Montenegro
Montenegro - the pearl of the Mediterranean, unique in many ways is situated in the south of the Adriatic. There is nowhere else that you can find, in such a small place, so much natural wealth, beauty, mild beaches, clear lakes, fast rivers and gorgeous mountains - like you can in the small country of Montenegro. In the morning you can wake up along the beautiful Adriatic coast, have lunch on the banks of Skadar Lake, and enjoy the evening walks in the Montenegrin Mountains. Montenegro is a place that cannot leave you indifferent.
- Surface: the mainland covers 13,452 km2, and the surface of the territorial sea is 360 km2.
- Population: 672,180 inhabitants
- Capital: Podgorica
- Coastline: 293.5 km
- Number of islands, solitary rocks and reefs: 11; the largest island is Ada Bojan, The most famous is Gospa od Å krpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks), one of the two islets off the coast of Perast in Bay of Kotor. It is an artificial island created by bulwark of rocks and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks..
- Currency: Euro
The Coast of Montenegro
Photo © Ina Vikalo
Photo © András Szeder
Photo © Rayko Swensson
Photo © Saša Živaljević
Photo © Fibes
Photo © Mirko Radonić
There are three colors present in the Montenegrin landscape: blue, emerald green and iron gray, amazingly combined and interwoven, because of its priceless natural beauty, Montenegro was proclaimed an ecological state through a special declaration.
The fabulously jagged coastline of the Adriatic sea offers you the variety of beaches, coves, bays and islets that you have been dreaming of. The reality is even more exotic then the promises found in tourist brochures. The world’s southernmost and probably the most celebrated fjord in verse, beautiful Mediterranean Kotor Bay, as well as the whole seacoast, is sheltered and shielded by the karstic mountains: Rumija, Sutomoran, Orjen, and Lovcen.
Resting on the shores of the Adriatic, a small sea maybe, but a wide-open gateway to Europe. Each coastal town tells its own story. Herceg Novi, a true Mediterranean botanical garden, a town of carnivals and artists. Kotor, a town of ancient seafarers, builders and scientists, a museum town. Budva, an open-air stage for theatrical performances and festivals, a town of stunning beaches and a thrilling night life. Ulcinj, a town of many cultures, the easternmost West and westernmost East.
Famous Places
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 and the Venetian influence remains among the architectural influences. 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 one of the great Mediterranean landscapes is 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.
Our Gospa od Skrpjela (Lady of the Rock) in Kotor Bay is an exquisite anomaly which grew, perhaps, out of remorse for the heinous act perpetrated on St George. Around a small crag (skripio in Dalmatian dialect) local people started to built another island. It began with the hulls of scuttled ships and was reinforced by stones carried boatload after boatload to form a seat for a votive chapel which in 1630 they dedicated to the intercession of the mother of Christ. By 1725 the orginal chapel of the Gospa od Skrpjela had been enlarged by the addition of a sanctuary with a distinctive octagonal dome. In the small square in front of the church they arranged a so-called " place of reconciliation", the idea beeing that quarrelling parties in local disputes might work out fair solutions in the shade of the church and so avoid the Venetian courts. The stone benches are a reminder of the personal and community dramas that must have been enacted here.
Once a small fishing village on a ridge by the sea shore which experienced an unbelievable transformation, Sveti Stefan became during the seventies and eighties one of the Montenegro's most famous tourist centers for the high paying clientele. Sophia Loren, one of the most frequent visitors, bewitched by its beauty like everyone else, had once wanted to build a villa on a nearby deserted cliff. Then Sylvester Stallone and numerous other famous actors, artists, kings and princes from all over the world used to visit this magic place. Sveti Stefan is the place with the best pedigree in Montenegro, and fortunately is still well-preserved and one of the most attractive Montenegrin tourist destinations.
Montenegro is a land of contrasts and natural beauty. The clear and clean Adriatic Sea combines with numerous beaches of sand, pebbles or stones, creating unique places. Some beaches are kilometers long or only a couple of tens of meters. Some are remote from boarding places, surrounded by settlements or in front of a hotel. There are beaches in bays, on rocky shores and near olive trees, fields or pine forests. Some have a view to the open sea, some are secluded in coves, some are equipped with all the accessories for a pleasant stay, while others are wild, intact, isolated, and accessible only by boat.
