Description of the attraction
The Kotor Fortress is one of the unique attractions. The walls of the citadel surround the old part of the city, climbing a rocky hill. Height - 20 meters, length - 4.5 kilometers. The walls are 16 meters thick.
The construction of the citadel was started by the Romans, destroying the foundation and walls that the Illyrians had previously erected here. The next who captured this strategically important bay were the Byzantines: they destroyed the already dilapidated citadel and built a new one in its place. Further, the Kotor citadel was influenced by many different invaders. The Byzantines were replaced by the Arabs in the middle of the 9th century, followed by the Bulgarians, Venetians and Serbs.
The year 1657 became a turning point in the history of the citadel. Since that time, about half of the fortress has become inaccessible to the public. According to legend, during the war between the Venetians and the Turks for power over Kotor, the inhabitants of the city took refuge in the fortress, ready to fight to the end. The Turks did not manage to conquer the fortress, but the inhabitants of the city also could not get out of it, since they threw the key to the gate into the sea. They managed to get out after the earthquake, which cracked in the wall of the fortress. However, after that, it closed again and since that time, access to the inside of the citadel has been impossible.
Subsequently, the fortress was attacked by the French fleet at the beginning of the 19th century. After that, Kotor was liberated by the Russians from the French invaders and the rebuilding of the citadel was completed.
