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The Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries

Date of Submission: 11/02/2014
Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)
Category: Cultural
Submitted by:
Ministry of Culture of Montenegro
State, Province or Region:
Boka Kotorska
Ref.: 5853
Other States Parties participating
Word File









The site is composed by a complex system that show different defensive solutions: continuous walls reinforced by bastions with forts and citadel (Kotor), hill top castle and sea fortress (Herceg-Novi). These structures are still highly connoting the urban and geo-morphological context they are in.



Name(s) of the component part(s)


1.d State, Province or Region

1.e Coordinates

Defensive system of the Boka Kotorska with fortified town of Kotor and fortified town of Herceg-Novi


Montenegro,  Boka Kotorska




Description of the component part(s)



The Boka Kotorska are made up of a series of inlets, with broad valleys between them, connected and set deeply into the hinterland. They form one of the best natural ports of the Mediterranean Sea and, thanks to this feature, for centuries the Venetians and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire used the area as a well-equipped and unconquered naval military base, controlling the entrance of the Adriatic Sea.

This unique geomorphological scenario is home to the defensive structures of Herceg-Novi and Kotor.

Herceg-Novi stands where sea runs into the broad, articulated fjord of the Boka Kotorska, surrounded by very high mountains. Republic of Venice held it stably only from 1687, after a long and ferocious period of Ottoman rule (from 1483). The defensive system created by Venice is characterised by the strengthening of the large Medieval circuit which highlights the town’s development towards the sea. It circumscribes the higher village further north, culminating with the Land Castle (Town Castle), and the lower village in the south, culminating with the Citadel (on the south-east peak) and with the Sea Castle (on the opposite peak).

The defensive system of Herceg-Novi was strengthened when Ottoman rule was briefly interrupted by that of Spain (1538-1539), with the construction of the first isolated fortress located further upstream (High Fort, also known as the Spanish Fort) later on radically rebuilt by Ottomans and used during Venetian and Austro-Hungarian period.

Kotor, one of the Venetian “fortezza chiave” (key fortress), stands in the innermost basin of the Boka, on an almost triangular strip of land formed on the alluvial fan of the River Skurda, and is surrounded by very steep mountains that stretch up to an altitude of over one thousand metres. Venetian since 1420, fortified town of Kotor is characterised by an articulate and complex defensive system which originates from the unusual morphological characteristics of the place. The western part of the town, facing the sea, and the northern part, which looks out towards the river, are delimited by walls which climb up the mountain behind the town as far as St. John Castle, at an altitude of 260 metres.

Republic of Venice intervened conspicuously on this system (in the 16th century), strengthening it mainly in the part overlooking the River Skurda with the construction of strong curtain walls and three bastions: the Riva Bastion, further upstream, the Bembo Bastion just below, and Kampana Fort, where the stream flows into the sea, while two ravelins defend the curtain wall on the other side of the stream. At the same time, it intervened on the part facing seaward, strengthening the perimeter walls by adding two bastions, Valier and Corner,(17 th century) one platform (16 th century) , and tower Gurdic (15 th century). The upstream walls start from the two ends of this curtain wall and run as far as the castle above. The Sea Gate was opened in the front towards the sea between the Kampana and Valier bastion. The River Gate is set between the Riva and Bembo bastions, with a bridge crossing the stream.

Hit by numerous earthquakes (1563, 1667, 1979), Kotor was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. Venetian rule left a deep imprint on the urban structure of Kotor and its customs. Italian was the language used in all the public deeds and in teaching, particularly due to the influence of the nobility and the powerful classes of merchants and naval captains, until the end of XIX century.

This articulate sit forms the southernmost tip of the Venetian defensive system, developed continuously to the Boka Kotorska and then interrupted until Corfu.

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value













Statements of authenticity and/or integrity






The Boka Kotorska are the southernmost part of the nominated system and, historically, the main natural harbours of the Adriatic Sea, known as the “Gulf of Venice” in the past. Inside this articulate basin made up of fjords and inlets, the complex defensive system with two fortified towns that best represent the influence exercised by the Most Serene Republic of Venice during its troubled presence in the area has been chosen.

Comparison with other similar properties


The main features of the nomination proposal were taken as criteria for comparison, classified in a hierarchic order, which allowed to progressively restrict the selection and highlight the uniqueness of the Venetian works of defence.













