Risan is the oldest settlement in Montenegro, nestled among the picturesque cliffs in the very north of the Bay of Kotor. The history of Risan dates back to the Bronze Age. According to some data, the first people appeared on its territory in the 6th millennium BC. Today it is a very small town, but over its history it has been the capital of the Illyrian tribes, was an important settlement of the Romans, saw the arrival in these lands of Slavic tribes, and has submitted to the advance of the Ottoman Empire, experienced rebellions, world wars, and major earthquakes. Today, you can find a piece of each of those eras and see human history through the ages.
History of Risan
It is likely that one of the first settlers in the area was an ancient Greek colony. This theory is supported by the found ceramics in the Protocrinthian style, which are characteristic of the colonizers of the 8th century BC. Later, they were replaced by Illyrian tribes who came to the territory of Montenegro and Albania from the valley of the Neretva River (present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina). It is not known whether this was a conquest or a voluntary takeover, but later Illyrian rulers repeatedly sided with the Greek polities.
The first mention of the Illyrians dates back to the 6th century BC by the ancient Greek historian Hecataeus of Miletus and also in «The Periplus» of Pseudo-Scylax. In our time, very little data has survived about this people, of which there were several tribes. It is known that a tribe called the Ardiaei settled on the territory of modern Montenegro and Albania, and it is thanks to them and their wars with the Romans that we know the ancient history of Risan.
Today we do not know the names of all the Illyrian rulers and dynasties. All that is available to us are the names of three or four Illyrian chiefs who were able to leave their mark either by coinage or by fighting the wars against the Romans.
It has been suggested that Ballaios was the founder of the Ardiaei state. The borders of this state stretched from the coast of Albania in the south to the Croatian island of Hvar, with its centre in Rhizon. This was the territory mentioned in the «Historia Naturalis» by the ancient Roman writer Pliny. Some 7000 coins bearing the profile of Ballaios have been found in the Risan area, minted in the 3rd or 2nd century B.C.
The most famous part of Illyrian history and its greatest prosperity is during the reign of King Agron and his wife Teuta.
The reign of King Agron and Queen Teuta
King Agron supposedly ruled between 250 and 230 BC. During his reign, the Illyrian state reached its greatest power mainly through piracy. Agron was also an important player in international affairs. In 231 BC. Demetrius II of Macedonia (Demetrius II Aetolicus) requested the aid of Agron in his conflict with the Aetolians, who, taking advantage of the death of a local queen, seized the territory around the Amvrakikos Gulf (Ambraciot Gulf, modern-day Greece). During the siege of Medeon, Agron came with a hundred ships and 5000 soldiers and helped fight off the ally. According to some accounts, during the excessive celebration of the victory, Agron died of alcohol abuse.
Teuta was Agron's second wife and it was she who seized power after her husband's death, ruling on behalf of the young heir son to the throne, Pinnes. The well-trained Illyrian fleet continued the pirate trade, raiding coastal towns and intercepting merchant ships. Teuta was subdued by Phoenicia, Apollonia as well as Kerkyra. On Kerkyra Teuta left Demetrius of Pharos, her kinsman, to rule, as this island was particularly important to her: it controlled the passage to the Adriatic Sea.
At the time Rome was at war with Carthage and they did not benefit from the lack of security at sea on the other flank of their state. Rome decided to negotiate with Rison: two negotiators, Gaius and Lucius Coruncania, were sent to the Illyrian capital. The negotiations did not go according to plan at all: one of the envoys was killed and the Roman ships were looted.
In 229-228 BC the First Illyrian War of ancient Rome began. Consuls Fulvius Centumalus and Lucius Postumius Albinus assembled a fleet of 200 ships, 20,000 infantrymen and 200 mounted soldiers, and advanced on Rhizon. Teuta lost the war and Rhizon fell. It is not known exactly what happened to Teuta. According to the first theory, she committed suicide after the defeat, and according to the second theory, the Romans ordered to execute the queen. It is known only that she ceded the throne to the minor Pinnes as a guarantee of the peace treaty, and the Illyrian kingdom fictitiously remained independent.
Roman governance
Formally the Illyrian state retained its independence, the former dynasty was in power. In reality, however, Rhizon, or as the Romans began to call it, Risinium, was integrated into the life of ancient Rome. On the territory of the Roman city of Lambaesis (Algerian territory), there are inscriptions from 172 BC, which mention a Roman legate, Legio III Augusta, born in Risinium. He, along with Emperor Marcus Aurelius, took part in the Marcoman war with the Germanic and Sarmatian tribes, and was given the consular title Africa Proconsularis.
An ancient road from Dubrovnik to Durres (Drač) ran through Risinium. It is believed that this road repeated the coastline of the Bay of Kotor and ran through Sutorina, Morinj, Kotor, Budva and Ulcinj.
Risinium was finally conquered in 167 BC when the Illyrian king Gentius moved his capital to Shkodër (a city in Albania). Immediately afterwards, a Roman garrison led by C. Licinius was sent to Risan. According to Livius, the former territory of the Ardiaei was divided into 3 parts at the behest of Anicius. Ulcinj was also included in the part with Risan. In this form, the territory existed until at least 146 B.C.
In the first century BC. Risinium still had the undefined status of oppidum civium Romanorum. However, the Pax Romana period was perhaps the most prosperous and developed period in history. Under Octavian Augustus, the inhabitants of Risinium were granted Roman citizenship, and the city began to be called Julius Risinium. During this period, many villas were built (the remains of one can still be visited today) and the population was around 10,000.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire in 395, the city remained on the very border between the Western and Eastern Empires (the border ran through Krivosi and along the mountain above Kotor) and fell into decline. In 595 Risan was finally sacked and destroyed by the Avar-Slavic tribes.
Life after the Roman Empire
No vivid details about the life of the town have survived. It is known that the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (905-959) counted Risan among the coastal parishes of Travonia (like Dracevica, the place of Herceg Novi's foundation). In the Middle Ages Risan became part of the Nemanjić state, and later became part of the Bosnian Kingdom.
As early as the 15th century, Risan could become part of the Republic of Venice: in 1466 the Italians offered to the Duke Stefan Vukčić to exchange the island of Brač in the Adriatic Sea for Risan and Herceg Novi, but were refused. Less than 20 years later, in 1482, Risan became part of the Ottoman Empire for the next two centuries (apart from brief interruptions in 1538 and 1648).
In 1687, the Republic of Venice, together with the forces of the Holy League (which in addition to the Venetians included the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Holy Roman Empire and the Russian Kingdom), drove the Turks out of Herceg Novi and Risan. Risan was ruled by the Venetians until 1797. In his autobiographic work, Journey through Europe of Stolin P.A. Tolstoy 1697-1699, Risan is mentioned as the village of Risa, which was the name of the settlement at the time.
After that, the city changed hands for 150 years:
- from 1797 to 1805 as part of the Habsburg monarchy after the Treaty of Campo Formi;
- from 1806 to 1807 a short protectorate of the Russian Empire;
- 1807 to 1815 — French territory under the Treaties of Tilsit;
- Between 1813 and 1814 there was a short-term annexation to Montenegro, which was repealed by the Congress of Vienna.
Risan as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
In 1814, after the Congress of Vienna, Risan became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1869, an event took place that significantly changed the image of the area: the Krivošije uprising, with Risan as its centre.
The uprising was provoked by the Austrian Defence Act, which ordered the subjects of the empire to surrender all weapons and imposed compulsory military service. This arrangement did not suit the population, which had been accustomed to owning arms for centuries and even with the Ottomans there was a deal to pay a certain tax rather than disarm. A compromise peace treaty was concluded in early 1870, but the Austrians drew their own conclusion from this history.
Two military camps were built in the «rebel areas», namely between Risan and Grahovo: Ledenice-Grkavac and Crkvice, which could provide everything needed for a garrison of 6000-7000 soldiers, as well as many fortifications and military infrastructure.
A harbour was built directly in Risan, as well as the now defunct Risan - Ledenice lift, which connected the town and the military camp. The military forts of Ledenice, St. Nicholas, Greben and Površnica also appeared above Risan.
On 7 May 1875, the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef visited the town.
The Austrians ruled Risan until the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, after which the town became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. From 1941 to 21 November 1944, the settlement was invaded and occupied by the Axis countries.
After World War II, Risan became part of the People's Republic of Montenegro as part of Yugoslavia, and then remained part of Montenegro after it declared independence.
Remains of ancient architecture in Risan
Risan has long been known for its Roman mosaics, which are located on the site of an excavated Roman villa from the 2nd century AD. However, the 21st century has brought a new discovery: archaeologists from Warsaw have found the remains of an Illyrian royal palace on a hill nearby.
The palace of the Illyrian kings in Risan
In ancient times, Risan was the crossroads of trade routes: the route from Aquileia (Italy) to Kythira (Greece) passed through it, the route to Epidaurus (Cavtat, Croatia) began there, and later the mountain route to the Roman fortress of Anderba (Niksic, Montenegro) followed. Not surprisingly, with such a favourable position, it was actively developing and was the centre of the Illyrian state.
It is worth noting that excavations of the Illyrian capital of Risan were carried out in the second half of the twentieth century. In 2001, Polish scientists began to investigate the remains of the ancient city on the right bank of the River Špila or Risonus (which begins in the depths of a cave less than 1 km from the sea). They mapped the streets and made many discoveries that shed light on the everyday life and organisation of the Illyrian settlement.
The territory of ancient Rhizon was divided into two areas, the Upper Town and the Lower Town. The Lower Town was in the shape of a boomerang and was situated between the river, the sea and the rocky hill with the Upper Town. The remains of the Lower Town can still be seen near the riverbank, as well as in the river itself. This is due to the fact that, over the course of time, and as a result of earthquakes, the course of the Spila River has changed. The city was walled and had four entrances, two from the south and one from the north, each covered by a tower. The city walls were 2.6 metres thick and, according to scientists' calculations, could be 10-12 metres high.
The Upper Town, on the other hand, is situated on a rocky hill by the river at an altitude of 207 metres. It is believed to have originated earlier than the Lower Town. Excavations on the hill were carried out in 2006. It was discovered that, in addition to the remains of Ottoman fortifications, there were much older constructions, characteristic of Illyrian fortifications of the V-IV century BC. The ancient structures found have allowed archaeologists to suggest the location not only of the fortified walls, but also the discovery of the remains of the temple of Medaur, the deity worshipped by the Illyrians of Rhizon. A coin with the profile of Ballaios, a cork from a Greek-Italian amphora and a fragment of Scythian pottery (produced by Greek masters in south-east Italy in the fourth and third centuries B.C.) can also tell us about the age of the remains.
The Upper Town was fortified even more than the Lower Town. The entire area of the mountain was covered with the remains of ancient walls that protected the slopes from all directions. The road to the Lower Town began on the north side at the agora and went downhill. You can read more about the history of Rison and the excavations in the original source here.
It is worth noting that there is currently no easy road to these historic sites. Particularly curious hikers tend to start behind the local school, climbing up the slope through bushes and rocks. Such an ascent does not look entirely safe or easy, so judge your physical abilities soberly before you start.
Roman mosaics in Risan
The remains of an ancient Roman villa with floors covered in mosaics are a trademark of the Bay of Kotor and Risan. The first references to mosaics appeared in 1820 thanks to a member of the French army and his work «Les Mosaiques romaines». Conscientious excavations were carried out in 1930 under Dušan Vuksan, director of the Cetinje Museum, but for unknown reasons, or most likely for better preservation, the discoveries were backfilled.
They were not unearthed until almost 30 years later, in 1957-1959. From 1960 the mosaics began to be protected by the state as monuments of ancient architecture, and in the 1970s they were fully reconstructed, creating a museum.
Today we know that it was a villa of 790 м2. In the centre of the villa there was an atrium with a pool for the accumulation of rainwater. The villa had 7 family rooms and each had its own unique mosaic, as well as 3 rooms for the servants, with the floors covered in ordinary earth.
The most famous mosaic is a depiction of Hypnos, the God of sleep. Remarkably, it is the only known mosaic depiction of the ancient Greek God to date.
Working hours
The Roman Mosaics in Risana can be visited any day of the week, except Mondays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs €5 per person.
Other sights in Risan
Gabella Street
One of the oldest streets in Montenegro. Its name dates back to the reign of the Republic of Venice: it comes from the Italian word «gabella» – tax, duty. At the very beginning of the street, where the market square is situated now, there was a customs post which collected duties on imported goods. As a rule, it was salt.
There are no hints of customs posts now, but there is still a market with various goods on the square at weekends. The street is a stone-paved old road with 17th-century Venetian buildings on both sides. Unfortunately due to lack of funding, property disputes and a massive earthquake in 1979, many of the buildings are in a state of disrepair or even ruins.
St Peter and Paul's Orthodox Church in Risan
The eighteenth-century church, located in a park near the seafront, catches the eye immediately. The church was first built on the site in 1601 using local funds. Later, in 1722, after the city was taken over by the Republic of Venice, reconstruction began, which was completed in 1796. The architect was Italian Antonio Costa, who, incidentally, died under a collapsed vault at the end of the reconstruction.
The temple's decorations were made by representatives of the local Dimitrijević-Rafailović School of Iconography, as well as by masters from Italy and the Russian Empire. For example, the bells were made in Trieste in 1786, the gilded frames for the iconostasis were made in Venice, and the iconostasis itself was ordered and purchased in Kozlov in the Russian Empire.
Špila Cave in Risan
A small cave on the outskirts of Risan, where the local river flows into the sea. Remains of everyday objects from various historical eras have been found in the cave. Be warned, this is not a prepared site for tourists, but it is possible to explore on your own with a torch and under your own responsibility.
How to reach Risan
Depending on your departure point, there are different options for how to get to Risan. The easiest and most reliable option was and still is to travel in your own or rented car. However, if this option is not available, intercity buses, which run fairly regularly from almost anywhere in Montenegro, can help.
Getting to Risan from Kotor
In addition to the car and taxi, there is also a «delivery option» from Kotor by boat. This way you can both enjoy the beautiful views and be guaranteed to reach Risan without the traffic jams that are especially common in the summertime. Just walk up to the many boats along the beach in front of the old town and ask for a price. If it suits you, take advantage of this opportunity.
As for buses, unlike the rest of Montenegro, there are two types of buses from Kotor to Risan.
1. Standard intercity bus
Its timetable can be viewed on busticket4.me.
You can check the timetable in advance and arrive at the station at the right time. However, it is better to buy your tickets at the bus station for two reasons:
- A ticket bought online will still have to be printed out somewhere. A PDF version on a smartphone is generally not accepted.
- You will be able to find out if a particular bus goes through Risan. The fact is that some buses (although there are only a few of them) go through the ferry and therefore do not pass through Risan.
So the recommendation is as follows: come to the bus station 15-20 minutes before the scheduled time of departure and ask for a ticket to Risan. The bus station employee will take care of the rest.
When planning your return trip, look for buses from Herceg Novi to Kotor. And add about 40-50 mins to departure time from Herceg Novi. Or just take any bus towards Kotor.
2. Blue Line municipal bus
In brief, it is a local municipal transport service. It is important to note that due to traffic congestion, its timetable is approximate. You can check the timetable either at the bus stop (a timetable sheet is often displayed at the bus stop itself) or on the website.
Getting to Risan from Herceg Novi
The situation is almost identical to that for Kotor. The bus timetable can be found on busticket4.me.
You can check the timetable in advance and arrive at the bus station at the right time.
When planning your return trip, look for buses from Kotor to Herceg Novi. And add about 40-50 mins to the departure time from Kotor. Or just take any bus towards Herceg Novi.
Getting to Risan from Podgorica
The buses you need leave from the bus station. The right ones for you are those on the Podgorica-Herceg Novi route. You can see the bus timetable on busticket4.me.
Getting to Risan from Tivat, Budva and the rest of the coast
Bus station locations on Google Maps:
- Tivat Bus Station. You can also read a detailed description of how to get from Tivat to different cities in Montenegro here.
- Budva Bus Station
- Bar Bus Station
- Ulcinj Bus Station
For an approximate bus timetable visit busticket4.me. During the summer, buses can be late due to traffic jams, so it is worth taking this into account.
The second important thing to keep in mind is that some buses (although there are only a few of them) go through the ferry and therefore do not pass Risan. For example, such carriers usually include Elite Express. So when buying a ticket at the bus station ticket office ask for the ticket to Risan. This will avoid unpleasant situations.
