September has indeed been warm, and the time has been used by many to work on their homes, repair their roofs, garden and also to take a stroll and swim in the sea. The balmy weather is also most likely the reason for an increase in the number of guests staying on the Herceg Novi Riviera, 9690 in total, which is an increase of 30 percent on last year, shared almost equally between hotels and private accommodation.

It’s well known that locals prefer to enjoy the September sunshine and sea, not yet cooled by storms or rain. The unbearable heat and crowds pass, and the locals themselves can then experience a welcome gift of the warm, therapeutic caress of the sea and the sun’s rays.

The air temperature in recent days has reached 29°c, and the sea 23°C. This meant that many locals have been joining tourists, mainly from Russia, on the beaches.

However, one can rarely count on the swimming season to continue through October. From today, many of those running the beach bars are shutting up shop.  They follow what the forecasts say, and it doesn’t pay to hold out much longer. Meteorologists are predicting a cold front from tomorrow, with rain in the evening, and temperatures some 7-8 degrees cooler.

But today? Well, it still looks a lot like summer!

Source: Radio Jadran

The non-governmental organization Green Home presented the results of the project "I am ready", which lasted for nine months and aimed at raising awareness among primary and secondary school students about the risks of natural and other disasters through educational campaigns (fires, floods, earthquakes, heatstroke, snow, and snowstorms, etc.).

According to Green Home spokeswoman Sanja Orlandic, the goal was to contribute to prevention, more adequate and faster response in the event of a natural disaster, protection of ecosystems and improvement of the environment.

The project was supported by the Ministry of the Interior, from the funds of the Protection and Rescue Fund, and it lasted from January 1st to September 30th.

Pupils from Herceg Novi Elementary School “Blazo Jokov Orlandic” proved to be the best in the campaign and were rewarded with twenty tents and sleeping bags, while students from other schools received first aid kits and fire extinguishers.

Text by Borko Zdero, on September 30th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The Public Works Administration has launched a tender for the reconstruction of King Nikola's Castle in Niksic.

Bids can be submitted by October 23, when their opening is scheduled, while the decision on the selection of the best bidder, based on the price and quality of the bid, will be made within 30 days.

The works on the Castle, worth 1.2m euros, as previously announced by the local government, imply the complete reconstruction of walls, ceilings, floors, part of the roof, repair of stone driveways and stairways, adaptation of the building to persons with disabilities, while special attention will be paid donated to the Heating and Cooling System for exhibit protection at the Native Museum. The deadline for completion is 12 months from the appointment of the contractor.

A tender for technical supervision during the reconstruction of the Castle has also been announced, and bids can be submitted by October 28, while the decision on the selection of the most favorable bid will be made within 60 days.

King Nikola's castle, the most beautiful building built by the family Petrovic, is located next to the city park and the Congregation Church.

It was built in 1900 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the reign of Prince Nikola.

For years, the Castle, which houses the Native Museum, two galleries, and a library, has been decaying, and because of the moisture and the roof leaking the museum exhibits have been threatened. There are five collections in the museum-gallery section - archeological, antique and medieval, ethnological, historical and gallery holdings.

Although the museum contains precious collections, such as archeological from the prehistoric site the Red Rock with more than 9.5 thousand objects, weapons from all the battles of the Montenegrin history, and the most significant ones were played in the territory of Niksic (Grahovo, Grahovac, Duga, Vucji do, Ostroski klanac). The gallery stock has the works of Lubarda, Sobajic, Prijovic, Stanic - a building that many say is the most beautiful of the four residences of the Montenegrin king, has simply been forgotten for years.

There were also five burglaries and collections, especially numismatic, were damaged.

The dilapidated facade, the curtains that "hide" the damp and moldy walls, has for years been a sad image of the Castle, which has never been sufficiently touristic valorized.

From 1919 until the beginning of World War II, a gymnasium was located in the Castle.

During the war, it was significantly demolished, and from 1949 to 1975 it housed the Primary School "Luka Simonovic", while the ground floor of the Castle from 1976 to 1980 was used by the Secondary School of Economics and Hospitality.

The castle, which until a few years ago housed an archive department that was moved to Niksic Theater building, was renovated in 1984.

Text by Svetlana Mandic, on September 30th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

About nine million euros have been allocated for educational infrastructure in Bijelo Polje.

The Minister of Education Damir Sehovic announced this at the opening of the sports gym at the elementary school "Marko Miljanov", for which about 230,000 euros were invested.

"The Ministry of Education has identified as one of its priorities the renewal of school sports infrastructure and the promotion of school sport, and investments in these projects are of multi-million value. More specifically, at least 15 school sports halls across Montenegro have been completed or planned to be completed or reconstructed," Sehovic said.

He stated that the project was implemented according to the co-financing model of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Sport and Youth and the Municipality of Bijelo Polje in the total amount of EUR 164,000.

"In addition, the Ministry of Education has invested another 60,000 euros for the installation of a heating system in the sport gym, facades and grounds around the hall that has been flooding for many years, as well as the cost of project design and supervision, he said.

Sehovic pointed out that a new school building of the elementary school "Dusan Korac", worth around 5.5m euros, is being built in Bijelo Polje.

He also announced the construction of a € 1.5 million kindergarten through a new project with the Council of Europe Development Bank.

Also, the construction of the Elementary School “Pavle Zizic” in Bijelo Polje, with an estimated value of one million euros, was entered into the Capital Budget and activities were underway to develop documentation," Sehovic said.

Sehovic announced that the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the US Embassy, will also invest hundreds of thousands of euros in the extensive reconstruction of the Elementary School “Aleksa Beco Djilas”, and work is expected to begin in the coming months.

Sports gym in Bijelo Polje(Photo: Jadranka Ćetković)

Minister of Sports Nikola Janovic said that "in this way, the Government of Montenegro provides adequate conditions for training".

“I commend the Talent Fund for which the competition is underway, which is a good opportunity to reward the best young athletes.

Adaptation of the gymnasium hall of the elementary school "Marko Miljanov" entailed works on the roof and insulation of the building, installation of a modern floor for various sports, changing rooms arrangement, painting works, as well as equipping the facility with sports equipment.

The Mayor Petar Smolovic announced new projects in Bijelo Polje: "I would like to remind you that 104 projects are currently being implemented in Bijelo Polje, 16 of them are capital, and 88 are local, or slightly smaller, but very significant for the development of the municipality."

He emphasized the importance of the reconstruction of the sports gym: "I feel special emotions for this largest city school with over 800 students, and I expect many more projects like this in the coming period," said Smolovic.

Text by Jadranka Cetkovic, on September 30th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

At a ceremony held in the atrium of the Buća-Luković medieval residence in Tivat, the Director of Tivat Tourist Organisation (TO) Gabrijela Glavočić signed an agreement to deliver three projects to promote cultural heritage in the area.

It is a legal obligation for the Organisation to ring-fence ten percent of the total income from residence tax and invest it in projects that affirm, restore or protect local cultural heritage. The Organisation announced the competition for funding at the start of this year. A committee, consisting of Dragan Laković of the Tivat Cultural Centre, and Jelena Bošković from Public Institution “Museum and Gallery”, as well as Ms Glavočić, gave the maximum number of points to all three projects entered into the competition, and decided to provide financing of a total of nearly 16,000 euros.

A field research and publication project on the remains of the ancient Roman water supply system in Bačva, near Tivat Prevlaka, nominated by Public Institution “Museum and Gallery” received 5,262 euros. In contrast, the project entitled “Cultural Promotion and Presentation of the Saint Vitus and Pasiglav Locality”, to be implemented by NGO “Works, not Words”, received 3,902 euros.

The largest sum, a total of 6,500 euros, has been earmarked for the implementation of the project "Promotion of Tivat Memorial Monuments as Tourist Attractions" with an emphasis on monuments to people and events of the National Liberation War. The project was nominated by NGO "Montemisija". "This is the first allocation of funds that we are carrying out for projects that promote and protect local cultural heritage. Not only is this our legal obligation, but also our sincere desire to contribute in this way to the development of cultural tourism in Tivat.

According to UNESCO, cultural tourism is the fastest-growing segment of the entire tourism industry worldwide, with a current market share of 15% of global tourism traffic,” stated Glavočić, adding that the delivery of the selected projects would begin as soon as Tuesday. She also said that Tivat TO would announce another similar competition before the end of the year for financing activities related to protection, research and presentation of Tivat’s cultural and historical heritage, from funds gathered from residence tax in 2017.

30 September 2019 - As it has been already announced, fuel prices in Montenegro will be higher starting from tomorrow. One liter of Eurosuper and Eurodiesel will be 5 cents more expensive, whereas one liter of fuel oil will be by 4 cents more expensive.

Current affairs in Saudi Arabia have spilled over to international markets, impacting the prices of oil derivatives in Montenegro, representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Montenegro stated on this occasion.

In the next 15 days, Eurosuper BMB 98 will cost 1,38 EUR, liter of Eurosuper BMB 95 will be 1,34 EUR and Eurodiesel will cost 1,26 EUR, reported Cafe del Montenegro.

Price of one liter of fuel oil will be 1,23 EUR.

"The next calculation will be on 14 October," said the representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Montenegro.

Read more news about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

Last week, the Public Company for the Management of the Marine Property of Montenegro (Morsko dobro) issued a Public Invitation for the Development of the Preliminary Design and the Main Design for the Construction of the Walking Path directly along the main road Tivat - Lepetane, which is 2.3 km long.

The route will be projected from the south (lower) side of the highway by the sea, north of the church Saint Roko, that is, from the beginning of the settlement Opatovo to the settlement Lepetane (extension for access to the ferries). The project assignment is to extend the terrain in some parts from 1,5-2m by constructing or restoring the retaining walls, on supporting columns in the sea or cantilever, without disturbing the existing coastline.

The works should cover the paving of the path with common materials for sidewalks and promenades (precast concrete elements, stone slabs or the like), public lighting in LED technology, atmospheric drains and adequate infrastructural equipment of the promenade (park benches, wastebaskets, protective fence, info boards and the like).

Opatovo

It will be the obligation of the designer to make a geodetic and bathymetric survey of the existing terrain and underwater conditions, which will be an integral part of the project, before proceeding to the development of the Conceptual Design and the Main Design.

The public invitation runs until November 4, 2019, and the Public Company for the Management of the Marine Property has foreseen an amount of € 30,000.00 for the design work.

Text by Boka News, on September 30th, 2019, read more at Boka News

For Slavica Kovacevic from Mojkovac, the Bijelo Polje bazaar is a great opportunity to show her handicrafts made of wood, wool and also forest fruits. She is one of 40 exhibitors from Montenegro and the region, who exhibited their products at a traditional event that opened in the town square in Bijelo Polje.

“I have been producing juices and jams from the forest and other fruits for over ten years. I process raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, Aronia, currants, blueberries, and I also make blueberry and blackberry wines," says Slavica.

"By its significance, the bazaar has in some ways proved the justification of existence, and the purpose of this manifestation is to point out the existence, work, and creativity of our fellow citizens, as well as people from the surrounding area, who also pursue their activity in the field of domestic production, old crafts, handicrafts, and we also have representatives of hoteliers and catering establishments," said Violeta Obradovic, director of the Tourism Organization of Bijelo Polje.

This year's bazaar is also diverse in its content.

In addition to exhibitors of local organic and agricultural products, handicrafts, old crafts, local crafts, representatives of catering and hospitality industry presented their offers at the bazaar.

At the bazaar (Photo: Jadranka Ćetković)

Novo Babic from Niksic, as well as Masan Bojic from Bijelo Polje, presented themselves with handicrafts made of wood.

Murat Idrizovic, Velibor Djurovic, Cica Cabarkapa are just some of the producers of honey at the bazaar.

“I have been producing honey for about three decades, and it has been a family tradition since 1936 when my father Camil founded the first Beekeepers Association in Bijelo Polje. One can make a living from this business, which requires more than a hundred societies," says Murat, who is most supported by his daughter Dzena and friend Dragan Gavrilovic.

Dragica Rovcanin from Pljevlja exhibited echinacea teas, soaps from cinnamon, coffee, raspberries, and various creams and ointments.

At the bazaar (Photo: Jadranka Ćetković)

The promoter of agricultural farm Macanovic from Pljevlja Milena Bogdanovic reminds of the quality of organic flour.

"We received a gold medal for spelt flour, a big gold for buckwheat and a championship title for the highest quality flour at the Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad," Milena said.

“Bijelo Polje Bazaar” is organized by the TO Bijelo Polje, the Secretariat for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, together with the local Youth Office.

Text by Jadranka Cetkovic, on September 27th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The Youth Association with Disabilities Niksic (UMHNK) has embarked on the project “Employing More PWD in Society” to increase the employability of persons with disabilities (PWD), as well as raising public awareness of the importance of this issue.

The project lasts 12 months and is funded by the Employment Service of Montenegro. Six people with disabilities are involved in the project - four who will work during the implementation of the activities and two who will be employed by the Association for another nine months after the end of the project," said Nenad Mijuskovic, Director of UMHNK.

Nenad Mijušković (Photo: Svetlana Mandić)

He explained that six PWDs would receive a fee of 115 euros throughout the training, which begins on October 1, which involves working on computers, administrative and technical tasks, accounting, and project reporting.

"After the training, four people who remain to work until the end of the project will receive a salary of 350 euros, which will be the salary for two people who will be hired even after the project is completed," explained Mijuskovic, adding that the value of the project is 50 thousand euros.

The project implies the adequate provision of jobs for PWD staff, as well as procurement of vehicles adapted to the needs of wheelchair users. In the preparatory phase of the project, candidates were selected to be participants, trainers, and a training plan was developed for each area.

In Niksic today (Photo: Svetlana Mandić)

As explained by Aleksandra Radulovic, a counselor for vocational rehabilitation at the Employment Office in Niksic, grants for PWDs have been implemented since 2014, and two projects from Niksic have been completed, with a total value of around 100,000 euros.

“The sustainability of projects is such that, upon completion, PWDs will be involved in terms of their continued employment in the jobs they have been trained for. These are new job openings. The Institute recognized these grants as one of the ways for PWDs to become involved, to gain new knowledge and skills, because we believe that only in this way they can acquire working habits and earnings for themselves and secure their existence," Radulovic said.

According to her, there are 477 people with disabilities at the Bureau of Labor in Niksic, of whom 294 are women.

Text by Svetlana Mandic, on September 27th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

During the six months of the environmental initiative “Budva Zero Waste City”, approximately 550,000 pieces of plastic packaging were collected, which will be sent to recycling. Through an initiative implemented by the NGO Eco Center Budva, with the support of the Coca-Cola System and The Coca-Cola Foundation, citizens of Budva and numerous tourists have shown that the problem of waste can be solved by joining forces, and that changes in the attitude towards waste start from each individual.

"Over half a million collected pieces of plastic packaging, with a significant amount of aluminum packaging that will be recycled, means that we will have less packaging waste in landfills, less plastic in our sea, and that we have met the target - a greater degree of recycling," said NGO Eco Center Budva representative Andrea Buskovic.

With gratitude to the citizens who agreed to change their ecological habits and began to make a primary selection of plastics, Buskovic also thanked the partners in the project - Municipality Budva, Utility company Budva, PC Morsko dobro and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism.

At the Ecological Interactive Center, we spent the whole summer educating both the youngest and adults, and a large number of visitors brought plastic waste for recycling. With many quality programs we showed that ecology and recycling could be both very fun and useful, I believe that now, at closing, we can say that our Interactive Center was Budva's main ecological station," said Buskovic, adding that nearly 8,000 people visited the Interactive Center from June to the end of September.

President of the Municipality of Budva Marko Carevic said that the project Budva Zero Waste City is an excellent example of how the non-governmental sector can help local governments raise awareness about ecology.

"We need to change habits, behavior, and awareness. Introduce regular recycling, stop making illegal landfills, and eliminate disposable plastics. Budva, as a tourist destination, must be a leader and example in this," Carevic said.

Marko Bato Carevic (Photo: Budva Zero Waste City)

Director of the Public company Morsko dobro Predrag Jelusic said that the results of the initiative Budva Zero Waste City are indeed progressive and show that such actions are changing the awareness of both the local population and tourists.

"I am convinced that we can achieve such results in other municipalities, and in that, you will always have the support of Morsko dobro because, among other things, you are helping us to raise the quality of the resources we manage. Waste is a real problem and I am sure that this initiative will be productive even in 2010," said Jelusic.

The initiative Budva Zero Waste City has donated three smart and environmentally friendly benches to the Municipality Budva, as well as 30 plastic waste bins. Also, volunteers visited over 7,000 households across the city and educated citizens how to collect and properly dispose of waste.

Illustration (Photo: Budva Zero Waste City)

A special part of the project was the campaign "Capture the Clean Wave", which was implemented for the second time this year, on 28 beaches of the Budva Riviera, where plastic and aluminum waste was collected. These environmental initiatives are part of the global Coca-Cola Worldwide Waste Initiative “The world without waste”, which aims to help collect and recycle all bottles and cans it sells on the market by 2030.

"Environmental protection is not a cost to us. We are investing in the future because we know the importance of gradually addressing waste, especially in local communities, such as Budva," said Coca-Cola HBC Montenegro's public and regulatory affairs manager Andrea Radonjic.

The initiative Budva Zero Waste City was also supported by the US Embassy in Montenegro, whose deputy head of political and economic affairs, Kyle Hatcher, attended the event.

At the initiative of PC Morsko dobro, the Interactive Center will continue the mission of environmental education and recycling in Ulcinj next year.

Text by Promo, on September 28th, 2019, read more at Vijesti