Vrmac Fortress: An Austro-Hungarian Defense of the Bay of Kotor
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Montenegro
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Austria-Hungary, Habsburg
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fort
On this page11 sections
History
Vrmac Fortress is an Austro-Hungarian fortress in Montenegro, constructed between 1894 and 1897 in the Vogl period of fortress design. It formed part of the defensive system around the Bay of Kotor, the naval base then centered on Kotor, which was known as Cattaro under Austro-Hungarian rule.
Early Fortification and Expansion
An earlier Fort Vrmac was established in 1860 under Austrian rule. It played only a minor part in the military actions of 1869 and 1882. Those conflicts were connected with the Krivošije, a local clan whose armed rebellions against Austro-Hungarian rule prompted the empire to strengthen its military positions around the bay. The Krivošije defeated an Austro-Hungarian force in 1869, while Austrian control was restored in 1882.
After the restoration of control, the State Fortification Commission, the Austro-Hungarian body responsible for coordinating major fortress construction and modernization, ordered new defenses and the reinforcement of existing works. The present fortress at Vrmac replaced or substantially superseded the earlier fortification.
World War I
By the beginning of the First World War, Vrmac was the most modern fortress near the Kotor naval base and the center of the Austro-Hungarian Third Military District’s defenses. It was nevertheless considered outdated. A new bomb-proof fortress was planned on Sveti Ilija, the highest point of the ridge about 1.6 kilometres to the north, but the project was never completed.
The wartime garrison comprised five officers and 177 soldiers. Montenegrin forces heavily bombarded the fortress with artillery of up to 24 centimetres in calibre, causing extensive damage. After Austro-Hungarian forces captured Mount Lovćen in spring 1916 and pushed the Montenegrin forces beyond artillery range, the damage was fully repaired. The fortress’s guns were then removed and reused elsewhere.
Later Use and Preservation
After Austria-Hungary collapsed at the end of the war, the Bay of Kotor became part of Yugoslavia. The Royal Yugoslav Army occupied Vrmac for several years, after which the fortress was abandoned. During the Yugoslav period, one casemate was painted with Eastern Orthodox icons. Persistent damp has since made the paintings barely visible.
In the 2010s, Vrmac Fortress was regarded as one of the best-preserved Austro-Hungarian fortifications in the Bay of Kotor area and the best-preserved fortification on the Vrmac ridge.
Remains
Vrmac Fortress stands at an elevation of 480 metres on the limestone ridge at the southern end of the Vrmac peninsula, between Kotor and Tivat. The ridge separates the inner and outer parts of the Bay of Kotor. From this position, the fortress overlooks Kotor to the east, the Troica pass to the south, and the Župa valley to the west.
Layout and Defensive Works
Main Fortress
The fortress is an irregular pentagonal, heavily reinforced structure arranged on two levels. Its design resembles fortresses of the Vogl period in South Tyrol. Stone and concrete walls are surrounded by a defensive ditch, with three caponiers, protected structures projecting into the ditch so defenders could fire along it. A single entrance on the north side is reached from the ditch and protected by one of the caponiers.
Its position allowed Vrmac to support Fort Gorazda and the Škaljari Battery to the south. From 1909, Fort Trašte, on the hills above the Tivatsko polje plain, provided additional support from the west. The fortress was also vulnerable to artillery fire from Mount Lovćen across the bay.
Ammunition Magazine
A separate building a short distance north of the fortress served as an ammunition magazine. The main fortress remains partially preserved and generally well preserved, although open pits and holes are present in the floors.
Roof and Armament
Armoured Gun Positions
The main guns were placed in armoured casemates, fortified enclosed chambers designed to house guns or troops. Howitzers and observation turrets were mounted in steel cupolas, protected or rotating armoured turrets manufactured by the Škoda Works in Plzeň.
The roof consists of a 1.5-metre-thick concrete slab installed in 1906 and 1907 after improvements to Montenegrin artillery. It was covered with bitumen. The original design provided four field guns on the roof for close defense, an unusual arrangement that was removed during the 1906 to 1907 strengthening. The fortress was then intended solely for long-range artillery.
Artillery and Barracks
The original armament comprised eight 12-centimetre M80/85 mortars, four 10-centimetre PH M05 guns, and twelve artillery carriages. Surviving interior features include a Škoda-made casemate for a 10-centimetre PH M05 gun and a turret for an M80/85 mortar.
Barrack rooms occupy the ground and first floors on the north side, while casemates occupy the other sides, facing territory regarded at the time as potentially hostile. Stone latrines survive in the barracks. One casemate contains the remains of painted Eastern Orthodox icons, now difficult to see because of damp.
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