The symbol of Ulcinj is undoubtedly the Old Town—a fortress crowning a steep cliff above the sea, an incredible mix of eras: remnants of Illyrian-Greek fortifications, towers of medieval Serbian rulers, Venetian palaces, and churches with attached minarets. Adding to the intrigue are the local legends, which skillfully weave in tales of Algerian pirates, black slaves, Jewish false prophets, and even Miguel de Cervantes, who, according to legend, was captured by pirates, gazed sadly from his prison window, and supposedly fell in love with one of the women of Ulcinj.
Wandering through the narrow streets of the Old Town, visitors might come across goats grazing indifferently to the layers of history surrounding them. Looking out over the steep walls toward the sea, one can almost imagine pirate sails on the horizon, returning to the bay with their stolen treasures.
In the late 16th century, Ottoman Turks captured Ulcinj from the Venetians. The city occupied a strategic location—at the crossroads of trade routes and on the border between two worlds: the Christian territories of Venice and the vast Ottoman Empire. The swift pirate ships of Ulcinj caused significant trouble for Venetian merchant vessels, patrolling the coast, raiding port cities, and engaging in slave trading.
On the Small Beach of Ulcinj, right beneath the Old Town walls, pirates divided their loot, while enslaved Africans were sold in the town’s stone square. Even today, locals still dream of finding hidden pirate gold, buried somewhere in the city for a "rainy day" by one of these ruthless seafarers.
Today, the Small Beach, now the city's public beach, is peacefully shared by sunbathers. Sandy beaches are rare along the Adriatic coast, but Ulcinj has two of them. Their names are simple: one is called Small Beach, stretching only 360 meters, while the other is simply called Big Beach. The latter is an incredible 13 kilometers long, covered in fine gray sand. In the summer, the mistral wind creates waves perfect for surfing and lifts kites high above the sea. The Big Beach ends at the triangle-shaped island of Ada Bojana, at the mouth of the Bojana River. Interestingly, this is home to Montenegro’s most famous nudist beach, a paradise for those who prefer to sunbathe without tan lines.
Reading Cervantes, one might wonder—perhaps the locals are not making up stories. Could it be that the Spanish nobleman truly languished in a medieval tower with a sea view, and that Dulcinea del Toboso was inspired by one of the women of Ulcinj?