Sightseeing

The Coordination Center and Technical Center of Internet invite the attendees to see ancient cities of Kotor and Perast, visit the Bay of Kotor and the island of Our Lady of the Rock. The sightseeing will take place on September 13, just after the official part of the conference. We will be coming back at approximately 8 pm. We will be traveling mostly by foot and by bus, while visiting the island of Our Lady of the Rock will require a boat trip.

The Bay of Kotor
The Bay of Kotor is Europe's southernmost fjord with length of ca. 32 km. Cornered by Mount Orjen (1895 m) and Lovcen (1749 m), it boasts incredible natural surroundings as well as rare and important historical wonders. Since 1997, the Bay of Kotor is listed as one of 28 most beautiful bays on Earth. "God has created the world in six days, while on day seven he has created the Bay of Kotor in a leisurely way", said John Boyd, an English biologist.

Kotor
Old Montenegro city of Kotor is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has a history of more than 2,000 years. The city with its lush surroundings is located in the Bay of Kotor and is known as one of the most intact medieval cities.
Current Old City of Kotor is a typical Mediterranean city with its narrow streets and spacious squares, numerous churches and palaces. Kotor has gained its current look when Venetians had restored it after a disastrous earthquake in 17th century that left many Adriatic cities in ruins, including Kotor and Dubrovnik.

Kotor's fortifications, designed to protect it from sea attacks, compose a 20 meter-high wall that has remained almost intact; its length is 4,5 km, and it is 15 meters wide.

Perast
A narrow strait connects the Bay of Kotor and the Adriatic Sea, owing its name, Verige Strait, to the way of closing it with chains to protect the cities of Risan and Kotor. (a chain is called "veriga" in many Slavic languages). An ancient city of Perast that kept the bay safe is right across the strait. Lots of famous seafarers were born in Perast, including Matej Zmajević, admiral of the Baltic Fleet and the shipbuilder of the famous Russian Tsar Peter I the Great. A monument to Zmajević is based on Perast's central square, the Admirals Square.

Famous nautical school of Captain Marko Martinović was located here in Perast as well. Here, Marko Martinović gave nautical instructions to the children of Russian noblemen, later becoming one of the most prominent teachers in Venice's nautical academy. Perast has been involved in seafaring widely, and the city thrived in the 17th and 18th centuries with its fleet of over 100 ships that took part in numerous battles and skillful sailors.

An unique thing about Perast is that the city has no space to grow at all: the cliffs leave place only for a few streets that have been built a long time ago. Two islands, however, are also a part of the city's territory: the island of Our Lady on the Rock (Gospa od Škrpjela) and St. George's island.

The island of Our Lady on the Rock
An artificial islet of Our Lady on the Rock is accessible by a pleasant boat ride. A legend has it that there was a coral reef that served as a shelter for two sailors from Perast about 500 years ago. According to legend, the islet was made over the centuries by the seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child. It took more than 200 years to build the islet and the church. In 1632 the present Church of Our Lady of the Rocks was built, upgraded in 1722. The baroque church is stunning with the icon still kept here and lots of ship figurines left by seafarers over the years.
The islet is involved in an annual celebration that takes place every summer: the villagers from nearest towns bring new stones to reinforce the islet.

To take part in the sightseeing, please tick the corresponding field when registering. If you didn't state it during registration, please notify us by sending an e-mail to meeting@cctld.ru.