Kotor
Kotor is a town in Montenegro, located in south west of the country Montenegro. The town has a population of 19000 with a municipality-wide population of about 24000 (2003).
The old Mediterranean port of Kotor, surrounded by an impressive city wall, 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 Gulf of Kotor (Boka Kotorska), 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 Boke Kotorska and the old town of Kotor itself.
The old town of Kotor is for many the most beautiful area of Montenegro and is proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The town is situated at the southern end of the magnificent Boka Kotorska, a bay of Scandinavian proportions. The ancient fortress above the bay and old town commands breathtaking views. Kotor town’s architecture is distinctly Venetian and it has a labyrinth of winding, cobbled streets. There is a good selection of restaurants, bars and shops which contrast the ancient churches, museums and the medieval fortress.
Tucked away at the end of the Gulf the town of Kotor sticks determinedly to the steep sides of Mount Lovcen, in one of the most dramatic settings in all of the Mediterranean. First colonised by the Greeks, Kotor flourished from the twelfth century as the chief port of the Serbian state of Raska though the town was very much an independent commune whose commercial power came to rival that of Dubrovnik. The golden years didn’t last long, for the town’s position was undermined by the Turkish conquests of the fifteenth century and Kotor was forced to seek the protection of Venice in 1420 - beginning a long and slow decline punctuated by siege, earthquake and plague. Kotor’s old town spreads out along the side of the Gulf behind its west wall, a confusion of twisting streets and tiny squares framed by a mountain slope, where the thin line of the east wall zig-zags up to an apex at the fortress of Sv Ivan. Most of what you see today is Venetian and dates from the fifteenth century - though the ramparts were started by the Byzantines some six centuries earlier. Inside, the central square is surrounded by a number of historic buildings including the Rector’s Palace, the Town Hall and Tower Clock.
More about Kotor at Kotor’s official tourist board page : www.tokotor.com