Abandoned Montenegro: Špiljari Village

Kotor has been fortified since the early Middle Ages and the most eye catching landmark is Kotor fortress on San Giovanni Hill. In the valley to the east of the Fortress, hidden from view, lived the inhabitants of the oldest village in the Bay of Kotor – Špiljari. The village is over 1000 years old but only the foundations of the 20-odd houses survive along with the St Juraj Church.

Kotor Fortress

The Fortress stands an impressive 260 metres above sea level and overlooks the old town and the Bay of Kotor. The majority of visitors to one of Montenegro’s most visited town will climb the 1350 steps to the fortress and also fork out the €15 entry price. Those who enter using the conventional route will miss the opportunity to see and walk amongst the remains of Špiljari village and visit the beautiful, tiny church that remains.

We decided to enter the Fortress via the back window. Local tourist guides seemed to encourage the idea and after doing a bit of research it was a no-brainer. The local’s route doesn’t involve navigating 1,350 uneven stone stairs but instead it is a winding zig zag trail. Locals were angry at the extortionate entry costs and nobody seems to be able to find out where the money ends up. It certainly does not go towards the upkeep and maintenance of the Fortress! When we visited in July 2024 a ladder that once helped entry had been removed, but a metal chair and wooden planks had taken its place and we managed to get in without much of an issue. We started our walk up late afternoon and so by the time we finished our visit we simply walked down the stairs. The turnstiles are only manned until 8pm and we would recommend fellow explorers also do it this way.

St Juraj Church

St Juraj Church is mentioned in nearly all the blogs giving advice on how to enter Kotor Fortress without paying the entrance fee. However the majority of people don’t mention its name and just use it as a reference point. In fact when we were exploring most people walked right on by without giving it a second glance.

St Juraj Church or St George’s is a stone church with a small tower. It’s Gothic in style with lots of exposed stone. It’s got arched ceilings which were once covered in frescos, as some blue paint remains.

Over the door frame is an engraving in the stone which translated reads Di Lorenzo built this church of St George for his wife Maria in 1559. Di Lorenzo could have been Italian as the Bay of Kotor has had close links with Italy throughout its history.

In the graveyard to the rear of the church we spotted a stone slab that was partly covering a hole in the ground. After shining a torch down, we could see that the hole was quite substantial. Presumably this was a crypt but did not seem that stable, so we didn’t risk heading underground.

Why was Špiljari abandoned?

The village used to be home to around 20 houses; alongside St Juraj Church people had settled on the site for 1000 years. Some reports even suggest that the village can be dated back to pre-historic times.

Whilst the church and village is referenced a lot online it seems that nobody is talking about its history. I spent hours trying to find any reports as to why it was abandoned and everyone says something different. One person suggests that it was abandoned during WWII by the order of occupying authorities. I feel like if this was the case more people would be talking about this and maybe some families would have returned here. Somebody else on Facebook says it is empty as Croatians used to live there and they were expelled during Titoism. The third said that it was abandoned when the water source ran dry. My guess is that the location of the village played a role in its abandonment. It is inaccessible to some and the path up is not ideal for modern living.

I’m desperate to know more about Špiljari, its history and its abandonment. If anyone can point me in the right direction or knows anything else please do let me know. It’s a beautiful village that deserves a look around en route into the Fortress. It’s at the ideal spot to take a break and get your breath back, so why wouldn’t you?

Last Updated on 3 September 2024 by Leonie