Bar Municipality is one of the

municipalities of Montenegro The ''municipalities'' (Serbian language, Serbian: ''opštine'' / општине, singular: ''opština'' / општина) are the first level administrative subdivisions of Montenegro. The country is divided into 25 municipalities including the ...

. The center is the town

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

. The municipality is located at the

Adriatic coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...

in the southeast Montenegro. According to the 2011 census, the city proper had 17,649 inhabitants, while the total population of Bar Municipality was 42,068.

Geography and tourism

Bar Municipality is located on the coastal western border of Montenegro on the shore of the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

. It is approximately from

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

, the capital of Montenegro. To the east is the largest lake in the

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

Lake Skadar Lake Skadar ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, ; sq, Liqeni i Shkodrës, ) also called Lake Scutari, Lake Shkodër and Lake Shkodra lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern ...

. To the west, across the sea, is

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The natural area around Bar is mostly untouched and is rich in vegetation. The municipality stretches to the southern shore of

Skadar lake Lake Skadar ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, ; sq, Liqeni i Shkodrës, ) also called Lake Scutari, Lake Shkodër and Lake Shkodra lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern ...

and encompasses

Krajina Krajina () is a Slavic toponym, meaning ' frontier' or 'march'. The term is related to ''kraj'' or ''krai'', originally meaning 'edge'Rick Derksen (2008), ''Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon'', Brill: Leiden-Boston, page 244 a ...

region. This area is visited for its leisure activities and hiking. Smaller settlements near Bar, such as Dobra Voda,

Sutomore Sutomore ( cnr, Сутоморе, ) is a small coastal town in Bar Municipality, Montenegro. A 2011 census put the population at 2,004. History Sutomore was called ''Spizza'' in Venetian, when it was under the Republic of Venice from 1420 to 17 ...

and Čanj, are a destination for sunbathing, as they incorporate long sandy beaches.

Beaches

The municipality has over of sea coast. There are twenty beaches stretching over . In the north is Čanj, which has a sandy beach. A boat takes tourists from Čanj to the Kraljičina Plaža (the Queen's beach). It lies below a natural wall of sedimentary rock. Further south is Maljevik Beach. The beach at

, long, has entertainments, activities and restaurants. Near the medieval monastery complex of Ratac is Crvena Plaža (the Red beach), named after the colour of its fine sand. The beach is surrounded by a pine forest and located about a hundred m from the main road to Bar. The Bar city beach is located in front of King Nikola I's palace. It is long, part pebble and part sand. There are also beaches on the shore of

Flora and fauna

The coastal part of Bar supports

maquis shrubland 220px, Low maquis in Corsica 220px, High ''macchia'' in Sardinia ( , , ) or ( , ; often in Italian; hr, makija; ; ) is a shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs. Maquis is char ...

with oak, holm oak, laurel, myrtle, Spanish broom, oleander, hawthorn, sloe, thorn, butcher's broom, and asparagus. To the north and the mountains, there are oak and beech forests. Citrus fruits including tangerine, orange, and lemon grow in the Bar area as do pomegranates, olives, grapevines, and figs. Ginkgo biloba grows in the park of King Nikola's palace.

Skadar Lake Lake Skadar ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, ; sq, Liqeni i Shkodrës, ) also called Lake Scutari, Lake Shkodër and Lake Shkodra lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern ...

is rich in birdlife including the pelican. Game animals are found in Ostros, Rumija, Lisinj, Sutorman, and Sozina and include rabbit, badger, fox, wolf, and boar. At the Bar seashore one finds various kinds of shells, snails,

echinodermata An echinoderm () is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (). The adults are recognisable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea li ...

cephalopoda A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, an ...

and

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

Demographics

Divisions and settlements

The municipality consists of 77 settlements, four of which, Bar,

Stari Bar Stari Bar ( cyrl, Стари Бар; sq, Tivar i Vjetër, lit. "Old Bar") is a small town in Montenegro. It is located inland, a few miles from the new city of Bar, resting on Londša hill, at the foot of Mount Rumija. According to the 2003 ce ...

and

Virpazar Virpazar ( sr-cyrl, Вирпазар, ) is a village in the municipality of Bar, Montenegro. Overview It is located in the Crmnica region, straddling the Crmnica river, which flows into nearby Skadar Lake. There are various tourist facilities inc ...

are urban, while the rest are rural or suburban. The municipality is divided into 12 local communities (''mjesna zajednica''): Topolica (part of

Polje A polje, also karst polje or karst field, is a large flat plain found in karstic geological regions of the world, with areas usually . The name derives from the Slavic languages and literally means 'field', whereas in English ''polje'' specific ...

, Bjeliši, Burtaiši, Sutorman,

Šušanj Šušanj ( cnr, Шушањ, ) is a small town in the municipality of Bar, Montenegro. Overview The town is located about a kilometre from Bar and its beaches are popular with local residents and tourists. In summer the town has many tourists sta ...

, Mrkojevići,

, Šestan and

Crmnica Crmnica ( Serbian and Montenegrin: Црмница, ) is a historical region in southern Montenegro, one of the communes of the municipality of Bar. It is one of the four sub-regions of Old Montenegro. Geography & Demographics Crmnica is located ...

. A census in 2011 recorded 42,048 people in the Bar Municipality. Historic population:

Ethnicity

Ethnic composition of the municipality in 2011:

Religion

The main religion in Bar is Orthodox Christianity. However, there are churches from both the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

and

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

traditions as well as

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

s built by

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

in the

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

tradition. Bar is the birthplace of Saint

Jovan Vladimir Jovan Vladimir or John Vladimir ( sr-cyr, Јован Владимир; c. 990 – 22 May 1016) was the ruler of Duklja, the most powerful Serbian principality of the time, from around 1000 to 1016. He ruled during the protracted war between ...

. In 1089, the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar ( cnr, Барска надбискупија, Barska nadbiskupija; sq, Kryepeshkopata Katolike Romake e Tivarit; la, Archidioecesis Antibarensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Montenegro.

, was founded and included most of Montenegro and Serbia.

Local administration Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

Gallery

File:Bar-Montenegro-2018.jpg, City of

Bar, Montenegro Bar ( Montenegrin and Serbian: Бар, ; sq, Tivar; it, Antivari or ''Antibari'') is a coastal town and seaport in southern Montenegro. It is the capital of the Bar Municipality and a center for tourism. According to the 2011 census, the ci ...

File:"Olea europea”, which is over 2000 years old. Full view..jpg, "Olea europea”, a 2000 year old tree. File:The Rumija Mountain and the Skadar Lake.jpg,

Rumija Rumija ( sr-cyr, Румија; sq, Rumi) is a mountain in southern Montenegro, situated between the Adriatic and Lake Skadar. The highest point is ''Rumija'', which is high. Rumija rises above the town of Bar, and is a natural Dinaric barrier, ...

Mounthain and Skadar Lake File:Sutomore.JPG,

File:MN, Virpazar 103.jpg,

near

File:Kraljičina plaža.jpg, Queen's Beach near Čanj File:P00202-093121.jpg, Church of St. Jovan Vladimir, Bar in Bar File:Bar Aqueduct (by Pudelek).jpg,

Bar Aqueduct The Bar Aqueduct ( cnr, Барски аквадукт, Barski akvadukt) is a stone aqueduct located on the northern side of Stari Bar Fortress, 4 km north of the town of Bar in Montenegro. The Bar Aqueduct is the only remaining aqueduct in Mo ...

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of Montenegro