Old town Ulcinj. Open left menu Ulcinj
I will continue the story about the southernmost city of the Montenegrin coast - Ulcinj. And today we will take a walk to the Old Town, located on a large rock overlooking the seashore. Old Ulcinj is somewhat different from other old towns in Montenegro. He is both attractive and unattractive. It's hard to describe in words, you just have to feel it. In the Old City, there is little that is really old left, after numerous wars and earthquakes, most of the buildings that have survived in the city are remodels, and many of them are modern houses made using modern construction technologies, only lined with decorative stone on the outside in order to somehow give them a look. fake antiquity. For knowledgeable people, this falsehood is so conspicuous that it greatly spoils the impression, that involuntary respect for antiquity that one feels in such historical places disappears. On the other hand, this is probably the only Old Town in Montenegro that continues to live its daily life. which he lived many centuries earlier: something is being built, something is changing, some kind of fuss is taking place, but it is in it, in this fuss, even in the use modern technologies and you can feel the true life of the city, unlike Kotor and Budva, which also live, but you still feel some conservation, a halt in development, these cities have ceased to be cities in the full sense of the word since they acquired the status of a reserve for tourists. In general, the impressions are twofold. You will not see them anywhere else in Montenegro, therefore Ulcinj is definitely recommended by me for a visit.
Just a few words on the history of the city. Founded by Greek colonists in the 5th century BC. under the name Colchinium in the territories inhabited by Illyrian tribes. The Romans came here in the 2nd century BC. During the Roman period, the city was called Olcinium. Then there were several waves of barbarian invasions, the city belonged to Serbia, and then to the Serbian Principality of Zeta, from which modern Montenegro emerged. In the XV century, power in the city passed to Venice, and a little more than a hundred years later, in 1571, the city was captured by the Turks. Since 1878 the city became part of independent Montenegro.
Two entrances lead to the Old City through the massive fortress walls. This is the seaside entrance.
When you get inside, the whole remake of the Old City immediately catches your eye.
Minimak.
Sea views in Ulcinj are spectacular. The spurs of the rock, on which the city is located, go under the water with sort of outstretched fingers.
Also, one of the first impressions of the city is its desert, there is a minimum of vital activity here - the sluggish swarming of local residents and the almost complete absence of tourist groups. No, there are tourists, of course, there are, but not at all in the same quantity as, for example, in Kotor.
We go along the wall and see an ugly remake in the process of construction. By the way, two years ago, everything was in exactly the same state. Perhaps barbaric construction was banned in a historical place. This is good, it remains only to decide what to do with the disgrace already made.
Some fragments of the city, as here in the foreground, are in a state of complete blockages.
Small streets slowly climb up to the historical core of the city.
We will go to the paid part a little later, while we take a little walk around the neighborhood, see the flavor of local life.
Interesting collapsed building. All layers are visible. And the old primitive Turkish masonry, and repairs in the corners of the house, and reinforced concrete floors of the 20th century!
The second northern passage to the Old Town from the side of the cemetery.
The museum occupies the territories adjacent to the city Citadel. There are collected fragments of old buildings, representing at least some historical value.
Well, here are the expositions that are not of particular interest.
Scheme-layout of the Old City.
Inside the Citadel. This is the only place of real historical interest. Fragment of a wall, clearly pre-Roman. It is hard to see here, but in the masonry there is even some claim to polygonality. It is very likely that this was done in ancient times, by the Greeks.
In the article I will tell you everything I know about the sights of Ulcinj: the Old Town, temples, mosques and just interesting places to visit while relaxing in this Montenegrin resort and a short trip here from another city. The first and main attraction of Ulcinj is the Old Town. It is not as big as in Budva and even more so in Kotor, but it also deserves attention. Let's start with him.
Old Ulcinj
The old town of Ulcinj is located on the western cape that limits the Small Beach (). Here stands the Citadel or Calaya Castle, first built by the Illyrians and the ancient Greeks. Since the founding of the city, the castle has been rebuilt many times, but now it looks neat.
The citadel occupies the territory in the upper part of the Old City, and the Lower City is located closer to the sea. At the top, I advise you to find the Balsic Tower, it stands next to the entrance. In 1672-1676, Shabtai Zvi lived in the Tower, built by the Balshichis as a summer residence. In 1666, the Jewish false messiah converted to Islam in the Tower, and a year later he died under the name of Mehmet Efendi. Now it's an art gallery.
Also on the territory of the Citadel is an archaeological museum, which contains the main material attractions. Ulcinj located the halls of the museum in the building of the Church of St. Mary of 1510. In 1693, the Christian church was turned into a mosque, and after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, it was abandoned. Now in the museum you can look at finds dating back to the Bronze Age, jewelry, weapons.
In the Lower Town, monuments from the times of the Venetian and Turkish rule have been preserved. Take a look at the 15th-century Venice Palace, where the governor used to live. Now you can also live here in the building. The Lower City is also worth a stroll for the views of the bay and ancient mosques.
Finally, Old Ulcinj is worth just walking around. Admire the expanses of the sea that open from its walls, take a picture on the stone steps on one of the narrow streets, meet the sunset on the site near the archaeological museum. Feel free to look into all nooks and crannies. Even a detailed study of the Old City will take a maximum of 2-3 hours, usually it takes an hour and a half to get to know each other.
Other attractions of the resort
Market Ulcinj
The market in Ulcinj is a real oriental bazaar, with a huge selection of fruits, meat, fish, olives and spices, olive oil, dried fruits, cheese, milk, oriental sweets.
If you want to experience the whole gamut of sensations of the East, visit the Ulcinj market. As the locals say, you will not only please the eye with beautiful things and jewelry, but also get all the skills of a skilled and demanding buyer.
About all the main attractions of Ulcinj, he seemed to tell. It remains to mark them on the map so that it is more convenient for you to explore the city.
Attractions Ulcinj on the map
Attractions around Ulcinj
- - a natural salt pan in the past and a bird sanctuary in the present, where you can meet a lot of crabs (100%) and pelicans with flamingos (if you're lucky).
The southernmost region of Montenegro, where the beach season lasts a record 7 months for the country, is the city of Ulcinj. Montenegro has long attracted Russian tourists with visa-free entry, beautiful nature and, importantly, low prices. Indeed, you can relax there much cheaper than in other European countries.
The nature of Ulcinj is unusually good. Lush vegetation covers most of its area. He himself is located on several hills. Like the whole of Montenegro, Ulcinj, whose reviews of the sights do not leave indifferent, has a rich history. Hence the abundance of cultural monuments and historical values. The history of the city began more than 25 centuries ago. Then people settled here for the first time. The city was a port of pirates, then for a long time it was famous as a center for the slave trade. For some time Venice ruled over it, and after each of these periods left its mark on the architecture of Ulcinj. The length of the city's beaches is 30 kilometers. Like the rest of Montenegro, Ulcinj (reviews from tourists confirm this) has a clean coastline that connects to the warm waters of the Adriatic Sea.
The city itself is divided into 2 parts: Old and New Ulcinj. The main attractions are concentrated in the Old part, which, in turn, is divided into the Upper and Lower Town. There are traces of the long-standing domination of the Ottoman Empire - and the local museum, which was once a Turkish mosque.
The most unusual is Ada Bojana. This is an island that was once formed from right in the middle of the river. The current brought a large amount of sand here, and the ship turned into a piece of land.
Beautiful beaches - that's what attracts Montenegro. Ulcinj, reviews of which are filled with admiration, is known for two such beaches: Big and Small.
The first one is one of the largest in the whole country, it stretches for 12 kilometers. And Small, or as the locals call it Korzo, is a small bay in the center of the city. This is where the whole nightlife is concentrated. Bars and restaurants, clubs, places of entertainment - there is everything you need for a big company to relax.
Climate Ulcinj
Most auspicious time vacation here - summer. The average air temperature is +27 degrees, the sea warms up to +26 ° C. In summer, there is practically no rain here. True, you can spend a good vacation and sunbathe here in April, and the beach season ends in the last days autumn. In this grow kiwi, peaches, apricots, olives, figs, almonds and many other fruit plants. In general, the flora of the city is very diverse.
The favorable location of the city has made it popular with tourists. It attracts people, perhaps even more than the rest of Montenegro. Ulcinj (reviews about it are sometimes contradictory, but mostly positive) is not only a beach holiday, but also a cultural holiday. Excursions to historically significant places of the city will not leave anyone indifferent. When all this can be combined with discos, clubs, the beach, admiring the beauties of nature, there is nothing more valuable.
Ulcinj will delight lovers of old streets, romantic balconies with a huge number of flowers and, of course, beautiful views of the fortress walls and seascapes.
Today, historians claim that the Illyrian tribe of Olciniatas once lived on this territory, in whose honor the city is named Olcinium. But still, the founders of the first city on this site are the Romans in the II century BC.
During Roman rule, Olcinium became the main city of the whole region, and the construction of the Old City with fortifications and defensive structures began.
After all, because of his geographical location, relief and it has always been a popular place to conquer. The fortress walls of the Old Town of Ulcinj were often destroyed during the centuries-old history, but, fortunately, there were always those who rebuilt the walls, restored and gave the city the opportunity to continue to live.
Already at the end of the 12th century, as part of the Serbian Zeta state, Ulcinj became one of the main cities on the coast. Representatives of the aristocracy and those close to the court liked to build villas and residences here. Many wives, sisters and relatives of the ruling dynasty lived here, lived out their lives and are buried here.
According to one of the legends, even the Mongols besieged Ulcinj in the 13th century, but they never managed to conquer the city. But the Venetians succeeded, and from the beginning of the 15th century to the end of the 17th century, it was they who ruled here. During their reign, Ulcinj, after Venice and Dubrovnik, had the third largest fleet, and pirates attacked the city quite often.
During the prosperity of the slave trade, at some point, about 100 Negro slaves lived in the city, who, after liberation, took the names of those families in which they served, and became ordinary citizens of the city.
Interestingly, in 1571, when the Turks captured the city, another Spaniard, Miguel Cervantes, captured after a battle with the Spaniards in the Mediterranean, also entered the city. And here he remains imprisoned for 5 years, during which he writes the novel Don Quixote.
At that time, the city was still called Cita di Dolcinio, and Cervantes gives the name Dulcinea to Don Quixote's beloved, who does not reciprocate his feelings.
From the end of the 16th century until the end of the 19th century, the Turks dominated here. The city was already liberated by Montenegrin princely troops after a two-year siege.
Thanks to the historical events that took place in the vastness of Ulcinj, a multi-ethnic and multinational structure of the population was formed here, which at all times was able to find mutual language, to defend the city and rebuild it, it was especially useful during and after the Second World War.
In memory of those years, many commemorative plaques are hung around the city, some of which can be seen while walking around the Old Town.
In general, the Old Town is the concentration of the cultural and historical heritage of Ulcinj. If you enter its northern gate, then you will immediately find yourself in the upper part of the Old City - the “museum quarter”.
It is here that the church-mosque, which now houses the museum of local lore. In the museum you can see all the archaeological materials found on the territory of the Old City.
Among its collections, of particular interest are an antique pedestal with an inscription in Greek, an antique cameo with the image of the goddess Athena, an Ionic capital, parts of a 9th-century church cup from the Small Church (Mala crkva) and many objects from the period of Turkish rule.
Immediately behind the local history museum is the Balsic Tower (Kula Balšića) of the 12th century, which now houses an art gallery. And right in front of it you can see a small quiet square. Once it was a square where slaves were traded (Trg robova), and its second name is Cervantes Square (Trg Servantesa).
It is still surrounded by casemates of revelin - a small defensive structure. Directly opposite is the high wall of Balani (zid Balani), built by the Venetians. Here you can also find a spring built by the Turks in 1749.
Walking along the numerous streets of the Old City, you will inevitably find yourself in the lower part of the Old City. Here, opposite the southern entrance to the city, is the foundation of the church of the Virgin of the XII century, which was later converted into the Catholic Cathedral of St. Mark. Not far from here is the reservoir of the Old Town, which was built under the Venetians.
A little further away is an 18th-century Turkish gunpowder warehouse. After walking a little more along the streets of the lower part of the Old Town, you will see the Venice Palace (palata "Venecija"), more like just an old building, which has always been the residence of the city manager, since the reign of the Italians.
And you can finish your tour of local attractions at Dvori Balšića located not far from Venice. This complex consists of several buildings of the Venetian type, and its central part is the oldest.
They say that once you get to the Old Town of Ulcinj, you will come back here again and again, enchanted by it.
Old Ulcinj is one of the oldest cities located on the Adriatic coast. Its history spans at least 25 centuries, during which various civilizations changed here, starting with the Illyrian, enriching the city with a valuable cultural and historical heritage. Old Ulcinj is a unique combination of many styles and cultures, which are reflected in the city walls, fortifications, street markets and squares, in city buildings, many of which are used for their intended purpose to this day.
Location: town, a small rocky peninsula on the coast.
Colchian colonists began to build Ulcinj, who in the 5th century BC. built a fortress on a small coastal rock, which gave rise to the rest of the urban settlement. The first Roman name of the city was Olcinium, but the Venetians who later gained power over the city gave it a new name - Dulsigno. During the Turkish rule, the city became the center of maritime piracy, turning into the main center of the slave trade on the coast. According to one urban legend, the great Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes was in a 5-year captivity in Ulcinj, and it was from the Venetian name of the city that the heroine of the novel “Don Quixote” Dulcinea got her name. In fairness, it should be said that Cervantes himself did not confirm this version, but there is Cervantes Square in Old Ulcinj. Another well-known guest of the city, this time completely reliable, is the medieval philosopher Mahmud Efendi, who lived in the Balsic Tower for a long time in the 17th century.
Over the centuries-old history, Ulcinj has absorbed several different cultural epochs, nevertheless, preserving the organic unity of buildings. Today's city with picturesque winding medieval streets is full of 2-, 3-storey houses, sometimes with elements of the Renaissance and Baroque, sometimes with the legacy of the Ottoman period. And some of the oldest remains of the city walls date back to Illyrian times. You can get to the old city, sometimes called "Kalaja" (Kalaja), through two entrances - the lower or southeast, which is located on the coast, or the upper (northwest), which is located in the city.
Historical quarter of Old Ulcinj on the map
The most interesting objects are located in the upper part of the old city. This, for example, was converted by the Turks into a mosque. In 1510 it was built as the church of St. Mary, and in 1693 she changed her religious affiliation. Now it houses the city archaeological museum. It contains an ancient pedestal with a Greek inscription dedicated to the goddess Artemis, several images of her in a helmet, as well as two Bronze Age axes. In addition, the museum's collection includes Ionic capitals, part of the exhibits of a small church from the 9th century, and some items from the Turkish period.
Next to the museum is located, the architectural dominant of the entire old city, a classic example of medieval architecture. It was built by representatives of the Balsic dynasty at the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th century, who chose Ulcinj of that time as their place of residence. Later, the Turks completed the third floor of the tower and reconstructed the first. This building offers a very beautiful view the sea on three sides. Today, the Balsic Tower is used as an art gallery and venue for poetry readings.
A small square in front of the city museum is called. It is surrounded by arches, in which slaves languished in special cages before being sold. From the 17th century, Ulcinj began to play a leading role in the slave trade of the entire region, most of the slaves were from Italy and Dalmatia, since pirates most often attacked rich villas along the coast of Apulia and Sicily. By the way, among the current residents of the city there are even descendants of these slaves.
The palace also remained from the Venetian era. Previously, the Venetian governor in Ulcinj lived in it. The palace was so beautiful and comfortable that all subsequent rulers of the city also chose it as their residence. Nearby is another former palace - Yards of Balsic. Both buildings are now used as hotels.
At the lower entrance to the old part of the city, the old wall of Balani, left over from the Venetian era, has been preserved. Nearby is an ethnographic museum with a very rich collection of exhibits. In front of the entrance to the museum there is a Turkish drinking fountain from 1749.
In the lower part of the city is Orthodox Church Virgin, built in the XII century, but later converted into the Catholic Church of St. Mark. Not far from it is a Turkish perfume shop that has been operating on this site since the 18th century.
Old Ulcinj is not only an architectural monument of the past, it continues to be an active urban quarter where locals live, tourists settle, shops and catering establishments work, where you can eat deliciously, enjoying a stunning medieval atmosphere and very beautiful seascapes.
