Budva
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Budva (Cyrillic: Будва) is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has around 10,000 inhabitants, and is a centre of Budva municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called Budvanska rivijera, is the centre of Montenegro's tourism, and is well known for its sandy beaches, diverse nightlife, and beautiful examples of Mediterranean architecture.
Budva is 2,500 years old, that makes it one of the oldest settlements on the coast of the Adriatic sea.
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[edit] History
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There is vast archeological evidence that places Budva among the oldest urban settlements of the Adriatic coast, while numerous written testimonies provide historical facts dating back to the 5th century BC A legend tells that Budva was founded by Cadmus the Phoenician, a hero exiled out of Thebes, Greece, finding a shelter in this place for himself and his wife Harmonia.
Two other civilizations also left innumerable traces: the Greek and the Roman. Upon the fall of the Roman empire and its division into east and west, the defensive barrier which separated the two powers happened to run across this area, subsequently making a lasting impact on the history and culture of this town. In the Middle Ages, Budva was reigned by a succession of Doclean kings, Serbian and Zetan aristocrats, and the Venetians who ruled this town over 300 years. In the very turbulent years to come, Budva saw a change of several of its supreme rulers – Austria, France and Russia. A union of Boka Kotorska (and Budva) with Montenegro took place for a brief period (1813 – 1814), but from 1814 until 1918 Budva remained under Austrian Empire. After its decline in 1918, Budva came under Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
World War II claimed many lives from the people of this area in the fight against fascist conquerors. Budva was finally liberated from Nazi rule on November 22, 1944.
A catasrophic earthquake struck Budva on April 15, 1979. Much of old town was devastated, but today there is little evidence of the catastrophe – almost all the buildings were restored to their original form.
[edit] Population
Budva is the administrative centre of Budva municipality, which includes the neighbouring towns of Bečići and Petrovac, and has a population of 15,909 (2003. census). Budva itself has 10,918.
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Population of Budva:
Ethnic groups (1991 census):
- Montenegrins (62.52%)
- Serbs (22.47%)
- Muslims by nationality (1.49%)
- Croats (1.21%)
Ethnic groups (2003 census):
- Montenegrins (45.33%)
- Serbs (40.87%)
- Muslims by nationality (1.28%)
- Croats (1.12%)
[edit] Old Town
The Old Town in Budva has many different tales and stories of its origin. Scholars and Historians believe it to be originally an island, which later joined the shore to form a sand isthmus. The Old Town, along with the city of Budva was said to have been discovered by a Greek sailor by the name of Boutoua. Eventually the Roman Empire took over the whole Montenegrin coast influencing it greatly.
Much of the architecture in the Old Town is of Venetian origin. Doors, hinges, windows, balconies and many other small but noticeable things seem to hold Roman style. There are also three main churches in the old town. The first is St. Ivan's which was built in the 7th century AD, second St. Mary's of Punta dating from 840 and the third, The Holy Trinity, which was built in 1804.
The Old Town is also famous for the earthquakes it suffered in 1979, where the whole town had to be rebuilt; it took 8 years (until 1987) for it to be completely finished.
[edit] Tourism
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Budva is a capital of Montenegrin tourism. With over 250,000 guests in 2005 summer season, which made over 1,600,000 overnight stays, it is by far most popular tourist destination in Montenegro. Either because of 11,310 m of sandy beaches in and around Budva, or for its vast cultural heritage and beautiful architecture, Budva is attracting more and more foreign tourists every year. Coupled with vibrant nightlife, it makes Budva attractive destination for everyone.
Budva is popular among youth for its nightlife. Most visited places are open air clubs lined along the main pedestrian promenade, and few closed clubs that are opened after 01.00 AM (open air clubs are not allowed to play music after that time, because of the sound pollution regulations.)
Budva's most famous beach is Mogren. Nestled in-between several large cliffs it is accessed by a 500m pathway from Budva's Old town. Other beaches within official city limits include Ričardova glava (Richard's Head), Pizana, Slovenska (Slav Beach), Guvance. Many other beaches are located just outside of Budva in smaller adjacent towns and villages such as Becici, Jaz, Trsteno, Maestral, Miločer, Sveti Stefan, Pržno and Kamenovo.
Many would say that Budva is "colourful" because of the majority of buildings that have a distinct variety of colours. Since Budva is a city that is more focused toward new age architecture, much like Miami, the city outside its old town, does not hold many historical sights. In the near vicinity of the town of Budva there are exclusive resorts such as town-hotel Sveti Stefan and Miločer, places frequented by various celebrities as well as local businessmen and politicians.
[edit] Transport
Budva is connected to inland Montenegro by two-laned motorways. There are two ways to reach Budva from Podgorica - either through Cetinje, or through newly built Sozina tunnel. Either way, Podgorica is around 60 km away, and is main road junction in Montenegro.
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Budva is connected to the rest of coastal towns of Montenegro by Adriatic Motorway, which extends from Ulcinj on the far south to the Herceg-Novi, and on to the Croatia.
Tivat Airport is 20 km away. There are regular flights to Belgrade and Zurich, and dozens of charter planes land daily on Tivat airport during the summer season.
Podgorica Airport is 65 km away, and it has regular flights to major European destinations throughout the year.
[edit] Climate
Budva has a typical Mediterranean climate, with warm summers and mild winters, and 97 sunny days in a year. Budva comes among the warmest Mediterranean towns with an average temperature of 8°C in January and 23,9°C in July. The average summertime temperature is 23,1°C and 9,3°C in the winter. The temperature of the sea reaches up to 24,7°C in the summer months, while it keeps between 18°C and 19°C in the autumn.
[edit] Sister cities
[edit] External links
- Budva official page
- Budva Online
- Budva Tourism Organization
- Destination-Montenegro.com
- Visit-Montenegro.com
- Photo-Montenegro.com
- Budva Tourist Guide
- National Tourism Organization of Montenegro
- Foundation for Culture and Tradition of Boka Kotorska "Project Rastko-Boka"
- Foundation Rastko-Boka News
| Municipalities of Montenegro |  |
|---|---|
| Andrijevica | Bar | Berane | Bijelo Polje | Budva | Cetinje | Danilovgrad | Herceg-Novi | Kolašin | Kotor | Mojkovac | Nikšić | Plav | Pljevlja | Plužine | Podgorica | Rožaje | Šavnik | Tivat | Ulcinj | Žabljak | |
