OSTFORT CRKVICE 
or Fortress KOM
Position
Defensive zone of Krivošije

Defensive line:
Group of fortresses Crkvice - Grkavac

Tactical mission task
Protection of Krivošije

Control of line from Velji vrh to Janko’s peak
Protection of Crkvice

Construction period
1882/3.

Crew

3 officers
59 non-commissioned officers and soldiers

Weapons
Cannon 90 mm M-04, 2 pieces
Infantry and machine gun weapons
  • Cannon M-04 90 mm³
    One of the two cannons used for armament of the fortress.
  • View toward Crkvice and fortress Kom³
MOUNTAIN FORTRESS
In the 1880s, a new generation of fortresses was built. Fortress Kom was among the first built in Krivošije. Two parts can be seen on the plan of the fortress: a three-level barracks with a sloping roof and an artillery platform. Army dormitories, bathrooms, kitchen and warehouses were situated on the ground floor. For the safety of the crew, the combat part with the artillery was moved to a separate, semicircular platform.
Did you know that at that time, every fortress, including Kom, had its own infrastructure? Regular water supply from cisterns, electricity through the generator and sewage system.
Plan of the fortress Kom¹
Optical telegraph
Remains of an optical telegraph on fortress Kom 4
OPTICAL TELEGRAPH
All fortresses in the Boka defense system were optically connected. At least two to three of the closest could be seen from one. This was, among other things, important for the direct exchange of information.


Today, few people know about the optical telegraph. Before the introduction of wired systems – telegraph and telephone, information were transmitted through it. On fortress Kom, there was a device (as in picture) which functioned like a traffic light. The task of the optical telegraph operator was to send and receive coded messages between the command of the military camp in Crkvice and the main command in Tivat. Two-way communication routes are shown on an old Austro-Hungarian map:
Map of the military port of Boka³
PIGEON POST OFFICE
Military letters and short messages were once sent by pigeons. The main pigeon post office for Boka was in Tivat.
  • Pigeon post office ³
  • Release of carrier pigeons³
¹ Source: Radojica Pavićević
² Source: Volker Pachauer
³ Source: Österreichisches Staatsarchiv
4 Source: Österreichische Gesellschaft für Festungsforschung

Important Note: Explore the fortresses and use the trails at your own risk.
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This website is part of the FORT-NET project "From the Medieval Fortresses in Herzegovina to the Austro-Hungarian Fortresses in Montenegro" funded with the help of the European Union. The content of this website is the sole responsibility of the project partners and does not necessarily represent the views of the European Union.
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