Ulcinj Castle

Ulcinj Castle
Ulcinj, Montenegro
Castle of Ulcinj
Ulcinj Castle
Coordinates	41°55′26″N 19°12′05″E / 41.923834°N 19.201355°E / 41.923834; 19.201355
Type	Castle
Site information
Owner	Ulcinj Municipality, Private owners
Open to the public	Yes
Site history
Built by	Illyrians and Greeks
In use	Historical site, Private properties
Materials	Stone
Events	Skena verore, Panairi i Librit

Stari grad, Kalaja or Ulcinj Castle (Cyrillic: Стари град), also known as Ulcinj Old Town is an ancient castle and neighborhood in Ulcinj, Montenegro. Today mostly inhabited by Albanians, it was built by the Illyrians and Ancient Greeks on a small peninsula at the right side of the Pristan Gulf, which is part of the Adriatic Sea. Today, oldest remains are the Cyclopean Wall. The castle has been restored many times since it was first built although major changes were made by the Byzantinians, Serbs, Venetians, and Ottomans. The modern city of Ulcinj was built outside of this castle.

Ulcinj's Old Town is one of the oldest urban architectural complexes on the Adriatic Sea. The castle, which some believe resembles a stranded ship, and the surrounding areas have flourished for about 25 centuries. Through the centuries, a variety of cultures and civilizations melded together. The Old Town represents a cultural and historical monument of invaluable significance due to its Illyrian walls, its citadel, the network of streets, the markets and town squares. It was built 2,500 years ago under economic, military, and cultural conditions quite different from those of today. The town’s walls were often destroyed in wars, and just as quickly rebuilt by residents to keep their fortresses and residences safe. In doing so, they also preserved the beauty of this ancient town.

Old town has picturesque narrow and curved streets typical of the Middle Ages, densely packed two- and three-story stone houses decorated with elements of the Renaissance and Baroque, and finally a series of valuable edifices from the Ottoman time. The oldest remnants of the walls date back to the Illyrian period. In the 6th century, the town had two gates: the lower (eastern), which can be reached from the sea-side and the upper (western), which can be reached from land.