Trinity Fortress or St. Trinity Fortress is a defensive structure located in the village of the same name at the crossroads of the historical routes between Lovćen, Kotor and Tivat.
Located in the saddle between the Vrmac mountain range and Gorazda hill, the fortress was strategically important as it was the only transport artery between Kotor and Tivat until the 20th century.
Building history
There is no exact information about the date of construction of the fortress. According to some reports, because of its strategic location, there was another defensive structure on the site of Trinity, dating back to Venetian times. During the Napoleonic wars in 1813, it was almost completely destroyed by a powder magazine explosion. Only the four-storey Venetian tower survived.
In 1815, as a result of the Congress of Vienna, the coastal area passed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which from 1830 began to actively fortify it by building a network of fortifications.
This process breathed new life into the old fortification, which was reconstructed by the Austrians in 1859.
In 1876-1886, the fortress underwent modernisation: a battery was built near the tower, which housed four 120mm M-04 guns. In doing so, the Venetian remains of the fortification were simply poured into the new design.
Apart from the new weaponry, the fortress also had new tasks: if before it was essentially a watchtower at an important crossroads, now, together with Vrmac Fort and Gorazda Fort, Trinity Fortification was to prevent Montenegrins from deploying artillery on the slopes of Lovcen.
Trinity Fortress nowadays
Until very recently, the Trinity Fortress was a low, semi-destroyed tower and a one-storey, horseshoe-shaped bastion, which is, however, in good condition.
Between 2012 and 2016, the site was reconstructed. As a result, the tower was fully restored and the bastion was also cosmetically renovated.
The entrance to the tower is open to the public, but the bastion is privately owned and therefore not accessible.
How to get to Trinity Fortress
The only way to reach the fortress is by personal or rented car. You can try to walk from the nearest village, but then you must realize that it will be a long hike.
