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Kotor (Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian language: ), 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 in 2017.
The city, first mentioned in 168 BC, was settled during Ancient Rome times, when it was known as Acruvium, Ascrivium, or Ascruvium ( : , : Askrīvion) and was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia.
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 Order 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, grad kraljev/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 Turks 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. 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. "
Four centuries of Venetian domination have given the city the typical Venetian architecture, that contributes to make Kotor a UNESCO world heritage site.
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 Duchy of Saint Sava (Gacko and Dabar) to Kotor.Tošić, Đuro. Trebinjci i Zahumljani u srednjovjekovnom Kotoru , 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 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. (2025). 9781000057867, Routledge. ISBN 9781000057867
Above the entrance to the old city Kotor, is a stone relief with the emblem of Yugoslavia. Following the socialist revolution, it replaced a stone relief depiciting the venetian lion of St. Mark.
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
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.
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 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.
Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children is one of the most important festivals of its kind in Southeast Europe. 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). 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. The city has several cat stores and a cat museum, as well as the Cats' Square ( Trg od mačaka). 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. 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). The charity Kotor Kitties 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.'
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:
| Montenegrins | 11,047 | 48.88% |
| 30.57% | ||
| 6.87% | ||
| 13.68% | ||
| 100% |
Throughout history, there was a significant Italian-speaking community in Kotor. Until the 19th century the main language of Kotor was Italian language,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 which then began to decline in favour of Serbian language. According to the Austrian censuses, there were 623 residents of the central settlement that used Italian language as their habitual language (18.7% of the total population) in 1890, and 257 (8.1%) in 1910. The commune as a whole had 646 (11.9%) Italian speakers in 1890, and 274 (4.6%) in 1910. The majority of the Italian population left the city for Italy after the Treaty of Rapallo (1920). In 2011, only 31 people declared themselves as Italians, corresponding to 0.14% of the total population.
According to documents from 1900, Kotor had 7,617 Catholic Church, 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.
Source: Statistical Office of Montenegro – MONSTAT, Census 2011
| 661 |
| 0 |
| 197 |
| 6 |
| 30 |
| 51 |
| 6 |
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.
Tivat Airport is 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 away, and it has regular flights to major European destinations throughout the year.
In June 2021, the first and only public aquarium in Montenegro, Aquarium Boka, was opened in Kotor. 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. In the first three months, the Aquarium was visited by more than 8,000 people.
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