Lifestyle
08 August 2019 - The traditional manifestation Days of Healthy Food from Durmitor 2019, organized by the Centre for Culture of the Municipality of Žabljak with the support of the local tourist organization, was launched in Žabljak on August 7th and will last until August 9th.
After the exhibition of paintings, which was held on the first day of the manifestation, as well as the exhibition of healthy food (second day), where the products of local farmers and dishes from homemakers who live in Durmitor were exhibited, this event ends August 9th with a tasting of kačamak and priganice (local dish similar to donuts) on the Black Lake shore.
Visitors of the first two days of the manifestation were able to enjoy bread baked under the sač, pies, fried dough, various types of cheese, greens from Durmitor fields, blueberries and raspberries, juices, homemade brandies and many other products which were displayed at the Cultural Centre in Žabljak. The area of northern Montenegro is already recognizable for its traditional cuisine, which involves preparing organic food in a traditional way, and this was confirmed yet again at this year’s event.
This event has become a tradition that gathers many exhibitors and attracts a large number of visitors who can taste the highest quality local food from Žabljak. The tradition will surely be preserved and continued according to the organisers, who could not hold back their praise for the housewives who have invested a great deal of effort in preparing the displayed dishes.
The aim of this manifestation, which is being organised for the sixth year, is to promote Žabljak as a tourist destination.
Tomorrow, on August 9, a tasting of kačamak, a traditional Durmitor dish, will be held on the Black Lake shore, starting at 3 pm.
Read more about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.
8 August 2019 - The exhibition of caricatures of artist Goran Šćekić will be held in the garden of the Mirko Komnenovic City Museum in Herceg Novi on August 11 at 9 pm, as announced from the Museum Press.
Goran Šćekić is a Berane-born author, who lives and works in Podgorica. He began caricature artwork in 1992 when he published his first work in Pobjeda, the only daily newspaper in Montenegro at the time.
Since then, he has been noticed by editors of many media outlets in Montenegro and Serbia, so that his works appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines. Thanks to the internet, he has also become known in the diaspora.
In 2001 and 2007, he received journalist awards from the Association of Journalists of Montenegro. In 2016, he received the prestigious Berane Liberation Day Award.
In 1999 he discontinued cooperation with all other media and started a collaboration with the independent daily "DAN" (Day). He has posted over 10,000 caricatures so far.
He is also a comic artist, and he has published over 400 works in this field of work. He has gained a reputation in Montenegro by bringing caricature and comics to the level of respect, as it stands in his biography byThe City Museum.
Scekic is a professional in the field of uncrewed aerial vehicles.
He also writes screenplays for music videos and TV commercials and owns production for film and video.
He has done a few short feature films and videos. This year he made a short feature film about Roma in Berane Municipality.
He is the organizer and director of international manifestations of aviation modelers that have been running at Berane Airport for five years.
In 2005 he published his first volume cartoon book and in 2014, he published the second.
He has had sixteen solo and a dozen of collective exhibitions throughout Europe so far. Scekic's show in Herceg Novi will be opened by Danijela Đurović, the vice president of the municipality.
The CattaroSail project realization begins, as announced by the NGO "Caliphate Workshop Bokovac" in Bar. Activities of this project will include training of young sailors in Kotor, organizing the special event "Days of Sailing" and regatta on traditional wooden sailboats.
The activities of the CattaroSail project, implemented in the municipality of Kotor, are supported under the Regional Local Democracy Program in the Western Balkans (ReLOaD). The project is being implemented by the Caliphate Workshop Bokovac in Bar, in cooperation with the NGO Camellia (Kamelija, Stoliv) from Kotor and the sailing club "Lahor" from Kotor.
The CattaroSail project will take ten months to complete. In the first month, promotional activities will be implemented at the traditional Kotor manifestation "Bokeška noć” – Bokelian Night.
The theoretical and practical training of young people in sailing on traditional wooden boats will be realized after the promotional activities.
In the first part of 2020, a study on sailing will be made. The content of the study will include the culture of sailing in Montenegro, the importance of sailing for Boka Kotorska as well as the history of sailing in Montenegro.
An event called "Sailing Days" is planned to be held during one weekend in the last month of the project.
The event will be designed to host a cultural and entertainment programme on Saturday and a regatta on Sunday. A special segment of the programme will focus on the connection between the culture of Boka Kotorska and the Croatian coast, above all the connection of wooden shipbuilding in Croatia and Boka Kotorska, it has been concluded from the NGO.
The ReLOaD programme is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In Montenegro, the ReLOaD programme is implemented in partnership with the municipalities of Kotor, Tivat, Niksic, Pljevlja and Podgorica.
Tivat Utility Company continues to make efforts to increase the percentage of recycled or re-used waste, relative to the total waste collected in the smallest Boka town. Last year as much as 1,062 tonnes of waste of all types were recycled.
Tivat is one of the rare municipalities in Montenegro to carry out both primary and secondary sorting of waste. On a primary level, the company itself provides for separate collection of certain recyclable materials, such as PET, cardboard, metal packaging, tyres and scrap metal. Last year, 273.43 tonnes of cardboard was collected and recycled,1.82 percent higher than 2017, thanks to special bins placed in many areas of the town, and regular collections from the biggest commercial producers of this waste.
The amount of plastic collected by Tivat utilities last year was 23.78 tonnes, up by 14.55%, with 320 kilogrammes of aluminium cans also collected, equalling the figure for 2017. Half a tonne of tyres was collected, up two thirds on the previous year while, primarily due to the very strong competition posed by the numerous Roma who trade in scrap metal in the area, the amount of recyclable metal waste collected, which totaled 3.3 tonnes in 2018, decreased by almost 40%. All the separately collected recyclable waste is sold by the Tivat Utility Company to official companies from Nikšić and Herceg Novi for collection and processing. Improvements are ongoing to the network for collection of selected waste and last year, besides the pre-existing recycling bins, 6 new metal recycling cages of one to three cubic metres were installed for cardboard, as well as 5 for PET, of one cubic metre each. Tivat utilities also collected 400 cubic metres of bulky waste last year, with almost the whole amount re-used by the utility workers themselves, either for furniture, heating or as heat insulation for old buildings. In addition to this material, the Tivat Utility Company collected and disposed of a total of 8,628 tonnes of solid municipal waste, 3.36% higher than last year.
The secondary sorting stage last year ensured recycling of around 4% of municipal waste, in total around 630 tonnes of plastic, metal, nylon, glass, cardboard and PET. This stage takes place at a transshipment station belonging to Kotor Utility Company with which Tivat has had a contract since 2013. At the same time, 1,441 cubic metres or 432 tonnes of green waste from Tivat were composted last year at a composter in Kavač, belonging to Kotor Utility Company. Otherwise, besides this solid and individually collected recyclable waste, Tivat Utility Company collected and correctly disposed of 9,566 cubic metres of green and 1,904 cubic metres of construction waste into prescribed landfills.
The water reservoir in the Tivat settlement Gradiošnica, for which the Government of Montenegro has allocated close to EUR 547 thousand, was supposed to be built a month ago, but construction is delayed. It will be completed by the end of September, according to the Public Works Administration.
"The dynamics, which was originally scheduled to complete the works by the end of August, has somewhat been slowed down by the resolution of construction material disposal during excavation and by severe weather, which has recently caused the collapse of concrete structures," the statement said.
The contractor, the Bauer Company, is currently performing reinforcement work and preparing for the erection of the concrete structure, while all earthworks have been completed.
"The connection of this facility to the water supply network will significantly resolve the issue of water supply to all the areas from Župa to the airport, that is Gradiošnica, Vrijes, Dumidran, Mrčevac, Brdišta, Solila, as well as the area of St. Mark’s. In addition to providing locals with quality and continuous supply, water will flow from the reservoir to the location where the golf course is planned to be built," the administration added.
The tank is 2,000 cubic meters in volume and will be filled from the regional water supply system.
07 August 2019 - The International Summer Archaeological School for Children - Arheolab, launched its activities on August 1 in the Budva City Park, and will last until August 23, reports Culture Corner.
The activities of the educational project Arheolab will be held every day, except Sunday, from 09.30 am to 01.30 pm.
The school is run by Asja Zec, a graduate archaeologist from Padua (Italy). The school is traditionally organized by the Public Institution Museums and Galleries of Budva for the sixth consecutive year.
At this Summer Archaeological School for Children, students have the opportunity to get in touch with archaeological research in a simple and interesting way. They participate in the simulation of archaeological excavation, more precisely, in a wooden box filled with layers of soil they will be able to find objects that correspond to certain periods of time, all to gain knowledge and insight into the formation of historical layers through time, which archaeologists then decipher.
Simply put, the goal is to make children aware that beneath the surface of the earth there is a whole world just waiting to be discovered, and that archaeological finds are not only found in archaeological excavations in far exotic countries, but that they can also be found below the path by which we walk every day.
Unlike in previous years, in addition to the findings, tombs from the Iron and Roman periods will be excavated this year.
The school is intended for children from 5 to 13 years old. Partners of the International Summer Archaeological School Arheolab are the Public Company for Coastal Zone Management Morsko dobro and the Tourism Organization of Budva Municipality.
Read more about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.
07 August 2019 - Agency for the Control and Assurance of Quality of Higher Education received a total of 27 requests for the accreditation of new studying programs last year and in the first quarter of this year.
The Report on the work of this authority states that the accreditation procedure is carried out for the assessment of a study program quality and its harmonization with professional needs and adopted standards, its comparability with the same or similar programs abroad, as well as its representation and credit rating.
“Accreditation of studying program is issued for a period not longer than five years. For the programs which take longer than five years, the accreditation is issued for a period equal to the duration of a studying program,” reads the document adopted by the Government, as CdM reports.
However, the Agency has not given its opinion on the accreditation of new studying programs submitted by the Faculty of Business Management in Bar. Also, the Agency has not responded to the requests submitted by the Faculty of Design and Multimedia of the University of Donja Gorica or to the Initiative launched by the Faculty of Finance, Banking and Economic Diplomacy. The proposal made by the Faculty of Business Economy in Bar is currently on hold.
On the other side, the request for opening master academic studies submitted by the Faculty of Mediterranean Business Studies in Tivat was granted, along with the request for opening doctoral and master academic study program for nautical tourism submitted by University Adriatic and request for opening basic academic study program in tourism submitted by the same university.
The following Faculties have been given green light: Faculty of information system and Technologies at the UDG for doctoral academic program, Faculty of Culture and Tourism at the UDG for post-graduate academic study program for culture and tourism, Faculty of Business Economy Bar at the University Adriatik for undergraduate and master academic studying programs, HEC Faculty which requested opening of applied master studies of international management in hospitality and gastronomy, Faculty of Arts at UDG for doctoral academic studying program for communication and media, Faculty of International Economy, Finance and Business at UDG for master academic study program for information management in healthcare system, Faculty of Tourism, “Montenegro Tourism School” at the Mediteran University for undergraduate academic study program for management in tourism and hospitality, as well as request for master academic study program for international management in tourism and hospitality and doctoral academic study program for management in tourism.
The Agency also approved the request for the master academic study program for European law submitted by the Faculty of Law at the Mediteran University, as well as the request for master academic study program for public management. It approved the request for undergraduate and master academic study program for English language and literature submitted by the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the University of Mediteran and the request for master academic studying program for management in tourism and hospitality submitted by the Faculty of Business and Tourism in Budva.
In 2018, the Agency received nine reaccreditation requests submitted by the high education institutions. Reaccreditation procedure is carried out every five years. It is based on the report on external evaluation of the institution and its studying programs, in compliance with the prescribed standards. Only the reaccreditation request submitted by the Mediteran University has been approved. Other requests are still pending.
Documents adopted by the Government point out that the higher education system in Montenegro consists of 8 institutions – four universities and four independent faculties with a total of 285 study programs. High-education institutions have a total of 44 organization units.
The Report says that preparation activities on defining ranking methodology will begin this year.
The Report says that a base of experts for accreditation/reaccreditation of study programs has been established and formed based on public call for the experts from Montenegro and abroad. The list was compiled for the centralization of data about the experts who are going to be engaged in the accreditation and reaccreditation process. There are 105 experts on the list.
Read more news about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.
The quality of seawater on Montenegrin beaches showed the best class results in 85 per cent of the analyzed spots. The results for 100 public beaches, which was conducted by the Institute of Marine Biology from 31 July to 4 August, showed that on the 85% of the beaches, the seawater quality was K1 class, while 15% of the baths were K2 classes. These results confirm that the seawater at the Montenegrin beaches is of good quality, i.e., that it is sanitary and safe for bathing and recreation, as stated from the Public Enterprise Sea Property.
Out of the total of 16 beaches in the Ulcinj Municipality, 15 of them had excellent seawater, while one of them had K2 class.
The K1 seawater quality was recorded at 11 bathing areas in Bar, while two bathing facilities showed the K2 class.
The seawater in Budva, out of a total of 26 beaches, was defined as K1 class in 23 locations, while in the remaining 3 in the analysis showed class K2.
When it comes to water quality in Tivat, analysis has shown K1 class at a total of 7 baths, while at 2 beaches the water was of K2 class.
In the municipality of Kotor out of a number of 15 bathing areas, seawater of K1 class was recorded at 12 bathing sites, while at 3 bathing areas the water had K2.
Talking about the analysis of seawater on the coast of Herceg Novi, the quality of K1 was at a total of 17 bathing areas, while at 4 bathing areas, the water was K2.
The results of testing the sanitary quality of seawater, as well as the data on sea temperature, air temperature and salinity for each individual bathing area, can be viewed on a separate application available on the website www.morskodobro.com.
06 August 2019 - The Ministry of Economy of Montenegro is launching a new phase of the Energy Efficient Home program tomorrow, August 7, which aims to reduce heating costs and increase household comfort, achieve a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, and develop the market for heating systems for modern forms of biomass in Montenegro.
The Program entails an attractive and sustainable financial mechanism for the implementation of energy efficiency measures in households, reports PR Office of the Ministry. For the purpose of this Program, the Ministry of Economy has provided 100.000 EUR for subsidizing interest and fees for processing loans to households in Montenegro for:
- the purchase and installation of heating systems for modern forms of biomass (pellets, briquettes), including boilers/furnaces, pipework and/or radiators;
- installation of thermal insulation on the facade of the residential building and
- installation of energy-efficient facade joinery.
Under the Program, citizens will be able to apply for interest-free loans up to a maximum amount of 10.000 EUR, with a repayment period of up to six (6) years, for the implementation of the aforementioned energy efficiency measures in their households, while the Ministry of Economy will subsidize interest costs and loan processing for the entire loan repayment period.
The Ministry of Economy is implementing this program in cooperation with partner companies (contractors): Mikromont (Bijelo Polje), Home Systems (Podgorica), Plam Engineering (Podgorica), Veneta Plamen (Podgorica), Energos (Podgorica) and the consortium "LD gradnja-Cerovo "(Nikšić) as well as partner banks: Hipotekarna Bank and Lovćen Bank.
The program provides for a citizen to contact a qualified contractor to obtain more detailed information on the offer under the Energy Efficient Home Program. Upon receiving the bid for the works, the citizen applies to the Ministry of Economy, with a request for confirmation that he or she is eligible to participate in the Energy Efficient Home Program, with supporting documentation proving that the object on which the works will be performed is legal, or that is in the process of legalization.
The request and supporting documentation can be submitted to the archives of the Ministry of Economy (Rimski trg 46, 81000 Podgorica) in person, by mail or by email at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If the request is approved, the Ministry of Economy issues a certificate that the citizen is eligible to participate in the Program, after which the citizen applies to the bank and applies for a loan.
Procedures for implementation of the Energy Efficient Home Program, contacts of partner companies and banks, unit prices of materials, equipment and services offered under the Program, application form for obtaining a certificate for participation in the Program can all be downloaded at the website www.energetska-efikasnost.me.
The Energy Efficient Home program is a continuation of the Energy Wood program, which has been implemented by the Ministry of Economy through three phases since 2013, and has installed around 1,010 pellet and briquette heating systems throughout Montenegro.
All information regarding the said program can be obtained by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by tel. 0038220 482 186. Information on the dynamics of implementation of the Program will be regularly published on the website: www.energetska-efikasnost.me.
Read more about lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.
06 August 2019 - Are the rivers in Montenegro polluted? Recently conducted research by the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology of Montenegro shows that rivers Morača and Bojana mostly have a 'moderate status', which means that the chemical status in these rivers is not good.
Tara also has a moderate status in terms of water quality, while the water in Ćehotina is of low quality, the research shows. The cleanest river in the country is Cijevna, but the fact that the latest research did not include Piva, which had the highest quality water so far, should be taken into consideration when concluding.
A new water testing methodology, which was implemented by the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology this year, classifies rivers’ status as “very good, good, moderate, bad or very bad”. "This new water testing methodology includes the determination of the chemical and ecological status of the waters of each river. The interpretation determines the category of the river, according to the status, which can be very good, good, moderate, bad or very bad," said Water Quality Department Chief of the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology, NevenkaTomić in an interview for RTCG.
Research showed that, as in previous years, Ćehotina has a low-quality status (bad water quality), but also that river Tara is no longer clean as it used to be.
"River Tara has certain turbidity that causes the tested parameters to step out of their “ideal” range. This turbidity is probably influenced not only by the construction of the highway, but also by the flow of the Kolašin River, which during the spring and now when tunnel construction is underway causes washing of soil and materials, especially in the rainy season.“ Tomić said.
There are several causes of such a state of the rivers in Montenegro. "The main reason, as always, is wastewater. All of our cities do not have treatment plants, as in the case of Podgorica, which means we have various other discharges, landfills, rinses, in some situations oil or fuel spills, and also there are road constructions that affect the state of the rivers," Tomić warns.
Read more information on lifestyle in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.
05 August 2019 - Once considered a hidden treasure of south-eastern Europe, Montenegro has become a tourist magnet over the past few years. Its excellent location and exceptional beauty have put the small country firmly on the map as the go-to holiday destination, particularly for those seeking a more luxurious experience.
“After all, when you have such a gorgeous country and God gave you this incredible location, it would be a sin not to do something about it, don’t you think?” says Nikola Milić, co-founder of Hotel Casa del Mare Mediterraneo in an interview for Cecilia Calatrava, Communications advisor for EBRD.
This one-of-a-kind family-owned 4-star boutique hotel on the waterfront of the Bay of Kotor is one of the country’s hottest destinations, and one of the more than 600 small businesses in Montenegro the EBRD has supported since 2002.
“People who come to our hotel are looking for uniqueness and a personal touch. That’s why every room has a completely different interior that brims with the charm and tradition of Kotor Bay,” explains Milana Milić, co-founder and Nikola’s wife. “Our idea was to capture the local Mediterranean vibe.”
Indeed, the hotel is a symphony for the senses: the stunning seaside, the fresh herbal-fruity scent of the lavender fields, mimosa trees, summer pomegranate, tangerine, olive trees. Each of its seven rooms triggers a slightly different experience which transports guests directly to their happy place.
This jewel, now completely renovated, dates back to 2010, when Nikola and Milana (then 24 and 23 years old) decided to get married, have a baby, and also open their first hotel.
“It all happened very suddenly. At the time, people thought we were crazy. Kamenari – the town the hotel is located in - was not known as a tourist destination, but rather as ‘the fishermen town where the ferry boat stops’, and that’s pretty much it”, explains Nikola.
“This was not in our favour when we tried to get some financial support, which we needed at the time. But when nobody believed in us, the EBRD did, which still means a lot to our family,” he adds.
The EBRD, with funding from the Netherlands, paired the hotel with a consultant to help install new software that allowed them to manage the reception and accounting much more efficiently.
Several ‘Wild Beauty Awards’ for the best small hotel on the Montenegrin coast, and seven brand new boutique hotels later, the Casa del Mare hotel group has become one of the best examples of a successful business in Montenegrin tourism.
But the couple didn’t stop there. In 2014, Nikola and Milana decided to give a final polish to the hotel by giving their waterfront restaurant, Bocasa, a first-class reputation.
With the help of an EBRD-funded consultant, they designed a new menu that gives a modern twist to local flavours and ingredients.
“The biggest move forward is the switch from the à la carte model to a tasting menu where we want to present our guests with the strongest postcard of Montenegro,” explains Vanja Puskar, Head Chef at Casa del Mare Mediterraneo and founder of New Balkan Cuisine.
The EBRD’s support also included a training programme for the next generation of chefs taking Balkan cuisine to the next level.
When asked about their secret ingredient to success, the couple’s answer is always unanimous: “love and dedication” – a concept that resonates across both the restaurant and the hotel.
Read more about this Mediterranean gem at EBRD's website, or find more recommendations on which places in Montenegro you should visit at TMN's dedicated page.
Remax Property of the Week
Editorial
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07 Mar 2018, 08:08 AMWelcome to Total Montenegro News!
Interview of the week
- 09 Nov 2020, 20:21 PM
Ranka Vukasovic Botica on Montenegro as a Maritime Country
