Sutomore (, , , ) is a 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 ...

Bar Municipality Bar Municipality ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, Opština Bar, Општина Бар) is one of the municipalities of Montenegro. The center is the town of Bar, Montenegro, Bar. The municipality is located at the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coast in southeastern Mon ...

. A 2011 census put the population at 2,004.

History

When it was under the control of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

from 1420 to 1797, Sutomore was called ''Spizza'' (in Venetian). It belonged administratively to

Albania Veneta Venetian Albania (, , , , ) was the official term for several possessions of the Republic of Venice in the southeastern Adriatic, encompassing coastal territories primarily in present-day southern Montenegro and partially in northern Albania. Sev ...

, except for short-lived periods of Ottoman occupation. When, in the late 16th century, the jurisdiction of the Benedictine monastery Ratac collapsed, the Orthodox rite began to strengthen in the formerly Catholic parishes of Spič (Sutomore), Sozina and Kastel Lastva, which had previously been under Catholic jurisdiction. At the same time, the Orthodox clergy and believers began to use Catholic churches of that area for their rites. In the 19th century it became the part of the

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

and later the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. At that time, the name of the city was ''Spitza,'' and it was the southernmost settlement of the Empire. The Austrian census of 1910 reports the presence of Venetian speaking families in Spizza in the twentieth century.

Overview

Today, Sutomore is a tourism-oriented community. It is a popular destination and a weekend resort, catering to tourists from Montenegro and the surrounding region. It is popular for its long sandy beach and vibrant nightlife. In 2023-2025 the city got new renovated embankment and square Sutomore is located on the

Adriatic Highway The Adriatic Highway () is a road that stretches along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and is part of the European route E65. The road passes through Croatia, with smaller stretches through Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro and end ...

( E65/ E80), and is connected to

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 ...

and inland Montenegro via

Sozina tunnel The Sozina Tunnel () is a road tunnel in Montenegro that is a part of the M-1.1 highway ( E65 and E80 European routes). It is located north of Sutomore and south of Virpazar, and is designed to bypass the "Paštrovska Gora" mountain range tha ...

. It is also a stop on the

Belgrade–Bar railway The Belgrade–Bar railway ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Пруга Београд–Бар, Pruga Beograd–Bar) is a long electrified main line connecting the Serbian capital of Belgrade with the town of Bar, Montenegro, Bar, a Port of Bar, major seaport ...

. The ease of access, coupled with its beach, has made Sutomore a very popular budget destination. However, the sheer number of tourists, combined with an informal and spontaneous building boom and lack of urban planning, have contributed to chronic traffic problems. As transit traffic from inland Montenegro to

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 ...

goes straight through the town, traffic jams and crowded streets are commonplace during the summer months. Sutomore is especially popular with youthful visitors from

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 the rest of Montenegro, as its beachside promenade is lined with numerous bars, cafes, fast food restaurants and nightclubs. It is generally recognised as being more affordable than the nearby resort of

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 ...

Population

According to the 2011 census, Sutomore has 2,004 inhabitants. If the nearby suburbs of Brca (263),

Miljevci Miljevci may refer to: * Miljevci, Dalmatia, a region near Drniš, Croatia * Miljevci (Bar Municipality), a village in Montenegro * Miljevci, Virovitica–Podravina County, a village near Nova Bukovica * Miljevci, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a villa ...

(340), Papani (175), Zagrađe (364), Zgrade (512) and

Zankovići Zankovići ( cnr-Cyrl, Занковићи) is a village in the municipality of Bar, Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , ...

(305) were included by the ''Montenegrin Statistical Bureau,'' the population of Sutomore urban area would be close to 4,000 inhabitants.Moststat, zvanični rezultati popisa, 2011
/ref> The ethnic composition of Sutomore is as follows: *

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 ...

– 932 *

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 ...

– 821 *Others – 251

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Bar Municipality