How did Sveti Stefan stop being an island?

The most luxurious resort on the eastern coast of the Adriatic is certainly Sveti Stefan, once an island, but today connected to the mainland by an isthmus. Sveti Stefan is located in Montenegro and is part of the city of Budva, the most popular tourist destination in the country. But how and when did Sveti Stefan stop being an island? Here’s a legend!

In the 15th century, when the Turks raided these areas, the local tribes decided to put up the strongest resistance here. Turkish galleys tried to break through to Kotor but were stopped at this point by the local army. After subduing them, they got a rich booty, etc. Since they didn’t know what to do with the catch, they threw themselves into construction and built a fort on the island and their new homes inside the walls.

In the beginning, there were only twelve houses, enough to house the families of the winners. The new residents then decided to connect the island to the mainland, which has remained to this day. Why? So why on earth would they transport themselves by ship to their new home when they could build a causeway and thus connect the mainland to the island. And so it was. The new inhabitants of the island made a narrow isthmus wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage to pass.

When they settled down, they also built the church of Sveti Stefan because they had to pray to someone. The place didn’t have its own name before, so it was named after the church that had to be named after a saint during its construction. In addition to this, there are two smaller churches on Sveti Stefan: the church of Alexander Nevsky, and the smallest, which is located at the very entrance to the town, is dedicated to the Transfiguration.

By the 19th century, the town had expanded to a maximum of one hundred houses, and there was no room for even one more… Then it got its final appearance. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, the population began mass emigrate for economic reasons. The complete emigration took place in 1955, when the island was completely renovated and turned into a “city-hotel”. The streets, walls, roofs, facades of the houses have kept their original shape, and the interior of houses has been given luxurious hotel comfort.

However, today Sveti Stefan is closed until the end of the court case between the concessionaire and the city of Budva, and the dispute arose over the beaches surrounding this former island. The city of Budva wants the beaches to be open to everyone, and the concessionaire wants exclusive access to them.