Boka-Kotor Bay, Montenegro: description, rest, attractions

In this article we will talk about the real miracle of nature, which guides are called "the southernmost canyon". This is the Boka-Kotor Bay (Montenegro). It is located in the south-west of the country and is rightly considered its business card. In general, the Bay of Kotor is usually defined as epithets in an excellent degree. This is the "southernmost fjord", the deepest gulf of the Adriatic Sea, and the most convenient harbor in Europe. Much of this is true, but not all. The fact that in Kotor Bay you will catch your breath from the opening panorama - pure truth. Not for nothing because UNESCO included this natural monument in its list. But the fact that this is a fjord is wrong from a scientific point of view. Below, we will disclose the mystery of the appearance of the Boka-Kotorska Bay. In the meantime, we add that this bay is interesting not only for its natural beauties. Its banks are adorned with a whole scattering of old towns. And in each of them there are many historical and cultural attractions.

Geography and etymology

The name of the bay was given by the Venetians. "Boccha" in Italian means "mouth, mouth". And since in its very depths there is the city of Kotor, then all natural formation began to bear the name Bocche di Cattaro. Arrived here Slavic tribes settled on the banks of the bay, even began to identify themselves as a separate nationality - bokeltsy. For a long time it was believed that the bay is a fjord. But how could it arise in Southern Europe? After all, there are no other forms of relief formed by flying machines. It turned out that this bay is in fact not a fjord, but a river canyon. As a result of the movement of tectonic plates, the mouth of the water stream descended and was flooded by the sea. So it turned out that under the southern sun of the Adriatic there is a completely "Scandinavian" landscape. The so-called fjord, curving bizarrely, crashes into the interior of the mainland for thirty kilometers. The width of the Bay of Kotor at the entrance to the "throat" is 3 km, and in the narrowest part (the Verige Strait, where the Vrmac Peninsula separates the Tivat Bay from the deep part) - only three hundred meters.

History

The Boka-Kotor Bay (Montenegro) is known not only for its natural beauties. Lovers of antiquity will satisfy here soya passion - after all the shores of a river canyon immersed in the sea are covered by cities - one is older than the other. The first in the annals appears Rizonikus Sinus - the current Risan. This city was founded by the Illyrians in 229 BC. Sixty years later, it was occupied by Rome. The city of Askrivium (in other sources of Askruvium) was first mentioned in 168 BC. Now it is Kotor. He quickly became the dominant of 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, the Emperor Justinian built a fortress there. However, the powerful walls did not save Ascriium from subsequent conquests. He visited the First Bulgarian Kingdom, Serbia, Bosnia, the Hungarian Kingdom, until he fell under the rule of the Venetian Republic in 1420 . For a hundred and twenty years Kotor was under oppression of the Ottoman Empire, after which he moved to the Habsburgs, then to Italy, then to Napoleon's possessions of France. Since 1815 Kotor with the bay was part of the Dalmatian kingdom as part of Austria-Hungary. Having visited part of Yugoslavia, this region departed from the independent Republic of Montenegro.

How to get to Boka-Kotorska Bay

The most convenient way is 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 in Montenegro. Travel time - half an hour, travel - about three euros. The bus station is located in five minutes of unhurried walk from the ancient part of Kotor. But if you want to see the "fjord" in all its glory, venture to drive from Cetinje to the Trinity along the P1 mountain road or along the serpentine towards Nigusha. The same Boka-Kotorska bay will appear to you as stunningly beautiful if you make a sea excursion on a boat or a yacht. The first (if you move from the side of the Adriatic Sea) is the bay of Herceg Novi. Then there will be a narrow channel, because of which the bay was called the "pharynx". From the right, Tivat Gulf will open to admire the eyes. Then follows the passage of the narrowest place - three hundred meters wide Verige Strait. And already behind it are two bays - Risana and Kotor.

Kotor Bay: rest

There are completely different categories of tourists coming here. It's amazing, but in the Bay of Kotor there is much to do both for avid divers and for excursion enthusiasts. And families with children here will be comfortable. After all, in a deep, crashing into the shore for thirty kilometers, there are no storms in the bay. There are no strong dangerous currents here either. The banks of the former river canyon plummet to the depth. But there are also wonderful beaches of Kotorska Bay, where you can comfortably swim and sunbathe. Especially a lot of such coasts in the vicinity of Tivat and Herceg Novi. There are excellent sandy and pebbly beaches. It should be noted that oyster farms also use calm water without strong currents. If you see bright orange buoys near the shore, you should know: there is a restaurant near by, where fresh seafood is served. Some small towns of the Boka-Kotorska bay, such as Igalo and Prcanj, are famous for their balneological resorts.

Montenegro, Kotor Bay: hotels

Where to stay to fully enjoy your holiday in the bay? The tourists have a great choice. Especially many hotels in the largest city on the banks of Boki - 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 Town, where hotels are very expensive, and New, where you can find accommodation for every taste, including on the front page. Kotor Bay is also attractive for tourists with small towns bearing the seal of the Venetian building. In Perast, Risan, Prcan and other small towns of Boki, the hotel occupies historical buildings.

What to do on vacation

It will be just a crime (first of all, against yourself), if you devote the whole vacation to a thoughtless lying on the beach. Kotor Bay gives tourists an unforgettable experience. In its depths, several dozen ships of different eras have been comforted, which gives an incentive for divers to dive. And those who did not master swimming with scuba divers can go on an excursion to different islands. Each of them - St. Marco and St. George, Mamula, Gospa od Milo and Gospa od Skrpel - is of some interest to tourists. On the shores and islands of the Boka-Kotorska Bay, there are ancient Catholic and Orthodox churches and monasteries. Some of them are pilgrimage places. Of the main shrines, it is impossible not to mention the Savina monastery in Herceg Novi and the Church of St. Trifon in Kotor.

Ancient Kotor

Now we will study the towns that are located along the shores of the bay. Let's start with Kotor. The old town was located on the slope of the Lovcen mountain, at the very end of the "pharynx". When in 1979 there was an earthquake that caused great damage to Kotor, UNESCO took it under its aegis. The "Bride of the Adriatic" (so called this city) is still surrounded by walls. You can get to the Old Kotor through the gates: Gurdich, River or Sea. Cobbled streets resemble a labyrinth, and numerous winged lions on the facades of houses remind that the city for many years was part of the Venetian Republic. The main tourist attraction is the fortress of St. John. It dominates the city, and from it opens the whole Boka-Kotorska bay on its palm. Excursion to the fortress is paid. In addition, you need to overcome one thousand four hundred steps. Among other attractions of the city you should remember the cathedral of Tryphon, the church of St. Luke, the Clock Tower, the pillory and the Maritime Museum.

Herceg Novi

Kotor Bay opens with this "City of a thousand steps." The name is not accidental. Herceg Novi is located on a mountain, and most of its streets are quite steep stairs. Another colorful and apt epithet of the city is the Botanical Garden of Montenegro. Herceg Novi deserved this title by the fact that at one time sailors planted a lot of exotic plants from around the world. In the center of the old city, you can see three defensive fortresses, as well as a church 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 are treated with mud and mineral water. Because of him, the glory of the balneological resort was transferred to Herceg Novi. On the other outskirts of the city, in Melin, guides are advised to visit the Savvino Monastery.

Perast

This small old town looks like a toy. Colorful houses clung to a hill on the shore of 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-Kotorska Bay adopted the Italians fashion for high belfries. Each city wished that its "companion" was the record holder. In the seventeenth century, Perast emerged as the leader among the settlements on the Adriatic. The height of the local bell tower is fifty-five meters. On its summit it is necessary to rise to see how far below the shades of blue the Kotor Bay shimmers. Not far from Perast there are two islands: natural, with the Benedictine monastery of St. George, and the bulk, bearing the name "Virgin on the reef."

Prcanj

Opposite Kotor across the bay is the former fishing village. The whole history of Prcan 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 man to perform circumnavigation (in the middle of the nineteenth century, on Splendido). In Prcanj there is a mysterious church, which is famous for the Boka-Kotorska bay. It was built for one hundred and twenty years: it began with the Venetians, and was completed already under the Austro-Hungarian rule. The Catholic church, dedicated to the Theotokos, is next to another, the same Roman denomination. Who needed to build this cathedral? There is an opinion that this temple was built by order of the Knights of the Order of Malta.

Tivat

In this city there is an international airport in which charter flights make landings. Even in Tivat, there are many fashionable shops, restaurants with European, Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. Since the city has a port for yachts, it is easy to rent luxury apartments. But the main attractions of the Bay of Kotor, which are located in Tivat, is the naval museum Arsenal. There you can see the exhibits of the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and socialist Yugoslavia. There are two submarines on the territory of the museum. Continue the tour can be in a large of them - "Hero". Still Tivat is famous for its landscapes of the Cote d'Azur. It seems that you are not in Montenegro, but on the Riviera of Nice or Cannes.