Not all Montenegrins know about the existence of the Gorazda fortress on the mountain between the Kotor and Tivat bays, not to mention foreign tourists. Meanwhile, this fort, built by the Austrians at the end of the 19th century, became the most perfect and powerful defensive structure at that time, dug into the rocks three floors down and capable of detecting and hitting targets at long distances - throughout the Boka Kotorska Bay.
The fact that today few people know about the Gorazda fortress, located at an altitude of 453 m above sea level, is not surprising. It is difficult to see it even on closer inspection - it is beautifully disguised, completely hidden inside the mountain (as many as three floors), and its upper part almost completely merges with the surrounding landscape. Perhaps this secrecy ensured the current safety of the fortification, with the exception of the dismantled weapons, the rest of the structure of the fort is in very good condition today.
The Thurmfort Gorazda bastion was built in 1884-1886, the reason was the recent uprising of the Montenegrins against the rule of Austria-Hungary (1882-1883) and the desire of the Austrians to protect themselves from such actions in the future. For the name of the fortress, the local name of the very hill was chosen on which it was erected. The structure of the fortress has a symmetrical structure, which is quite unusual for high-mountain military fortifications. The fort is surrounded by a deep antipersonnel moat along the entire perimeter, which is completely shot from special loopholes. The main entrance to the fortress is located in the center of the building, then, going down, the staircase branches into many rooms and premises.
Fort Gorazda on the map.
The fortress belonged to the Austrian army until the First World War. In the 20th century, the Gorazda fort became part of the Yugoslav armed forces and was used as an arsenal, for which it was slightly modernized. An inscription dedicated to Joseph Broz Tito recalls this period of its history today.
The main armament of the fortress is four 120-mm cannons that controlled the space both in the direction of Kotor and in the direction of Budva, as well as two such cannons directed in the direction of Tivat. The guns were covered from above with a special armored dome, developed by engineer German Gruzon, which made it possible to fire even while under enemy fire. The fortress garrison was designed for 200 soldiers. Smaller guns and large-caliber machine guns were also located along the perimeter of the fortress.
Until now, this fortress remains one of the most beautiful and interesting in the territory of Montenegro. Even the appearance of the bastion does not in the least remind of its deadly purpose - from all visible sides the fort is covered with cheerful green vegetation. And from the roof of the building, you can take very breathtaking panoramic photos of the surroundings, where two bays - Kotor and Tivatsky, the surrounding mountains - Vrmac and Lovcen, as well as the Tivat airport will fall.