Bar - Montenegro

The main attraction for me to come to Bar was the Old Town, Stari Bar. Stari Bar is beyond what I expected. My notes from the Lonely Planet book say that there are 240 ruins that are thousands of years old. It conjures an image but a vague and broad one.

I approach the town via a pot-hole strewn road. As I stop, teeth still rattling, my mood is suddenly transformed from ‘this better be worth it’ (with a couple of choice words edited) to a ‘this is so worth it’.

In front of me is a market with a real vibe about it. My mind wanders off to days gone by as I watch the locals go about their daily business.

Two men are discussing the price for a few chickens. The chickens, in blissful ignorance, are more concerned posing for the cameras rather than whose plate they will be on later! This scene could have quite happily happened 400 years ago, except the chickens would have had to pose for a lot longer while a painter worked at his easel.

The market is completed with a backdrop of a fortified town. I take a punt and guess that’s where I should be heading for.

The ruins aren’t just a couple of bricks/boulders strewn around a village. Everything inside the walls is a ruin. Reading the guide of Stari Bar, it becomes apparent that they are trying to rebuild and restore Stari Bar to its former glory. A few buildings as a consequence stand head and shoulders above the crumbling rest.

It takes a lot of imagination to picture what it must have been like when it was a working village. With the clever utilisation of the ‘new’ buildings housing ancient finds and artists' impressions, it helps to create a sense of nostalgia.

Sadly, the funding stopped in 2000 and, although a couple of gardeners are loitering with machetes, there is no work being carried out. All Stari Bar would need, sanctions permitting, is one good sales pitch to the right people. The town could become, not only inhabitable but also a real tourist attraction. After all what do tourists bring, apart from cameras… money.

I understand that sounds like it would take away from the spectacle, but at the minute, its not so spectacular. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very nice, but it is a far cry from Dubrovnik or Split.

My recommendation is to watch this space about Stari Bar.