Kotor
{{short description|City on Montenegro coast}}
{{about|the city|the video game series abbreviated as KOTOR |Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic{{!}}Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic||Kotor (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Cattaro|other uses|Cattaro (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Kotor
|native_name = Котор
|native_name_lang = cnr
|other_name = Cattaro
|settlement_type = Town and municipality
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| perrow = 1/2/2/2/1
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| caption_align = center
| image1 = View on Kotor, Montenegro 2023.jpg
| caption1 = Panoramic view of Kotor and Kotor Bay
| image2 = Kotor, Montenegro (2023).jpg
| caption2 = Town square
| image3 = Nuestra Señora de las Rocas, Perast, Bahía de Kotor, Montenegro, 2014-04-19, DD 25.JPG
| caption3 = St. George Monastery
| image4 = Kotor, Montenegro (16105317698).jpg
| caption4 = Kotor Cathedral
| image5 = Museo Marítimo, Kotor, Bahía de Kotor, Montenegro, 2014-04-19, DD 31.JPG
| caption5 = Sea museum
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|image_flag = Flag of Kotor, Montenegro.jpg
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|motto =
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|pushpin_map = Montenegro
|pushpin_map_alt =
|pushpin_map_caption = Location within Montenegro
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|coordinates = {{coord|42|25|48|N|18|46|12|E|display=inline, title}}
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| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Montenegro
| subdivision_type1 = Region
| subdivision_name1 = Coastal
| subdivision_type2 = Municipality
| subdivision_name2 = Kotor
|established_title = Founded
|established_date = 5th century BC
|founder =
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| government_type = Mayor-Assembly
|leader_party = DCG
|leader_title = Mayor
|leader_name = Vladimir Jokić
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|unit_pref = Metric
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|area_blank1_title = Municipality
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|population_as_of = 2023
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|population_density_km2 = auto
| population_urban = 13,347
| population_rural = 8,569
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| population_blank1_title = Municipality
| population_blank1 = 21,916
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| timezone1 = CET
| utc_offset1 = +1
| timezone1_DST = CEST
| utc_offset1_DST = +2
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 85330
| area_code_type = Area code
| area_code = +382 32
|area_codes =
|iso_code =
| registration_plate = KO
| blank_name = Patron saint
| blank_info = Saint Tryphon
|website = {{URL|http://www.opstinakotor.com}}
|module = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child = yes
| part_of = Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor
| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)}}(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)
| ID = 125ter
| year = 1979
| extension = 2012, 2015
}}
|footnotes =
}}
Kotor (Cyrillic: Котор, {{IPA|sh|kɔ̌tɔr|pron}}), historically known as Cattaro{{cite book|title=Sketches from the Subject and Neighbour Lands of Venice|year=1881|page=277|publisher=Macmillan and Company}} (from Italian: {{IPA|it|ˈkattaro|pron}}), is a town in Coastal region of Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,347 and is the administrative center of Kotor Municipality.
The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska), one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some have called it the southernmost fjord in Europe, but it is a ria, a submerged river canyon. Together with the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovćen, Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive landscape.
Since the early 2000s Kotor has seen an increase in tourists,World Travel and Tourism Council many of them coming by cruise ship. Visitors are attracted to the natural environment of the Bay of Kotor and the old town of Kotor. Kotor is part of the World Heritage Site dubbed the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor.
The fortified city of Kotor was also included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site list as part of Venetian Works of Defence between 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar in 2017.{{cite web|last1=Centre|first1=UNESCO World Heritage|title=Venetian Works of Defence between 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1533/multiple=1&unique_number=2162|website=whc.unesco.org|access-date=11 July 2017|language=en}}
History
{{More citations needed|section|date=February 2024}}
{{Quote box |width=30em |align=right |bgcolor=#B0C4DE
|title=Historical affiliations
|fontsize=90% |quote={{plainlist|
- {{flagicon image|Coat of Arms of Illyria.png|size=35x25px}} Illyria (9th century BCE – 33 BCE)
- {{flagicon image|Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg|size=35x25px}} Roman Republic (33 BCE – 27 BCE)
- {{flagicon image|Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg|size=35x25px}} Roman Empire (27 BCE – 476)
- {{flagicon image|Labarum of the Roman Empire (simple).png|size=35x25px}} Odoacer's Kingdom of Italy (476 – 493)
- {{flagicon image|Ostrogothic Kingdom Flag.webp|size=21px}} Ostrogothic Kingdom (493 – 535)
- {{flagicon image|Purple flag with Chi Rho attributed to the Byzantine Empire.png|size=21px}} Byzantine Empire (535 – 791)
- {{flagicon image|Armoiries imaginaires de Charlemagne (1).svg|size=19px}} Francia (791 – 812)
- {{flagicon image|Purple flag with Chi Rho attributed to the Byzantine Empire.png|size=21px}} Byzantine Empire (812 – 1002)
- {{flagicon image|Theoritical Flag of Bulgaria in 9th century.png|size=21px}} First Bulgarian Empire (1002)
- {{flagicon image|Theoritical Flag of Bulgaria in 9th century.png|size=21px}} First Bulgarian Empire ({{flagicon image|Flag of Duklja state.png|size=21px}} Dioclea) (1003)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of Kotor, Montenegro.jpg|size=21px}} Commune of Cattaro (1003 – 1185)
- {{flagicon image|Coat of Arms of Nemanjić Dynasty.svg|size=35x25px}} Grand Principality of Serbia (1185 – 1217)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of Serbia (1281).svg|size=25x15px}} Kingdom of Serbia (1217 – 1346)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of the Serbian Empire, reconstruction.svg|size=25x15px}} Serbian Empire (1346 – 1371)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of Hungary (1915-1918; angels).svg|size=25x15px}} Kingdom of Hungary (1371 – 1382)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of the Serene Republic of Venice.svg|size=25x15px}} Republic of Venice (1382 – 1384)
- {{flagicon image|Coat of arms of Kingdom of Bosnia.svg|size=35x25px}} Kingdom of Bosnia (1384 – 1391)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of Kotor, Montenegro.jpg|size=21px}} Commune of Cattaro (1391 – 1420)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of the Serene Republic of Venice.svg|size=25x15px}} Republic of Venice (1420 – 1797)
- {{flagicon image|Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor with haloes (1430-1806).svg|size=25x15px}} Holy Roman Empire (1797 – 1805)
- {{flag|First French Empire}} ({{flagicon image|Flag of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy (1805-1814) 3.svg|size=25x15px}} Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy) (1805 – 1810)
- {{flag|First French Empire}} ({{flagicon image|Coat of Arms of Napoleon III (Orden of the Golden Fleece).svg|size=35x25px}} Illyrian Provinces) (1810 – 1814)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of the United Kingdom (1-2).svg|size=25x15px}} United Kingdom (1814 – 1815)
- {{flag|Austrian Empire}} ({{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Dalmatia.svg|size=25x15px}} Kingdom of Dalmatia) (1815 – 1867)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg|size=25x15px}} Austria-Hungary ({{flagicon image|Flag of the Kingdom of Dalmatia.svg|size=25x15px}} Kingdom of Dalmatia) (1867 – 1918)
- {{flag|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}} (1918 – 1941)
- {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}} ({{flagicon image|Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg|size=25x15px}} Governorate of Dalmatia) (1941 – 1943)
- {{flagicon image|Flag of Germany (1935–1945).svg|size=25x15px}} Greater German Reich (1943 – 1944)
- {{flag|SFR Yugoslavia|name=SFR Yugoslavia}} ({{flag|SR Montenegro|name=SR Montenegro}}) (1944 – 1992)
- {{flag|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|name=FR Yugoslavia}} ({{flagicon image|Flag of Montenegro (1993–2004).svg|size=25x15px}} Republic of Montenegro) (1992 – 2006)
- {{flag|Montenegro}} (2006 – present)
}}
}}
= Early history =
Once populated by the Illyrians, the exact time of foundation of the first settlement is not known. According to some sources, the oldest settled area dates two millennia back.
The city, first mentioned in 168 BC, was settled during ancient Roman times, when it was known as Acruvium, Ascrivium, or Ascruvium ({{langx|grc|Ἀσκρήβιον}}) and was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia.{{cite book|last=Jackson|first=Hamilton|title=The Shores of the Adriatic|url=|date=2011|publication-date=2010|publisher=Echo Library|isbn=978-1-4068-6761-9|page=269|edition=Illustrated}}
= Middle Ages =
The city has been fortified since the early Middle Ages, when Emperor Justinian built a fortress above Ascrivium in 535, after expelling the Ostrogoths.{{Cite book |last=Procopius |title=Buildings |pages=Book7}} Ascrivium was plundered by the Saracens in 840. It was further fortified towards the peak of Saint Ivan by Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos in the 10th century.
It was one of the more influential Dalmatian city-states, initially with a Romance-speaking population, as throughout the early Middle Ages, and until the 11th century the Dalmatian language was still spoken in Kotor. The city was part of Byzantine Dalmatia in that period, and the modern name of Kotor probably originated in the Byzantine name for the city: Dekatera or Dekaderon.
In 1002, the city suffered damage under the occupation of the First Bulgarian Empire, and in the following year it was ceded to Duklja by the Bulgarian Tsar Samuil. Duklja, or Dioclea, was a vassal duchy of the Bulgarian Empire at the time. The local population resisted the pact and, taking advantage of its alliance with Dubrovnik, maintained its high autonomy. Duklja, the biggest Serb duchy at the time, gradually became more powerful under Vojislavljević dynasty and eventually independent from Byzantium in 1040. The city remained autonomous up until Duklja was once again subdued by Byzantium in 1143.
The city was conquered in 1185 by Stefan Nemanja, the ruler of the Grand Principality of Serbia and founder of the Nemanjić dynasty. At that time Kotor was already an episcopal see subordinated to the archbishopric of Bari, and in 13th century, Dominican and Franciscan monasteries were established to check the spread of Bogomilism. Under the rule of the Nemanjić Kotor became a partially autonomous city, enjoying many privileges and maintaining its republican institutions. This is backed by a statute from 1301, which demonstrates that Kotor had the status of a city under Serbian rule. In the 14th century the commerce of Cattaro, as named in Latin scripts (in Serbian Котор, град краљев/Kotor, city of the King), rivaled that of Republic of Ragusa, and caused the Republic of Venice to be envious. Kotor remained the most important trading port of subsequent Serb states – Kingdom of Serbia and Serbian Empire, up to its downfall in 1371.
After the fracturing of the Serbian Empire, the city was taken by the Kingdom of Hungary, only to change hands repeatedly between them and the Republic of Venice in the period between 1371 and 1384. After that, Kotor was held by the Kingdom of Bosnia under Tvrtko I Kotromanić between 1384 and 1391. The king of Bosnia, who claimed the Serbian throne, minted his coins in Kotor.
After the death of Tvrtko in 1391, Kotor became fully independent, until the administration, wary of the looming Ottoman danger, asked Venice for protection. The city acknowledged the suzerainty of Venice in 1420.
A document from 1332 mentions that the town had a Catholic Latin population, while outside the town walls lived Albanians. [http://www.albanianhistory.net/1332_Making-the-Passage/index.html 1332 Anonymous: Initiative for Making the Passage] "...The Latins have six towns with bishops: firstly Antibarum (Bar), the seat of the archbishop, then Chatarensis (Kotor), Dulcedinensis (Ulcinj), Suacinensis (Shas), Scutarensis (Shkodra) and Drivascensis (Drisht), which are inhabited by the Latins alone. Outside the town walls, the Albanians make up the population throughout the diocese. "
=Venetian rule=
File:Kotor-Montenegro-Scurda.jpg, UNESCO site]]
The city was part of the Venetian Albania province of the Venetian Republic from 1420 to 1797.
Four centuries of Venetian domination have given the city the typical Venetian architecture, that contributes to make Kotor a UNESCO world heritage site.{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/125|title=Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor|access-date=5 December 2016|publisher=Unesco World Heritage Convention}}
In the 14th and 15th centuries, there was an influx of settlers from the oblasts of Trebinje (the region around forts Klobuk Ledenica and Rudina) and the Hum lands (Gacko and Dabar) to Kotor.Tošić, Đuro. [http://scindeks-clanci.nb.rs/data/pdf/0350-2112/2005/0350-21120516221T.pdf Trebinjci i Zahumljani u srednjovjekovnom Kotoru] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317181734/http://scindeks-clanci.nb.rs/data/pdf/0350-2112/2005/0350-21120516221T.pdf |date=2012-03-17 }}, work in Istraživanja, 2005, br. 16, pp. 221–27. The Italian name of the city is Cattaro. Under Venetian rule, Kotor was besieged by the Ottoman Empire in 1538 and 1657, endured the plague in 1572, and was nearly destroyed by earthquakes in 1563 and 1667.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the customs of the local administration of Kotor, such as the right of the popolari to elect urban representatives, were unchanged and tolerated by the Provveditore of the city, despite Venetian laws prohibiting such institutions. In 1627, during a dispute between the populari and Kotor's nobility, this right was revoked by the consultare Fulgenzio Micanzio, thus empowering the position of the city's urban elite.{{cite book |last1=Van Gelder |first1=Maartje |last2=Judde de Larivière |first2=Claire |date=2020 |title=Popular Politics in an Aristocratic Republic: Political Conflict and Social Contestation in Late Medieval and Early Modern Venice |url= |location= |publisher=Routledge |page= |isbn= 978-1000057867}}
=Habsburg and Napoleonic rule=
File:Napoleonov novac kovan u Kotoru 1813.png
After the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797, it passed to the Habsburg monarchy. However, in 1805, it was assigned to the French Empire's client state, the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, by the Treaty of Pressburg, although in fact held by a Russian squadron under Dmitry Senyavin. After the Russians retreated, Kotor was united in 1806 with this Kingdom of Italy and then in 1810 with the French Empire's Illyrian Provinces. Kotor was captured by the British in an attack on the Bay led by Commodore John Harper in the brig sloop {{HMS|Saracen|1812|6}} (18 guns). To seal off Kotor, residents along the shore literally pulled the ship in windless conditions with ropes. Saracen's crew later hauled naval 18-pounder guns above Fort St. John, the fortress near Kotor, and were reinforced by Captain William Hoste with his ship {{HMS|Bacchante|1811|6}} (38 guns). The French garrison had no alternative but to surrender, which it did on 5 January 1814.
It was restored to the Habsburgs by the Congress of Vienna. Until 1918, the town, then known as Cattaro, was head of the district of the same name, one of the 13 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in the Kingdom of Dalmatia.Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm KLEIN, 1967
=World War I=
File:Kotor, Rathaus, Gedenktafel Matrosenaufstand 1918.jpg
During World War I, Cattaro was one of three main bases of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the home port of the Austrian Fifth Fleet, consisting of pre-dreadnought battleships and light cruisers, and a base for Austrian and German submarines. The Cattaro mutiny of sailors of the Austro-Hungarian Navy occurred in Kotor starting on 1 February 1918. The mutiny remained isolated and had to be abandoned after three days due to the arrival of loyal troops. Four sailors were subsequently executed according to naval law.Paul, G. Halpern: The Cattaro Mutiny, 1918. In: Christopher, M. Bell/Bruce A. Elleman (Ed.): Naval mutinies of the twentieth century. An international perspective. London 2003, pp. 54–79, here p. 54. Available at: [https://archive.org/details/navalmutiniesoft00cbel], free registration required.
The area was the site of some of the fiercest battles between local Montenegrins and Austria-Hungary. The city came under the allied occupation of the eastern Adriatic in 1918. After 1918, the city became a part of Yugoslavia and officially became known as Kotor.
=World War II=
Between 1941 and 1943 the Kingdom of Italy annexed the area of Kotor which became one of three provinces of the Italian Governorate of Dalmatia – the Province of Cattaro{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4LOJNq8GAFUC&dq=provincia+di+cattaro+tre+provincie+governatorato+dalmazia&pg=PA441|title=Bollettino ufficiale legislazione e disposizioni ufficiali|year=1942 |access-date=4 July 2022|page=441|language=it}} had an area (subdivided in 15 "Comuni") of 547 km2 and a population of 39,800 inhabitants. Most of the city's inhabitants were Orthodox (with some Roman Catholics). After the war the remaining Dalmatian Italians of Kotor (300 inhabitants) left Yugoslavia towards Italy (Istrian-Dalmatian exodus).{{cite book|first=Davide|last= Rodogno|title=Il nuovo ordine mediterraneo|publisher=Bollati Boringhieri|location=Turin|year=2003}}
Main sights
File:St. Tryphon's Cathedral, Kotor, Montenegro.jpg]]
Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic and is a double Unesco World Heritage Site: it is part of Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor and Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar.
It is home to numerous sights, such as the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in the old town (built in 1166), and the ancient walls which stretch for {{convert|4.5|km|0|abbr=on}} directly above the city. Sveti Đorđe and Gospa od Škrpijela islets off the coast of Perast are also among the tourism destinations in the vicinity of Kotor.
Culture
Kotor hosts several summer events, such as the Summer Carnival or Bokeljska Noć. Together with Budva, and the small town of Tuzi, near Podgorica, the city hosted the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC) World Carnival City Congress in May 2009.
Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children is one of the most important festivals of its kind in Southeast Europe.{{cite web|url=https://en.kotorskifestival.me/|title=Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children|access-date=18 April 2022}} Thirty years of this manifestation have marked performances by artists from over 30 countries, from 5 continents. It was founded in 1993, not far from the place where the first play for children in the Balkans was performed in 1829. The 2017/18 festival was awarded the EFFE Label by the EFA (European Festivals Association).{{cite web|url=https://www.festivalfinder.eu/festivals/kotor-festival-of-theatre-for-children-2/|title=EFFE Label for Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children|access-date=18 April 2022}} Kotor Festival is highly regarded in the local community and has a large volunteer base.
Kotor has a large population of cats that have become a symbol of the city.{{cite web|url=http://www.kathmanduandbeyond.com/cats-in-kotor-montenegro/|title=Cats in Kotor Old Town, Montenegro|date=18 June 2015 |access-date=4 October 2018}} The city has several cat stores and a cat museum, as well as the Cats' Square (Trg od mačaka).{{cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/montenegro/articles/bizarre-history-kotors-fascination-cats/|title=The Bizarre History of Kotor's Fascination With Cats|date=August 2017 |access-date=4 October 2018}} Water and food is left throughout the city for the cats to feed on, and cardboard boxes are often arranged to be a place for the cats to sleep in.{{cite web|url=https://www.driveontheleft.com/kotor-bay-montenegro/|title=MONTENEGRO IS FOR THE CATS|date=5 October 2016 |access-date=4 October 2018}} Tourists may notice cats in poor health, which may be due to malnutrition, lack of shelter, fighting, or illness (often a common viral respiratory condition for which medicine is unavailable).{{cite web|url= https://www.kathmanduandbeyond.com/cats-in-kotor-montenegro/|title=Cat Welfare In Kotor|date=18 June 2015 |access-date=8 June 2020}} The charity Kotor Kitties {{cite web|url=https://kotorkitties.org/|title=Kotor Kitties|access-date=6 February 2021}} exists to try and help the cats of Kotor through spaying and neutering.
Kotor is described evocatively at the beginning of Marguerite Yourcenar's story 'Marko's Smile.'
Demographics
{{historical populations|1948|14124|1953|15436|1961|16642|1971|18917|1981|20455|1991|22410|2003|22947|2011|22601|2023|21916|align=right|cols=1|source=pop-stat.mashke.org{{cite web |title=Montenegro Census 2023|url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/montenegro-census2023.htm|date=2024-04-15}}}}Kotor is the administrative centre of Kotor municipality, which includes the towns of Risan and Perast, as well as many small hamlets around the Bay of Kotor, and has a population of 21,916.{{cite web|title=Preliminary results of the 2023 Census of Population, Households, and Dwellings|url=https://www.monstat.org/eng/page.php?id=1915&pageid=1708|publisher=Monstat|access-date=25 January 2024}}
The town of Kotor itself has 1,360 inhabitants, but the administrative limits of the town encompass only the area of the Old Town. The urban area of Kotor also includes Dobrota (7,345) and Škaljari (3,342), bringing the population of Kotor's urban area close to 13,000 inhabitants. The total number rises to around 15,000 if the neighbouring hamlets of Muo, Prčanj and Stoliv are included. The entire population of Kotor Municipality was 21,916, as of the 2023 census.
Ethnic composition of the municipality in 2011:{{cite web|title=Montenegrin 2011 census|year=2011|publisher=Monstat|url=http://www.monstat.org/eng/page.php?id=392&pageid=57}}
class="wikitable" | ||
style="width:100px;"|Ethnicity
! style="width:80px;"|Number ! style="width:80px;"|Percentage | ||
---|---|---|
Montenegrins
|11,047 |48.88% | ||
Serbs | 6,910 | 30.57% |
Croats | 1,553 | 6.87% |
Other/undeclared | 3,091 | 13.68% |
Total | 22,601 | 100% |
Historically, there was a significant community of Italians in Kotor, the Dalmatian Italians. Until the 19th century the main language of Kotor was Italian.Le bocche di Cattaro nel 1810: con notizie sul Montenegro : relazione di Luigi Paulucci, delegato napoleonico, con altri documenti e appunti di storia "bocchese" : biografie dei Marchesi Paulucci, nei loro legami dalmati, veneti, piemontesi e russi During the 19th century, the use of Italian began to decline in favour of Serbian. According to the Austrian censuses they were 623 Dalmatian Italians (18.7% of the total population) in 1890, 338 (11.2%) in 1900 and 257 (8%) in 1910.Guerrino Perselli, I censimenti della popolazione dell'Istria, con Fiume e Trieste e di alcune città della Dalmazia tra il 1850 e il 1936, Centro di Ricerche Storiche - Rovigno, Unione Italiana - Fiume, Università Popolare di Trieste, Trieste-Rovigno, 1993 The majority of the Italian minority left the city for Italy after the Treaty of Rapallo (1920). Their number dropped drastically following the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus, which took place from 1943 to 1960. From the 2011 Montenegrin census, there are 31 Dalmatian Italians present in Kotor, corresponding to 0.14% of the total population.{{Cite web|url=http://monstat.org/userfiles/file/popis2011/saopstenje/saopstenje(1).pdf| title=Stanovništvo Prema Nacionalnoj, Odnosno Etničkoj Pripadnosti Po Opštinama |access-date=10 November 2018}}
According to documents from 1900, Kotor had 7,617 Catholics, and 7,207 Orthodox Christians. Kotor is still the seat of the Catholic Bishopric of Kotor, which covers the entire gulf. In 2011, 78% citizens of Kotor were Orthodox Christians, while 12% were listed as Roman Catholic.
File:Serbian Orthodox Church in Kotor.jpg|Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas
File:Catedral de Kotor, Kotor, Bahía de Kotor, Montenegro, 2014-04-19, DD 02.JPG|Blessed Ozana Church
Source: Statistical Office of Montenegro – MONSTAT, Census 2011{{cite web|url= https://www.monstat.org/userfiles/file/popis2011/podaci%20naselja/Tabela%20N1.xls |title=Popis 2011 |accessdate=2011-09-29}}
class="wikitable" | |
style="width:200px;"|Religion (2011 Census)
! style="width:80px;"|Number | |
---|---|
Eastern Orthodoxy | 661 |
Islam | 0 |
Catholicism | 197 |
Other Christians | 6 |
Atheism | 30 |
Undeclared | 51 |
Other | 6 |
Sports
The local football team is FK Bokelj, who have spent several seasons in the country's top and second tiers. They play their home games at the Stadion pod Vrmcem.
Kotor is a national powerhouse of water polo, which is a popular sport in Montenegro. The team of Primorac Kotor won the LEN Champions League in 2009. Another club from Kotor, VA Cattaro, won the 2010 edition of the LEN Euro Cup.
Transport
Kotor is connected to the Adriatic Highway and the rest of the coast and inland Montenegro by Vrmac Tunnel. Inland is reachable by detouring from Adriatic highway at Budva or Sutomore (through Sozina tunnel). There is also a historic road connecting Kotor with Cetinje, which has views of Kotor bay.
Tivat Airport is {{convert|5|km}} away, and there are regular flights to Belgrade, Moscow, Paris and London. Dozens of charter planes land daily on Tivat airport during the summer season.
Podgorica Airport is {{convert|65|km}} away, and it has regular flights to major European destinations throughout the year.
Tourism
File:Cruise Ships Arrive at Kotor in June 2024.jpg
Kotor is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Montenegro due to its well-preserved medieval architecture.{{Cite web |last=Gashi |first=Rina |title=The best places for thrill-seekers in Montenegro |url=https://europeguidebook.com/montenegro |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=Europe Guidebook |language=en-US}} In 2019, it welcomed over 250,000 tourists.{{Cite web |title=Kotor Welcomes Over 250,000 Visitors On Group Tours |url=https://www.total-montenegro-news.com/travel/4628-kotor-welcomes-over-250-000-visitors-on-group-tours |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=Total Montenegro News |language=en-gb}}
In June 2021, the first and only public aquarium in Montenegro, Aquarium Boka, was opened in Kotor.{{Cite web |title=Aquarium Boka |url=https://aquariumboka.ucg.ac.me/en/aquarium-boka/ |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=Akvarijum Boka |language=en-US}} It is the organizational unit of the Institute for Marine Biology of the University of Montenegro, a unique institution in Montenegro that combines research and education to promote and practice the efficient conservation of marine wildlife.{{Cite web |title=About us |url=https://aquariumboka.ucg.ac.me/en/general-info/ |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=Akvarijum Boka |language=en-US}} In the first three months, the Aquarium was visited by more than 8,000 people.{{Cite web |date=2021-09-22 |title=Otvoren Akvarijum Boka u Kotoru |url=https://turistickaprizma.rs/otvoren-akvarijum-boka-u-kotoru/ |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=Regionalni portal Turistička Prizma |language=cnr}}
Twin towns – sister cities
Kotor is twinned with:{{cite web |title=International relations|url=http://www.kotor.me/en/me%C4%91unarodna-saradnja/|website=kotor.me|publisher=Kotor|access-date=2019-12-29}}{{cite web |title=Partnerská města – město Přerov|url=https://www.prerov.eu/cs/o-prerove/soucasnost-mesta/partnerska-mesta/|website=prerov.eu|publisher=Město Přerov|language=cs|access-date=2019-12-29}}{{cite web |title=Bratimljenje|url=http://www.uom.co.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/bratimljenje-m2-3.pdf|website=database.uom.me|publisher=Zajednica opština Crne Gore|page=29|language=cnr|date=January 2013|access-date=2019-12-29}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
- {{flagicon|CZE}} Děčín, Czech Republic
- {{flagicon|ITA}} Campomarino, Italy
- {{flagicon|BUL}} Nesebar, Bulgaria
- {{flagicon|CZE}} Přerov, Czech Republic
- {{flagicon|USA}} Santa Barbara, United States
- {{flagicon|SRB}} Stari Grad (Belgrade), Serbia
- {{flagicon|SRB}} Subotica, Serbia
- {{flagicon|HUN}} Szeged, Hungary
- {{flagicon|CRO}} Trogir, Croatia
{{div col end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
External links
{{Commons category|Kotor}}
{{wikivoyage|Kotor}}
= Official sites =
- [https://www.kotor.me/ Kotor Municipality Official website]
= Travel websites =
- [https://www.visit-montenegro.com/main-cities/kotor/kotor-history/ The History of Kotor] from Visit Montenegro
- [https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=125 Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor] from UNESCO
- [https://www.travel-montenegro.webcam/kotor/ Kotor Webcam] from Travel Montenegro
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Category:Populated places in Kotor Municipality