1. Bay of Kotor Cultural Landscape Analysis
An impact study on development in the inner bay of
the UNESCO World Heritage Site
2. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Definition
of the
Landscape
“It is their gathering on the gulf coast, their harmony with the privileged site, their insertion in a town planning of great value, that
contributes to the real outstanding value of the nominated property… By the successful harmonization of these cities with the gulf, by
the quantity, the quality and the diversity of the monuments and the cultural properties, and especially by the exceptional authentic-
ity of their conservation, the nominated property can effectively be considered as unique.”
3. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Definition
of the
Landscape
Note- some language is taken from UNESCO documentation
• “The particular special and economic situation of the Boka Korotska led to unique patterns of urbanization and domestication, closely inter-
related to the bay’s topography.” The exceptional natural and topographic position has caused a very particular cultural development.
o The region has been inhabited since prehistoric times making it an inhabited natural site.
o The bay has been and is continued to be used as a natural deep harbor.
o Terraces are an explanation of man using the landscape—a fertile land that provided – making the most of the natural landscape—
combination of manmade thought and natural soils
o Beacon and communication linkages of the fortifications around the bay, especially in Perast. No fortification could work without the
linkages and views and the worked as a system rather than discrete fortifications.
• One of the few complete holokarstic morphological and hydrographical landscapes in the world.
• Portal and Gateway between Mediterranean trade routes and the Balkan region, and also an east and west- cultural trading crossroads.
o Architecture, art, religion
• Combination of climates allows for a diversity of flora and marine fauna.
• A historically divided region with the Ottomans on the north-side and Venetians to the south, creating culturally disparate and significant
development.
4. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Definition
of the
Landscape
• Unique human spatial development.
o A set of fortified towns, with rural areas and villas in between, along the coast
The towns are designed for water transportation and economy—fishing and sea merchant.
• At places with access to fresh water and access to agricultural products
• Examples of a specific early city planning
The villa properties use the tripart design, with Ponta(i) and Mandrać(i) at the water, and a large house and garden complex on
land
o Gardens, terraces, and orchards in the green space above the waterfront. Contain the historic churches and historic
towns sites
Pilgrimage sites built on pre-historic sepulchral sites
Historically cut off from the water for protection
o Uninhabitable rocky cap
5. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis SWOT
STRENGTHS
Has a cruise ship port at Kotor—deep bay, easy access,
really walkable (only stop between Dobrovnik and Korfu)
Speaks its history well- less need for specific interpretation
Not overly developed yet—strong areas for infill and
redevelopment
Remains a regionally prominent tourist attraction
Strategic access—near Russia and Germany- Tivat airport
Intact wilderness areas in close proximity- Lovcen National
Park nearby
Defining elements are highly visible and legible
Continuity of use- port continues to be the source of
economic viability
Climate and landscape (particularly terraces) well suited for
a variety of agriculture
WEAKNESSES
Susceptibility to development pressure
Current method of development could negate the cultural
heritage related value of the bay
Lack of knowledge or organization of local residents on
development issues and historic preservation issue
Lack of coordination between national and regional
agencies, and municipalities
Cannot accommodate modern resort needs—large parking
lots, all inclusive, fast roads—except cruise ships
Ineffective building and design parameters and guidelines
(either non-existent or unenforced)
No existing regional (bay-wide) regulatory plan
No environmental assessment plans
No transportation plan
Reliance on tourism and imports as sole industry
Hygienic failures—sewage, animals
OPPORTUNITIES
Lots of space for infill in built up areas- abandoned and
vacant property
Unused agricultural spaces
Bike touring
Use of the bay for water transportation
International connection
Collaboration between agencies and municipalities—not
authoritative now makes it easier to make rules of the
future
Opportunity for increased natural recreation uses in the
undeveloped landscape- i.e. Ladder of Catarro
Opportunity for upgrades in transportation network
Willing and able work population
THREATS
Natural disaster, namely earthquake
Threat to the visual integrity of the landscape—
unharmonious developments
Economy overly reliant on one industry
Transportation’s reliance on oil—cruise ships and cars
Environmental hazard—sewage, garbage
Lack of transparency in development plans
High price of restoring vacant villas and complexes versus
new construction
6. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis General Threats
• Uncontrolled Horizontal
Development
• Uncontrolled Vertical
Development
• Transportation and
Infrastructure Improvements
7. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Uncontrolled
Horizontal
development
Development pressure that sprawls along the coastline, often out of
scale, out of context, and ignoring historical patterns of settlement and
regionally characteristic architecture.
Definition
8. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Uncontrolled
Horizontal
development
Base Case
• Reuse of large scale abandoned
buildings.
• Smart growth— Denser growth in
currently developed areas
• Historic land use patterns remain—
settlement areas interspersed with
forested and agrarian land
• Disconnection in development, with
areas of linear villa-like growth,
fortified and dense towns, and natural
space.
• Large scale vacancies on the waterfront
• Out of scale hotel developments
• Amalgamation of villages and towns
into one urban strip along the water
Best Case
11. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Uncontrolled
Vertical
Development
Development pressures that stretch continuously from the water to
the geological growth boundary, engulfing historic upper settlements.
Definition
12. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Uncontrolled
Vertical
Development
Base Case
• Clearly differentiated three part
mountain landscape.
• Churchesandhistoricuppersettlements
are preserved and remain spatially
defined in the landscape.
• Reuse of waterfront villas and their
Ponta(i) and Mandrać(i)
• Infill in devolvement areas.
• Fast growing development at town centers
consuming agricultural lands and meeting
historic upper settlements and churches.
• Remaining areas are sporadically
developing at a slower rate and lower
height.
• Disconnection of the relationship afforded
by proximity to the waterfront
• An overabundance of hardscaping changes
the visual integrity of the mid-range, from
vegetative to man-made.
• Villas on the water, with their tri-part plan,
are often abandoned and decaying, further
exacerbating the loss of waterfront usage.
Best Case
15. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Transportation
& Infrastructure
Improvements
Projects including the proposed Verige Bridge, upper bypass road,
widening of the Austro-Hungarian road, and connections from the
Speed Coast Highway to the Adriatic-Ionian Highway.
Definition
16. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Base Case
• Reinstitution of water as the primary source of regional transportation via a ferry network
• Verige Strait remains open to preserve the passageways, viewpoints and the historic
relevance, namely the separation between the Ottoman and Venetian Empires
• Encouragement of pedestrian and bike use of the Austro-Hungarian road, as an alternative
to increased motor-vehicle traffic.
• Bridge at the Verige Strait
• Upper bypass road from Herceg Novi
to Kotor-Tivat tunnel, including an
additional tunnel behind the Kotor Stari
Grad.
• Various connector roads criss-crossing
the landscape
• Widening of Austro-Hungarian Road,
further cutting off the water from
settlement
Best Case
Transportation
& Infrastructure
Improvements
17. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Case Study:
Verige
Bridge
Figure 2.1.1: Position of the planned Verige Bridge and the Speed Coast Highway
human cultural activities, which have been leading through centuries, within extraordinary
natural settings, to a unique interplay of culture and nature at the site. It is stated even twice
(criterion i, criterion iii) that the “harmony” of the towns, respectively the existing building
structures, with the surrounding particularities of the natural settings of the Bay are part of its
“Outstanding Universal Value”. This unique relationship between culture and nature in the Bay
14 See: 125_1979pdf (Advisory Body Evaluation: Justification for Inscription of the Natural and Culture-historical
Region of Kotor as World Heritage Site)
24. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Overall
Recommendations
Recommendation 1—
As part of the Council of Europe’s European Landscape Convention,
which Montenegro signed and ratified in 2008 and 2009, make sure
that all articles are fully accepted and implemented and that adequate
regional resources for the Boka Kotorska are provided.
Recommendation 2—
Undergo a Transit Study of traffic in the entire Boka Kotorska Region,
understanding the effects on the current transportation network
from projected tourism, the Adriatic Highway, current road expansion
projects,andgeneraldevelopmentgrowth. Alsoprojectthechangesto
transportation with the addition of the highway, tunnel, bypass road,
and ferry system.
25. Bay of Kotor
Cultural Landscape Analysis
Overall
Recommendations
Recommendation 3—
Implementaregionaldevelopmentplan,specificallyincorporatingthe
recent plans of Dobrota, Skalijari, and Muo, with all the municipalities
to plan one development strategy.
Recommendation 4—
Implement an Environmental Impact Study review process for all
new development projects, including archeological, environmental, and
cultural landscape surveys.
Recommendation 5—
Consider either expanding Lovćen National Park or creating a new
National Park within the inner bay area to add further protections to
the natural landscape.
