Petrovac (, , ), also known as Petrovac na Moru (). Petrovac, is a small town in

Coastal region A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. It is located on the coast between

Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 27,445 inhabitants as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budv ...

and

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

, where the old mountain road from

Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

reaches the coast is being the most famous Montenegrin myth and legend about the city that doesn't exist. It has a 600 m long sandy beach and it is a popular tourist destination. Petrovac is seen as a somewhat "calmer"

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

, in contrast to the lively and developed nearby towns of Budva and

Sutomore Sutomore (, , , ) is a town in Coastal region of Montenegro in Bar Municipality. A 2011 census put the population at 2,004. History When it was under the control of the Republic of Venice from 1420 to 1797, Sutomore was called ''Spizza'' (in ...

Population

The 2011 census found the town's population to be 1,398. The ethnicity of residents was: :

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

- 615 (43,99%) :

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

- 545 (38,98%) :

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

- 12 (0,86%) :Others - 226

History

The history of Petrovac began in Roman times, when a couple of villas were built at Krš Medinski: a 4th-century

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

floor, remains of a villa and baths have been found behind St Ilija's church. Later, there was a Slav village. The village was first mentioned in the

Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja The ''Chronicle of the Priest of Dioclea or Duklja'' ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Ljetopis popa Dukljanina, Љетопис попа Дукљанина; ) is the usual name given to a medieval chronicle written in two versions between 1295 and 1301 by an eccles ...

. At the northern end of the bay is a 16th-century Venetian fortress, Kastel Lastva, built to discourage pirates. When in the late 16th century jurisdiction of the Benedictine monastery Ratac collapses the Orthodox rite began to strengthen in the area of Catholic parishes,

Spič Sutomore (, , , ) is a town in Coastal region of Montenegro in Bar Municipality. A 2011 census put the population at 2,004. History When it was under the control of the Republic of Venice from 1420 to 1797, Sutomore was called ''Spizza'' (in Ve ...

, Sozina and Kastel Lastva which were under jurisdiction of this monastery. The Orthodox clergy and the Orthodox believers at the same time began to use Catholic Churches of that area for their rites.Ivan Jovović, 2013, Dvooltarske crkve na crnogorskom primorju, https://www.maticacrnogorska.me/files/53/06%20ivan%20jovovic.pdf #page=77-78 The name, Petrovac, was given at the beginning of the 20th century after King

Peter I Karađorđević Peter I (; – 16 August 1921) was King of Serbia from 15 June 1903 to 1 December 1918. On 1 December 1918, he became King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and he held that title until his death three years later. Since he was the king ...

. Before, the name was Kaštel Lastva. In the bay are two islets (Katič and Sveta Neđelja), one of which is topped by a small chapel, built in thanksgiving for a shipwrecked sailor's life. At the beginning of the 20th century, Petrovac had around 300 inhabitants. In World War II, British agents were landed at nearby Perazića Do. They intended to establish contact with

Yugoslav partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...

( Operation Hydra).

Tourism

Between the two

world war A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...

s, Petrovac was famous as a popular destination for wealthy tourists from (the former)

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Petrovac is today a popular summer beach resort, its visitors coming predominantly from Montenegro,

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Tourist accommodation has expanded greatly in recent years, although less obtrusively than at Budva and the quality has also improved in response to market demand. The resort's main attraction is its beach. There is a night club in the old castle. There is ready access to neighbouring beaches at Lučice and Buljarica.

Sport

Despite the town's small size, it has a

football club In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...

OFK Petrovac OFK Petrovac is a professional football club based in Petrovac, Montenegro. They currently compete in the First League of Montenegro. History OFK Petrovac was founded in 1969, under the name ''FK Nafta''. During the first season, they played in ...

, in the

Montenegrin First League The Montenegrin First League (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Prva crnogorska fudbalska liga'' — ''Prva CFL'' — ''1. CFL''; ), referred to as the Meridianbet 1. CFL for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional Association football, ...

. They play at the town's stadium, called Pod Malim Brdom, which literally means ''Under the Little Hill'' in Serbian.

Popular culture

In the 21st

James Bond film James Bond is a fictional character created by British novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. A British secret agent working for MI6 under the codename 007, Bond has been portrayed on film in twenty-seven productions by actors Sean Connery, David Niv ...

, '' Casino Royale'', Petrovac was supposedly the location of the eponymous casino but the movie was shot in the Czech Republic instead. In the film, little is seen of the town, only the casino's environs and an outdoor cafe. A part of the movie Brothers Bloom was filmed in Petrovac. The locality has often been used in music videos of regional singers.

References

External links

Petrovac, Montenegro - the village, its beaches, islands, and waves
{{Authority control Populated places in Budva Municipality