Sahat Kula Clock Tower
Sat Kula
The Old Town’s main gate and landmark between two squares.
The 17th-century tower served as the town gate between Nikola Đurković Square and Belavista. It is among the city’s most recognisable vertical landmarks.
How to Get There
On foot from Herceg Novi center ~9-14 min.
From Perast by taxi ~21 min.
From Tivat by taxi ~23 min.
From TIV airport (Tivat) by taxi/transfer ~24 min.
From TGD airport (Podgorica) by taxi/transfer ~88 min.
Description
What is it
Sat Kula (Clock Tower) is the principal city gate and clock tower of Herceg Novi’s Old Town, built in 1667 under Ottoman rule, c. 16 m tall. It is the city’s key symbol, featured on the coat of arms and flag.
Key features
- Ottoman-period gate tower – the main entrance to the Old Town in the 17th century.
- Four-faced clock – regulated daily life; an electric mechanism was installed in 1995.
- “Black Madonna” – a sculpture in the passage, carved from charred olive wood; linked to a 1687 wartime legend.
- Memorial plaques and a relief of King Tvrtko I – including a 1982 bicentenary* panel with texts in Bosančica and modern script.
- Archival niche – city documents preserved here include items dated 1685.
*six-hundredth anniversary of the town’s founding.
What to see
- The vaulted thoroughfare under the tower and stair-stepped lanes around it.
- The “Black Madonna” sculpture and commemorative inscriptions.
- Tvrtko I relief with dual inscriptions (Bosančica and modern Montenegrin/Serbian).
History
Erected in 1667 as part of the Ottoman fortifications, Sat Kula functioned as the Old Town’s key gate and vertical landmark, its clock marking civic time and prayers.
After Venice took Herceg Novi in 1687, the tower remained the emblematic gateway; the 18th–19th centuries saw donations and upkeep (including the bell), while the 20th century brought façade conservation.
In the contemporary era the clock became electric (1995), and in 2003 the “Black Madonna” sculpture was conserved, confirming its olive-wood origin. Today the tower is the postcard image of Herceg Novi.
Практическая информация
Расположение: Old Town core of Herceg Novi, on the upper pedestrian axis between Belavista and the seafront.
Как добраться: on foot via stairways from Belavista or the marina; nearest parking at the marina and upper-town lots.
Доступ: passage under the tower is open 24/7; exterior viewing is free.
Время посещения: anytime; daylight for details, evening for illumination.
Продолжительность визита: 10–20 minutes for photos; longer if combining with nearby squares.
Лучшее время: summer mornings/evenings and shoulder seasons.
Особые условия: many steps and slopes around; take care in narrow passages.
