Bay of Kotor is known by locals as “Boka” – “the Bay”. Now with melancholy peering, I regret that we didn’t have more time to discover other towns located around this “fiord of south” – Risan, Tivat, Perast, Prčanj or Herceg Novi. All of them together with natural surroundings, are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
It seems that this country loved this artist – as his statue is one of the very few in the capital Podgorica. The shiny posture of the singer stands out on the yellow ground of the park along the river. With The Millennium Bridge in the background, it was an excellent composition for a photograph.
From many points in the city, you can see the dark lines of the Montenegrin Mountains – these are typical “elements” for the city skyline. Naturally then, they had to have their “place” shown in my photograph, when I wanted to capture the living area of the capital of Montenegro. I was delighted about the composition of the contrast of nature, politics and our modern days.
This is a photo that displays The Millennium Bridge and the centre of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. Does it not look more like a landscape photo, rather than a typical cityscape picture? You bet! The capital of Montenegro reaches a total of just 200,000 people; a stark comparison to Berlin with its 3.5 million inhabitants. So far, it is the smallest European capital that we have visited, which is quite a change for us.
Podgorica city centre is unlike any other city I have ever seen in my life. I expected small shops and touristic places in the middle of the capital Montenegro. To my surprise, the centre was sprinkled with small houses! On this side of the district though, you can see the Clock-Tower, which dates right back to the Ottoman times.
This small Orthodox church of St. George is the oldest church in the capital of Montenegro. It is situated on Gorica hill (‘Gorica’ in Montenegrin means small hill and ‘pod-gorica’ means literally under small hill). When we visited this site, the church itself was closed – so we couldn’t admire the famous frescos inside.
When I entered this Cathedral, I expected golden paintings so commonly seen in old Orthodox churches. My expectations though were only slightly correct… To my own surprise, in one of the paintings, I saw illustrations of Marx, Engels, and Tito… rotting in hell. When I saw it, all the puzzles started to fit in place – I was surrounded by paintings of relatively “modern” people who had a great deal of influence on politics and history of Montenegro.
Looking at this cathedral from the outside, I would guess that it is at least a century old. The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica, the original name rendered: Saborni Hram Hristovog Vaskrsenja i Crkva Svetog Spasa, was accomplished only in 2013. The exterior design follows the style of the traditional Byzantine monuments such as The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in Kotor, which would suggest that it was likely built at the same time, in the 12th Century.
Fortifications of Kotor are remarkable construction, influenced by several architectural styles, with the Venetian style predominantly. Unfortunately, severe earthquakes have damaged them in the 16th and the 17th centuries. The consequences of the most recent one from April 1979 are still visible on the Kotor Fortress.
Why choose this Adriatic Sea port for a holiday or vacation? Probably because of the nature – you have the Kotor Bay, surrounded by mountains which height ranges from 1000m to 1700m. Additionally, those of you, who like medieval culture and history, would really appreciate the well-preserved Kotor Old Town and the Fortifications.
Built in the 16th century as a memory of Kotor’s victory over the well-known Turkish admiral Hajrudin Barbarosa, it’s impressive that the Northern Gate is still in excellent condition. As typical for medieval times construction, next to the Kotor Northern Gate there is a moat with turquoise water. I chose this spot in the valley under Saint John’s Hill for my photo session because it offers a clear view to Kotor Fortress.
The entire complex of towers, gates, ramparts, etc., together with the Castle of San Giovanni and Kotor Old Town is part of UNESCO World Heritage since 1979. Unfortunately, Kotor Fortress has been damaged by several severe earthquakes but also because of erosion. If you plan to climb up St. John’s Hill in order to reach the Fortress, be very careful and watch your steps.
We visited this Adriatic Sea port right after New Year Eve, which explains the festive lights on the buildings. Consecrated in 1166, the Kotor Cathedral was built in honor of Saint Tryphon, who is considered by the locals as the patron and protector of the city. Before that, in the 10th century, an older church existed there. It has been keeping Saint Tryphon’s remains.
Kotor’s Castle of San Giovanni is one of the must-see places. That is why I wanted to capture its beauty, waiting for the moment when the sun was setting gently, illuminating the mountain with warm light. The composition would not be the same without the rain clouds, covering St. John Hill.
Those of you, who have been to Kotor in Montenegro, would remember its well-preserved medieval constructions, which attract tourists and people of art from around the world. What can I say, same as all of them, I couldn’t resist the charm of this Adriatic Sea port. In order to catch the special beauty of Kotor Bay during the blue hour, Daria and I spent almost the entire day on the slopes of the mountain above Kotor.
If you want to have a different New Year celebration, choose a historic place as Kotor, Montenegro. What I especially liked about our visit in this picturesque city is that it wasn’t so crowded as it is during the tourist season. The Kotor gates – the entrances to the Old Town, are three. What you see here is the famous Kotor Sea Gate – the main entrance, constructed in 1555.
All photos taken by Nico Trinkhaus unless indicated otherwise.
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