The tiny island of Mamula, located at the very entrance to Montenegro’s Boka Kotorska, is now a tourist hit, visited by guests seeking extravagance and a top-notch gastronomic experience. The island may not be impressive, only 52 feet high and 656 feet in diameter. Still, it is home to an imposing 19th-century fortress. And it is precisely on this island that the luxury boutique hotel Mamula Island has opened. Surrounded by crystal-clear sea, the resort has 32 modernly decorated rooms, a spa, a private beach, three swimming pools, the same number of restaurants, and four bars. But the walls of this former military fortress, now renovated for wealthy guests, hide a dark past…
The primary purpose of the fortress was to prevent enemy entry into Boka Kotorska Bay
Located just 4 miles from Herceg Novi, the island of Mamula, also known as Lastavica, is an uninhabited islet in the Adriatic Sea between the peninsulas of Prevlaka and Luštica. During the rule of the Venetian Republic, the island was also called Rondina. In 1853, the Austro-Hungarian general Lazarus von Mamula built a fortress on it that still bears his name today. It occupies as much as 90 percent of the island’s surface, and its primary purpose was to prevent enemy entry into Boka Kotorska Bay.
However, during World War II, more precisely from May 30, 1942, Benito Mussolini and the infamous fascist forces of the Kingdom of Italy turned the fortress into a concentration camp. Most of the prisoners came from the neighboring area and were subjected to terrible torture in Mamula. Dozens of them lay in the same room with small barred windows that looked out onto the foaming sea, without food or toilets. Abused and beaten, people there literally starved to death.
After renovation, prisoner cells were transformed into luxury apartments
And today, the cells that once meant death are now luxury apartments. The former white stone military fortress has since been thoroughly renovated. Since 2022, it has been promoted as “a place inspired by global experiences but rooted in local heritage.” So, at the Mamula Island Hotel, you can meet unique artists, taste local food, and enjoy meditation or massages. Today, this island lives a new life, unburdened by its past.
The former concentration camp, where more than 2,000 people, primarily women and children, were imprisoned, is now a protected cultural and historical monument, carefully restored to its original glory in cooperation with the local heritage authorities. A memorial plaque at the fortress’s entrance pays tribute to the past and invites reflection.
A horror film was filmed on the island
A special place on Mamula is occupied by the Historical and Memorial Gallery, which is open to visitors throughout the year and commemorates the entire 170-year history of the fortress. An overnight stay in the hotel costs 650 euros and up. It is also interesting that the horror film “Mamula” (“Nympha”) by Serbian director and producer Milan Todorović, the creator of the first Serbian zombie film, “Zone of the Dead,” was filmed on the island in 2014.
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