Budva

Budva (Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 17,479 inhabitants¹ as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, known as the Budva Riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, renowned for its well-preserved medieval walled city, sandy beaches, and diverse nightlife. Budva is 2,500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast.

Budva (Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 17,479 inhabitants as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, known as the Budva Riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, renowned for its well-preserved medieval walled city, sandy beaches, and diverse nightlife. Budva is 2,500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast.

History

from Budva (4th century BC) A legend recounts that Bouthoe (Βουθόη - Bouthoē) was founded by Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, Greece. When exiled from Thebes, he found a shelter in this place for himself and his wife, the goddess Harmonia. The first record of Budva dates back to the 5th century BC. Originally, the site belonged to the state of Illyria. In the 6th century BC, during the Greek colonization of the Adriatic, a Greek emporium was established. In the 2nd century BC, the area of Budva became part of the Roman Republic and from 27 BC, of the Roman Empire. Upon the fall of the Empire and its division into east and west, the defensive barrier that separated the two powers happened to run across this area, subsequently making a lasting impact on the history and culture of this town. In the 6th century, Budva was part of the Byzantine Empire, and in the following two centuries, Slavs and, to a lesser extent, Avars began to arrive in the area, mixing with the native Roman population. Budva bay was reportedly known as Avarorum sinus (Avar bay') during the Avar incursions. In 841, Budva was sacked by Muslim Saracens, who devastated the area. In the early Middle Ages, Budva was ruled by a succession of Doclean kings, as well as Serbian and Zetan aristocrats. , it became the see of a Roman Catholic Diocese of Budua, which lasted until 1828 and was nominally revived as a Latin titular bishopric. It was controlled by the Balšić family for some decades and was shortly controlled by the Albanian Zaharia family in the 14th century. The Venetians ruled the town for nearly 400 years, from 1420 to 1797. Budva, called Budua in those centuries, was part of the Albania Veneta and was fortified by powerful Venetian walls against Ottoman conquests. According to the historian Luigi Paulucci in his book "Le Bocche di Cattaro nel 1810" (The Bay of Kotor in 1810), most of the population spoke the Venetian language until the beginning of the 19th century. One of the most renowned theater librettists and composers, Cristoforo Ivanovich, was born in Venetian Budua. Nevertheless, Budva was briefly under Ottoman rule between 1572 and 1573 due to the conquest by Occhiali. It was returned to the Venetians under the conditions of the Treaty of Constantinople (1573). In 1675, a French Archaeologist, Jacob Spon, visited Budva and stated that Budva is like a border between Albanians and Venetians. With the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, Budva came under the rule of the Habsburg monarchy. During the Napoleonic Wars, Montenegrin forces allied with Russia took control over the city in 1806, only to relinquish the city to France in 1807. French rule lasted until 1813, when Budva (along with Boka Kotorska) was ceded to the Austrian Empire, which remained in control of the city for the next 100 years. A union of Boka Kotorska (and Budva) with Montenegro took place for a brief period (1813–1814), but from 1814 until the end of World War I in 1918, Budva remained under Austria-Hungary. The southernmost fortress in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Fort Kosmač, was constructed nearby to guard the road from Budva to Cetinje. After the war, the Serbian army entered Budva after it was abandoned by Austrian forces, and it came under the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1941, with the beginning of World War II, Budva was annexed by the Kingdom of Italy. Budva was finally liberated from Axis rule on 22 November 1944 and incorporated into the Socialist Republic of Montenegro (which was a part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). A catastrophic earthquake struck Budva on 15 April 1979. Much of the old town was devastated, but today there is little evidence of the catastrophe – almost all the buildings were restored to their original form. Montenegro became an independent country in 2006, with Budva as its primary tourist destination. In 2022, the city became the center of Ukrainian, Russian, and Turkish immigrants in Montenegro after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, resulting in a sharp population increase.

City Assembly (2024–2028)

Mayor

The Mayor of Budva is the head of the town and Municipality of Budva. He acts on behalf of the Town, and performs an executive function in the Municipality of Budva. The current mayor is Nikola Jovanović. List of Mayors since Montenegrin independence (2006–present): Rajko Kuljača (DPS) (2006–2010, arrested) Lazar Rađenović (DPS) (2010–2015, arrested) Srđa Popović (DPS) (2015–2016) Dragan Krapović (Democrats) (2016–2019) Marko Carević (DF) (2019–2020) Nikola Divanović (DPS) (2020, disputed) Marko Carević (DF) (2020–2022) Milo Božović (DF) (2022–2025, arrested ) Nikola Jovanović (BNG) (2025–present)

Ethnicity

Source: Statistical Office of Montenegro - MONSTAT, Census 2011 Source: Statistical Office of Montenegro - MONSTAT, Census 2011 File:Budva (1).jpg| File:Budva-033-p1010073.jpg| File:Budva - panoramio - *fiedler*.jpg| File:Budva-028-p1010068.jpg| The Old Town suffered extensive damage in 1979 earthquake; repair and reconstruction took eight years (until 1987), but traces of the damage are now hardly noticeable. Today, it is a prime visitor attraction of Budva, packed with tourists during the summer months. Its narrow cobbled streets are lined with restaurants, cafes, pubs and shops.

Nightlife

Budva is well known regionally as the capital of nightlife of the eastern Adriatic. The first discothèques in Budva started to emerge during the 1980s, as hotel-attached dance clubs. However, the clubbing scene mushroomed in the 1990s, with numerous open-air clubs opening along the Budva sea promenade. This trend continued into the 2000s, with Old Town and its promenade hosting a large number of bars, pubs and restaurants, and - since the closure of Trocadero - 1 big club, Top Hill, dominating the clubbing scene.

Other

Budva is home to the Adriatic Fair (Jadranski sajam), the only specialized exhibition venue in Montenegro. It hosts numerous trade fairs throughout the year, including the only auto show in Montenegro, held annually in autumn. Gambling tourism is also popular in Budva, as many hotels have attached casinos. Maestral hotel and casino in Pržno are particularly popular among international gamblers, but other large hotels have also attracted players from European countries. The 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale is partly set in the eponymous casino in the fictional Montenegrin Hotel Splendide, thus giving a boost to Budva's profile as a gambling destination. Budva's marina, nestled to the north of the Old Town city walls, contributes to the image of Budva as a nautical tourism destination. Luxury yachts dominate marina berths during the summer, overshadowing small fishing vessels owned by the locals. Budva marina was host to periodic boat shows, but in recent years it has been losing primacy to the larger and more luxurious Porto Montenegro. Budva was the host of the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship Grand prix in May 2008.

Notable people

Cristoforo Ivanovich - 17th century historian of opera who later became a composer Stefano Zannowich - 18th century adventurer Visarion Ljubiša - Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan Bishop of Montenegro from 1882 to 1884

Twin towns – sister cities

Budva is twinned with: Banská Bystrica, Slovakia Belgrade, Serbia Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina Celje, Slovenia Čukarica (Belgrade), Serbia Eastern AO (Moscow), Russia Kamnik, Slovenia Kyiv, Ukraine Laktaši, Bosnia and Herzegovina Makarska, Croatia Novi Sad, Serbia Ohrid, North Macedonia Pakrac, Croatia Petacciato, Italy Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Moscow, Russia Prague 4 (Prague), Czech Republic Rimini, Italy Stari Grad (Sarajevo), Bosnia and Herzegovina Valašské Meziříčí, Czech Republic Velika Plana, Serbia Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia West Palm Beach, United States Yalova, Turkey Zigong, China

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377127749 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.