Svač, the town said to have a church for every day of the year

Most people see Ulcinj’s coast with their eyes on the sea, but a few kilometres inland there’s a quiet lake and, above it, an entire town that has stood empty for four centuries. Svač, Šas to the locals, is one of those ruins that never make the postcards, and I think that’s precisely what makes it special.

Where it is

The ruins crown an 85-metre hill north of Lake Šas, which covers 3.6 km² according to MONSTAT. The national tourist board calls the lake a miniature Lake Skadar and recommends the climb for the view, which takes in the lake and the Bojana winding slowly down towards the sea and Ada Bojana. The village of Šas sits at the foot of the hill, home to 244 people in the preliminary 2023 census. The Ulcinj tourist board lists the lake among the natural riches of the municipality, alongside the Bojana, Ada and the Valdanos olive grove.

A thousand years and four destructions

The Ulcinj tourist board dates the first settlement to the 4th century BC and the Labeates, an Illyrian people who lived around Lake Skadar. A new town went up in the 6th century, only to be wiped out by the Avars in the mid-7th. Svač stood on the old road from Olcinium to Shkodër and was the hub of its district. It peaked in the Middle Ages as a bishop’s seat, one of the dioceses placed under the Archdiocese of Bar in 1089, and grew bigger than Kotor. Then came the blows. Stefan Nemanja took it in 1183, the Mongols sacked it in 1242 and the Ottomans laid it waste in 1571. In the early 17th century around 700 people were still living there.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Ulcinj before prices climb.

Churches and coins

Legend has it that Svač had as many churches as there are days in the year. The reality, according to the Ulcinj tourist board, is about fifteen medieval churches, two of them monumental even in ruins. St John’s, Shën Gjoni, from the late 13th century, stands inside the fortress. St Mary’s, Shën Mrise, from the 14th century, lies outside to the north-east. It measures 16.6 by 7.1 metres, is Gothic and, judging by its layout, may have been a monastery. The town minted coins inscribed «sovacii civitas», and they’re prized because they show what Svač looked like, with three-storey buildings, colonnades and towers.

Visiting

The Ulcinj tourist board publishes no ticket office, opening hours or prices. These are open-air ruins on a hilltop, so wear sturdy shoes, take water and don’t go up in the midday heat of summer. If abandoned towns appeal, the big one on this coast is Stari Bar, far larger and with an entry fee, and for more of the area’s history there’s Ulcinj Old Town. Svač pairs well with an afternoon by the lake and a fish supper on Ada Bojana.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Svač and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Ulcinj before prices climb.