Ulcinj

Ulcinj (Albanian: Ulqin) is a town in the coastal region of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 11,488.

As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coast, it was founded in 5th century BC. It was captured by the Romans in 163 BC from the Illyrians. With the division of the Roman Empire, it was a part of the Byzantine Empire. In the Middle Ages, the Serbian Kingdom and the House of Balsha ruled Ulcinj until the Republic of Venice captured it in 1405 as part of Venetian Albania. It was known as a base for piracy. In 1571, Ulcinj was conquered by the Ottoman Empire with the aid of North African corsairs after the Battle of Lepanto. The town gradually became a Muslim-majority settlement. Under the Ottomans, numerous hammams and mosques, and a clock tower were built. Ulcinj remained a den of piracy until this was finally put to an end by Mehmed Pasha Bushati. Ulcinj remained an Ottoman town for more than 300 years until it was ceded to the Principality of Montenegro in 1878. During World War II, the coastal town was ceded to the Kingdom of Albania before later becoming part of Yugoslavia and, eventually, the modern state of Montenegro. It is a former medieval Catholic bishopric and remains a Latin titular see.

Ulcinj is a popular destination for tourists, because of its Long Beach, Lake Šas, Ada Bojana Island and for Ulcinj Castle, parts of which date back two millennia. There are 26 mosques in the town and surrounding countryside. Ulcinj is the centre of the Albanian community in Montenegro.