Old town Bar - The journey has been going on for two millennia

On the east coast of the Adriatic Sea there is an old town, unique in its appearance and position, the Old Town of Bar. It is 4 km away from the sea shore and built on a high cliff. According to the legend, at the foot of the cliff are the remains of pontoons and iron rings, to which ancient galleys were tied. Galleys transported food, gold and troops from distant Greek cities and Persia, from Pannonia and the northern countries to the Adriatic and Mediterranean countries. The city was conquered, built, demolished by numerous conquerors, and today it is the largest open-air museum and insufficiently researched archaeological treasure, protected by law as a monument of the first category in the municipality of Bar.

With the changes of the conquerors, the name of the city changed over the centuries, starting with Antibareos, and then Antibaris, while in the 11th century it was known as Antibari.

Old Town of Bar

During the ancient century, the Encheleans were considered the first inhabitants of this area, who mixed with other peoples, Illyrians, Romans, Greeks, and later Slavs.

The city was part of the Venetian Republic during part of the Middle Ages. It was expanded, built and better fortified with a system of ramparts, bastions and towers. At that time, there were about thirty Gothic-Renaissance palaces, 16 churches and monasteries, several hundred houses with about 4,000 inhabitants. The city of Bar had a Statute and for centuries its mint.

In December 1571, the city was conquered by the Ottomans and they ruled for 307 years. At least in that period he continued to live with good incomes from trade and agriculture, especially olive growing. Until then, the city did not have a constant supply of drinking water but that has changed! An aqueduct with 17 arches, a public bathroom and a sewer were built.

Prince Nikola Petrović and the Montenegrins liberated Bar in 1878. Since then, the half-ruined city has been slowly moving its home to Podgrad and Pristan.

ST. GEORGE’S CATHEDRAL

In the southern and most beautiful part of the old barracks fortress, Lonži, on the site of an ancient forum, there was a beautiful cathedral of St. George from the XI century. The cathedral could be seen from all sides of the marsh field and the surrounding hills and mountains, and its bells could be heard far towards Spič and Dobra Voda. The rulers of the Dukljan dynasty of Vojisavljević were crowned and buried at this place, starting with King Mihailo and the center of the Duklja archbishopric.

The Ottoman invaders turned it into a mosque, during the 16th century, and after the liberation of Bar from the Ottoman Empire, the cathedral served as an ammunition depot. One dark night, lightning struck the minaret and gunpowder caught fire! According to legend, the explosion was so strong that three city gates burst out of their hinges, all the windows in the city and the suburbs were broken, and parts of the cathedral flew to the sea.

SCLAVORUM REGNUM, PRIEST MANUSCRIPT OR SOMETHING MORE?

Sclavorum regnum or Barski rodoslov, that is, the Chronicle of Pope Dukljanin, is a historical-literal work created in the middle of the 12th century in the Benedictine monastery on Racac, Sutomore, commonly known as the Mother of God of Ratac. This unique chronicle was written by Abbot Gregory, “… let no reader think that I have written anything other than what I have heard from our fathers and ancient lords to be transmitted as a true narration …”.

In honor of this work, during the three summer months, a cultural and artistic event “Bar Chronicle” is held.

HOW DOES A HISTORICAL MONUMENT LIVE TODAY?

Today, the Old Town of Bar is the largest urban agglomeration in ruins in Montenegro. On about four hectares of space that includes the city, 250 buildings of different purposes have been identified: residential, public, sacral, military … The city has been constantly built and extended over the centuries, today you can see the remains of buildings of various architectures and influences. construction and design, belong to different building styles and concepts. The oldest part of the city is located around the main gate, today’s “Summer Stage”, the customs house and the citadel.

After the earthquake in 1979, extensive systematic research was carried out, and a number of buildings have been reconstructed, rehabilitated and preserved to this day, such as the churches of St. John, St. Hilarion, Clock Tower, (Doge’s) Palace, Episcopal Palace, Rector’s Palace, gunpowder, citadel, aqueduct, Škanjevića mosque, inner gate and hammam.

With the renewal of the functionality of the aqueduct, life returned to the settlement under the very walls of this city, which is today popular for its Friday market and numerous ambient restaurants of traditional bar cuisine. During November, ie December, depending on the weather conditions, an artistic-entertaining and gastronomic event “Maslinijada” is held. During the two-day event, housewives from the entire Bar municipality prepare savory dishes and desserts in the traditional way, offer “jaundice” olives, dried figs, pomegranate juice and jealously keep the history of their ancestors from oblivion.

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