THE OLDTOWN OF KOTOR

This post is almost a continuation of the earlier post on Perast. So, we moved ahead after a delightful experience of visiting Perast....alongside the Bay of Kotor. The drive from Perast to Kotor, along the Bay of Kotor, is in itself an experience. Within about half an hour, we were there at the Old Town of Kotor...a double UNESCO world heritage site. It has to be...with a history so rich and the surroundings so beautiful.

The history of Kotor is a dynamic one. As early as the second century BC, the town was a part of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Until the eleventh century AD, the Dalmatian impact continued to shape Kotor. After that, subsequent  centuries proved to be tumultuous for the town and it was subordinated by numerous kingdoms... the Serbs...Hungary ..Bosnia...and then finally by the Republic of Venice from the early fifteenth century. The Venetian influence continued for about three centuries and this was the era when Kotor was moulded into it's present shape. But, by the time it was seventeenth century, the town was seiged by the Ottomans. The exchange of hands continued for the next few centuries as well with the Habsburg, the French, the Russians, the English; and then after the first world war, Kotor became a part of the erstwhile Yugoslavia. Again, only to be a witness to the Balkan conflicts until the independence of Montenegro. Notwithstanding such restless diversity, Kotor has managed to preserve the legacy of each of the changes it has been a part of...so inclusively.

Kotor reminds me of Dubrovnik. A fortified town with a patron saint and extraordinary scenic beauty around. Yet, there is an element of  uniqueness which belongs exclusively to Kotor. Within the ancient walls of the town, the monuments, notably the cathedrals and churches, palaces, squares and museums are ever eager to share their stories of the past. There are three gates to enter into the town - the Western Sea Gate, which was built during the Venetian era, being the largest. The South Gate, also known as the Gurdic Gate is the oldest gate (constructed during the tenth century) while the North Gate or the River Gate was built later to commemorate the victory of Kotor over a Turkish fleet during the sixteenth century. 

Following entry through the Sea Gate, on the Arms Square, one can see the Clock Tower and the Prince's Palace. A host of monuments are scattered all around from here.   The most famous among them is the twelfth century built St. Tryphon Cathedral, named after the patron saint of Kotor. The other two churches in the town are the Church of St. Luka and the Church of St. Nikolas. 

The palaces, namely the Buca, Prima, Drago, Bizanti and Grgurin have so much to say about the history stored within them and of the nobles who stayed within their rooms. And connecting these monuments are the alleyways and the squares with really interesting names - Square of Flour, the Milk Square and the Square of Salad. Most of these monuments have seen destruction and renovation following multiple earthquakes. Two late additions to the host of monuments are the buildings of the Old Prison and the  Napoleon's Theatre. The prison was built when Kotor came under the control of the Austria Hungary during the nineteenth century. The Napoleon's Theatre was built during the period of French occupation of the eighteenth century.

The highlight of the Kotor visit is the climb on the city walls, for which one should easily budget a couple of hours to reach the destination, the San Giovanni Fortress. We couldnot gather the courage to climb all the steps and stopped at a place where we could see the panoromic view of the town along with the Bay of Kotor. Ahead, was the Church of our Lady of Health which was  also visible from the old town complex. And, we decided to walk back to the town again. For those of the hikers who love to scale the peaks, there is a trekking route on the Mount Lovcen which starts after the city walls. One can climb to the top not only to get the panoramic moment but also to see the highest Mausoleum in the world. One of the favorite rulers of Kotor named Njegos has his final resting place on the top of this mountain.

And yes, before I end, a quick mention of the cat museum of the town....apparently, cats could sense earthquakes thus saving the lives of people of the town.  There is no reason why they shouldn't be  loved and revered here.

This post is for alphabet ‘O' of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2020 challenge:

O for Old Town of Kotor