About Bay of Kotor

No matter whether you enter Boka by land or by sea - your experience will be the same - Boka will fascinate you! It looks as if the mountains have cracked and let the sea in. This is the southernmost fjord in Europe. The high mountains bend over the thin coastline thus protecting it from the severe climate from the north. That is why Boka is an oasis of Mediterranean vegetation: agave, palm, mimosa, oleander, kiwi, pomegranate, medicinal herbs. When its peaks are covered with snow, the roses bloom in the foothills.

Whoever visits Boka he or she experiences it on a special individual way. No matter whether we are talking about artists, scientists, businessmen or tourists, Boka performs strong impression on all human senses. Boka is a place where various differences meet up and mix up by creating an entirely special ambiance. Contrasts are replicated in nature where in one part of the bay one can see steep rocky mountains rising upon the calm sea surface, while on the other part flourish real botanical gardens. Contrasts are also emphasized in the cultural-historic heritage where two civilizations of east and of west meet upon each other in a special harmony. Prehistoric age, Iliric age, Roman - Byzantine age, renaissance, baroque, gothic styles all that is melted together and blended with the modern life, showing that the real valuables last forever together in harmony.

Total surface of the bay: 87.3 km2, volume: 2.4 x 106 km3 , maximal depth: 60 m, average depth: 27.3 m, water salinity: 28%, total length of the coast: 105.7 km. The bay of Boka Kotorska penetrates 28 km deep into the land area.

Boka is bejeweled by seven islands: Mamula, Sv. Marko, Gospa od Skrpjela, Sv. Djordje, Milosrdja, Ostrvo Cvijeca and Mala Gospa. Along the whole coast of Boka there is a chain of small towns and settlements all of which has its own story.

From the south-eastern side the bay is surrounded by the karst massif of mountain Lovcen (1749 m). From the north-west side by the karst massif of mountains Orjen (1895 m), Radostak (1446 m) and Dobrostica (1570 m). Between above two massifs just above Perast spreads karst massif Kason (873 m).

Peninsula Lustica is located on the south eastern side of the entrance to the bay, while the Vitaljina peninsula is located on the north-western part. The two peninsulas are separated by the channel Ostro. In the inner part of the bay there are two more peninsulas Vrmac and Devesilje separated by the strait Verige. Strait Verige divides Boka Kotorska bay on two frontal bays: bay of Herceg Novi (former bay of Topla) and bay of Tivat; and two internal bays: bay of Risan and bay of Kotor.

The town was under the rule of the Venetian Republic from 1420 until 1797. The city's sixteen Baroque palaces were mostly built in this period, as well as its 17 Catholic churches and two Orthodox churches. The old city doesn't have a defensive wall, but instead it has nine defensive towers, the most important of which is the tower of the Holy Cross. These were built by the navy of the Venetian Republic in the 15th and 16th centuries.

At the fall of the "Serenissima" (1797) Perasto was the last city of the Republic to lower the Venetian flag. On 12 May 1797, the Republic of Venice ended, but a few places in the Venice for several months still continued to remain loyal to the Venetian Republic: Perasto was the last place of the Republic to surrender. On 22 August 1797 the Count Giuseppe Viscovich, Captain of Perasto lowered the Venetian flag of the Lion of Saint Mark pronouncing the farewell words in front of the crying people of the city and buried the "Gonfalon of Venice" under the altar of the main church of Perasto.

Our Lady of the Rock lies about 115 m (377 feet) northeast of the island of St. George. The stone plateau in the middle of the sea with a church on it is the result of the enduring efforts of generations of mariners “… to leave there, in the very heart of the Bay of Boka Kotorska, a testimony of their Christian faith and culture…”

The island was built artificially by scuttling old ships and depositing stones around a small crag.  The name of the island derived from the word skrpjel– an old word for a crag.  The construction of a sanctuary began in the first century of the Venetian rule.  The sanctuary was dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin because this cult (Assunzione della Vergine) was greatly venerated by the Venetians.

 The original church was built in the mid-15th century and was of modest proportions. Over the centuries, the “island” was constantly enlarged and reinforced by both deposits of stones and scuttled sailing ships until it provided a sufficient base for a bolder architectural undertaking. Most of the present-day church was erected after the great earthquake of 1667 when the original sanctuary was destroyed.  It is a single-nave, modestly proportioned church in the Byzantine style. An octagonal 11m domed presbytery and a bell tower were added circa 1725. These gave the Our Lady of the Rock the distinctive baroque appearance that can be seen today. The interior of the church was decorated by Tripo Kokolja, a famous 17th-century painter from Perast. On the altar is the famous icon of Our Lady of the Rock, a 15th century work by Lovro Marinov Dobricevic.  It is the most valuable work of art in the church because its history is so closely related to that of the island.

The Blue Cave is one of the most attractive in series of caves located on the peninsula Lustica, situated between the bay Zlatna luka (Golden Harbor) and cape Mokra gora (Wet Mountain). It is 5.7 nm far from Herceg Novi.

The Blue Cave is one of the most attractive in series of caves located on the peninsula Lustica, situated between the bay Zlatna luka (Golden Harbor) and cape Mokra gora (Wet Mountain). It is 5.7 nm far from Herceg Novi. 

It was named the Blue Cave because of its unusual blue color which is the result of the reflection of sun rays on clear sunny days.

During the period of the Venetian Republic rule, the island was known as Rondina. 

The island has a fort, built in 1853 by Austro-Hungarian general Lazar Mamula. The fort takes up about 90% of the island's surface area. Along with the fortification on Prevlaka's Cape Oštro as well as Arza fortification on Luštica's Cape Mirište, both of which were erected at the same time also on suggestion by general Lazar Mamula, fort Mamula was part of the Austro-Hungarian Army's contingency plans of preventing the enemy entrance into Boka Kotorska (Croatia).

During World War II, from 30 May 1942 onwards, the fascist forces of Benito Mussolini's Kingdom of Italy converted the Mamula fort into a concentration camp. Known for torture and cruelty to prisoners, the camp featured population from the neighboring area.