Herceg Novi (Serbian Cyrillic: Херцег Нови; Greek: Νεοκαστρον, Neòkastron) is a coastal
town in Montenegro located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and
at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg
Novi Municipality with around 33,000 inhabitants. Herceg Novi was known as Castelnuovo ("New
castle" in Italian) between 1420 and 1797 when was part of the Albania
Veneta of the Republic of Venice. Herceg Novi has had a turbulent
past, despite being one of the youngest settlements on the Adriatic. A history of
varied occupations has created a blend of diverse and picturesque architectural
style in the city. The Herceg Novi municipality stretches from Prevlaka to the Verige strait. Herceg Novi is a major
Montenegrin tourist destination. It is well known as a spa and health center; nearby Igalo has an abundance of healing
sea mud called "igaljsko blato" (Igalo mud) and mineral water
springs called "igaljske slatine" (Igalo water springs). The most
famous tourist attractions in Herceg Novi are castle Forte Mare built by the
Bosnian king Tvrtko I in 1382, a clock tower built by Austrians in
19th century, the Kanli tower built by Turks, and the Serbian church St.
Michael Archangel in central Belavista Square. Herceg Novi is usually the
final destination of buses that come from inland Montenegro and Serbia. The Adriatic Motorway, a two-lane
motorway that extends for the length of the Montenegrin coast, goes through
Herceg-Novi before it merges with the Croatian road network at the Debeli
Brijeg border crossing. The area of the Bay of Kotor is
characterized by a Mediterranean climate with dry and hot summers and warm
winters. Herceg Novi has a specific microclimate, which is a result of southern
exposition, proximity to the sea, limestone substratum and mountainous
hinterland which prevents the breakthrough of cold air masses.
