Morella castle has been one of the most imposing fortresses in the area. The passage of numerous civilisations has left its mark on this impressive construction continuously inhabited since the 3rd Millennium BC.
The military fortress built using natural rock owes its importance and charm to this privileged situation. Its construction has made it a strategic place of the first order, an impregnable fortress that has allowed the domain and control of the natural passage from the interior to the coast.
The butte where the current Castle is located has been inhabited since ancient times. Remains of the Neolithic, of the Bronze and Iron Age have been found, also the Iberians passed through these lands. But it is in Roman times and later with the arrival of the Visigoths, the Arabs and finally the Christians, when the Castle took shape, the tooth was fortified and transformed according to the different civilisations that inhabit it.
From the Christian conquest to the Arabs and the reforms that took place between the 13th-14th centuries, the other future transformations will be marked by technological advances in the art of war.
References:Herceg Novi was founded (on a former small fishing village, existing since Roman Empire times) as a fortress in 1382 by first Bosnian King Stjepan Tvrtko I and was called Sveti Stefan or Castelnuovo. The Turks conquered Herceg Novi in 1482, and ruled for 200 years, until 1687. However, there was a short pause between 1538 and 1539 when it was held by the Spaniards before they were defeated in the Siege of Castelnuovo. Turkey ruled again until 1687, from then until 1797, the town was ruled by the Venetian Republic.
The Herceg Novi old town is amazing. It is on a fairly steep hill that leads all the way down to the sea. Wandering through the small stairways to the various plazas and fortresses is a many hour adventure.