Bay of Kotor

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Map
Infos
Name:	Bay of Kotor Бока которска Boka Kotorska
Position:	Southwest Montenegro
Rivers:	Karst hydrology, Sopot, Škurda submerged sources
Destination:	Sea
Settlements:	Kotor, Herceg Novi, Tivat, Risan Dobrota, Perast
Records:	Largest bay in the Adriatic, submerged river canyon (Bokeljska rijeka)
Numbers
Water Area:	87 km²
Max depth:	60 m
Average depth:	27.3 m
Water content:	2412, 306 km³ (2,4 mrd m³)
Highest point:	Orjen = 1894 m
Lowest point:	Sea surface = 0 m
Length:	28,13 km
Widest point:	7 km
Narrowest point:	0.3 km
Hydrologic system:	karst hydrology ca. 4000 km²
Shoreline:	107.3 km
Images

The Bay of Kotor (Serbian: Бока которска, Boka kotorska; Croatian: Boka Kotorska; Italian: Bocche di Cattaro) in south-western Montenegro, is a winding bay on the Adriatic Sea. The bay, sometimes called Europe's southernmost fjord, is in fact a submerged river canyon of the disintegrated Bokelj River which used to run from the high mountain plateaus of Mount Orjen. It is an important tourist attraction in Montenegro.

The bay has been inhabited since antiquity and has some well preserved medieval towns. The picturesque towns of Kotor, Risan, Tivat, Perast and Herceg Novi, along with their natural surroundings, are major tourist attractions.

The religious heritage of the land around the bay — its numerous Orthodox and Catholic Christian churches and monasteries — makes it one of the major pilgrimage sites of the region.

Montenegro is planning to build a bridge that would span the Bay of Kotor, the so called Verige bridge.

Contents 1 History 2 Population 3 Ethnic groups in Boka 3.1 Serbs and Montenegrins 3.2 Croats 4 Geography 4.1 Climate 5 Gallery 6 Literature 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] History

The nearby hamlet of Risan (Risano) was a thriving Illyrian city called Rhizon as early as 229 BC and gave its name to the bay, then known as Rhizonicus Sinus. Rhizon submitted to Rome in 168 BC, at the same time that Acrivium, or Acruvium, the modern Kotor (Cattaro), is first mentioned as a neighboring city.

Kotor (called originally Cattaro) has been fortified since the early Middle Ages, and was one of the more influential Dalmatian city-states of the romanized Illirians throughout the period. It later passed to Bulgaria and then to Serbia before becoming a semi-independent republic and protectorate of medieval Serbian kings. Its merchant fleet and importance gradually increased, and after the fall of Serbia to the Ottoman Empire in the late 14th century, Kotor was seized by the Venetian Republic. Part of Bay of Kotor area was conquered by the Turks at the end of the 15th century, and the Venetian Republic held the south-western part with the city of Cattaro (Kotor). The Turkish part was retaken at the end of 17th century and the whole area became part of the Venetian Republic, with the name of Albania Veneta. Until 20th century the difference between the two parts was visible because former Turkish part had orthodox majority, and part that was under Venetian rule was having catholic majority.

The Bokeljs had a very strong fleet, which counted as many as 300 ships in the 18th century. The Bay was a major rival to Dubrovnik and Venice.

At the beginning of the 19th century the region around the Bay of Kotor was included in the napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and later in the Illyrian provinces, which were a part of the French Empire. The region was later conquered by Montenegro with Russian help by Episcop of Cetinje Petar I Petrović Njegoš and in 1813 a union of the bay area with Montenegro was declared.

In 1815, the bay was annexed by the Austrian Empire (Austro-Hungary since 1867) and was included into the province of Dalmatia (part of Cisleithania since 1867). In 1848 Montenegrin Prince-Bishop Petar II Petrović-Njegoš advised the denizens to fight in the Revolutions of 1848 for Croatian Ban Josip Jelačić in an attempt to unite Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia under the Habsburg crown, but the People's Assembly in Kotor refused, explicitly stating its first for Serb unification.

The Bay was attempted to be taken by the Kingdom of Montenegro during the First World War, it was bombarded from Lovćen, but by 1916 Austro-Hungary defeated Montenegro. On 7 November 1918 the Serbian Army enters the bay and is greeted by the people as liberators. It becomes a part of the self-proclaimed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, although according to the agreed right of self-determination of the peoples of Austria-Hungary, its MPs voted union with the Kingdom of Serbia. Within a month, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes is formed, renamed to Yugoslavia in 1939. The Bay was a municipality of Dalmatia until it was, like all historic entities, abolished in 1922. It was incorporated into the Zeta Area, from 1939 Zeta Banate.

According to 1818 data, the area had 29,899 inhabitants, of whom 21,310 were Orthodox Christians and 8,589 Roman Catholics. At that time municipalities with an Orthodox majority were Kotor, Risan, Grbalj, Budva, and Herceg Novi, while municipalities with a Catholic majority were Dobrota, Prčanj, Stoliv, Kontada of Kotor, and Perast.

In 1848, the Serb National Guard of Kotor refused the proposition of Petar II Petrović Njegoš to unite with Croatia-Slavonia, stating that Serbs have to be unified first before uniting with other Slavs.

The population of the municipalities, only coastal settlements, of Boka in 1880:

• Herceg-Novi = 3,314 Orthodox Christians, 1,469 Catholics
• Kotor = 7,051 Catholics, 3,077 Orthodox Christians
• Risan = 1,910 Orthodox Christians, 860 Catholics

In Kotor municipality Krtole had an orthodox majority, 899 compared to 89 catholic inhabitants, and in Risan municipality, Perast had a catholic majority, 683 compared to 327 orthodox inhabitants.

The population of the municipalities, only coastal settlements, of Boka in 1890:

• Herceg-Novi = 3,377 Orthodox Christians, 1,274 Catholics
• Kotor = 7,409 Catholics, 2,983 Orthodox Christians
• Risan = 1,842 Orthodox Christians, 1,000 Catholics

The population of the municipalities, only coastal settlements, of Boka in 1900:

• Herceg-Novi = 3,460 Orthodox Christians, 1,817 Catholics
• Kotor = 7,591 Catholics, 3,458 Orthodox Christians
• Risan = 1,830 Orthodox Christians, 906 Catholics

The population of the municipalities of Boka in 1900, all settlements,:

• Budva = 5,526 Orthodox Christians, 1,537 Catholics
• Herceg-Novi = 7,377 Orthodox Christians, 2,198 Catholics
• Kotor = 7,617 Catholics, 7,207 Orthodox Christians
• Risan = 4,020 Orthodox Christians, 1,385 Catholics

The population of the municipalities, only coastal settlements, of Boka in 1910:

• Herceg-Novi = 3,893 Orthodox Christians, 2,599 Catholics
• Kotor = 9,188 Catholics, 3,554 Orthodox Christians
• Risan = 1,884 Orthodox Christians, 1,215 Catholics

According to the 1910 census, the Bay of Kotor area had 40,582 inhabitants, of whom 24,794 were Orthodox Christians and 14,523 Catholics, but in the same time in coastal area of Bay of Kotor there were 22,823 inhabitants of which 13,002 were Catholics and 9,331 were Orthodox.

From 1918, the Bay of Kotor was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929). Between 1918 and 1922 the region was a separate county administered from Kotor, between 1922 and 1929 it was part of Zeta Oblast, and between 1929 and 1941 part of Zeta Banovina. According to the 1921 census, Boka had 36,539 inhabitants, of whom 23,777 were Orthodox Christians and 12,342 Catholics.

The region of the Bay of Kotor was occupied by the Italian Army in April 1941, and was included in the Italian Governatorato di Dalmazia until September 1943. Since 1945, it has been part of the Republic of Montenegro.

Today, most of the inhabitants of the region are Orthodox Christian declaring themselves on census forms either as Serbs or as Montenegrins, while about 11% of its population is Catholic, mostly declaring themselves as Croats.

The Bay of Kotor region is under the protection of UNESCO due to its very rich cultural heritage. There it is even a small Italian community of nearly 500 venetian speaking people in Perasto and Cattaro, the last remnants of the historical Albania Veneta.

In 1979, there was an earthquake that destroyed or seriously damaged numerous cultural monuments.

[edit] Population

Most inhabitants of the Bay of Kotor area are Serbs (41.89%) and Montenegrins (34.68%) with some Croats (7.61%).

The three municipalities making up the Bay of Kotor region have a total population of 71,443 (2003 census):

• Herceg-Novi = 33,971 (17,818 Serbs; 9,651 Montenegrins; 831 Croats)
• Kotor = 23,481 (11,002 Montenegrins; 7,197 Serbs; 1,842 Croats)
• Tivat = 13,991 (4,911 Serbs; 4,126 Montenegrins; 2,761 Croats)

Of these, 76% are Orthodox Christians and 11% are Catholics.

[edit] Ethnic groups in Boka

[edit] Serbs and Montenegrins

Slavic tribes settled around the Bay of Kotor in the 7th century. The region was divided between the Serb tribes of Travunians and Docleans.

When the autonomous Serbian Orthodox Church was established in the 13th century, one of its first eparchies was established in Boka.

Historically, there were 3 Orthodox monasteries and 250 Orthodox churches in the area, most of which still exist.

[edit] Croats

The towns of Kotor, Perast, Tivat, Dobrota, Prčanj, Herceg-Novi and Budva had a Roman Catholic majority in 1910. Vrmac peninsula and the southern part of Spich (from Sutomore to the border between the Bay of Kotor and Montenegro near the town of Bar) had an absolute Catholic majority in 1910.

Censuses of Roman Catholic Serbo-Croatian municipalities from 1931:

• Kotor: 3,006 Catholics, 2,090 Orthodox Christians
• Dobrota: 675 Catholics, 575 Orthodox Christians
• Muo: 483 Catholics, 97 Orthodox Christians
• Prčanj: 584 Catholics, 169 Orthodox Christians
• Tivat: 2,726 Catholics, 482 Orthodox Christians
• Perast: 1,103 Catholics, 322 Orthodox Christians

For example, the number of Catholics in the cities of Kotor dropped from 69% in 1910 to 7% in 1991; in Herceg-Novi from 70% to 2%; in Tivat from 95% to 23%.

In 1893, the Croatian Home (Hrvatski dom) was opened in Kotor.

In 1991 Croats comprised 8% of the Bay of Kotor, and in 2003 the percent of Croats was 7.61%.

The Bokelj Marine 809 (Bokeljska mornarica 809) is a fraternal society whose aim is to preserve Croat maritime tradition.

[edit] Geography

The bay is composed of several smaller broad bays, united by narrower channels, forming one of the finest natural harbours in Europe. The bay inlet was formally a river system. Very intensive tectonics and karstification processes led to the disintegration of this river. After heavy rain the famous waterfall of Sopot spring at Risan appears, and Škurda, another well known spring runs through a canyon from Lovćen.

The outermost part of the bay is the Bay of Tivat (Teodo) and a small naval port. On the seaward side, there is the Bay of Herceg Novi (Castelnuovo), which guards the main entrance to the Bay of Kotor. The inner bays are the Bay of Risan to the northwest and the Bay of Kotor to the southeast.

On the landward side, the long walls running from the fortified old town of Kotor to the castle of Saint John, far above, formed a striking feature in the landscape; and the heights of the Krivošije (Krivoscie), a group of barren plateaus in Mount Orjen, were crowned by small forts.

There are many interesting places on the shores of the Bay of Kotor. Herceg Novi has an Orthodox convent of St. Sava nearby (Savina monastery) standing amid beautiful gardens. It was founded in the 16th century and contains many fine specimens of 17th century silversmiths' work. Eight miles east of Herceg Novi, there is a Benedictine monastery on a small island opposite Perast (Perasto). Perast itself was for a time an independent state in the 14th century.

[edit] Climate

The Bay of Kotor lies within the Mediterranean subtropical belt. While summers are hot and sunny, autumn, winter and spring are rainy seasons. It is the climate type of the Mediterranean but modifications exist in the vast region. A peculiarity of the littoral Dinarids is the precipitation regime as at the Bay of Kotor, Mt. Orjen receives Europe's most heavy precipitation. Just as the monsoon rain is seasonally distributed, so too November thunderstorms sometimes pour 2000 l of water in several days, while August is frequently completely dry, leading to forest fires. With a maximum discharge of 200 m³/s of water one of the biggest karst springs, the Sopot spring, is a remarkable indicator of this seasonal variation. Most of the time it is inactive but after heavy rain a remarkable waterfall appears 20 m above the Bay of Kotor.

Station	Height [m]	Type	Character	Precipitation [mm]	Snow
Zubacki kabao	1894	D	perhumid Mediterranean snowclimate	ca. 6250	ap. 140 days
Crkvice	940	Cfsb	(fs= without summerdryness), perhumid Mediterranean mountain climate	4926	70 days
Risan	0	Cs’’a	(s’’= double winter rain season), perhumid Mediterranean coast climate	3500	2 days

* classification scheme after Köppen

Two wind systems are noteworthy for their ecological significance: Bora and Scirocco. Strong cold downslope winds of the Bora type appear in winter and are most severe in the Bay of Risan. Gusts reach 250 km/h and can lead to a significant fall of temperatures in several hours with freezing events problematic for most of the Mediterranean cultures. Bora weather situations are frequent and sailors keep an eye on the mountains as cap clouds indicate an imminent Bora event. Scirocco is a warm humid rain and is important as it brings heavy rain. It appears throughout the year but is usually concentrated in autumn and spring.

Station	Period	Height [m]	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	I-XII [mm/m²a]
Herceg Novi	1961-1984	40	230	221	183	135	130	73	28	45	160	181	326	262	1974
Risan	1961-1984	40	405	342	340	235	153	101	66	123	188	295	423	434	3105
Grahovo	1961-1984	710	351	324	305	251	142	94	55	103	202	416	508	473	3224
Podvrsnik	1961-1984	630	407	398	367	305	151	101	77	132	238	465	593	586	3820
Vrbanje	1961-1984	1010	472	390	388	321	181	104	70	122	224	369	565	536	3742
Knezlaz	1961-1984	620	547	472	473	373	207	120	72	136	268	400	629	661	4358
Crkvice	1961-1984	940	610	499	503	398	198	135	82	155	295	502	714	683	4774
Ivan. Korita	1960-1984	1350	434	460	742	472	128	198	74	46	94	300	694	972	4614
Goli vrh	1893-1913	1311	271	286	307	226	188	148	75	70	215	473	415	327	3129
Jankov vrh	1890-1909	1017	424	386	389	346	212	124	55	58	202	484	579	501	3750
Cetinje	1961-1984	655	434	357	367	288	164	92	72	118	209	306	489	498	3394
Grab-Zubci	1934-1960	677	333	325	257	195	183	83	59	86	173	360	447	485	2985
Trebinje	1931-1960	276	193	190	160	102	119	70	43	76	110	239	247	249	1762
Dubrovnik	1931-1960	49	147	113	102	92	79	60	24	38	97	156	213	186	1307

* monthly and yearly precipitation ranges in Dalmatia, Herzegovina and Montenegro

[edit] Gallery

Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (Sv. Tripun) in Kotor (Cattaro)

The two islands off Perast (Perasto)

Church in Perast (Perasto)

[edit] Literature

1. Odjeci slavnih vremena - Tomislav Grgurević,
2. Boka kotorska: Etnički sastav u razdoblju austrijske uprave (1814.-1918. g.),Ivan Crkvenčić, Antun Schaller, Hrvatski geografski glasnik 68/1, 51-72 (2006),

[edit] See also

• Montenegro
• Montenegrin Littoral
• Prevlaka
• Croatian Civic Society of Montenegro
• Albania Veneta

[edit] External links

• Tourist agency page
• Kotor Online

Coordinates: 42°26′N, 18°38′E