the Bay of Kotor , which are located in Tivat, is the Arsenal Naval Museum. There you can see exhibits from the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and socialist Yugoslavia. The museum has two submarines. You can continue the tour to the largest of them - “Hero”. Tivat is also famous for the landscapes of the Cote d'Azur. It seems like you are not in Montenegro, but on the Riviera of Nice or Cannes.