Kotor’s Castle Of San Giovanni - City walls to St John’s Fortress - Sveti Ivan's
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The fortifications of Kotor are an integrated historical fortification system that protected the medieval town of Kotor (then called "Cattaro la veneziana") containing ramparts, towers, citadels, gates, bastions, forts, cisterns, a castle, and ancillary buildings and structures. They incorporate military architecture mainly of Venice, but also a few of Illyria, Byzantium, and Austria. Together with the old town and its natural surroundings the fortifications were inscribed in the list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 labelled Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor and represent the only such site of cultural significance in Montenegro.
The fortified city of Kotor was also included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site list as part of Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar in 2017.


History
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The top of the mountain of St.John was already fortified during Illyrian times. In the 6th century the emperor Justinian I reconstructed the fortress. With the retreat of the Byzantines, eventually and in spite of numerous incursions some independence was attained, however this had no lasting effects upon the fortifications. This changed when in 1420 the then independent Republic of Cattaro (one of the neolatin Dalmatian city-states) succumbed to Venetian rule.
As part of Albania Veneta the fortifications received their current structure. During this time there were two successful Ottoman sieges followed by occupations, 1538 – 1571 and 1657 – 1699. In 1797 the fortifications passed to the Habsburg Monarchy with the Treaty of Campo Formio. In 1805, Kotor (then named Cattaro) was assigned to the French Empire's client state, the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy by the Treaty of Pressburg, but initially occupied by Russian troops under Dmitry Senyavin until they left after the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807. Three years later it was incorporated into the French Empire's Illyrian Provinces. The fortifications of the city were attacked by the British naval Captain William Hoste with his ship HMS Bacchante (38 guns). In an "unmilitary manner" he hauled his ships' cannon to positions above the fort using block and tackle and started the shelling. After a ten-day siege, the French garrison had no alternative and surrendered on January 5, 1814.
With the Congress of Vienna Kotor was returned to the Austrian Empire. After their defeat in World War I the Austrians left and the fortress was no longer manned. During World War II Kotor was occupied by the Axis forces and was part of Italy's Governorate of Dalmatia. German troops occupied the city in September 1943: it was liberated on November 21, 1944, a date commemorated over the Sea Gate.
Severe earthquakes that damaged the fortifications occurred in 1563, 1667, and most recently, on April 15, 1979.

Description
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The castle St. John (San Giovanni) and the western hillside wall.
The medieval part of the town of Kotor is located on a triangular piece of land that is bordered by the most inner extension of the Bay of Kotor at its south-western side, the river Skurda toward the North, and the mountain of St. John (San Giovanni) towards the East. City walls protect the city on its northern and south-western side, towards the waters. The walls are fortified by bastions, most prominent being the Kampana tower and citadel (13th to 14th century) near the point where the river enters the bay. Close to it is the Sea Gate (also Main Gate) from 1555 allowing access from the bay, the two other gates to the city are the River Gate (also North Gate) from 1540 with the nearby Bembo Bastion from 1540 and the Gurdic Gate (also South Gate), the latter modified many times and fortified by the Gurdic Bastion from 1470. The Bembo Bastion has been converted into an open theatre. Two additional gates were present, one walled up south of the Sea Gate, the other, Spiljarskia Gate, within the ramparts of the hillside towards the old road to Cetinje.


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