Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Kotor Котор
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Wedged between brooding mountains and a moody corner of the bay, this dramatically
beautiful town is perfectly at one with its setting. Its sturdy walls - started in the 9th cen-
tury and tweaked until the 18th - arch steeply up the slopes behind it. From a distance
they're barely discernible from the mountain's grey hide, but at night they're spectacu-
larly lit, reflecting in the water to give the town a golden halo. Within those walls lie
labyrinthine marbled lanes where churches, shops, bars and restaurants surprise you on
hidden piazzas.
In July and August people pour into Kotor and the yachts of the super-rich fill the mar-
ina, but this town never gets quite as Euro-trashy as some other parts of the coast - this
sheltered arm of the bay just isn't as appealing for swimming. But anyone with a heart
for romance, living history and architecture will find Kotor a highlight of their
Montenegrin travels.
History
It's thought that Kotor began as Acruvium, part of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Its
present look owes much to nearly 400 years of Venetian rule when it was known as Cat-
taro. In 1813 it briefly joined with Montenegro for the first time, but the Great Powers
decided to hand it back to Austria, where it remained until after WWI. There's a strong
history of Catholic and Orthodox cooperation in the area, although the number of Cathol-
ics has dropped from 51% in 1900 to 18% today. Nowadays only 11% of the population
identify as Croats.
Sights
The best thing to do in Kotor is to let yourself get lost and found again in the maze of
streets. You'll soon know every corner since the town is quite small, but there are plenty
of old churches to pop into and many coffees to be drunk in the shady squares.
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