In the Bay of Kotor (the most luxurious fjord in the Mediterranean), not far from famous resort Herceg Novi, there is the island of Mamula with an old Austrian fortress, the famous Blue Cave, where small yachts enter entirely and many artificial shelter caves for submarines from the Second World War. You can swim freely here. The height of the vaults in the Blue Cave reaches 30 meters, and there are also two entrances to it. The color of the sea water in these places is stunning - azure, due to the refraction of the sun's rays.

Mamula Island has guarded the entrance to the Bay of Kotor since ancient times. The ancient fortress has remained there to this day. Previously, the island was called Rondoni, and received its real name only in the 19th century in honor of the Austrian general and governor of Dalmatia Lazar Mamula, who began to develop and build on the island. During both world wars the island served as a fortification.

Mamula Island is beautiful and has the undoubted advantages of an outpost. But it is better known for the fact that during the war there was a concentration camp here...

On one side of the island of Mamula is the Montenegrin coast, on the other is Croatia.

The fortress on Mamule Island is one of the oldest and largest on Adriatic coast. The fortification has been here since the time of Franz Joseph. From the place of Zhanitsa the island is located at a distance of one and a half kilometers, and from Herceg Novy at a distance of 4 km. On the northern side of the island there is a beach and a boat pier; on the other sides the coast of the island is inaccessible.

Mamula Island has a round shape, diameter - 200 m. nautical charts The island is called Lastovica (swallow island).

Mamula Island is not an inhabited island, and the absence of a large crowd of tourists has allowed the spirit of the Middle Ages to be preserved. The entire island is literally overgrown with agave and ivy. Despite its attractiveness, it is not on the first pages of guidebooks to Montenegro, which undoubtedly is the uniqueness of this fort.

The island is home to a large population of seagulls. On the island they live in agave thickets. Noticing an approaching person, birds can attack the uninvited guest, diving his head.

You can get from Herceg Novi to Mamula Island by boat for 3-4 euros.

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November 2013


There are a lot of interesting places in Montenegro, and there are simply countless ancient fortresses! We went to the fortress island of Mamula on a rented boat from the pier in Herceg Novi. But the beckoning fortress turned out to be almost impregnable, it was very stormy, and we didn’t get out on the beret :)

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Mamula is located between two peninsulas: on the Montenegro side - Lustica, on the Croatian side - Prevlaka. This desert island in the Adriatic, the diameter of the fortress is 200 meters, its height is 16 m. The island is covered with low shrubby vegetation and some huge cacti. It is 6.3 km away from the city of Herceg Novi.

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I’ll show you on Google Maps where it’s definitely located. Above is the city of Herceg Novi, on the right are Tivat, Kotor and other cities, and below the dot next to the phrase “Boka Kotorska” is the island of Mamula. Please note that the spit on the left is already Croatia, a visa country within “floating” accessibility.

Of course, we asked our skipper how the Croatian border guards were doing there, whether they were strictly guarding the borders, he assured that no - if you wish, you can safely come for a visit without a visa. And opposite the island there is a wonderful Zanice beach. This is an amazing place to relax with emerald water! This is where it is better to take a boat. The photo shows the Croatian Prevlaka peninsula with fortifications.

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The fort appeared in 1853, it occupied about 90% of the surface area of ​​the island, and the Austrian-Hungarian general Lazar Mamula ordered its construction, in honor of him the fortress acquired its name, and the island itself is called Swallow. Together with the fortifications on Prevlaka and Lustica, both of which were erected at the same time by the Austro-Hungarian general, Fort Mamula was necessary as a barrier to the enemy's entry into the Bay of Kotor.

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During World War II, from May 30, 1942, the fascists from Italy, on the orders of Mussolini, turned Mamula into a concentration camp. The fort became a place for brutal torture of prisoners. Now a memorial plaque reminds tourists of the prison.

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And now small retreat- I will show you the places from which we sailed and through which we sailed. After all, the landscapes in Montenegro are breathtaking at every turn! From about this place in the photo we set sail from Herceg Novi, we found the boatman simply - we approached and asked, after all, in November they don’t hunt for tourists, since there are almost no of them...

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We sail on the sea and see how Boka goes towards Djenovici, Zelenika, Bijela, Kotor, Tivat...

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We are all moving away from Herceg Novi, watching how gray clouds want to swallow the mountains.

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Our goal is close! The sailboat is also suffering near the shore there :)

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The island was the subject of a dispute between Montenegro and Croatia after the collapse of Yugoslavia. Although culturally and historically it belongs to Croatia, and until 1947 it was in the cadastre of Dubrovnik, but... closer to Montenegro, so the island now belongs to Montenegro. Over the years it began to collapse, although they talk about restoration, no one is investing money; spiral staircases, a bakery, a headquarters tower and loopholes have been preserved here.


In the pool Adriatic Sea there is an uninhabited island of Mamula (Mamula island) of a round shape. It is covered with shrubs of cacti, agave and aloe.

basic information

The island has long been the subject of a dispute between Croatia and Montenegro. Historically, it belongs to the first country, but is located closer to the second, so in 1947 it was transferred to the ownership of Montenegro.

Almost the entire territory of Mamula Island (approximately 90%) is occupied by the defensive fortress of the same name. Its height is 16 m, diameter - 200 m. It was erected in 1853 by order of the Austro-Hungarian general Lazar Mamul. The fort got its name in honor of the latter. From the fortress you can clearly see both the coast and the sea. The main purpose of the citadel was to block the path to the Bay of Kotor.


The Mamula fortress was one of the fundamental and large structures of that time. Its distinctive feature is considered to be remarkable functionality and precision of forms, which even today look the most impressive and reliable in the region.

The citadel was used for its intended purpose during two world wars in the twentieth century, and was occupied several times. Between 1942 and 1943, a concentration camp was created in the fortress, on the orders of Benito Mussolini, in which prisoners were brutally tortured. Now a memorial plaque reminds of this.

Currently, on nautical charts Mamula is designated as Lastovitsa, which translates as “Swallow Island”.



Description of Fort Mamula

The fortress has been well preserved and is now under government protection as historical monument countries. Today the building looks abandoned, but the state is actively developing a project for its restoration.


A drawbridge was built across a deep ditch to the main entrance of the fort. The following structures have survived completely:

  • external walls;
  • gates;
  • loopholes;
  • dried up well;
  • basements and attics;
  • courtyard paved with stone slabs with various buildings.


It was made conscientiously and observation deck, which is reached by a spiral staircase consisting of 56 steps. From here you have a stunning view of the bay, the nearby islands and the citadel itself.


What else is the island famous for?

The island has a city park where many tropical and subtropical plants grow, as well as unique varieties of mimosa. In winter, people spend time here all over the world famous festival, dedicated to this plant, which lasts about a month.


You can get around Mamula in 20 minutes to do beautiful photos against the backdrop of a picturesque but varied landscape (pebble and rocky shores). Black rabbits, lizards and a large number of seagulls live here.

Local cinematographers love this amazing island. In 1959, the war film “Campo Mamula” was filmed here by Velimir Stojanovic. It tells about the tragic events on the island during the Second World War. In 2013, Milan Todorovic filmed the thriller “Mamula” in the fortress.

How to get to the island?

You can come here for one day as part of an organized group or cruise ship, which always stops at the island. Mamula is located between 2 peninsulas: Prevlaka and Lustica. The most convenient way to get to the island from the mainland is by boat, rented from local residents, or by boat from (distance approximately 7 km).


Mamula Island attracts travelers with its secluded beaches, rocky steep coastlines, natural beauty and unique architecture.

Mamula Island is a small picturesque rocky island of a round shape, which is located near the famous resort of Herceg Novi, at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor.

Fortress on Mamula Island

In ancient times he was called the Swallow. This continued until, in the 19th century, a defensive fortress was built near Herceg Novi under the leadership of the governor of Austro-Hungarian Dalmatia, General Lazar Mamul. The fortress was erected to protect the Bay of Kotor from enemy attacks from the sea. Since that time, Mamula Island received a new modern name.

Although the island is tiny in size, it was important due to its strategic location. The island served as a reliable shield before entering the bay, which was used during hostilities. During both world wars, this defensive fortress on the island of Mamula was used as a prison. However, this place is remembered with an unkind word even after wartime: cruel torture of political prisoners was used here.

The fortress near Herceg Novi is perfectly preserved. Nowadays it is under state protection as a monument of architecture and culture of Montenegro. Now the Mamula fortress is the largest surviving Austrian defensive structure in the Adriatic Sea. It is distinguished by its monumentality, high precision of construction and functionality of forms.

Nature of Herceg Novi

Nowadays, on the island of Mamula there is an amazing city park, the nature of which delights with a rich variety of tropical and subtropical plants. Among them, several unique varieties of mimosa stand out. In winter, the park hosts the world-famous Mimosa Festival, which lasts a whole month.

Combat power of the state

A very picturesque view of the nature of the rocky bay opens from the sea, from the deck of ships passing by. An interesting fact is that under the slopes of the Bay of Kotor there are three tunnels for submarines. Previously, the island of Mamula near Herceg Novi represented the fighting power of Yugoslavia. Submarines sailed into tunnels under water, and the enemy could not guess about the existence of their secret base here. Now everything is in an abandoned state, although Montenegro has its own submarine fleet. There is also a ship repair yard in the Bay of Kotor.

Excursions to mysterious world islands

These days, educational excursions to Mamula Island and its fort are very popular among tourists and travelers. Those sailing by are sure to land near this island. large airliners. Not a single tourist who comes to Herceg Novi is left indifferent by the natural beauty of the island with its steep rocky shores. And in the northern part of Mamula Island there are beautiful secluded beaches.

It should be noted that the island of Mamula near Herceg Novi is located on the border of two states: Montenegro and Croatia. These countries can't decide controversial issue about data ownership unique island, promising in the development of tourism. For this reason, for some time they stopped bringing organized excursion groups. It is not looked after and is slowly deteriorating.

If, despite this, you want to decorate yours with a tour of the lush nature of Herceg Novi, then you can privately negotiate with the captain of a local ship and sail to this island on your own. We can recommend visiting Žanjic Beach and the Blue Cave along the way. To fully enjoy the nature of Herceg Novi, it is better to find and book a comfortable one in advance.

The Bay of Kotor is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful fjords of the Adriatic Sea., whose natural beauty made it such a desirable prey for many conquerors. And for such prey, like for any other, it is necessary to fight. The most common way of fighting, as well as defending lands, in those days were fortresses. For this reason, there are so many fortresses in the Herceg Novi region. One of them is located four kilometers from the city on an island, it is called the island-fortress Mamula.

The fortress was named after the Austrian general Lazar Mamul.. In the nineteenth century he was governor of Dalmatia. The fortress was built on the island by order of the general as an additional defensive structure on the approach to the shore; it was used in both wars of the twentieth century for its intended purpose. During World War II, there was even a prisoner of war camp on the island. The fortress itself is round in shape and measures two hundred meters in diameter. On modern nautical charts Mamula is marked as Lastovica, meaning in translation - Swallow Island.

The fortress, like the island itself, has all the necessary advantages of a fort post. From here you have a perfect view of the sea and the coast. The island is located in Grazica of Montenegro and Croatia. These two countries have been arguing for quite some time about which of them owns this promising attraction in terms of business and very interesting for the masses of tourists. But while they are solving this issue, there are no excursions in the fortress, there is no proper care for it, as a result of which it is slowly falling apart.

But If you want to see the fortress or visit it, you can negotiate with any boat or yacht captain and visit this place yourself. Along the way it will also be interesting to see the neighboring ones, quite interesting places- Blue Cave and Žanjic Beach. Boats enter the cave entirely, and the color of the water here is unusually blue. If you land on Mamula Island, you can walk around it in just twenty minutes. And the diversity of the local landscape will not leave anyone indifferent; on the island you can see pebble beach and rocky shores.

On the island the most common inhabitants are lizards and seagulls. Among the plants there is a huge amount of ivy and agave. Due to the lack of a large influx of tourists, the island has its own advantage - constant cleanliness. All fortress premises are always open for inspection, from basements to attics, so for short excursion You don’t even need a guide, you can see and visit everything on your own.