Ulcinj is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality.
As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coast, it was founded in 5th century BC. It was captured by the Romans in 163 BC from the Illyrians. With the division of the Roman Empire, it became part of the Byzantine Empire. It was known as a base for piracy.
During the Middle Ages it was under South Slavic rule for a few centuries. In 1405 it became part of the Republic of Venice.
In 1571 Ulcinj was conquered by the Ottoman Empire with the aid of North African corsairs after the Battle of Lepanto. The town was renamed Ülgün and gradually became a Muslim-majority settlement. Under the Ottomans, numerous oriental-style hammams, mosques, and clock towers were built. Ulcinj remained a den of piracy until this was finally put to an end by Mehmed Pasha Bushati. In 1673, the self-proclaimed Jewish Messiah Sabbatai Zevi was exiled here from Istanbul.
The Venetians attempted to capture the town twice, in 1696 and 1718, but were unsuccessful on both occasions.
During the 19th century, the town began to regain its position as a flourishing port. The geographer Antonio Baldacci reported a merchant marine of 500 ships plying the trade routes between the Adriatic and Mediterranean coasts.
Ulcinj remained an Ottoman town for more than 300 years until it was ceded to the Principality of Montenegro in 1878. It is a former medieval Catholic bishopric and remains a Latin titular see.
Ulcinj is a destination for tourists, because of its Long Beach, Lake Šas, Ada Bojana Island and for its two-millennia-old Ulcinj Castle. There are 26 mosques in the town and surrounding countryside. Ulcinj is the centre of the Albanian community in Montenegro.
Tourism
Ulcinj is a tourist destination in summer. In January 2010, the New York Times named ranked the south coast region of Montenegro, featuring Velika Plaza, Ada Bojana, and the Hotel Mediteran, as one of “The Top 31 Places to Go in 2010”.
Although Ulcinj is still undiscovered by many travelers from larger countries, repeat tourists and an increasing amount of first-time visitors make it a hot spot for vacationers between the months of May and September. It is most famous for its sandy beaches. The most valuable resource of the Ulcinj riviera is Velika plaža (Albanian: Plazha e Madhe; English: Long Beach), which is a 12 km (7.5 mi) long stretch of sandy beach and the longest beach on the Montenegrin coast. There is a small pebble beach called Ladies Beach which folk tradition holds to have qualities conducive to fertility.
There is also a beach called Mala Plaža (Albanian: Plazha e Vogël; English: Small Beach) which is much smaller in size, but is located in the centre of town and very popular with visitors. “The Korzo”, as it is called by locals, is a promenade which separates a street lined with coffee shops from Mala plaža. At night during the summer months, the Korzo is pedestrianised and families and young people gather. There are many more less known smaller beaches that serve as get-aways from the main tourist areas. Ulcinj has also a large number of religious buildings like mosques, tyrbes and churches, including: Pasha’s Mosque, Sailors’ Mosque and St. Nicholas’ Church.
Ulcinj’s old town is a well preserved castle-looking community that is left over from medieval times. The old town sits atop a mountain overlooking the shore and is a tourist attraction on its own. Ada Bojana (Albanian: Buna) is popular among foreign tourists from Western Europe for its peace and atmosphere.
A large naturist campsite is located in Ada Bojana. Lake Šas and Ulcinj’s salt pond are visited by birdwatchers, because Ulcinj and its surroundings are major resting points for over 200 bird species on their migration paths. There are numerous cafés, discos, and bars that dot the city that are usually filled to capacity throughout the summer. The majority of tourists that visit Ulcinj are Albanians, Serbians, Croatians, Bosnians, Slovenians, Macedonians, Russians, Ukrainians, and other Europeans.
