Comunications

this Dinaride karst region it has never been easy to construct good traffic communications. Thus, Orjen wasn’t an exception until 19^th century when the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire constructed pedestrian as well as the car roads in the hinterland of Boka. These roads are still in function, and beside their main usage they havean undisputable memorial value. These roads were built in a period of turmoil, when the people from Boka protested against Austro-Hungarian dominion. It is in this period that had been realized that Boka Kotorska, in order of importance, was a second war port of The Empire and that was more than vulnerable when attacted from the ground. Austro Hungarians couldn’t stop the riot efficiently, as the mountain terrain was hard to approach. So they needed better road connections. This is why The State started an overall activity of constructing pedestrian routes and other war infrastructures, water infrastructure, gendarmerie stations, and entire fortification system along the boarder with Montenegro. In the first years of 20^th century constructions of roads begun. That is when the route Herceg Novi-Kameno-Crkvice was constructed as well as Trebinje-Vrbanj-Orjensko sedlo-Crkvice. This route is the only lane going through Orjen. These roads were built by domestic citizens masters of stone work,under the surveillance of Austro-Hungarian authorities. The roads were built in stone, without any binding material, nevertheless with an exquisite accuracy. It is known that Austro-Hungary gave a 100 year’s guarantee for its construction. What is more interesting, considering these roads, is the way that the walls on both sides of the roads are built.

They were built of stones, without any other material, thus representing a masterpiece of this type of constructing. Stone blocks built in these walls were huge almost of megalithic dimensions. Stone was cut, with treated facing side of the blocks, with fine edges so that each block could perfectly fit. Extraction of stone, transportation, beasts of burden, workers, technical adds… these are all things that asked for perfectly good organization and management. Quarries were sequently activated, with temporary accomodations for people and animals as well. Another interesting fact is that the roads for vehicles and paths for livestock didn’t interfere. They  were separated, sometimes even with passages under the road. In this way the roads were preserved from an emaciated disruction.

Let’s go back to the pedestrian paths from the beginig of the story. Kameno connected Herceg Novi with its hinterland. The last road reconstruction took place in the beginning of 80’s in the 19^th century, when the road was adapted to endure higher speed and frequency, with  the width of 2m and more, with stone coating and huge blocks to both sides of the road. It was necessary to provide adequate water supply for pedestrian paths, as a result we have two springs: Kotobiljski and Zelenac. Except these constructed roads, there were many paths, that people had been using especially in the period of agrarian overpopulation. These paths are witnesses of the now forgiven economical valorization of Orjen. When out of use these paths are hardly recognizable, and some of them are used for renewed track marking.