Visković Palace

Visković Palace is located in the area called “Luka” on the waterfront below the old road. The Visković complex consists of four parts: a tower (“čardak”), the palace, a loggia with a garden and a new part. The oldest part of the palace is the tower built around 1500. It was part of the town’s defensive system, this conclusion being based on the inscription on the tower’s doorpost – five Ps: “Parvum Propugnuculom Pro Praesidio Perasti”, (a small unit for the defence of Perast). On the highest floor of the tower, a cannon has been preserved. Next to the tower, is a three-storey palace with loggia, which has been added to subsequently.

The palace has three portals, all built in the ”bugnato” fashion. The first portal is on the south side, on the garden wall, facing the sea. It carries a sumptuous coat-of-arms with a toothed fish in its upper part, a symbol of the “casada” Dentali to which the Visković family belonged, and a lion in its lower part – a symbol specific to the family. The main entrance to the palace is on the north-eastern side, next to the old road. Its portal again displays the carved toothed fish from the Visković clan and the initials FCCV (Francesco Conte Colonello Viscovich). The ground portal of the loggia, with the inscribed year 1718 and toothed fish above it, is on the same side.

The Visković family belonged to the “casada” Dentali (Zubaci). They made a great contribution to the nautical, military, commercial, political and cultural history of Perast, over more than five centuries, from the 15th to the second half of the 20th century. Nikola Visković (16th century) was a mayor of Perast and led the people of Perast during the siege of Kotor by the Turkish fleet commanded by Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1539; Krsto Vickov Visković (1612-1676), a famous mayor of Perast who organised the defence of the town during Turkish attack led by Mehmed-aga Rizvanagić in 1654. In this battle the people of Perast won one of the most glorious victories in their history; Frano Marjanov Visković (“colonello”) (1665-1720), a colonel who distinguished himself in the battles against piracy and the Turks in Greece, Peloponnesus, Eubija, Morea, and Herzegovina. He was the first among seven people of Perast who was awarded in 1703 the highest Venetian honour, the St. Mark’s Cross and the title of Cavalier. Others notable members include Josip Alvize Josipov Visković (1760-1824), a sea captain who gained fame as one of the last defenders of Venice. In 1813, he was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Unification of Boka Kotorska and Montenegro; Vjekoslav (Luiđi) Antonov Visković (1828-1891), was a captain on ocean-going ships and general consul of Austro-Hungary in Brindisi (Italy). He catalogued the Archives of the Municipality of Perast; Frano Antunov Visković (1836-1905) is the most prominent member of the family. He became a captain on ocean-going sailing ships in 1856 and for 37 years he was a captain on the sailing ships and steamships of the Austrian Lloyd company. He is known as an inventor of nautical instruments and author of textbooks for nautical schools. He studied the family archive which resulted in the writing and publication of the book “Storia di Perast” (History of Perast) and a Monograph on St. George’s island; Krsto Josipov Visković (1856-1913) was a sea captain and the main agent of the Lloyd’s in Kotor. He was a vice-consul of Sweden and Norway in Constanta (Romania). Noteworthy were his endeavours to develop tourism in Boka Kotorska at the beginning of the 20th century. Josip Visković and his sister Anka, who married into the Radimir family, were the last descendants of this old noble family of Perast.