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On the night of December 5, 1703, a miraculous vision occurred in this church, as evidenced by the process in the records of the Kotor bishop Marin Drago ‘vol. 24’. In 1806, Papa Pio VII issued the Breve, by which the Old Parish church in a question of absolution was joined and levelled of the same importance as... Old Parish Church of Prcanj, Montenegro The most beautiful church on the upper medieval path of Prcanj is the Old Parish Church. Today, the major part of the church is in ruins because it suffered tremendous devastation during the earthquake which occured in 1979. The church ensemble consists of an old cemetery, a monumental stone wall towards the sea which was laid down as a foundation of the whole complex, a unique octagonal dome, and the church building together with the residence of the parish palace, which is now completely in ruins. This church was mentioned for the first time in the documents dated 1399 as Ecclesia Sctae Mariae de Parzana. It was reconstructed in 1672 and after that, an octagonal chapel with a dome was built in 1740. In the night of December 5 1703, a miraculous vision occurred in this church described by the process in the records of Marin Drago, a Kotor bishop, ‘vol. 24’. In 1806, Papa Pio VII issued the Breve, by which the Old Parish Church in a question of absolution was joined and levelled as being of the same importance as the church of St. Maria Maggiore in Rome. After that, Pope Pius X transferred this important privilege to the New Parish Church of Prcanj. In the past, as recorded at the holy feast of the Birth of Mary in the 19th century, this church was visited by up to 6,000 people in a day. For a long time, the residents were buried in the church cemetery, and most of them were ship captains with great achievements during their service at the sea, ship-owners and priests. The church ensemble was guarded by armed men during the periods of conquests. After the New Parish Church was built in 1909, all the precious things, relics, furniture and frescoes were moved from the Old Parish Church to the New Parish Church and consequently, the upper church in the hill had lost its religious significance. Today, the church fascinates with its architectural composition and exceptional integration with the natural environment. The large octagonal dome and the church tower are still intact even today, despite the devastating earthquake in 1979. However, the church nave was completely destroyed, and only 4 walls are still standing but they are badly damaged. Despite this, the church still seems to be untouched and rare adventurers come to visit this masterpiece of architecture in the hill above Prcanj. The landscape of the upper medieval path of Prcanj is of great importance for the settlement and it is necessary to point out that it should be managed conscientiously in the future in order for its outstanding universal value to be maintained as an integral part of the UNESCO Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kusevic, B. (2017). Old Parish church of Prcanj . ‘‘The Archive of Landscapes”. [date]. BIBLIOGRAPHY . BACKGROUND PHOTO. David Rumsey Historical Map Collection | The Collection; (1693) Disegno Topografico del Canale di Cattaro, Montenegro; Coronelli, Vincenzo (1650-1718).

The old footpath Muo - Prcanj - Gornji Stoliv, which is believed to have been active during the Middle Ages, used to connect the old settlements in the hills with the settlements along the coast as there were no coastal roads yet.  Its numerous access paths, going upward from the sea, in a form of staircases and sloping cobbled ramps, most often lead to the parish churches in the hill The old footpath Muo - Prcanj - Gornji Stoliv The footpath to the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian above the village of Muo The footpath to the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian above the village of Muo Ruins of old houses along the path towards the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian The church of Saints Cosmas and Damian The view from the path Muo - the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian Ruins of old houses along the path above the village of Muo Ruins of old houses along the path above the village of Muo The path above the former military complex in Prcanj The path above the village of Muo The access path Velja Rijeka - Glavati - Prcanj The path past the Church of St. Anna to Glavati The ruins of the Sbutega Palace – the Glavati cove near the church of St. Anna The view from the path near the cove of St. Anna The path past the church of St. Peter above Prcanj The path towards the ruins of the old parish church above Prcanj The path past the ruins of the old parish church above Prcanj The ruins of the old parish church above Prcanj The old parish church in Prcanj The path towards the locality Grasovo – Prcanj The path towards the locality Grasovo – Prcanj The view from the path Grasovo - Markov Rt The path towards Gornji Stoliv The path towards Gornji Stoliv The Church of St. Elijah in Gornji Stoliv The view from the path Gornji Stoliv - Markov Rt The old footpath Muo - Prcanj - Gornji Stoliv, which is believed to have been active during the Middle Ages, used to connect the old settlements in the hills with the settlements along the coast as there were no coastal roads yet. Its numerous access paths, going upward from the sea, in a form of staircases and sloping cobbled ramps, most often lead to the parish churches in the hill. The most important branches are the path from the village of Muo to the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, the path from the village of Prcanj in the locality of Grasovo to the ruins of the old parish church in the hill and the path from Donji Stoliv to the Church of St. Elijah in Gornji Stoliv. These footpaths branches had the important religious role in the life of the people in this region, so that we can even talk about their pilgrimage character. A typical example is a path to the old parish church on the hill above Prcanj, where a miracle-working icon of the Mother of God was located, before it was moved to the Church of the Virgin by the sea, and where it was visited on feast days by up to 6,000 believers. A footpath in the hill, Muo - Prcanj - Gornji Stoliv, starts in the coastal part of the village of Muo. Near the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, this path branches towards Prcanj, and then extends above the former military complex, but it is mostly impassable. The path continues above the settlement of Glavati, passes by the old houses, and over Velja Rijeka and descends into the cove of St. Anna. Then, it runs by the old inhabited houses in the hill and continues past the ruins of the old Prcanj parish church and continues all the way to Gornji Stoliv. Unfortunately, the section from Muo to Glavati is completely impassable and unmarked, and it has not been maintained for years. This segment of the footpath should certainly be included in the Boka Kotorska hiking tour plan. This year, (May 2021) due to overgrown vegetation, a part of the footpath in Prcanj is not accessible, in the area of Velja Rijeka - St. Anna - Mondov Potok, as well as part of the path in the locality Grasovo - Markov Rt - Gornji Stoliv. The footpath Muo - Prcanj - Gornji Stoliv is significant in several ways for the study of the history of these settlements and it belongs to the most interesting ones because it offers several kilometers of continuous panoramic views of the Bay of Kotor. It passes further by the oldest remains and ruins of houses in the hill, built of the stone walls between one and two meters thick. These houses are the most visible in the upper part of the village of Muo oriented toward Prcanj. There are ruins of the old medieval houses along the path in the cove of St. Anna, then along the path after passing the Church of St. Peter in Prcanj, as well as along the path from the village of Muo to the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. Likewise, there are numerous family chapels and churches on the route Muo - Prcanj - Gornji Stoliv, many of which are in ruins. The landscape value of the footpath is reflected in the authentic construction techniques, in the combination of steps carved into the rock and stone steps, in addition to the cobbled stone ramps, and high dry-stone walls that follow and change the level of the path along the terraced agricultural land. Such wall systems are most present on the section of the footpath from Muo to the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, then from Grasovo to the old Prcanj church in the hill as well as the site of Mondov Potok - Prčanj. The special character and the beauty of the footpath Muo - Prcanj - Gornji Stoliv lies in small altitude changes, as it runs through various types of landscape from rock and sedge, olive groves, pine, oak and chestnut forests to pastures with authentic agricultural varieties and old stone houses in the hills. The value of the footpath is also reflected in the numerous ruins of both residential and sacred architecture, which are a real asset for their future valorization and an opportunity to revive the "low - carbon" tourism and portray the authentic way of life of the people from this region from the ancient times to the present day. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kusevic, B. (2021 ). The old footpath M uo - Prcanj - Stoliv ‘‘The Archive of Landscapes”. [date]. BIBLIOGRAPHY . BACKGROUND PHOTO. David Rumsey Historical Map Collection | The Collection; (1693) Disegno Topografico del Canale di Cattaro, Montenegro; Coronelli, Vincenzo (1650-1718).

The church of St. Anna is believed to be existing here since the 14th century, and the ruins of the parish house in the immediate vicinity are the most ancient remains of residential buildings in the town of Prcanj. The church of St. Anna is situated 100 m from the sea on the hill of Vrmac Church of St. Anna - Prcanj, Montenegro Medieval churches like that of St. Anna in Prcanj, dating back to the 14th century, feature small-sized, not sophisticated, elegant proportions, as well as picturesque forms with a very interesting way of integrating into the landscape. In the Middle Ages, the Gothic style was not developed enough here, even though it was too much postponed compared to other urban centres on the Adriatic. However, the local sacral architecture, based upon centuries of development, has incorporated something of the medieval styles expressed mostly into the design of windows and doors. The techniques used at that time of building were very much defined, considering that they were developed by local craftsman rather than by professional architects or builders. The catholic private family chapels like this one were numerous in the town of Prcanj. In ancient times the town recorded eighteen churches and family chapels, of which today just eight are still standing. The church of St. Anna is believed to be existing here since the 14th century, and the ruins of the parish house in the immediate vicinity are the most ancient remains of residential buildings in the town of Prcanj. The church of St. Anna is situated 100 m from the sea on the hill of Vrmac. It is single span with gable roof; it has a semicircular apse and a fragmented vault in the middle, as well as a bell tower. The church belonged to the Sbutega family and stands in the area that was called, in ancient times, Calme that means “calm, quiet”. In front of the church an ancient graveyard used to lay, whose remains are not evident any longer. Today, the interior of the church has not any frescos or painting and is plastered with blue colour which is much eroded by the passing time. The traditional techniques of Romanesque altar vault, domed with a monolith of perfectly carved white rock, and the stone-paved floor characterized the architecture of the interior of the church. There are also two small niches in the wall at both ends of the altar, and a holy water pot, integrated into the entrance wall, which is a very interesting shape. There is no evidence of when the church was built, but the style of the building techniques, the apse stone roof and the unique disposition suggest that it has been there since the 14th century. The area where the Sbutega palace and the church of St. Anna are built is of immense importance for the entire region, because it still resembles the traditional way of cultivating the territory, and gives evidence of the features and style of the local 14th-century architecture. Sloped terraces of stone walls with olive groves and forests of oaks are typical of the cultural landscape of this area, which is closely related to this church and which is called, in the local language, Draga Sv. Ane, the Valley of St. Anna. Today, it would be necessary to identify this sacred building as a target of careful restoration, since it could become a significant and lovely spot along the medieval path of Prcanj, an area of special landscape value among ancient olive groves and oak forests. The tiny church would possibly be used for cultural events, camera concerts, exhibitions, public talks and meeting about the preservation of cultural landscapes, as well as a tourist attraction. Moreover, it is located near the ancient Sbutega palace, dating to the same historic period; the palace itself might be the suitable venue of an Architecture summer school camp, for a restoration of the cultural landscape and rustic architecture of Prcanj; this also would be a perfect location for a conscious and interested public to meet and exchange ideas. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kusevic, B. (2017). Church of St. Anna - Prcanj . ‘‘The Archive of Landscapes”.[date]. BIBLIOGRAPHY . BACKGROUND PHOTO. David Rumsey Historical Map Collection | The Collection; (1693) Disegno Topografico del Canale di Cattaro, Montenegro; Coronelli, Vincenzo (1650-1718).

In the last decade region of Bay of Kotor, which is UNESCO heritage site from 1979. is the area of severe destruction of the cultural landscape due to the excessive building industry, triggered by huge investments... The cultural landscape in danger of UNESCO Natural and Culturo-historical region of Kotor Over the last decade, the region of the Bay of Kotor, which has been the UNESCO heritage site since 1979, is the area where severe destruction of the cultural landscape has occurred due to the excessive building industry, triggered by huge investments. Such appalling development of the entire Bay is threatening to devastate the fragile cultural landscape of the Bay of Kotor. Because of excessive destruction of the outstanding universal value of the cultural landscape, traditional urban settlements are endangered by the over-scaled architecture for commercial purposes. As a result of this, the UNESCO Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor will probably soon be erased from the World Heritage list. It should also be pointed out that Boka Kotorska is a place where cultures overlap due to Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian rule. Thus, the complexity of the landscape and its connection to the past eras is a strong argument for its valorisation by integrative approach which would first consider the social value of the cultural landscape. Such an approach to the overall socio-historical development of the region also has to contain the environmental component in many areas of management of landscape and urban planning. Nowadays native people have lost connection with the local environment in Bay of Kotor; this has happened by changing the way people use landscape and by vanishing the active cultivation of the same. Moreover, the way the landscape is used has drastically changed after the last earthquake in 1979; furthermore, over the last decade it has been highly influenced by the heavy foreign investment in real estate industry.For all these reasons, the cultural landscape of the Bay of Kotor region, and Prcanj in particular, is under the big threat of losing all its inherited features represented by the materiality and the structure of the landscape itself, as well as vanishing the collective memory of its traditional character and specificity. Today, many areas have been devastated by building residential buildings without any legal certificate, thus imposing high seismic hazard; also, by interrupting the organical linkage with surrounding landscape; even, by making life more complicated and dangerous (neglecting the necessity of adequate access for personal cars, or not providing a livable neighbourhood). All these problems make a real urban chaos in some upper areas of Prcanj like Tre Sorelle and Sarena Gomila. After the 1979 earthquake, an intensive urbanisation started without any implemented strategical urban planning. Today, some areas in Prcanj which are important for their cultural landscape, like St. Anna Valley, are threatened by uncontrolled urbanisation, like the building of a big real estate settlement, and by imposing the complete destruction of the authentic cultural landscape. Now the urge for urban legislation of the entire UNESCO area of Kotor, as well as in Prcanj, is the top priority for Montenegro, and among the aims of this report is to point to urgent actions in urban legislation and integrated approach toward cultural landscape protection, as well as to raise public awareness about its tangible and intangible features. Due to excessive construction, the authenticity of the Region of Kotor is fading away and is rudely devastated in the name of sustainable development. However, in this case the concept of sustainability has been compromised from the very start. Such a problematic approach of urban planning is evident on the entire coast of Montenegro but it is most obvious in the region of Kotor, which is under the protection of the UNESCO. I would like to point out that the town of Kotor with its surroundings is in a chaotic situation now. Abandoned spots in the town of huge potentials such as the old abandoned site of the factory, ruins of Fjord Hotel, the modernist building of Jugooceanija, a former shipping company, and a lot of other areas of the huge potentials such as Skurda peninsula, and sports hall in Skaljari, and the building of former Autoremont are wrecked. At present, the town attempts to improve its economy by hosting big cruise ships. In that respect it has been very successful insomuch that Kotor has been proclaimed as the one of the top 5 cruising ship destination in the Mediterranean. Far more interesting topic is opening for mass tourism. Namely, every day thousands of tourist come to the Kotor, which has only 2,000 inhabitants. Does the town need so many tourists come for one day sightseeing tour, or better to say half day sightseeing tour? Does it mean that the citizens would not be able to come to the town centre during working hours or to reach the health institutions in proper time because of crowded streets? Kotor is the town that has only one road which runs along the waterfront. Due to numerous vehicles which travel along this road, traffic congestions frequently occur, especially in summer. Furthermore, the local seashore roads are without the proper signalization, with holes, pits and bumps, which makes the transportation, from Tivat to Kotor in particular, very annoying and frustrating but also very dangerous. All these issues and historical permanence in a collision with the current mass cruise tourism cause many problems. An average tourist who would like to spend a couple of days in Kotor cannot properly enjoy his or her vacation. It means that smart mobility needs to be introduced in the immediate vicinity to provide a liveable environment for the younger generation to come but also for its well-recognized tourist activity in the town of Kotor. Furthermore, cruise ships cause problems which must be solved urgently because of their adverse effect on the environment. They produce air pollution and damage the marine ecosystem in many ways which have a negative impact on the fishing industry, and thus cause the socio-economic turbulence that leads to complete relocation of domicile population. In addition to this, there are many problems arising from the improper regional planning, whereby high buildings have been constructed in the pristine cultural landscape proclaimed as the World Cultural Heritage. The following key points highlight the issues arising from the ongoing building activities that have negative impact on the protected area of the Bay of Kotor and pose a threat to its Outstanding Universal Value. Emerging of poorly planned settlements in UNESCO Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, which poses a threat to the outstanding universal value of property Building of improperly planned settlements without any urban strategy or management plan, which makes an unprecedented negative visual impact on the seashore line and vistas on the historical monuments and urban ensembles of outstanding universal value; Settlements planned and made in locations not suitable for their character because of the unique and practically harsh natural environment in the region of seashore forests and cliffs, which ruins the integrity of the landscape itself; Settlements built without any prior strategy, thus living in them may be dangerous and complicated because of pollution of water, environmental degradation, ecosystem collapse, a danger of forest fires, high seismic risk etc.; Accepting the urban plan that proposes big and radical intervention in the landscape, that might probably invade the integrity of the cultural landscape and destroy its outstanding universal value by building a traffic motorway, a bridge or other large infrastructural elements for which consulting with UNESCO experts and making Heritage Assessment plan is necessary. Building contemporary structures in a landscape that is not suitable for them because of its characteristics, design or terrain feature, which has a negative and unprecedented impact on the entire cultural landscape and natural scenery; The non-professional or cheap commercial buildings made without any legal certificate that threatens to destroy the unique traditional way of life of local people; Concreting the seashore at the places of former family piers or building new ones without using the traditional monolith stone techniques, destroying the fertile sea ecosystem and artistic traditional appearance of the sea line; Destruction of traditional olive and oak forests, traditional steep agricultural terraces and traditional historical-artistic gardens of outstanding value behind the palaces and family homes; Non-professional restoration of protected historical family buildings without any regard for their integrity, which threatens to degrade the universal value of the buildings (opening the roof terraces, division of historical balustrades, altering the height of historical buildings, houses or palaces, making the roof covering with non-traditional techniques, changing the traditional bearing construction (especially the concrete ones), changing the original look of the facades, replacing the traditional wooden openings for doors and windows) with the ones made of PVC, AL,...etc.; Degradation of the value of historical palaces and their ancient artistic furniture, interior decorations, aristocratic family libraries and artistic paintings, because of: leaving the property without owners, multiple selling of the property to foreign investors that neglect its historical value and the lack of the regulations and statistics data of movable cultural treasures and regulations for itself. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kusevic, B. (2017).The cultural landscape in danger of Bay of Kotor ‘‘The Archive of Landscapes” . [date] BACKGROUND PHOTO. Dobrota, Montenegro. Photo by Bogdan Kusevic Degradation of integrity of the cultural landscape in the town of Prcanj, Dobrota, Kostanjica Photographs by Bogdan Kusevic Degradation of monuments of UNESCO Natural and Culturo-Historical region of Kotor Photographs by Bogdan Kusevic

During the time of Venetian rule, Dobrota was an autonomous town, together with Kotor, Prčanj and Perast. The prominent families of Dobrota who marked the social and economic history of their homeland were Dabčevići, Dabinovići, Ivanovići, Kamenarovići, Radimiri, Tripkovići and others. Dobrota relied on maritime trade and at the beginning of the 19th century it was one of the leading maritime centres in Bay of Kotor 2007-2017 Dobrota town of sea captains cover photo: Dobrota, seen from a family pier During the time of Venetian rule, Dobrota was an autonomous town, together with Kotor, Prčanj and Perast. The prominent families of Dobrota who marked the social and economic history of their homeland were Dabčevići, Dabinovići, Ivanovići, Kamenarovići, Radimiri, Tripkovići and others. Dobrota relied on maritime trade and at the beginning of the 19th century it was one of the leading maritime centres in Boka and the east coast, counting 35 ships with a total weight of 5,172 tonnes and having 443 registered crew members. Dobrota families became very powerful and all aspects of social and cultural life moved from Kotor to Dobrota. However, Napoleon’s conquest caused crisis in maritime trade. The naval blockade occurred, the ships were wrecked by the French and the English army and the old trade links were interrupted. The Austrian authorities did not bring much improvement, and the first attempts of recovery occurred after 1850. Next

" The Archive of Landscapes ", a Cultural Heritage project by Bogdan Kusevic, aims to raise public awareness about the degradation of cultural heritage and the cultural landscape in particular, in UNESCO's Region of Kotor in Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, through photography, historical and architectural research Welcome to the cultural heritage project 2017 The Archive of Landscapes cover photo: UNESCO Natural and Culturo - Historical region of Kotor Prcanj, Bay of Kotor, Montenegro photo by Bogdan Kusevic Photography Articles Timeline Research About the cultural heritage project THE ARCHIVE OF LANDSCAPES The Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, which has been World Heritage Site since 1979, has been facing unprecedented degradation during the last decade due to unplanned and excessive development that has been carried out without implementation of any study for protection and management of cultural landscape . And now, when you look at the images of cobbled hills of Bay of Kotor, destroyed picturesque seashore villages, masterpieces of fortification and residential architecture in danger , you might wonder how come the most beautiful things that we, as citizens of Montenegro could be proud of, are about to vanish just because of us. The cultural heritage is, after all, a civilisation code of one area and thus the cultural language of architectural heritage. This is not a photography project because I am not a professional photographer, nor it is a project for architectural restoration because I am not a restorer yet, nor even a tourist guide because I do not work in tourism sector. This is The Archive of Landscapes that will never be the same again and as harmonious as it used to be. Over the past decade, the landscape of Bay of Kotor has degraded very much and has been turned into excavations site, into trenches and landslides between concrete structures. Bay of Kotor is a bay in Montenegro where various cultures overlap due to Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian rule . Today, the devastation of the cultural landscape and the architectural heritage has worsen, which implies that the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor will most likely lose the UNESCO status of the World Cultural Heritage Site acquired in 1979. On this occasion, I would like to ask all scientific organisations in Montenegro, state bodies, dedicated experts and foreign organisations to come to Bay of Kotor and to give the utmost scientific support in maintenance, protection and regeneration of cultural landscape of UNESCO Natural and Culturo-Historical region of Kotor, so that its outstanding universal value can be preserved and left for the future generations to come. Bogdan Kusevic, MSc Arch Piacenza, May 2017. About the website THE ARCHIVE OF LANDSCAPES The cultural heritage project 2017 titled "The Archive of Landscapes" aims at raising awareness about the degradation of cultural heritage and landscape in the UNESCO Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, providing an insight into the appearance of the landscape during the last decade. The website "The Archive of Landscapes" was developed entirely during my master studies in architecture at Politecnico di Milano from 2017 to 2018. The main purpose of creating this website was to present the permanence of the landscape of my homeland to my mentors, to gain the feedback from the community about the most important areas considered for valorisation , and to inspire the members of the local community to think creatively about how the local cultural heritage can be preserved. During my studies, the responses of the community members were included as the basis for future research about the local heritage, and the results of that work were published online in the form of a research paper in both English and Montenegrin language. Furthermore, the responses obtained were helpful and were used for determining the zones for protection and valorisation of the most valuable part of the cultural landscape in the town of Prcanj . As my wish was to make general public aware of the importance of valorisation of the cultural landscape in the Bay of Kotor , the contents of the thesis were made public while it was being written. In that way, the project of raising awareness about the significance of the cultural landscape of the Bay of Kotor titled "The Archive of Landscapes" was born. Bogdan Kusevic, MSc Arch Piacenza, July 2018. A word from the author I am an architect based in Kotor . In July 2018, I obtained the master’s degree in sustainable architecture and landscape design at Politecnico di Milano. Before that, I acquired a bachelor’s degree and a specialist’s degree in architecture at the University of Montenegro - the Faculty of Architecture, where I studied between 2010 and 2015. Many years before I enrolled in architecture school, I started to observe, document and photograph the buildings in my homeland. My passion for cultural heritage and photography continued during architecture studies, when I found an immense inspiration for landscape photography in my hometown Prcanj . Furthermore, my grandfather was an artist-photographer whose photographs allowed me to examine the tremendous change in the landscape of the Bay of Kotor for almost an entire century. The cover photo above represents the street called Ulica Lukovica - Lukovic Street situated in the town of Prcanj in Montenegro. It is one of the most beautiful Baroque coastal streets in the Southern Adriatic. However, this street, together with other settlements which belong to Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor under the UNESCO protection are now facing the unprecedented degradation because of poorly planned and excessive development . I appreciate the cultural landscape of my homeland very much as well as the native traditional building techniques and, above all, the local architectural heritage , so my photographs almost always represent the landscape with its unique architectural particularity. Harmony of the sea , the mountains and the palaces lined up along the waterfront is probably one of the most picturesque scenery in the entire region, especially in the morning. Belonging to the native population of Bay of Kotor, I feel overwhelmed by this scenery because this is the place where I have been living since I was born. I think that photography could have a big role in raising awareness of the general public about the heritage, its role in the local community and its peculiarity on the global scale. Here, in the area of Bay of Kotor , sometimes referred to as “The most secure port of the world” , the echo of the past centuries has been overwhelmingly present. Today, landscape has changed in a negative way but there is still a hope for its preservation and regeneration . Bogdan Kusevic, MSc Arch Piacenza, July 2018.

Perast was at its peak in the 18th century under the Venetian Republic, when it had as many as four active shipyards, a fleet of around one hundred ships, and 1,643 residents. The 1,500 citizens of Perast were allowed to trade with large ships and to sell goods without tax on the Venetian market, which made them wealthy 2007-2017 Perast (ita. Perasto) cover photo: Perast, the town of sea captains Perast was at its peak in the 18th century under the Venetian Republic, when it had as many as four active shipyards, a fleet of around one hundred ships, and 1,643 residents. The 1,500 citizens of Perast were allowed to trade with large ships and to sell goods without tax on the Venetian market, which made them wealthy. The example of the wealth of people from Perast at the end of the 18th century is the fact that they managed to collect 50,000 Venetian gold coins (about 200 kg of gold) to pay the famous Venetian constructor Giuseppe Beati to build for them the highest campanile (55 m) on the East-Adriatic coast. There are two small islands near Perast: St George Island with the small church from the 12th century and the artificial island called Gospa od Skrpjela (in Venetian: Madonna dello Scarpello) which has a very interesting story. Namely, the locals had been throwing rocks and sinking old shipwrecks for 200 years from the reef whose top was 1 meter above the water's surface, thus creating a plateau of 3,030 square meters, on which they then built a church. Next

Cultural Heritage Project 2017. UNESCO Natural and culturo-Historical region of Kotor. Heritage articles, architecture research and tradition of Bay of Kotor Town of Prcanj, Montenegro The town of Prcanj in Kotor municipality in Montenegro is a coastal town which traditionally relied on the maritime trade and such tradition has remained to the present day. Historically, the first mentions of it were in 1222 in the correspondence regarding the construction of St Johan Church. During the medieval age, the town was being developed in the upper level in the hill and it relied primarily on the local agriculture. Later, at the beginning of the 15th century, the town rapidly started to develop in the coastal region. About town of Prcanj, Montenegro

​St. Anna Valley is cultural landscape of the inner Kotor Bay in Montenegro of immense value, recently heavily endangered by building construction , which destroyed authentic steep terraces of ex arable land. The Church of St. Anna dates back to the 14th century and the ruins of an old parish house are the oldest remains of any residences in Prcanj. St. Anna Valley is cultural landscape of the inner Kotor Bay in Montenegro of immense value, recently heavily endangered by building construction , which destroyed authentic steep terraces of ex arable land. The Church of St. Anna dates back to the 14th century and the ruins of an old parish house are the oldest remains of any residences in Prcanj. The sloped terraces of agricultural estates, made of stone walls and planted with olive trees, and the oak forests sprinkled over a channelled stream of enclosed dry stonewalls, are features of the cultural landscape of this region. The techniques of channelling the stream flows and the way of maintaining the land by the traditional character testify the past eras and give evidence of the native landscape management. READ MORE on heritage article ''Valley of St Anna" Next ST. ANNA VALLEY - GLAVATI, PRCANJ cover photo: Cultural landscape of immense value in danger!

Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, is a very attractive tourist destination. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful bays in the world. The Bay of Kotor is rich in cultural heritage, and the town of Kotor, situated at the end of the bay is the most beautiful one, where the most ancient Cathedral in eastern Adriatic called St. Tryphon Cathedral has existed since 1166. In this area, there are also very well-known Roman mosaics in Risan UNESCO Natural and Culturo historical region of Kotor Bay of Kotor, Montenegro BAY OF KOTOR - PHOTO ALBUM