Description of the attraction
The fortresses in Herceg Novi were built in the period from the 15th to the 19th century. Three of them are located in front of the entrance to the strait leading to the city. All were built in the era of the Austrian-Bulgarian intervention of the 19th century. On the right hand - Arts, on the left - Prevlaka, in the center - Mamula. To this day, all three fortresses have been preserved in their original form, they have not been restored.
The uninhabited island of Mamula became home to the fortress of the same name. It was built on the initiative of an Austrian general. The fortress, during both world wars, served as a prison; it was not used to protect the city.
The fortresses of Forte Mare and the Citadel are located in the south by the sea. The citadel originally belonged to Venetian builders, after which it was rebuilt by the Turks and then by the Austrians. In the 16th century it was nicknamed "The unshakable tower". The 1979 earthquake seriously damaged the fortification, leaving only part of the former walls.
Forte Mare, or otherwise "sea fortress", was built in the interval between the XIV and XVII centuries on a rock above the road running along the sea. In 1833, the fortress underwent reconstruction, since 1952 it served as a summer cinema for the townspeople, then it was converted into a dance club.
In the north of the old city, there is another fortress, the defensive Kanli Kula, known as the "bloody tower". It was erected by the forces of the Turks in the 16th century 85 meters above sea level. At first it performed protective functions, later it was converted into a prison. In 1966, the fortress was completely reconstructed, after which it turned into a concert venue with a total number of seats for 1000 people.
Also, the Turks built the following city fortresses: in the 15th-16th centuries, Spagnola was built in the north-west, on the top of Mount Baer; in the middle of the 17th century - Sat Kula (tower-chapel), which during the reign of the Turks served as the main entrance to the city.
The most famous is the city tower of St. Jerome, which was erected in the area of the eastern wall of Herceg Novi in 1687, when the city was liberated from the Turks by Jerome Corner.
