montenegro cities ulcinj Legend As many other states, places or towns are recognizable for its historical events, famous individuals, fairy tales or stories, Ulcinj and people from Ulcinj are famous for various and especially pirate ones. Through the history, Ulcinj has been for many centuries a pirate nest. The town starting from the XIV century has began to be inhabited by the pirates from Malta, Tunis, and Algeria. The coastal part, from the present Ulcinj all the way to Kotor, was the pirate nest. The pirates, especially during the XVII and XVIII century, have represented fear on the sea. Pirate gangs have become so power- ful that they attacked various trading ships that sailed under various ensigns; they have robbed them and quickly sailed in their bulwarks, which they made along the entire Ulcinj Coast. he southernmost city at Montenegrin coast. With its natural potential Ulcinj is tourism borne. The longest beach at the Adriatic city ulcinj Ulcinj Top 5 sea – Velika Plaza 13 km long, Ada Bojana – unique river island with 1. Old Town marvelous sandy beaches, Valdanos – unique bay with its back full 2. Old Ulcinj of old olive trees, reconstructed old city of Ulcinj – full of interesting 3. Ada Bojana restaurants, cafés, galleries and hotels … and many other attractive sights make Ulcinj unique and attractive for many tourists. Ulcinj is 4. Sasko Lake a city that you have to visit. 5. Cove Valdanos The greatest damage of the dangerous attacks of pirate command- However, the time went by and the sultan could find Lambro. The only thing that at that moment was left to him to do was to ers among whom the most famous were brothers Karamindzoja, send a message to Liko Cena in which he is saying that he'll forgive him everything if he manages to destroy Lambro. Sultan soon Lika Ceni, Ali hodza and others, suffered the Venetian fleet. Beside did that, and Liko Cena with pleasure accepted the call, binding himself in front of the sultan that he'll “either catch Lambro or the invasions and robberies on trading ships, pirates from Ulcinj die”. After some time, there comes a duel in which Liko Cena manages to kill Lambro. For the favor he has done and for the were famous by the trading of black slaves. Because of that fact a loyalty, Turkish sultan spares Liko Cena`s life, by giving him the title of the captain. Famous men from Ulcinj, descendants of Liko great number of inhabitants in Ulcinj were black people from Cena, were also distinguished captains. different African countries. Among old people from Ulcinj even today it is mentioned how until 1878 in Ulcinj 100 black people lived, as well as the fact that among the slaves in the dungeons a famous writer Servantes dwelled, by whom one of the Ulcinj squares is named Slave square. Still, the most famous and the most gladly retold story among people from Ulcinj even today is the legend of famous pirate Liko Cena. Liko Cena a man from Ulcinj was the most famous pirate chief. Everyday with his pirate army he attacked different trading ships, and sometimes even the entire fleets. One time Liko Cena with his company sank a ship on which there were pilgrims who traveled to a pilgrimage in Mecca.. It was a very tragic event, which echoed even past Ulcinj. Namely, when the Turkish sultan heard of the great accident, he Culture ordered that Liko Cena must be found and imprisoned. Sultan also proclaimed that he'd richly award the one who catches or kills Liko Cena. But, exactly then on the sea appeared another, also very dangerous pirate – Lambro or Aralampija as he Ulcinj is one of the oldest towns on the Adriatic Coast which for 25 years has been withstood the ravages of time. Through the was otherwise called. Originally from Greece, Lambro knew the sea very well, and he was thought to be a skilful pirate. Very centuries of the stored variety of cultures and civilizations merged in a compound. Ulcinj is like a little paradise on earth, a dangerous and fearless, Lambro quickly became a real “sea monster' for many trading ships and naval fleets. The news of timelessly carved in the centuries of bloody battles, defiance, pride and love of all of those who have visited this place at least Lambro`s misdeeds quickly got to the Turkish sultan. As the damages which Lambro`s company committed were immense, once in their life. The earliest tracks lead us to prehistoric time when Ulcinj belonged to Illyrians, a people of the Indo-European and sultan soon proclaimed that he will give a rich reward to the one who catches or kills Lambro. origin. The town, whose walls were often ruined in wars, was also at same speed renewed by all of those who because of the extreme Another Jelena, a great ruler and the widow of the Serbian Emperor beauty of this ancient town found their piece in it, building for themselves fortresses and residences. The ancient Colchinium or Dusan, loved to stay in Ulcinj. Jelena for several years has even reigned Olcinijum, as Ulcinj was called in the period of Greek and Roman Empire, is mentioned in the written records of Plinije Older in his over Ulcinj. Also in that town, in which he used to have a throne, work “Naturalis Historiae” and in his works Tit Livije also mentions Ulcinj. In the earliest period fro the cultural and historical develop- famous ruler Djuradj Stratimirovic Balsic (1358 – 1403) is buried. In the ment of Ulcinj the name of the Byzantium Emperor Justinijan is mentioned. He renewed and built fortresses in Ulcinj, and after the time of the ruling era of families Nemanjic and Balsic, Ulcinj was era of his reign, after the year 1100, the same things were done by famous rulers which ruled one part of the former Montenegro famous for its mint factories of bronze and silver money. In the quick and the Coast like: Nemanjici, Balsici, Venetians, and Turks. onset on their fast horses in 1242 a Mongolian crowd from the central Asian areas came under the very walls of Ulcinj. As the attack of the Mongolians on the Old town of Ulcinj was unsuccessful, Mongolian government has attacked the neighboring Svac. Historically and culturally important fact is that the famous Svac was ruined by the Mongolians and killed all of their inhabitants. The town Svac, otherwise bishopric town, had 365 churches, as many churches as there are days in a year, so in the XIII century Queen Jelena Balsic renewed it. The Italian writers Djustinijani (1533) and Bici (1610) made written records of that event. The important fact for the cultural development of Ulcinj is that after the naval battle at Lapant (1571) in the Mediterranean Sea, in Ulcinj a famous Spanish writer Miguel de Servantes Savedra, who later wrote a world famous novel “Don Quixote” was imprisoned. In the year 1183 Ulcinj becomes the most famous naval It is supposed that the famous Servantes to his protagonist Don Quixote, in the same named novel, gave a lover named Dilcinee, center in the Adriatic Sea, and somewhere about the a girl whose origin is from Ulcinj and who carried the name of the former name of Ulcinj- Cita de Dolcino, with whom Servanets was same time a famous tower of Balsici was built. Even in lived with. Servants has spent almost 5 years in Ulcinj, and it is thought that together with the other slaves he was sold on a place though Ulcinj was never a capital of the Montenegrin which for them is called Slave square or Servantes`s square and it is located in the Old town. The staying of the famous Spanish rulers, the historical evidence leads us to conclusions that writer in Ulcinj is interesting also because of the fact that the pirates who bought him, thought that Servatnes comes from a noble Ulcinj with the surroundings was a favorite destination of family, so for his ransom they have asked for much more money, so it took his family 5 years to collect that sum of money. Ulcinj, the rulers of Zeta, who used that town as some kind of a in fact Its Old town has in the past welcomed a famous reformer Sabati Cevi (1626 – 1676) who stayed in the well-known edifice – residence. In the year 1252 in Ulcinj the son of the King of tower of Balsici. Cevi is known in history as a promoter of Talmudo (The Holy Jewish Book). To Cevi, according to the sources, Zeta Vukan, Djordjije who had a title “Princeps Diocliae” Ulcinj was a last resort because around the year 1676 after converting himself to Islam, living as an exile, Cevi died in Ulcinj as reigns. In the year 1281 in Ulcinj its resort found also the Mehmed – effendi. Today the preserved holy burial chamber of Mehmed – effendi, is located in the yard of the family Manic, and it sister of the Queen Jelena Balsic, Marija, else French, a represents an eternal house of one of the greatest rebels of the XVII century. His tomb is preserved as sanctity. Cevi continued to widow of the well-known French Duke Anselm se Chau- live after death in the literary works. rusa. She has a title “Domina Ulcini”. Marija's tomb was located in front of the altar of the Holy mother of God's church or Marko`s church in Ulcinj. Also, the Queen Jelena, historically more famous as the widow of Uros I Nemanjic, with her sister Marija often used to stay in Ulcinj.