Ulcinj Castle
Ulcinj Castle | |
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Historical site, Private properties | |
Materials | Stone |
Events | Skena verore, Panairi i Librit |
Ulcinj Old Town (Serbian: Стари град Улцињ / Stari grad Ulcinj; Albanian: Qyteti i vjetër i Ulqinit) or Ulcinj Castle (Serbian Cyrillic: Калjаја; Albanian: Kalaja e Ulqinit) is an ancient castle and neighborhood in Ulcinj, Montenegro. Today mostly inhabited by Albanians, it was built by the Illyrians on a small peninsula at the right side of the Pristan Gulf, which is part of the Adriatic Sea. Today, oldest remains are the Cyclopean Wall. The castle has been restored many times since it was first built although major changes were made by the Byzantinians, Serbs, Venetians, and Ottomans. The modern city of Ulcinj was built outside of this castle.
Characteristics
Ulcinj's Old Town' is one of the oldest urban architectural complexes on the
Old town has picturesque narrow and curved streets typical of the Middle Ages, densely packed two- and three-story stone houses decorated with elements of the Renaissance and Baroque, and finally a series of valuable edifices from the Ottoman time. The oldest remnants of the walls date back to the Illyrian period. In the 6th century, the town had two gates: the lower (eastern), which can be reached from the sea-side and the upper (western), which can be reached from land.[1][2]
The Tower of the Balšić
The Tower of the Balšić, (Cyrillic: Кула Балшића, Albanian: Kulla e Ballshajve) located on the upper, highest level is a citadel-fortress with a tower that dominates the old town and the surrounding countryside. It is connected to the last representatives of the Balšić dynasty, a wealthy family from the Shkodër area (today Albania, in that time Zeta), who had made Ulcinj their residence by the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries. Later the Ottomans built the third floor of the Balšić Tower as well as the spherical dome on the ground floor. This magnificent edifice has a view of the sea from three sides. It is considered to be one of the most representative edifices of medieval architecture in Montenegro. These days, it is used as a gallery or a location for organizing poets' nights.
The Palace and the Court
It is believed that the castle was the residence of the Venetian administrator for Ulcinj in the Venice Palace. As a result of its beauty and convenience, subsequent rulers also used this building as their court.During Ottoman occupation of town these edifice was used as residence of the ruler.
Not far away from the Palace of Venice, on the southern level of the Old Town, is a beautiful edifice called Kulla e Balshajve.
“Kula e Balshajve” has a square aroid which is called Fusha Qehajes. Qehaja comes from turkish wors Çehaja and it is a military rank.
Both of these edifices are used now as luxury accommodation for guests and visitors coming to Ulcinj.
The Town Market
In front of the
The Water Cults
There has always been a water cult in Ulcinj. It is believed that the image of
Fountains were built as endowments (
The fountain in the Old Town was built in 1749-50. Water was taken from 600 metres north-west of the fortress, near a place called Javor. At this place there were a number of reservoirs where rainwater was collected which would then be used by the citizens of the Old Town if there was a siege. Kroni i zanave – "fairy's water", located on the north-western side in the Valdanos grove is the fountain most frequently sung about in Ulcinj. There are a lot of stories and legends about this beneficial and marvellous water. In the Ulcinj olive groves there are ten more nicely made water springs: Begov, Mustafës, Doçinës, Salkikinës, the Sailor's etc.. In the pine wood is the famous Ladies Beach with its sulfur springs, which are supposedly an elixir for barren women.
Physicians from the
References
- ^ Stari grad Ulcinj, montenegro.travel
- ^ Tvrđava u Ulcinju, waytomonte.com]
- ^ "Google Translate". Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ^ "Google Translate". Retrieved 27 January 2016.