Situated on the crossroads
between East and West, Herceg Novi was exposed to the influence of Christianity
and Islam and to the dominant empires and powerful metropolises over the
centuries. This historical interweaving of different cultures and religions, in
touch with the beauty, led to a unique synthesis of different
styles. Herceg Novi on the ground alternated different civilizational and
cultural heritage, leaving a deep imprint on the present appearance of Herceg
Novi. Old Town Herceg Novi is an utmost charming and relaxing place to be and
to walk around in, even if you want to get some fitness exercise walking the
stairs up and down.
.JPG)
Tvrđava Mezaluna - Citadela
The Citadel of Herceg Novi was erected in 1702, under the Venetian occupation over the town. It was
already ruined before the big earthquake stroke in 1979, but then
big pieces of it was tore apart and fell into the sea. Generally citadel is a term
for the strongest of strongholds inside
a fortress where the civilians can seek protection under
an attack, but this is located on
the seashore with modest masonry in relation to the rest of the old town,
almost as a prominent first line of defence. It is called in academic circles Tvrđava Mezaluna (fortress
crescent moon), so the name Citadela probably occurred colloquially.
Citadela was linked directly to the lower part of the old town by firm walls. When the railway was built, opened in
1901, the access to the citadel
became a bridge. There are now planned to rebuild the
Citadela.
Kula
Sveti Anta
The fortification constitutes
the corner to the south-east of
the town walls, right down by the
seafront between Citadela
and the Vojničke Banje
(originally a military quarantine) which doesn't exist anymore.
Forte Mare
Fortification in Herceg Novi was already
started in 1382 by the Bosnians when they founded
the town. Forte Mare is the most striking part of the old
town. It is built on solid rocks and is well preserved and conspicuous. As it is today, it assemblies from multiple time periods from the
14th to the 17th century as weapons
technology increasingly demanded stronger
defence. But it didn't always help much.
At the foot of the fortress there
is a water source, not for drinking
anymore. The crusade from the Papal State, Venetians and Spaniards in 1687 surrounded
the town and blocked their access to water supply. The conquest did not take long. Forte Mare was restored
in 1833, according to a tablet above the entrance.
Architecturally, the fortress is very exciting and with a dominant position. There is a gate from the sea leading to the top, where
there is a coat of arms of the Bosnian peers on the wall engraved in a big
stone.
The top of the fortress is a very
special venue for activities and
events, from 1952 as an open-air
summer theatre and cinema; later
came an open-air discotheque kind
of hanging outside the edge of the tall masonry.
Trg Mića Pavlovića
In this square in the
lower part of the old town there are given great concerts every now and then
during the summer, often connected to the music school next to it. Or you can
listen to students practicing when you walk by. This Musičke
Škole was the town's secondary school earlier. In the center of the
square stands the dominant Crkva Sveti Jeronima, the Catholic parish church from
1688. The Archbishop of Bar and the prominent
Serbian Baroque poet and theologian Andrija Zmajević 1628-1694, a native of
Perast dedicated it to Saint Jerome. The
church was destroyed and restored again several times through history. It has a
valuable collection of works of art.
The church is also known
as "Alda". Just a few steps
down from Trg Mića Pavlovića you find the small and amazing Crkva Sveti Leopolda Mandić, built in the 17th century. This is a
Catholic church as well and named after Saint Leopold Mandić who was canonized
by Pope John Paul II. in 1983. Leopold Bogdan Mandić (1866-1942) was an
ethnic Croat born in Herceg Novi. Physically malformed and delicate, having a
height of only 1.35 m, with clumsy walk and stuttering, he developed tremendous
spiritual strength during his lifetime.
Peraškim Vratima
The Perast Gate got its name as a tribute to Perast for
the help they got from them to liberate
Herceg Novi from the Turks in 1687. From this gate, a
protective wall is proceeding to Kula Sveti Jeronima. This fortification was named in
honour of Girolamo Cornaro,
a Venetian and Dalmatian general who conquered the
town in 1687, and freed it from
the Turkish yoke.
Trg Nikole Đurkovića
This is the bigger square just outside the protective fortified walls. It is named honouring Nikola Đurković, a local hero from Second World War, and has lots of cafes and restaurants; even some shops. In the backstreet behind the square you can visit the greengrocers market every morning.
Zapadne Kula – Potkovičasta Kula
This fortress tower (East Tower) is what you see high above in the direction
Kanli Kula if you
are facing the stairs at the
square Nikole Đurkovića.
Sahat Kula
In the steps between this
square Nikole Đurkovića and square Belavista (beautiful view) we
pass through Porta di Borgo (town gate) under Sahat Kula (Sat Kula). This watch tower and gate into the old town Herceg Novi was built in 1667
under the Ottoman occupation of the town.
It was the main gate to the town with a wooden drawbridge over a moat (ditch) where a
stream was flowing at that time. The bridge could be lifted up under threats
and attacks. In the gate there is an inscription in Arabic: "this
stronghold was erected in 1078/1667 by Mustafa Aga, attendant in the Sultan's
Mosque, by order of Sultan Mahmud". The old mechanical
watch in the tower was replaced in 1995 with an
electric one, received as an act of friendship from the town
of Zemun, Serbia, a fellow-town of Herceg Novi. In
the arcade is a niche with a sculpture
of the Black Madonna, made
of burnt wood and dedicated to the memory of Tvrtko I Kotromanović,
the town's founder. It was made by Afran Hozić from Sarajevo
and received under the celebration of the town's celebration of the 600th
anniversary.
Trg Herceg Stefana (Belavista)
Surrounded by nice
buildings; with century-old palm trees and the fountain, this popular square is
the most beautiful part of the old town, with its intimate cafes and
restaurants. Central in the square dominates Crkva Sveti Mihaila
Arhanđela (the Church of Saint Archangel Michael) from
the 19th century. By its architectural ambience and harmony, and artistic touch,
this temple is among the most beautiful in Montenegro. It is built in Byzantine
baroque and Gothic style, and the icons were painted by the painter Franco
Cigler and the iconostasis by Pavle Bilinić from Split. There is an
Italian-Cretan circular icon of Saint Peter and Paul dating from the 16th
century inside the church as well. Please pay attention to the beautiful lunette
above the portal of the church. In the square we find the Archive of Herceg Novi municipality.
The building was built in 1885, and is an example of late Gothic
architecture. Destroyed in the big earthquake in 1979 it was soon rebuilt
and contains collections from the institutions of Herceg Novi, dating back to
the 17th century (the oldest document from 1685) and extends to the
present day. Records contain documents related to the judicial administration,
trade, shipping, health, migration, social relationships and the like. In the
immediate vicinity of the Archive we find the town's Library with more than 30.000 books. Its collection includes old
and valuable books, monographs, periodicals and cartographic publications,
graphic maps and engravings, as well as other technical literature and fiction.
Just before entering this square from Sahat Kula you will find the bookstore Mimoza; probably the smallest
bookstore in Europe, but with lots of interesting titles.
Galerija Josip Bepo Benković
In the stairs just down from Belavista on the
right side you find this gallery. On December 15th 1966, after closing of The
Art School in Herceg-Novi, the Art Gallery was established under the protection
of Soldier Union (from the Second World War), by artists and well - intentioned
citizens. The Gallery was named after Josip Bepo Benković, the artist from
Herceg Novi, who was executed in the Nazi concentration camp Banjica in 1943. The
Winter Salon is the oldest annual manifestation on the Yugoslav artistic area
following current artistic happenings in the world. The Gallery Josip Bepo
Benković realized many independent exhibitions of the great importance for the
cultural life on this environment during perennial performing. The permanent
exhibition, which occurs partly
through purchase awards
Salon included: Luke
Tomanović, Alexander Prijić,
Branko Filipović-Filo, Milena Šotra,
Vojo Stanić, George Pravilović,
Duro Seder, Dmitar Manev,
Aleksandar Cvetković, Mariah Ramujkić, Vasko Lipovac, Shams Gavrankapetanović-Rajnvajn,
Mihailo Jovicević and Dragan Karadzić.
Mari (my daughter) and Silje adore Belavista, like me.
My very best friends in Herceg Novi; Adriana, Vesna
and Nina too.
Kula Tarnovice and Izvor Karadža
The old town Herceg Novi is surrounded by a number of fortifications at strategic locations in
the town walls. One of them,
Tarnovice Tower is located in the upper town to
the east of the Gate Karadža. Some say the fortress was linked with Kanli Kula
through an underground tunnel which has been destroyed, probably from earthquakes.
There is an iron door. Some says it hides the entrance to a tunnel all the way
to Tvrđava Španjola. Just outside the gate,
we find the Karadža stream, which
has provided the town with fresh and clean water for hundreds of years. In the time
of Turk occupation there were five
water sources in the town, but now only two are available. It is believed that
earthquakes have destroyed the
other three. See "Jok Megdan" to understand the name Karadža (black source).
Stairs upwards through the upper town to Kanli Kula.
Kanli Kula
Kanli is a Turkish word and means bloody. This Bloody Tower was built by the
Turks when they again occupied the town from the
Spaniards in 1539. The lower part
of the fortress was eventually used
as a prison. The damage from the big earthquakes in 1667 and 1979 has
been corrected. The last restoration was finished in
1988. The main entrance is to the north, and to the south there is the
"Donkey's Gate" leading down to the old town. These gates were constructed
by the Austrians when they occupied the town in the 19th century up to First
World War. From 1966, the fortress
has served as an open-air theatre, and for many years being the main
arena for the International Film Festival in July-August. It started in
1987, and this year (2013) there will be the 27th festival. The theatre has more than 1,000
seats.
Mari is in a good mood after a romantic movie in this
romantic scenery.
Jok Megdan
The area between Kanli
Kula and the Magistral
(main road) is an area called Jok Megdan. A legend
explains the name; from the first time
the Turks tried to conquer the town.
In the heat of the fighting, the man
with the town's highest rank challenged the Turkish commander to
duel, which of course ended with the latter to
retreat with his troops, crying
out "jok megdan". In
this legend it is very freely translated
"no match". From this struggle the
stream there where stained red
from all the blood. The name of the
water pump down in the old town has from that time
carried the name Karadža
that mean "black
water". In this language they don't make a distinction between red and black, such as red wine, called "crno vino"
(black wine).
Tvrđava Španjola
This large and complex fortification is located at the top of the hill above
the district Bajer. It carries its name from the period of nine months
with Spanish occupation in 1538-1539. Some say they restored it, but the Turks had built it. The
fortress is also known as "Upper Town". Others say that on the same spot was an old
fortification called "Karla V" (after the holy Roman/German/Spanish
emperor 1519-58), but the Turks
tore that down to build a new when they expelled the Spaniards. The work was completed in 1548 with characteristics from oriental architecture, and
there was later continuing improvements. Above the entrance there is an Arabic inscription.
This fortress lost its strategic importance in the mid 19th century with the
completion of the fortresses in the entrance to the bay, Mamula, Arza and Prevlaka.
It
is believed that there was a connection with the lower old town in an
underground tunnel. During Second
World War Španjola was used as a
prison. Španjola is well preserved,
with a number of buildings within
the walls, including a mosque.
From Španjola Guro has an extraordinary view back down to the Old Town
Herceg Novi.
