Stari Bar

Stari Bar stands on a rock terrace below Mount Rumija a few kilometres inland from the modern port, a walled town with Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman building that held several thousand people. Weeks of bombardment in the siege of 1877-1878 wrecked much of it, and the 1979 earthquake finished the process; the inhabitants moved down to the coast. What remains is a large field of roofless walls, churches, an aqueduct and a citadel.

History

As Antivari the town belonged to the Byzantine Empire in the early Middle Ages, came under Stefan Vojislav around 1040, and was held by Venice from 1443 until the Ottomans took it in 1571. After the 1979 earthquake broke the aqueduct that supplied it, the old town was abandoned and the new town of Bar grew on the coast (Wikipedia, Stari Bar).

Highlights

• The roofless town - streets and buildings standing as walls across the terrace.
• The aqueduct - the arched water supply running to the town.
• The churches - the remains of several medieval churches within the walls.
• The citadel - the fortified upper part with a view down to the coast.

When to go

April to June and September to October are the most comfortable; the site is exposed and summer is very hot. Mornings are best. It is open daily.

Before you go

There is almost no shade and summer visits are punishing. The ruins are extensive and walking them takes longer than expected. Interpretation is limited.

Nearby

The Old Olive Tree is nearby, and Bar is on the coast.

Key facts