Herceg novi, Montenegro

A "detour" to the Adriatic Sea, specifically the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro is our next destination

Among the “perks” of academia is the opportunity to visit nice places—and today, I’m going to Herceg novi in Montenegro where I’ll be speaking at a conference about legal history tomorrow.

As you, my dear readers know, I like to be prepared when I go on such work-related trips, hence I looked for picture postcards from the Bay of Kotor before I left—and here are my findings.

A few words about the place for those who—like me—have not been to Herceg novi before (via Wikipedia):

Herceg Novi (Cyrillic: Херцег Нови, pronounced[xěrtseɡ nôviː]) is a town in Coastal region of Montenegro located at the Western entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg Novi Municipality with around 33,000 inhabitants. The town was founded as a fortress in 1382 by the King of Bosnia, Tvrtko I Kotromanić, and named after Saint Stephen but the name did not stick, instead it became known as Novi (transl. New), also Castelnuovo in Italian (transl. New Castle).

Between 1482 and 1687 it was part of the Ottoman Empire and then from 1687 to 1797 the Albania Veneta of the Republic of Venice. It was a Catholic bishopric and remains a Latin titular see as Novi. Herceg Novi has had a turbulent past, despite being one of the youngest settlements on the Adriatic. A history of varied occupations has created a blend of diverse and picturesque architectural styles in the city.

Herceg Novi is a major Montenegrin tourist destination. It is well known as a spa and health center; nearby Igalo has an abundance of healing sea mud called “igaljsko blato” (Igalo mud) and mineral springs called “igaljske slatine” (Igalo springs). The most famous tourist attractions in Herceg Novi are castle Forte Mare built by the Bosnian king Tvrtko I in 1382, a clock tower built by Austrians in the 19th century, the Kanli tower built by Turks. Other famous attractions include the various ancient Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries, which include the Church of St. Ilija, the Church of Preobraženja, the Church of St. Đorđa, the Church of the Holy Salvation (St. Spas), the Church of St. Archangel Michael, and the Savina Monastery.

You can clearly see these attractions—the fortress, the main churches, and the tourism development in the above postcards—to which I can add another one:

While my own stay will be short—I’m arriving later today and leaving very early on Monday morning—I hope that you enjoyed these postcards from Herceg novi.