Fort mamula in montenegro. Fort Mamula and the Blue Cave - a sightseeing route in the Bay of Kotor. Mamula in popular culture

On one of the beautiful sunny days of rest in Montenegro, in Herceg Novi, I decided to go on a boat trip to Zanice beach. The excursion program, in addition to contemplating the wonderful Montenegrin landscapes, included a visit to the famous blue cave and Mamula Fort.

I went on a boat trip quite spontaneously. I saw a boat on the pier that was going to Zhanitsa beach (the round-trip cost 5 euros), I thought, why don't I go there, it's still fun!

If you are going to go, it is better to arrive a little early before departure, around 9-45. About 40-50 people were packed into small boats, and if you come early there is a chance to get good seats.

How to find a pier where boats leave for Zhanitsa beach (with a visit to the Blue Cave, Mamula Fort): in Igalo there are 2 piers: near the Obala restaurant, and near La Bamba beach. From Herzig Novi, boats depart from the pier near the Skver beach and from the central pier. There are quite a few boats, they leave as they fill up. The tour starts at 10 (and some even from 9-30), return at 16. The time for departure back is different for everyone (from 16 to 18). That is, you will return on the same boat on which you will sail there.

By the way, you can visit the blue cave and Mamula Fort as a separate boat trip from Herceg Novi. But the price will be higher than when sending from Zhanitsa beach.

Having paid the coveted 5 euros, I sat comfortably in the boat, watching the seascapes. The beautiful mountains of the Bay of Kotor, coastal towns floated by, Croatia was visible in the distance. Having rounded the Lustica peninsula, we sailed past beautiful rocks and small islands, on which formidable fortresses and monasteries were located. From Herceg Novi to Zhanitsa beach, swim about 20 minutes by sea.

During the trip, the captain immediately tries to sell a trip to the blue cave and Mamula Fort (for an additional 5 euros). Usually it happens like this: the captain will drop all passengers on Zhanitsa beach, and those who pay extra will be lucky further. Imagine: you sailed on a boat for 20-30 minutes, you are hot, you want to swim (by the way, you can get a little sick), and then for about an hour you will be taken to other attractions. Therefore, you should not rush: immediately after a sea trip, it is better to relax on the beach. And after a couple of hours, go for additional impressions.

Boats from Zanjica Beach leave this route every half an hour.

Zanice beach on the Lustica peninsula I visited twice. Once it was not very successful (since there was a storm and I had to quickly return to Herceg Novi), but the second trip was a success. You can read more about Zhanitsa beach here.

You can easily spend a whole day on Zanice. On the beach there are numerous cafes, an olive grove, an old church. If you go up the path from the pier, you will have great views of the bay. But in my opinion, the best time to send back is 16-00. Since after 16 the temperature drops and swimming is no longer very comfortable.

Arriving on a boat to Zhanitsa, I had a good rest, bathed. And then, when I got bored, I went on a boat trip to see the sights.

There are several remarkable islands right next to the Zhanitsa beach. At the very nearest is the ancient monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A little further away are two Forts, one of which is Mamula.

But first, our captain took us to the blue cave.

Blue cave (Plava pilja, Blue Grotto) in Montenegro

The Blue Cave (Plava Shpila in Montenegrin) is a natural landmark of Montenegro. This is a large grotto, with an area of approximately 300 square meters. The height of the vaults is 25 meters. The Blue Cave has 2 entrances through which boats constantly arrive.

The Blue Cave is called because on clear sunny days the sun's rays are refracted and the water appears blue. Water, reflected on the walls of the cave, also paints them in unusual shades. Swimming is included in the attraction of visiting the grotto.

My opinion is that the cave is certainly beautiful, but it’s definitely not worth going specifically for the sake of the grotto. Swimming in blue waters, exotic. But the sea here is absolutely the same as on the entire Montenegrin coast. In addition, when 5 boats swim into the grotto at the same time, there is nothing to breathe there.

How to get to the blue cave The Blue Cave is located on the Lustica peninsula between the Golden Harbor and Mala Gora Bay, at a distance of 6 nautical miles from Herceg Novi. Except on a boat or a yacht, you can’t get into the Blue Cave. From the beach Zhanitsa or Mirishte (Mirista) boats and boats depart, sail for about 10 minutes.

Fort Mamula on the island (fortMamula)

Fort Mamula does not make much impression from the sea. “What is a concrete box?” I thought as we floated by. However, after landing on the shore, the fortress made a great impression on me, thanks to the scale and stunning views that open from the very top of the fortress. The captain dropped us off on the island and gave us almost 40 minutes to explore. Entrance to the fortress is free, there is no security. But, despite this, Fort Mamula is kept in a good condition. It's pretty clean and pretty.

The fortress, known as Mamula, was built in 1853 by the Austro-Hungarian General Lazar Mamula. The fort is located on the rocky island of Lastavitsa, with a diameter of only 200 meters. By the way, the fortress occupies almost 90% of the surface of the island. Mamula is located right at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, 3.5 miles from the city of Herceg Novi.

During the time of the Venetians, the island was called Rondina.

Today, Fort Mamula is the best preserved fort founded by the Austrians in the Adriatic. Mamula is a truly monumental building, due to its location it was used as a defensive fortification. And during the First and Second World Wars, there was a prison and a concentration camp. The prisoners left numerous inscriptions on the walls, many of which have survived to this day. Our compatriots, as always, excelled. Especially "Olesya, who did not go."

The fortress is very large, you can walk around it in 10 minutes. I really liked that there are many rooms, stairs and tiers.

The view from the top floor of Mamula is amazing.

Slowly, I went down from the fortress and wandered to the pier. Walking along the ancient walls, I did not notice how time flew by, and I was left completely alone. More precisely, the captain called the time in Serbian, it sounded like "two-fifteen". It turned out that this meant 15 minutes to two. I, like a real blonde, thought it was two to fifteen.

There were many people on the beach. My own boat managed to sail 20 meters already. I had to jump very high and wave my hat. The captain saw me, the boat again landed on the shore. My salvation is done!!! Although in my heart, I was even glad that I would stay there for another couple of hours.

After such a wonderful boat trip, we again returned to Zhanitsa beach, where the hospitable Adriatic Sea was waiting for me, as well as a delicious lunch in a restaurant on the waterfront.
To be continued...

Mamula Island is represented by a small rocky island of a rounded shape, located next to the famous resort of the country of Herceg Novi. It was once called the Swallow, until in the middle of the 19th century, the governor of the Austro-Hungarian Dalmatia, General Lazar Mamula, built a defensive fortress on it in order to protect the Bay of Kotor from attack from the sea. Since then, the island has had such a name.

Although not large in size, it was of great importance due to its strategic location. The island seems to close the entrance to the bay with a lock, which was decided to be used during the hostilities. It began to function as a defensive fort.

And during both (both the 1st and 2nd) world wars, the fortress was used as a prison, and the fame of this place was unkind - there is evidence that the prisoner fighters for a free Montenegro held there were brutally tortured. The fortress has been well preserved to this day and is now under state protection as a cultural monument.

Today, the island is famous for its city park, which is home to a large number of tropical and subtropical plants, including some of the most unique varieties of mimosa. In the winter season, the world-famous Mimosa Festival is held here, which lasts a whole month.

A particularly beautiful view of the bay opens from the side of any vessel passing by. You can see that all the slopes of Boka Kotorska are cut by three tunnels for submarines. Once it was part of the fighting power of Yugoslavia. Submarines fell into the tunnels under water, and the enemy never knew whether they were inside the peninsula or had already gone to the open sea.

Today, of course, everything looks abandoned and orphaned, although, according to some reports, Montenegro has its own submarine fleet. Boka Kotorska also owns a shipyard.

Now, one-day excursions for tourists, travelers and artists are organized to the island and Mamula Fort, cruise ships passing by stop here without fail. Everyone who comes here is fascinated by its natural beauty, steep rocky shores, and the northern side of the island offers a beautiful secluded beach.

In order to get to know and feel the unique historical and natural-geological side of Montenegro, we offer tourists a comprehensive one-day excursion route to the Mamula Fort and the Blue Cave, which are located 6 km southeast of Herceg Novi at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor.

Fort Mamula was built in 1853 on the small island of Lastvitsa (Swallow) by Lazar Mamula, who in 1859-1865 was the governor of the Kingdom of Dalmatia, a vassal state of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The fort served to protect his possessions from the side of the Bay of Kotor from encroachments from the sea. It is located between Cape Prevlaka on the border with Croatia and the Lustica peninsula in the area of Zhanitsa bay. From the Zhanitsa beach, it is convenient to get by boat to the island of Lastvitsa in the Austro-Hungarian fort of Mamula. The very structure of the fortress of the fort occupies 80-90% of the island. The fort was used not only as a military facility, but also as a prison. During the First World War the fortress was used as a prison by the Austrians, during the Second World War by the Italians. The island itself is quite picturesque, replete with various types of vegetation of the tropics and subtropics. A large number of gulls nest on the island, which eventually feel like masters there, protect their nests and are practically not afraid of people. There is also a legend of the island about rabbits, which supposedly, if a girl sees a black rabbit there, she will definitely meet her beloved soon. And yet, despite the steep rocky shores, there is a small secluded beach on the northern side of the island.

After getting acquainted with the Mamula Fort on a sightseeing tour, you should take a boat trip to one of the largest and most beautiful grottoes in Montenegro - the Blue Cave. Along the way, you will see the extraordinary beauty of the landscapes of the coasts and islands of the Bay of Kotor. Turning into one of the gorges in the rock, you find yourself in a rocky grotto - a cave with stone arches and blue water of an unusual shade. The depth of the Blue Cave reaches 45m, so it is impossible to resist the temptation to dive into this blue abyss from the stern of the boat. After swimming enough in the sparkling blue water under the stone vaults, it is worth going on a further journey - to the place where the submarines are parked.

At the very edge of the Lustica peninsula in the Bay of Kotor near the village of Rose (Rose) is an abandoned Yugoslav submarine base - a carefully disguised shelter for military submarines. In the 150-meter tunnel in the rocks during the war, two submarines could be located at the same time. To date, this base is completely abandoned, but with its historical value it attracts tourists from different countries.

And, of course, an important addition to this excursion route is the enchanting panoramic views of the shores of the Bay of Kotor, which enchant with the beauty of the nature of recreation in Montenegro.

If you want to take part in the excursion route to Mamula Fort and the Blue Cave (group or individual), fill out the application on the page.

November 2013

There are a lot of interesting places in Montenegro, and there are simply no counting of ancient fortresses! We went to the island-fortress of Mamula on a rented boat from the pier in Herceg Novi. But the alluring fortress turned out to be almost impregnable, it was very stormy, they didn’t get out on the beret :)

// sasha0404.livejournal.com

Mamula is located between two peninsulas: from Montenegro - Lustica, from Croatia - Prevlaka. This is an uninhabited island in the Adriatic, the fortress is 200 meters in diameter, its height is 16 m. The island is covered with low shrub vegetation and some huge cacti. From the city of Herceg Novi removed 6.3 km.

// sasha0404.livejournal.com

I'll show you on Google Maps de it's exactly located. Above - Herceg Novi, on the right - Tivat, Kotor and other cities, and below the dot near the phrase "Boka Kotorska" - this is the island of Mamula. Note that the spit on the left is already Croatia, a visa country in "floating" availability.

Of course, we asked our skipper how the Croatian border guards were doing there, whether they respected the borders very much, he assured that they didn’t - if you wish, you can safely visit without a visa. And opposite the island there is a wonderful beach Zhanice. This is an amazing place to relax with emerald water! This is the best place to take a boat from. The photo shows the Croatian peninsula of Prevlaka with fortifications.

// sasha0404.livejournal.com

The fort appeared in 1853, it occupied about 90% of the surface area of the island, and it was ordered to be built by the general of Austria-Hungary - Lazar Mamula, in honor of him the fortress got its name, and the island itself is called the Swallow. Together with the fortifications on Prevlaka and Lustica, both of which were erected at the same time by an Austro-Hungarian general, Mamula Fort was necessary as a barrier to the enemy from entering the Bay of Kotor.

// sasha0404.livejournal.com

During the Second World War, on May 30, 1942, the fascists from Italy, on the orders of Mussolini, turned Mamula into a concentration camp. The fort became a place for brutal torture of prisoners. Now a memorial plaque reminds tourists of the prison.

// sasha0404.livejournal.com

And now a small digression - I will show the places where they sailed from and through which they sailed. After all, the landscapes in Montenegro are breathtaking at every turn! Approximately from this place in the photo we set off from Herceg Novi, we found a boatman corny - they approached and asked, after all, in November they do not hunt for tourists, since there are almost none ...

// sasha0404.livejournal.com

We sail on the sea and see how Boka leaves towards Dzhenovichi, Zelenika, Biela, Kotor, Tivat ...

// sasha0404.livejournal.com

We are all moving away from Herceg Novi, watching how gray clouds want to swallow the mountains.

// sasha0404.livejournal.com

Our goal is near! The sailboat there is also tormented off the coast :)

// sasha0404.livejournal.com

The island after the collapse of Yugoslavia was the subject of a dispute between Montenegro and Croatia. Although culturally and historically it belongs to Croatia, and until 1947 it was in the Dubrovnik cadastre, but ... closer to Montenegro, so the island now belongs to Montenegro. Over the years, it began to collapse, although they are talking about restoration, but no one is investing money, spiral staircases, a bakery, a headquarters tower and loopholes have been preserved here.

Mamula Island with its fortress is one of the main attractions in the Bay of Kotor. The Montenegrin government has big plans for this uninhabited island in the Adriatic Sea. But for now, let's focus on what we have now.
Mamula Island is undeservedly left out of the attention of many tourists. This is due to its not very convenient location, which makes it difficult to include the island in excursion programs. So basically tourists come to this island, who relax in the resorts of Herceg Novi and Igalo. However, one popular excursion does include a visit to Mamula Island. It's day time tour of Boka Kotorska Bay .

Mamula Island on the map of Montenegro

Fortress Mamula

The first inhabitants appeared on the island of Mamula in 1853, when an Austro-Hungarian military fort was built here. However, the worst period in the history of this island happened during the Second World War, when an isolated concentration camp was located here. From 30 May 1942 until the end of the war, Benito Mussolini's forces used the island of Mamula to house thousands of people against their will.

Although the practice of keeping records was not the strength of the Mussolini regime, Mamula Island was still known as a den of cruelty and torture. At least 130 deaths have been linked to the site, most of which were caused by famine. After the closure of the concentration camp on the island of Mamula, the fort and other buildings were abandoned. Since then no one has lived on the island.

Perspectives of Mamula Island

Since the island is located at the ideal distance from the coast to get the necessary feeling of isolation, but still quickly reach the island or the mainland, it has great potential. Investors noticed this too. As far as we know, redevelopment of the land and buildings, including hundreds of cells that once held prisoners, will begin in the near future. Officials in Montenegro have a plan to restore the crumbling fort. According to the latest reports, the former concentration camp will be transformed into a modern, upscale beach resort. Swiss investment firm Orascom Development Holding AG has signed a 49-year lease on the island and plans to turn Mamula Island into a luxury holiday destination.