Stari Bar ( cyrl, Стари Бар; sq, Tivar i Vjetër, lit. "Old Bar") is a small town in

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. It is located inland, a few miles from the new city of Bar, resting on Londša hill, at the foot of

Mount 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, ...

. According to the 2003 census, the town has a population of 1,864 people.

History

In the Early Middle Ages, Antivari ( la, Antibarium) remained a subject of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, as part of the Theme of Dyrrhacium.

Stefan Vojislav Stefan Vojislav ( sr-cyr, Стефан Војислав; gr, Στέφανος Βοϊσθλάβος; 1034–d. 1043) was the Prince of Duklja from 1040 to 1043. Beginning in the year 1018, he served as a Byzantine governor, until 1034 when he led ...

, incorporated it into his state in 1040, and his family till 1090, after which it became part of the medieval Serbian state culminating in the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

under the

Nemanjić dynasty The House of Nemanjić ( sr-Cyrl, Немањић, Немањићи; Nemanjić, Nemanjići, ) was the most prominent dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages. This princely, royal, and later imperial house produced twelve Serbian monarchs, who rul ...

. It was briefly annexed by the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. About 1360, the Balšić family of

Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...

gained control of Bar as the Serbian Empire crumbled, after which

Louis I of Hungary Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370 ...

controlled Bar briefly before it was annexed by Venice again in 1443. Bar remained under the rule of Venice until it was taken by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1571 as part of the Ottoman expansion into Europe. On 13 November 1877, during the

Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–78) Montenegrin–Ottoman War may refer to: *Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–53) *Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–62) *Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–78) Montenegrin–Ottoman War may refer to: *Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–53) *Montenegrin� ...

, the town was besieged by forces under the command of

Mašo Vrbica Mašo Vrbica ( sr-Cyrl, Машо Врбица; 1833 in Vrba – 10 May 1898 in Banja Luka) was a Montenegrin '' vojvoda'' and military commander. Biography He graduated from the Mikhailovskaya Artillery Military Academy in St. Petersburg. After ...

. The defenses of the town were in the hands of Ibrahim Bey, who refused to surrender the town despite the Montenegrin heavy artillery bombardment, consisting of four Russian guns, and six Ottoman guns that had been seized at the

Battle of Nikšić A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. The bombardment lasted over seven weeks and much of the town was destroyed. On 5 January 1878, the Montenegrins detonated a 225 kg explosive inside the

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 ...

which cut off the town's water supply. Ibrahim Bey surrendered the town on 9 January. The Bar peninsula and the town were awarded to the newly recognized

Principality of Montenegro The Principality of Montenegro ( sr, Књажевина Црна Горa, Knjaževina Crna Gora) was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a kingdom by Nikola I, who then ...

at the

Congress of Berlin The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...

(1878). After the 1979 Montenegro earthquake destroyed the aqueduct that supplied water to the town, the location was abandoned, and the new town of

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 ...

constructed on the coast at the old port facilities. After the aqueduct was restored some years later, people began to return.

Demographics

Ethnicity in 2003

Sports

The local football club is Sloga who share the

Stadion Topolica Stadion Topolica (Topolica ''Stadium'') is a multi-use stadium in Bar, Montenegro. It is used mostly for football matches and athletics. The stadium has a capacity of 2,500 seats and is a part of Sports Center Bar company. History The sports ...

with

FK Hajduk Bar Fudbalski klub Hajduk is a Montenegrin football club based in the town of Bar. They currently compete in the Montenegrin Third League - South. History FK Hajduk was founded at 2009 in Bar, and currently is the youngest football club in that ...

and

FK Mornar Fudbalski klub Mornar is a Montenegrin professional football club, based in the coastal town of Bar. They currently compete in the Montenegrin First League. History FK Mornar (''FC Sailor'') was founded in December 1923, as ''JSK Crnojević''. ...

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Bar Municipality Former capitals of Montenegro