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Mamula (), also known colloquially as Lastavica, is an uninhabited
islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...
in the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
, within the southwestern Montenegrin
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
of
Herceg Novi Herceg Novi (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Херцег Нови, ) is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro located at the Western entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of ...
. Mamula is located between
Prevlaka Prevlaka () is a small peninsula in southern Croatia, near the border with Montenegro, at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor on the eastern Adriatic coast. Because of its strategic location in the southern Adriatic, in the aftermath of the SFR Y ...
and
Luštica Luštica (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: Луштица, ) is a peninsula on the south Adriatic Sea, located at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor ( or ''Boka'') in southwestern Montenegro. It effectively separates Tivat Bay from the Adriatic. ...
peninsulas at the entrance to the
Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Boka kotorska, Бока которска, separator=" / ", ), also known as the Boka ( sh-Cyrl, Бока), is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated a ...
. This small islet is of circular shape, and is 200m in diameter. It is away from
Herceg Novi Herceg Novi (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Херцег Нови, ) is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro located at the Western entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of ...
.


History

During the period of the
Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
rule, the island was known as Rondina. The island has a fort, built in 1853 by
Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
general Lazar Mamula. The fort takes up about 90% of the island's surface area. Along with the fortification on Prevlaka's Cape Oštro as well as Arza fortification on Luštica's Cape Arza, both of which were erected at the same time also on suggestion by general Lazar Mamula, fort Mamula was part of the Austro-Hungarian Army's contingency plans of preventing the enemy entrance into the
Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Boka kotorska, Бока которска, separator=" / ", ), also known as the Boka ( sh-Cyrl, Бока), is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated a ...
.


Concentration camp in World War II

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, from 30 May 1942 onwards, the
fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
forces of
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
's
Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
converted the Mamula fort into a
concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
. The concentration camp was known for torture and cruelty to prisoners. Most of the camp's prisoners came from the neighboring area.


Luxury resort redevelopment

In early January 2016 the government of Montenegro, over the objections of those who were once imprisoned on the island, approved a plan to convert the site of this former concentration camp into a luxury beach resort by Switzerland-based Orascom Development Holding AG under a 49-year lease deal. Former
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Secretary General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali Boutros Boutros-Ghali (14 November 1922 – 16 February 2016) was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1992 to 1996. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Boutros-Gha ...
had previously written the Montenegrin Parliament expressing surprise that the "only solution for preserving and using the fort is a mere business arrangement and privatisation agreement." now is a completed resort


In popular culture

The 1959 Yugoslav movie ''
Campo Mamula Campo may refer to: Places ;Cameroon * Campo, Cameroon, in the South Province ;Equatorial Guinea * Río Campo, in the Litoral Province ;France * Campo, Corse-du-Sud, a commune on the island of Corsica ;Italy * Campo P.G., a World War II prison ...
'' starring
Ljuba Tadić Ljubomir "Ljuba" Tadić ( sr-cyr, Љубомир Љуба Тадић; 31 May 1929 – 28 October 2005) was a Yugoslav actor who enjoyed a reputation as one of the greatest names in the history of former Yugoslav cinema. Biography He made his scr ...
,
Pavle Vuisić Pavle "Paja" Vuisić ( sr-cyr, Павле "Паја" Вуисић; 10 July 1926 – 1 October 1988) was a Serbian and Yugoslav actor, known as one of the most recognizable faces of former Yugoslav cinema. Biography He was born in Cetinje as Pavl ...
, and
Dragan Laković Dragan (, sr-Cyrl, Драган) is a South Slavic masculine given name derived from the common Slavic element '' drag'' meaning "dear, beloved". The feminine form is Dragana. People named Dragan include: Politicians and office holders * Dra ...
, produced by
Avala Film Avala Studios, formerly known as Avala Film ( sr-Cyrl, Aвала филм), is a Serbian film studio, founded in 1946 as the first studio founded in post-war Yugoslavia. As of April 2025, it is fully owned by the Czech "Sebre Avala Holding". Over ...
and directed by
Velimir Stojanović Velimir ( sr-cyr, Велимир) is a Serbo-Croatian masculine given name and sometimes a surname, a Slavic name derived from elements ''vele'' "great" and ''mir'' "peace, prestige". It may refer to: * Velimir Ilić (born 1951), politician * Vel ...
, depicts and dramatizes the World War II events on the island that was converted into a concentration camp during this period. In autumn 2013, the Serbian fantasy drama-thriller ''Mamula'' was announced. Later retitled '' Killer Mermaid'' for overseas release, it was shot on the island and incorporates its history, featuring an ex-German soldier living on the island and killing people to feed to a mermaid. Serbian
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
band Quasarborn has a song titled "Mamula" that appears on their second full-length "A Pill Hard to Swallow".


References

{{reflist Islands of Montenegro Islands of the Adriatic Sea Herceg Novi Uninhabited islands of Montenegro Italian concentration camps Prison islands