Kotor

Kotor is a coastal town in Montengro famous for its Venetian fortifications.

Unlike many former Venetians towns, some well preserved carved Lions of St. Mark can be found.

Kotor was first mentioned as a settlement in the time of the Roman Republic.

Evidence of habitation for thousands of years can be found next to the walls, though nobody seems to be excavating the ruins.

Scissors from 1466?

Gotta get octopus when you get the opportunity.

Byzantine Emperor Justinian built the original fortress above Kotor in the 6th century.

The town was plundered by Ostrogoths, Saracens, and Bulgarians before being conquered by the Serbians during the decline of the Byzantine Empire.

Kotor's wealth rivaled Dubrovnik and Venice as Serbia's most important trading port, until being conquered by Hungary, Venice, and Bosnia.

Kotor became independent in 1391, but submitted itself to the Republic of Venice in 1420 to protect itself from the Ottoman Empire.

Kotor's position in the back of the Bay of Kotor and its strong protection protected it from Ottoman assault in the 16th and 17th centuries.

After the fall of Venice, Kotor made the French->Austrian->Yugoslavian transition. Nowadays residents of Kotor mostly identify as Montenegrins and Serbians.

Kotor is fairly abandoned in the winter, and you can climb to the top of the fortifications for free.

Even from the top you cannot see the mouth of the Bay of Kotor into the Adriatic sea.

I have no idea how large cruise ships manage to dock here.

Cetinje, the historic capital of Montenegro is 12km from Kotor. Because Cetinje is so high in the mountains, it takes an hour to drive there.