Nerceg Novi
Herceg Novi is the largest, sunniest, and youngest city in the Bay of Kotor. The first two statements are undeniable, but the city's youth is quite relative. Herceg Novi was founded in 1382 by the Bosnian Duke Tvrtko I. In the distant 14th century, the neighboring cities of Kotor and Dubrovnik were already considered ancient, so the new fortress in the Bay of Kotor was named Castel Nuovo – the New Castle.
A hundred years after Duke Tvrtko, Duke Stepan Vukčić Kosača descended into the Bay of Kotor. Winning the competition against the residents of Kotor and Dubrovnik, he established a textile factory here (the second in Europe), which led to the city's rapid development. Grateful residents decided to add their wise ruler’s title to the city’s name, thus forming the modern double name – Herceg Novi.
The two main symbols of the city are mimosa and "skalinade" (staircases). The blooming of mimosa signals to the entire Bay of Kotor that spring is approaching. The residents of Herceg Novi move up and down the city using countless staircases, strengthening their endurance and leg muscles.

Such is the nature of this city – all the houses are built at different levels, making any walk an endless counting of hundreds of stone steps. But even if you doubt your physical fitness, the climb is still worth it. The reward for your effort is the terrace of the city café Gradska Kafana, offering a breathtaking view of the entrance from the Bay of Kotor into the open sea.

Herceg Novi welcomes and bids farewell to everyone visiting the Bay of Kotor. The city stands directly opposite the only sea entrance (or exit, depending on the perspective) to the bay. From here, you can see three medieval fortresses that once served as a kind of "checkpoint" – the Turkish Kanli Kula ("Bloody Tower," once a prison for Christians), the Spanish Spaniola, and the Venetian Citadel.
By local tradition, all of them, when needed, transform into theater stages. For example, for several years, the Bloody Tower hosted solemn events dedicated to the 300-year friendship between Russia and Montenegro.

In addition to historical landmarks, the city is famous for its mud therapy centers. In the suburb of Igalo, the Sutorina River flows into the sea. Over centuries, a shoal formed at the river's mouth, where active microorganisms created therapeutic mud. In 1949, the Institute of Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Rheumatology was founded here.

Very close to this large institute, hidden behind pine trees and cypresses on a hill, is the former villa of Marshal Josip Broz Tito. Today, it has been transformed into a museum, but it no longer functions as a medical facility.

After conquering the city’s ascents and descents, a walk along the picturesque seaside promenade is a must. Passing through narrow stone tunnels, one can imagine that not long ago, a railway track ran along this rocky path. In the 19th century, the Austro-Hungarians built a railway connecting the Bay of Kotor with their continental territories—modern Bosnia. However, nothing remains of this railway today, not even the locomotive that once stood at the former train station.
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