Tourist guide Herceg Novi
Set on a steep hill at the mouth of the Gulf of Kotor, Herceg Novi was once a favourite tourist destination for the Viennese bourgeoisie in the 19th century. Today, villas draped in wisteria, bougainvillea, palms and orange trees can be seen at every turn, and the streets still attest to the elegant era they once lived in. Even if it is not as rich in history as Kotor, nor does it have the vigour of Budva, Herceg Novi is attractive enough to keep you busy for a few days. It’s a short boat trip from the Lustica peninsula, with its beautiful beaches and coves, while the nearby Orjen Mountains offer some enchanting sightseeing trails. The proximity of the Croatian border makes a trip to Dubrovnik, just 50 kilometres away, possible.
Herceg Novi is host to two major events, the Mimosas Festival (Praznik Mimoze) in February, celebrating the arrival of spring with a range of cultural and sporting festivities and a carnival parade, and the Film Festival (Filmski Festival), showing local and national short films and films in the picturesque setting of Kanli Kula above the old town. Even though the city’s attractions are rather spread out, they can still be explored at a walk, if you don’t mind climbing a few steps along the way. The beautiful centre of the Old Town is home to a few points of interest, while to the north you can see the silhouette of the Spanish Fortress, and to the east is the Savina Monastery. Many of the events and social activities take place along Setaliste pet Danica, the long promenade that stretches all the way to Igalo.
Old Town
Perhaps the best place to start your visit to Herceg Novi is the main square, Trg Nikole Dukovica, just east of the Old Town entrance, going down towards the beach. Fronted by a clock tower (Sahat Kula), built in 1850, is Trg Herceg Stijepan, a small square bordered by short, white stone residences interspersed with cafes. At its centre, framed by two tall palm trees, is the Church of St Michael the Archangel (Crkva Sv Mihail Arhandela). Although only a century old, the church’s white-and-yellow building looks much older. The high dome is the church’s most impressive feature, the interior dominated by the white marble of the altar, modelled with floral motifs and a series of ancient icons. Immediately next to the church is the Karaca fountain, a charming stone structure from which water spurts.
The northern and southern ends of the old town are bordered by sturdy fortifications, the remains of the town’s defensive walls. Heading north up a series of steps, you reach Kanli Kula (Sangeros Tower), a building that served as a prison during the Ottoman occupation. Today, it is used to host theatre performances and as an observation platform for the entire city and the Lustica peninsula. Leading from the southern section of the square is Marja Vojnevica, a narrow street bordered by tall buildings that leads to the Great Fort (Fortress of the Sea), a less imposing fortification than Kanli Kula, but one that has played the same deterrent role to invaders over the years.
Along the Danica Petaliste
The steps near Forte Mare wind down to Setaliste pet Danica, the coastal promenade that covers the coastline to Igalo, a distance of about 5 kilometres. Unlike its appearance today, between 1936 and 1967 the promenade was a railway line, highlighted today by the presence of the beautiful building of the former railway station on the opposite side of the marina, today a small hotel. The town has no sandy beaches, the coastline being made up of a few concrete platforms, interrupted, from place to place, by rocky coves, hiding small stretches of pebble beaches.
About 1 kilometer away from the marina, there are several signs pointing to the town museum (Grad Muzej) at Mirka Komnenovica 9, which mainly displays relics of Herceg Novi’s nautical history, with paintings, equipment and aquatic costumes, but also has an extraordinary collection of icons worth seeing. A short distance from the museum on Njegoseva Street is the memorial house of Ivo Andric, one of the most appreciated writers of the former Yugoslav space, born in Bosnia and awarded the Nobel Prize in 1961 for his work “Bridge over the Drina”. The house is now a grey restaurant, but some of his books, as well as photographs of the author, can be seen in an upstairs room.
Spanish Fort
High above the town is the 16th-century Spanish fort, Tvrdava Spanjola, named after the Spaniards who occupied the town for a short time in 1538, although the structure was completed by the Turks a little later. Today, its thick walls and round ramparts, camouflage a few graffitied ruins, damaged by the powerful earthquake of 1979. However, the 20-minute climb is popular with tourists for its views of the city — from behind Trg Nikole Durkovica, climb up the Matavulja Ridge, pass through the underpass and take it up along the Srbina for about 15 minutes before turning left.
Savina Monastery
A 20-minute walk in the eastern part of town, along Sava Kovacevica and Brace Grakalic, takes you to the wooded hill where Savina Monastery is located. Founded in the 17th century by refugee monks from Trebinje (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina), the monastery has two attached churches, both dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The larger of them is a cheerful building, combining Baroque and Byzantine styles, built of white stone blocks brought from the Croatian island of Korcula. Although it’s unimpressive, the single-nave interior features a 15-metre-high iconostasis and an enormous gilded chandelier.
While not architecturally outstanding, the smaller church has a square shape and is covered with a layer of blue frescoes, believed to have been made in the 15th century, depicting the sufferings of Christ. Above the entrance, on the inside, a barely visible inscription attests to the date of the church’s inauguration in 1030. Perched on top of the hill above the monastery, a 5-minute walk away, is the small church of St. Sava, which, according to various historical sources, dates from the 13th century. From here you can again get some superb views of Herceg Novi and the bay of Kotor. The two churches below are bordered by several renovated mansions, one of which now houses the monastery museum. Embellished with gold and silver ornaments, the museum boasts a crystal cross said to have belonged to Saint Sava.
