Kotor: A Hidden Gem

Glenda has an unkind name for me which I shall not mention here. The name suggests that I fall in love with every town that I visit. That certainly is the case with Kotor, Montenegro. One advantage of being on a small ship is that we can dock in some of the more obscure ports on the Adriatic Sea. I don’t know that I had ever heard of Kotor, but today I saw another one of a most beautiful little 17th century village. After visiting here today I wonder why anyone would endure the expense and the crowds of some more popular Mediterranean destinations. Kotor does not have a large airport, and it does not have a harbor large enough for megaships. It is located at the very end of a maze of inlets that have protected the city since its inception in Roman times. One of the passages in the Verige Channel is only 250 yards wide, and in ancient times defenders would stretch a huge chain across that inlet to prevent enemy ships from entering here.

Kotor has always been a seafaring town. It has made its living by producing traders who engaged in commerce with nations as far away as China and Scandinavia. The town boasts a wonderful Maritime museum that documents that enterprise. There have always been sailors here, and maritime businesses still predominate in the local economy.

Unlike most of the cities on the Adriatic coast, Kotor has never been conquered. Because it is impregnable I would love to report that all of the old buildings from Greek and Roman times still survive. That is not the case however. The problem here is earthquakes. Huge mountains tumble vertically down into the Adriatic Sea. Frequent earthquakes mean that only buildings from the 17th century and later survive here. All of the towns nearby lie on a small apron of land at the base of spectacular mountains. Halfway up the side of one mountain overlooking the city sits a monastery known as our Lady of the Rock. An hour’s climb on a switchback stairway is needed to approach this little church. While the nation of Montenegro is predominantly Serbian orthodox, most of the people inside the city of Kotor are Roman Catholic. The patron saint of the city is St. Tryphon . On his feast day in early February everyone in town—Catholics, Orthodox and even Muslim Serbs—all come together to celebrate.

Kotor has all of the beauty and attraction of any other small historic town on the Adriatic Sea without huge crowds of tourists. Its Venetian overlords left their art, architecture and culture, so that this little town has all of the charm of places that are much better known. Prices here are reasonable in this human sized town, and I could visit Kotor repeatedly without ever getting tired of it. It has not been discovered yet. I hope you will be able to come here before it is.Read more