Ulcinj Old Town
Ulcinj Old Town is a historic fortress on Montenegro’s coast, featuring medieval stone walls, a rich cultural heritage, and stories of pirates and legends, making it a key monument and UNESCO candidate.
Ulcinj Old Town resembles many other medieval towns on the Montenegrin Coast. It is encircled by big stone walls and fortresses, which for centuries have been the keepers of Ulcinj’s history, culture, and tradition. Locals describe it as a fortress of unique beauty. Bulwarks, which surround it, come out directly from the sea and cover a surface of 3 hectares. They are composed of a citadel – a part still called the upper town – and a fortress of military character, located on the highest stone plateau, and a city community which encircles the south area, girded by defensive walls. It is considered that the real builders of Ulcinj Old Town were Greeks from Epir, who built the town at the end of the V and beginning of the IV century B.C.
That period can be considered as the genesis of the town, as testified by a record on the pedestal for the icon of a goddess Ara, which reads: “The union of the stonemasons (erects) to Artemida Elafavoli (a goddess of hunt)”. This leads to the fact that the “Cyclops” walls, as they are still called, the bulwarks of Ulcinj, were erected by Greek masons. The town, made by the Greeks, was ruined in an earthquake in the V century, so for the now-day look of Ulcinj Old Town, credit mostly goes to Romans, who built a new town in the VI century.
Historical and Cultural Significance
Many stories are connected with Ulcinj Old Town. Up to the year 1900, 100 black people lived in Ulcinj. The arrival of the first men of black complexion is most important during the period when Ulcinj, that is, at that time Port Valdanos, was a pirate asylum. Because of the trading of slaves from Mediterranean countries, the main square in Ulcinj even today carries the name Slave Square.
Moreover, even today you can hear a story that the famous Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes was one of the imprisoned pirate captives and slaves in Ulcinj. In Ulcinj, Cervantes spent 5 years. Later, on returning to his homeland, Cervantes wrote his famous work named “Don Quixote”. It is supposed that two female characters mentioned in that work are precisely inspired by Cervantes’ imprisonment in Ulcinj Old Town.
Ulcinj Old Town represents a real nest of culturally-historical heritage of Ulcinj. Beside the North gate of the town, on the central plateau, a museum complex is situated. There is also a church, a mosque, today a museum in which all relevant documents and discoveries are found. Exhibits worth of attention include: an antique pedestal with a transcript to a Greek goddess Artemida, an antique cameo with the picture of a goddess with a helmet, and 2 axes from the Bronze Age. In the collection of stone objects, an ionic capital, parts of the Little Church from the IX century, and abundance of objects from the Turkish era are preserved.
Architectural Features
Behind the old Ulcinj museum, a “Tower Balsici” is located, whose space for one part was used as a gallery. “The Tower Balsici” is considered one of the most representative objects of medieval architecture in Montenegro. In front of the Tower is a Little or Slave Square, enclosed by volts (casemates). Nearby, there is a high wall, better known as Balani, from the Venetian era. In front of the entrance into the museum is a ramp “ravelina” (outer part of the fortification, shaped like crescent or half-moon, usually situated in front of the middle bulwark and between parapets), and a Turkish drinking fountain from 1749.
Just few meters away from the main is the Ethnological museum of Ulcinj. It owns an extremely rich collection of exhibits. From it, many alleys lead to the upper plateau of the old town fortress. In front of the South entrance in the town, the foundations of a former Orthodox Church Holy mother of God, from the XII century, which later was turned into a catholic church of St. Marko, are found. In the vicinity of the church is also a big Venetian cistern. A little bit further is a Turkish powder magazine from the XVIII century. Nearby is an extremely luxurious building “Palata Venecija” (“Palace Venetia”), on whose place there used to be remains of an old building, so it is thought that in the building “Palata Venecija” at the time of Venetian Republic there used to be a residence of the administrators of the town.
Because of the beauty, luxuriousness, and functionality, the Montenegrin rulers Balsici used the palace as a residence and a court. In the approximate vicinity of the Palace, there is a big Venetian building, “Dvori Balsica” from the XIV century – today a well-known hotel facility.
Legends and Traditions
Before the entrance in Ulcinj Old Town, there is a burial chamber, which is a specific mark of the period of Otoman’s Empire reign. According to a legend, the burial chamber testifies about the duel of two brothers or friends, for the love of a woman. According to that story, two men fought to death so that the winner in that duel would win the love of the beloved woman. Unable to make a decision, and not even capable of watching their fight to death, according to the legend, the young woman jumped from the house and put an end to her life. Still, the duel of the young men, who at that time were highly respected in former Ulcinj, was continued. One of them died in the fight, and the other not longer after the first died too. The burial chamber – on the place of their fight, represents a sanctity, which – according to folk belief radiates and heals.
Numerous people from Ulcinj and also tourists that pass through Ulcinj Old Town, which even today has bars with which the burial chamber is fenced, throw in a coin for luck.
Ulcinj Old Town despite numerous damages on the South side and low quality communal infrastructure, remains a I category monument and a candidate for UNESCO protection.