Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

MONTENEGRO 533

was finally absorbed into

Montenegro. The 19th-century

Austro-Hungarian Clock Tower

(Sahat Kula) has been a sym-

bol of the town ever since.

King Tvrtko left his mark

by constructing the Forte Mare

Castle on the sea front, while

the Ottomans added to the

defences with the Bloody

Tower (Kanli Kula). The latter

gained its gruesome moniker

following its conver sion to

an infamous prison during

Turkish rule. In the 1950s, part

of the tower was turned into

a summer amphi theatre with

the Adriatic as its backdrop.

In the heart of the Old

Town is the Church of the

Archangel Michael (Crkva Sv

Arhanđela Milaila), completed

in 1911. It harmoniously

combines Romanesque and

Islamic architectural features,

exemplified by the central

cupola flanked by minaret-

like turrets. Inside is a fine

marble iconostasis made by

Croatian masons.

P Bloody Tower

Stari grad. # 8am–8:30 daily.

R Church of the

Archangel Michael

trg Belavista. # 8am–8:30pm

daily. 5

Herceg Novi 7

90 km (56 miles) W of Podgorica.

* 11,000. @ n Jova

Dabovića 12, (031) 350 820.

http://www.hercegnovi.travel

Founded in the 14th century

by the Bosnian King Tvrtko,

Herceg Novi fell to the

Ottoman Empire shortly after

1483. Following two centuries
      of intermittent bat tles, the
      Venetians took power in the
      late 17th century and stayed
      until 1797. The Austro-
      Hungarians then took over
      until 1918, when the town

Tivat 6

80 km (50 miles) W of Podgorica.

• 8,000. k @ n Palih Boraca 8,
  (032) 671324. http://www.tivat.travel

Situated on the Bay of
Kotor, Tivat has emerged as a
major tourist attraction, where
visi tors promenade along the
beach front beneath palm trees
as expensive yachts cruise in
and out of the marina.
Wealthy aristocrats from
Kotor were among the first to
build their summer residences
here in the Middle Ages. The
Buća-Luković Summer Palace
(Vila Buća-Luković) on the
seafront was once the sea sonal
home of the Bućas, one of the
wealthiest families of Kotor.
The palace’s stone tower and
small Baroque church date
back to the 15th century. The
Renaissance building is now
used for cul tural perfor mances
and exhi bitions throughout
the summer.
North of the town centre,
the Town Park is a pleasant
retreat shaded by cypress,
eucalyptus and oleander trees.
The small Island of Flowers,
connected to the mainland
by a narrow isthmus, is home
to the partially excavated
ruins of the Monastery of
Archangel Michael, founded
in the 13th century by
Benedictine monks.

P Buća-Luković

Summer Palace

Nikole Ðurkovića br. 10. Tel (032)

674 591. # summer: 8am–1pm &

7pm–noon daily; winter: 8am–1pm

& 4pm–11pm Mon–Fri. & - =

Visitor undergoing

mud therapy

IGALO’S HEALING MUD

The town of Igalo, close to Herceg

Novi, is famed for the healing Igaljsko

blato (Igalo mud) found on its beach.

First docu mented by an Austro-

Hungarian physician in the 19th cen-

tury, a spa treatment centre was built

here, which now operates as a spa hotel

(see p542). Visitors can also treat them-

selves for free by sunbathing on the

beach with its therapeutic mud.

The seaward bastion of Forte Mare Castle, Herceg Novi

Evening stroll along the broad

promenade in Tivat