Ulcinj is one of the oldest towns on the Adriatic coast. Traces of the earliest settlments indicate that ancient Ulcinj belonged to the Ilyrians, a people of Indo-Europian origin. The Old Town of Ulcinj was founded in the fifth century B.C. under the name of Colchinium, afer its founders. The greatest progress was achieved during the time of the free Ilyrian state. In the second century B.C. it was sized by the romans from Illyrian tribe, Olciniatas (163 B.C.) ; hence ancient Colchinium became Olcinium gaining under Roman rule the status of Opid civium Romanorum- a town with the special privileges, only to become a Municipium - an indipendent town, some time later In 1423 the Venetians placed Ulcinj under their ’’ Protection’’; the town ramain under their rule until 1571, when definively fell into Turkish hands.
The famous writer Cervantes found himself on the Square of Slaves in the Old Town of Ulcinj, too. The Old Town of Ulcinj served last refuge for one of the greates rebls of that century, Sabetaj Cevi ( 1626 – 1676), born in Izmir (Turkey), the instigator of the reform of the Talmud ( the Jewish holy book). Cevi died in Ulcinj having lived as an exile under the name Mehmed-Effendi, which his grave kept a holy turbe (mausoleum).

The Old Town. The Old Town is the cultural core of Ulcinj. On the upper square next to the north entrance is museum complex housing the most intriguing artefacts from the history of Ulcinj. Its a church-mosque converted into a museum exhibiting archeological findings. Special attention is drawn to the ancient pedestal with a Freek inscrition to the goddess Athene with helmet, two Bronze-Age axes of the Skadar-Dalmatian type discovered in Vladimir and in the locality of Lake Zoganj.

Sva?. The old Town of Šas. This medieval town near Ulcinj is situated on a plateau above Lake Sas and falls into the most appealing ’’dead towns on the Adriatic coast.

Sva? ( Šas )was metioned in the eleventh century as an episcopical town (Svacia Civitas). Svac was rebuilt many times to be utterly devastated 1571 when seized by the Turks.