The Herceg Novi Lazaret complex is located in Meljine on cadastral parcel no. 2535 KO Topla in the Municipality of Herceg Novi. The area covered by the border of the immovable cultural property Hercegnovski Lazaret in Meljine is 10,482 m2. The location of the Lazaret in Meljine, from the aspect of aesthetic and functional components, has a number of qualities that valorize it as one of the most attractive in the Municipality of Herceg Novi. The Lazareta complex is located at the end of the Pet Danica Promenade, at the very beginning of the Meljine settlement, so that it is bordered on the west by the Savina oak grove and part of the settlement next to the Hospital, on the south by the sea, and on the east and north by the remaining part of the Meljine settlement. As a whole, it is precisely framed by roads from the west, the Nemila stream from the north and east, and the sea with the port from the south. The position of the location on the coast is characterized by the direct entrance to Boka, which is still sufficiently protected from the effects of winds and sea.
Lazarets are specific medical facilities, built as permanent quarantine stations and as such have always been located outside the city cores in or near ports. The infirmaries were used to check for infectious diseases and to keep infected or suspected ships and their crews, passengers and cargo, in order to undergo quarantine isolation and treatment.
The location for Lazaret was chosen in Meljine, where between 1728 and 1732 an imposing building was built for the time. For the needs of construction and for the infirmary, water was conducted from the Savina Monastery.
Lazaret in Meljine is well conceived and well built in the best manner of Venetian architecture of its time. The infirmary is located in the bay at the beginning of Maljine by the Monastery. For the construction of the Herceg Novi lazaret in Meljine, the Venetian authorities used all the carved stone that the monks had prepared for the construction of the monastery church on the Savina. Within the infirmary complex, there is a fountain built in 1741, as well as a chapel that was built by the Austrians in 1830 and renovated in 1882, which can be seen on the inscription on its door. Based on archival data, it is known that Lazaret was renovated in 1767.
During the second half of the 19th century, apart from the reconstruction of the chapel of St. Rocco, in the yard and around Lazaret, facilities are being built in the function of military needs, such as an annex to the first floor on the east side, then ground floor technical facilities on the north side, along the Nemila stream. The cessation of Lazaret’s work was completed only in 1934. The facility was used for military purposes during the time of both Yugoslavia, until the transfer to the PKB from Belgrade, and in the last period it was used as a resort.
Lazaret in Meljine, due to its historical and architectural values, was introduced in the register of cultural heritage in 2014.
Lazaret complex in Meljine can be divided into two parts. The first part represents the whole which is composed of the central building A and served as the only entrance from the mainland to the complex. Building A is a building with an elongated rectangular base, stories G+1, with a rectangular elongated Piazza D1 in front of it inside the complex, which connects all other parts of the complex.
The second part of the complex consists of a space comprising an area of three squares, main and two side: D2, D3 and D4, facing the sea, surrounded by buildings as five-part: B, C, E, F and G. The left side of the second part of the complex, seen from land, represent units B and F and the inner courtyard – D3 with a well.
Interventions in the form of walling up old and opening new windows and doors in different periods and with different materials are noticeable on all facilities of the Lazaret complex. At all facilities, interventions of changes in the positions of partition walls are noticeable, caused by the need to adapt to new purposes in different time periods. In the outdoor areas, changes have taken place in terms of adapting to needs in different time periods. In the 1979 earthquake, Lazaret showed no significant damage, which is a real rarity considering his age, size, location near the sea shore and great damage to the surrounding buildings.
