Kotor, Montenegro 4K #shorts #travel #drone
Kotor is located in a secluded part of Boka Bay. The municipality of Kotor has a population slightly above 25.000, while the town is the administrative center with only 1.500 residents.
Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval Old Towns in the Adriatic region, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also, Montenegro became the first internationally recognized ecological state in the world in 1992. Boka Bay is listed as one of the 25 most beautiful bays in the world, along with the Bay of Naples, the Bay of Rio de Janeiro, and others.
GEOGRAPHY
Today’s appearance and coastline where shaped in the last glacial period, when the sea level rose about 100m and more, narrowing and widening were formed within the Bay zone. Up to a mighty river flew a deep valley penetration and predetermined tectonic movements and made several straits: Verige, Kumbor and Kotor Gate straits. The narrowest part of the Bay is Verige strait, which is only about 300m wide. By that time, the sea indented deeply into the and, along the valley’s lowest part
The Bay of Boka is formed of 4 smaller bays – The Bay of Herceg Novi, situated between the capes of Arza and Oštra, as well as the isle of Mamula. From the Bay of Herceg Novi, through the Kumbor strait, we come into the Bay of Tivat. These bays made a basin of Boka Bay and are connected with two other bays – Kotorand Risan, with the narrowest but most beautiful strait of Verige.
The depth of the sea in the Bay is really impressive, ranging from 20m up to 100m (at its deepest point), which allows giant cruiser ships to freely enter the Bay all the way to the city of Kotor.
The Southern Gate, also known as Gurdić Gate;
The Sea Gate, or The Main Gate, is the oldest and main gate of the town. An interesting fact is that until the 19th century, the entrance to this gate was only possible from the sea by boat because the land (where you can now see the road and parking lot) did not exist.
KOTOR CITY WALLS
The Kotor City Walls are more than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) in length and reach an altitude of 260 meters (850 feet). At the top of the ramparts is the fortress of Saint Ivan (San Giovanni), which can be reached by walking along the walls.
OLD TOWN GATES
The Old Town of Kotor can be entered via three different gates:
The Nothern Gate, also known as The River Gate, from a suburb of Tabachina (Tabačina), across the stone bridge of the shortest river in Montenegro named Škurda;
This masterpiece of fortification architecture oversees Kotor, and its inhabitants, with dignity in its own strength, as bearing witness to the turbulent history of the city. Built and reconstructed from the 9th to the 19th century, these walls are one of the reasons why Kotor in 1979. got on the list of World Natural and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
High and strong walls, reaching impressive 20 meters in some places, have survived attacks by numerous armies and strong earthquakes. Many unknown soldiers left their lives and thus became part of the history of this ancient city.
The fortress, known as San Giovanni, contains traces of Illyrian civilization in its grounds. It housed the soldiers responsible for defending the town.
Today, these walls walk many tourists. Every year, a new army of curious crossed the ancient walls, through 1426 steps toward San Giovanni fortress to have one of the best views of the city and the Bay of Kotor.
HISTORY
The first significant conquerors of Kotor were the Illyrians in about the 5th century BC. However, Rome’s invasive spirit was also felt during that period, and towards the end of that century, territorial aspirations became quite intensely demonstrated through military actions that could be provoked very easily. Eventually, the Illyrian state was defeated, and Romans took over the leadership over this area, forming the first city here, called Ascruvium.
Kotor was under Roman reign until the downfall of their empire in 476. AD, and for the next 7th century, the Byzantines will rule here. Instead of Ascruvium, Kotor was named Decameron. Slavic name Kotor was derived from the period of Kotor’s subsequent conquerors, the Serbian Nemanjić Dynasty, which ruled here from the 12th to 14th century. This royal family made Kotor a seaport that allowed them to maintain good connections with the West. This small l fortification experienced a significant economic and cultural boom during their reign.
After the Nemanjić Dynasty, Kotor was taken over by the Hungarians. Their king Ludvik rules Kotor from the year 1371, until 1384. Then, the throne was taken by Bosnian king Tvrtko I Kotoromanić, who stayed there for the next seven years.
For the first time, Kotor was an independent Republic between 1391 and 1420. However, the danger of conquering by the Turks made the people of Kotor voluntarily give the town to the Venetian Republic so they could be protected from the invasion of the Ottoman Empire.