08 July 2019 - The program Creative Montenegro (Montenegrin: Kreativna Crna Gora), launched by the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro, provided the successful results the Ministry anticipated. At the first competition within the aforementioned program, which will result in the establishment of the Montenegrin cultural product, as the result of cooperation between the creative sector and the entrepreneurial – production sector, a total of 11 authors will be supported. These authors have created ten projects and products, and one scientific study.

“By providing basic conditions and means for work-space, equipment, promotions, etc. we can say with certainty that the Ministry, together with the authors, has successfully launched 10 new businesses in culture, which is why we want to motivate other artists to apply for this program with their existing initiatives and ideas,” said the PR service of the Ministry.

Bearing in mind the significance of the program Creative Montenegro, primarily in terms of affirming the authors and the significance of their projects for the creation of the Montenegrin cultural product, the Ministry of Culture will present each of the authors and their projects to the public.

The author of one of the 11 ideas supported by the contest Creative Montenegro is Marija Bojović from Podgorica, who is already implementing the idea of ​​a solar bench. It is a project of the original design solution based on solar panels, and the bench is fully adapted for production and assembly in Montenegro.

Thanks to the possibility to produce this product in Montenegro, with its modern design, its purpose and the possibilities it offers, the product is competitive with those that Montenegro imports from the countries of the region.

Marija Bojović pointed out that Montenegro's smart bench is the answer to world trends. Aside from its main purpose as a bench, Montenegrin smart bench offers the charging of phones and tablets through solar energy and free internet access. “Work on the design of the idea lasted for about a year, because I - as an architect – not only dealt with the design of the bench, but also with achieving a certain level of flexibility of the product. The product has already come to life in our market, so three benches on the coast and two in Danilovgrad have been installed,” said Bojović.

“The support of the Ministry was important to Bojović, because the project Creative Montenegro is a great initiative that helps young authors to work freely on their product, and in that way, we directly influence the diversity of cultural space in Montenegro,” concluded Bojović. She pointed out that smart benches are made by order, and that preparations are being made for setting up her sixth solar bench in Podgorica.

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

Kolasin is an official winter tourist center, but in summer it can offer much to the most demanding guests, as claimed by the locals who love and know their hometown.

Less or more affirmed natural beauties, cultural-historical monuments and quality gastronomic offerings, they explain, are the reasons why Kolasin should be visited.

Mountain guide Zeljko Pejovic says that the five top destinations of this region are - the canyon Mrtvica in the spring, the source of the River Moraca, the rainforest Biogradska gora, the Regional Park Komovi and the canyon Bogutovski potok.

"These are all places all tourists love. There are plenty of woods and water, and these are the best factors for relaxation and enjoyment. I have been a guide for a long time and I have been convinced that these places are more interesting to tourists and are beginning to be known on the tourist map of Kolasin and Montenegro."

The beauty of Bobutova canyon, he says, has long been unknown. The canyon is abundant and the breathtaking part is a vast gallery where both sides of the canyon are almost united.

Journalist Drazen Draskovic offered an original recommendation to tourists, claiming that Kolasin’s top-tourist story has several "lesser-known addresses".

Mountain scenery (Photo: Željko Pejović)

First of all, a sports hall, where, for days, temperatures have been 18 to 20 degrees. Ideal for training, for sports tourism, tourists can enjoy watching Montenegro national team training, European league team Asvel and Buducnost Voli. They will all have training this summer in Kolasin. Then, there is the main street in Kolasin. It is not known when it is more attractive during the summer - in the morning when you go for a coffee, around noon, or in the evening when everyone goes to take a stroll on the promenade.

Kapetanovo lake is also his recommendation for the "blue water as a rock in Rovci", as well as the inn Tresnjevik, on the border between Kolasin and Andrijevica.

Lesser known to the public is the magic of the Bogutovo stream (Photo: Zeljko Pejovic)

In this inn in the mountain, Draskovic says, interesting stories about meetings with Czech and Polish hikers can be heard, while the view is taken up in Stavna and Komovi.

The "tourist circle", he says, which would mean leaving Kolasin and going to the mountain Bjelasica, via Bendovac, Dolova Lalevic, Biogradsko lake and then by the Adriatic highway would be attractive to tourists.

Pesica lake (Foto: Željko Pejović)

He also recommends obligatory breaks in the restaurants "Dobre vode" or "Paradise on Tara". Kolasin is more interesting in summer than in winter, says the head of the Cultural-Art Society "Mijat Masković" Davor Sedlarevic. The city would be best shown to tourists if they would allow them to see Biogradska gora, the monastery Moraca and Cirilovac, walk to the ethnic houses on the mountains and enjoy the summer offers of two ski-centers.

"With its spiritual, historical and cultural value, the monastery of Moraca is one of the symbols of the whole region, and Cirilovac is relatively newer, but well positioned with its recognizable, little and mystical, spiritual content. Our mountains are not too big and are therefore more accessible to tourists who are not physically prepared for various efforts. There is an increasing number of qualified guides, and walking tours can be organized along with camping, horseriding and the like.

A lot of obstacles await in the canyon (Foto: Željko Pejović)

For those who like a bit more adrenaline, the canyon Mrtvica is recommended. The founder of the sport fly-fishing club "Maniro" Mile Lazarevic says that in summer one should not miss Pesica Lake and katun Jecmen do in Sinjavina.

"I recommend Pesica lake because of its unusual beauty and legends related to it. Nearby are also katuni and villagers, who know a lot about the history of this area. Katuni in Sinjavina is special in many ways, and tourists may find them interesting because of the traditional way of life of the cattle breeders. "

From kacamak and cicvara to blueberries from their own hands. It is unfair that the gastronomic offer in Kolasin is linked only to kacamak, the leafy cheese. Pejovic explains that the quality and diversity of food in this area always delights tourists. In addition to kacamak and cicvara, tourists prefer trout, lamb, veal “ispod saca”. Draskovic would offer guests a "bite or a slice of the mountain", in addition to a rich offer at the restaurants.        

"On the mountain, everything is different, more delicious, more unique."

Lazarevic argues that tourists should not leave Kolasin until they taste the lamb cooked in milk or priganice with honey.

The canyon is easy to reach, followed by an adventure

Pejovic says the advantage of the canyons in Kolasin is that the entrance to them is easily reached by car.

They meet the demands, he argues, of the most demanding canyoning enthusiasts. Among the fans of this sport in the world, explains the guide, is a division into canyons with and without water.

There are many obstacles, ranging from large waterfalls to strong currents, large boulders of rocks that have fallen and hindered the road, trees that closed the canyon, etc. The challenges are the most interesting part of canyoning. It is a sport that, albeit less physically demanding than mountaineering, requires continuous mental engagement - concentration and problemsolving. "

Text by Dragana Scepanovic, on July 7th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

08 July 2019 - The establishment of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) Centre in Montenegro was announced on July 5 by the PR service of the International Theatre Institute. The main goal of the new centre in Montenegro will be to advance UNESCO’s goals of mutual understanding and peace and to advocate the protection and promotion of cultural expression, regardless of age, gender, creed, or ethnicity.

“Thanks to the initiative of the Italian Centre of ITI, the International Theatre Institute is able to announce the Montenegro Centre of ITI. The Executive Council and the General Secretariat are happy to welcome the new Centre and its members. Their official address is Baja Pivljanina no:4, 81 250 Cetinje, Montenegro and can be reached via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Their board is made up of Nataša Kraljević (President), Slobodan Božović (Vice-President), Janko Ljumović (Vice-President), Lidija Dedović (General Secretary), Radmila Vojvodić, Nada Vukčević, Jelena Marković, Branislav Mićunović and Srđan Grahovac,” states the official announcement by the International Theatre Institute.

The Ministry of Culture of Montenegro announced that the official conference on the establishment of the ITI Montenegro Centre will be held in February 2020 in Cetinje, and next year, the agenda of the newly established centre will include a regional ITI conference in cooperation with centres in Ljubljana, Belgrade and Zagreb.

"The goal of establishing the International Theater Institute in Montenegro - ITI Montenegro, is the creation of an organization based on UNESCO's programs and the goals that this organization implements in the sphere of culture, education, and art. ITI Montenegro in its work will put a special focus on strengthening the cultural scene in ITI Montenegro is becoming a part of the world organization, the International Theater Institute, and serves as a platform for the promotion of Montenegrin culture, the exchange of artists and professionals in the sphere of culture and education, in the European and European contexts and in the field of arts and culture. world level," the statement said.

As the representatives of the Ministry highlight, since 1962 World Theatre Day has been celebrated by ITI Centres, ITI Cooperating Members, theatre professionals, theatre organizations, theatre universities and theatre lovers all over the world on the 27th of March. This day is a celebration for those who can see the value and importance of the art form “theatre”, and acts as a wake-up call for governments, politicians and institutions which have not yet recognised its value to the people and to the individual and have not yet realised its potential for economic growth.

"Every year the Executive Council of ITI chooses an outstanding theatre personality to write the message for World Theatre Day, which is celebrated since 1962 on the 27th of March all over the world. Although the ITI message for March 27 is read every year, so far our country has not been part of this prestigious and largest theatrical network, founded in 1948, which has more than 100 centres in the world. With the establishment of ITI Montenegro, Montenegro is officially on the map of the International Theatre Institute, and its headquarters are at the Royal Theatre Zetski dom in Cetinje," conclude in a statement.

"The goal of establishing the International Theatre Institute in Montenegro - ITI Montenegro, is the creation of an organization based on UNESCO's programs and the goals that this organization implements in the sphere of culture, education, and art. ITI Montenegro will put a special focus in its work on strengthening the cultural scene in Montenegro, through the promotion of art and artists with the clear intention to adopt professional world standards. With its establishment, ITI Montenegro is becoming a part of the world organization, the International Theatre Institute, and serves as a platform for the promotion of Montenegrin culture, the exchange of artists and professionals in the sphere of culture and education not only with Europe but also the world," the statement said.

The International Theatre Institute is the world’s largest performing arts network founded in 1948 by theatre and dance experts and UNESCO, striving for a society in which performing arts and their artists thrive and flourish. The aim of the founders of ITI was to build an organization that was aligned with UNESCO’s goals on culture, education and the arts, and which would focus its endeavours on improving the status of all members of the performing arts professions. They envisaged an organization that created platforms for international exchange and for engagement in the education of the performing arts, for beginners and professionals alike, as well as using the performing arts for mutual understanding and peace.

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

A great start, or rather an introduction to the KotorArt festival Don Branko's Days of Music, was marked by last night's concert of Predtakt 1 Big Bend RTS and the charming Lena Kovacevic in the spectacular historic maritime-industrial object "Synchro" in Porto Montenegro.

This is the first of a few concerts that are jointly organized by the teams of KotorArt Don Branko's Days of Music and Porto Montenegro.

The auditorium enjoyed a great summer night with jazz hits, as well as some more popular tunes such as "Killing Me Softly" or "Don't worry ‘bout the thing". The biggest applause of the audience was for Lena's own songs, especially the new hit "Cafe", which she performed with the support of her colleagues from the Big Bend RTS and solo at the saxophone of Kristijan Mlacak.

Big Band RTS, led by the great energy of the bandmaster Vladimir Krnetic, performed several songs, from ballads through the sounds of swing, with excellent solo sections by Maks Kocetov (saxophone), Kristijan Mlacak (saxophone), Aleksandar Jacimovic (saxophone), Marko Djordjevic trumpet), Nemanja Zlatarev (trombone), Goran Potic (guitar), and Ivan Aleksijevic (piano), which we will traditionally have the opportunity to hear again at the Festival, within the Jazz Piazza, on July 14th in Kotor. Max Kocetov will also perform at the Jazz Pjaca on Sunday, August 11th.

The next concert, also symbolically called Predtakt 2, will be held on July 9th in Lustica Bay, where the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy music from different parts of the world with one of the most exciting Swedish bands Sirocco.

Tex by CdM, on July 6th, 2019, read more at CdM

07 July 2019 - One of the most important global automobile brands, Ferrari, filmed a car advertisement in Montenegro, which is the result of the program VR Montenegro, behind which is the production house Artikulacija, supported by the program of the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro and the Creative Montenegro Project.

This is one of the most significant results of the entire Creative Montenegro Project so far. Namely, for the first time in Montenegro, renowned global clients chose locations for recording with VR equipment.

Ministry of Culture of Montenegro reported that Minister Aleksandar Bogdanović visited the film set, which said that the example of the idea of ​​VR Montenegro says that cooperation between the public and private sectors in the field of culture can have remarkable effects.

"From the very beginning, we believed in the project VR Montenegro, which we recognized as an exceptional idea of​​ production house Artikulacija - and just a month was enough to see the first concrete benefits. We can all benefit from such projects, especially Montenegro, as a destination. Recording high-end advertisements and films at our locations, which we now present through VR equipment, is a powerful contributor and development of the sector of culture and economy as a whole," said Minister Bogdanović.

He also added that he is looking forward to the success of Artikulacija production house and announced that the second month will be followed by the second call within the program Creative Montenegro Project.

"We are encouraged by the progress of other projects that we supported through Creative Montenegro. This month, we are preparing a second call, and once again I invite artists who have ideas in the field of creative industries to apply, since we are preparing an even more generous budget," Bogdanović stressed.

The owner of Artikulacija production house Ivan Đurović emphasized that he is glad that this event confirmed that the program Creative Montenegro Project is based on realistic bases.

"When we applied for the programme, our goal was to quickly return the money that Montenegro has invested in the competition and I think we are on the right track. All these years I say that - apart from the fact that the film has its own artistic and weight in terms of the emancipation that the state can receive - the film industry is precisely through the "production service" can exceptionally return the state to all investments," concluded Đurović.

He also said that the production service is an exceptional potential - both for Montenegrin cinemas and for the country itself.

Recording of the advertisement for Ferrari for its model 488 Spider will last several days at six different locations in Montenegro. As already mentioned, the production team of Ferrari chose all the locations using VR technology - or without a prior visit to Montenegro.

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

06 July 2019 - The Directive EU 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment will be incorporated into Montenegro’s legal system, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro confirmed.

The document prohibits placing single-use plastic products on the market and its provisions are going to be inserted into our legal system through the new Law on Waste Management and the relevant secondary legislation, reported CdM.

The goals of the Directive EU 2019/904 are to limit the adverse impact of such single-use plastic products on the environment, as well as to promote Europe’s transition to a circular economy by using innovative and sustainable models, products and materials.

Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro explained that the whole Part B of the Directive, which provides the list of single-use plastic products on restrictions on placing on the market, is going to be incorporated into the Montenegrin legal system.

Montenegro recently also introduced that plastic bags will soon be history, and in the future Montenegrin consumers will carry goods bought at the market as they once used to do - in wicker baskets, linen or paper bags. This is how the imminent future might look if the proposed Waste Management Bill gets approved, which is now due to the working group.

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism organized a public debate on the Draft Law in August 2018. After that, several articles were added to the draft, including the ban on plastic bags "used for placing goods available to consumers". Plastic bags, as stated in the Proposal, will only be permitted if the packaging in which the product is packed and if the use of such items is "necessary for security reasons".

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

The band Hari Mata Hari held a concert to officially mark the opening of the summer tourist season at Ski center Kolasin 1600 with a free ride to the summit Troglava (2072 m), promotional food and drink prices, prize games and entertainment for the youngest.

The promotion of the season at this Ski Resort was organized by the company “Ski resorts of Montenegro” in cooperation with the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and the National Tourism Organization (NTO).

The Ski Center Kolasin 1600, as Zeljka Radak Kukavicic, director of NTO said is an additional and quality offer for the summer tourist season.

The concert of Hari Mata Hari (Photo: Dragana Šćepanović)

We want to say, first of all, to the economy in Kolasin that this is an added value, so that all guests coming here can achieve a new experience. Cable car riding with beautiful views, hiking trails, gazebo, as well as enjoying the beautiful restaurant “Troglava”. We hope to achieve revenue, which will be higher at the end of this tourist season than during the winter, "she said.

The new Kolasin Ski Center, the director of the NTO is convinced, will be the place where tourists who spend their summer vacation at sea will also visit at least for one day. Also, she announced that this ski resort would be the future venue for holding various events during the summer months.

By the end of the project Ski centar Kolasin 160, the government will invest more than 100 million euros, according to state secretary at the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism Damir Davidovic. He recalled that for tourism in the north important fact is that the summer season is longer than the winter.

Detail from summer season opening (Photo: Dragana Šćepanović)

Director of Ski Center Kolasin 1600 Sasa Jeknic announced that the panoramic ride by cable car would last until September 1st. "The five-star restaurant" Troglava ", he said, runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the menu includes the most famous specialty of the delightful Kolasin cuisine produced in Bjelasica. The summer season on this ski resort is, according to him," a new quality tourism story on Bjelasica "

"There is also a children's playroom with a surface area of ​​320 square meters. This summer the prices will be promotional, so driving a cable car for children costs four, and for adults seven euros. Organized groups will pay five euros per person. The ski center is bordered by NP Biogradska gora, and visitors can also enjoy hiking, cycling and mountaineering tours, during which they will pass along the numerous viewpoints and glacial lakes," Jeknic said.

Text by Dragana Scepanovic, on July 6th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

7 July 2019 - The University of Art in Belgrade in cooperation with the Public Institution - PI Cultural Centre "Nikola Djurkovic" Kotor organizes Summer School 2019, which will take place from 07 to 14 July in Kotor.

“This year's Art Quake Art School is inspired by the precious cultural heritage of Kotor, where cultures of the East and the West had met and permeated for centuries, molding it as a place of outstanding beauty, indigenous and unmistakable cultural and artistic heritage.," it has been announced from the Culture Centre.

"The city of Kotor and its area were declared a natural and cultural-historical heritage in 1979 and included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 1979, Kotor suffered a severe earthquake. Though the damage of time was remedied and cultural monuments have been restored, the earthquake-induced devastation remains in the collective memory of the city  Like the artistic expedition, the Summer School will find and map new creative incentives in this unique reservation of natural and artistic treasures. Using contemporary art, students will be able, through individual and interdisciplinary work, to showcase their personal artistic sensitivity and translate it into a contemporary concept. Contrary to the devastating and destructive earthquake forces, this project seeks to stimulate and affirm artistic and creative earthquakes. ArtQuake is, therefore, a phenomenon that occurs within the very art of being, the earthquake of the internal organs as a reaction to the external irritation, the tectonic shaking of the body when it comes to the scene of unusual beauty, it has been said in the announcement."

The Art Quake Summer Art School is designed for internationally oriented, highly motivated students from a wide range of art disciplines, who wish to connect in interdisciplinary ways, explore and expand their creative practices and deepen their understanding of artistic and cultural diversity.

The Art Quake manifestationwill be completed on July 13, with a video presentation, exhibition and stage motion, on the Square of Cinema at 20 p.m. On this final event, the artists will show the result of their workshops (painting, drama and audio-visual), which will be held in the premises of the Cultural Center and the City Library and reading rooms, and occasionally on the squares in the Old Town.

Source Cultural Centre "Nikola Đurković" Kotor Facebook

06 July 2019 - Research of the Service for the Protection of the Natural and Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development of the Public Enterprise National Parks of Montenegro has shown that the Jezerski peak in the National Park Lovćen is threatened by the complete degradation of the endemic species of pines, which is included in the European Habitats Directive - NATURA 2000.

To preserve this very important, rare and protected species in Montenegro, the PE National Parks of Montenegro, in cooperation with the protected areas in Italy and Albania, started the 2014 - 2020 Interreg IPA CBC Italy – Albania - Montenegro Project Low Adriatic Species and Habitat - LASPEH.

The contraction of biological diversity (number, variety and variability of living organisms) affects not only the natural environment but also our economic and social goals. The priority of preserving biodiversity, and the possible consequences of not doing so, makes it a cross - border issue: it is important to maintain and strengthen ecosystems by giving them space to develop all their functions and to flexibly react on climate change and human effects.

For these reasons four management bodies of parks and protected areas in Italy (three located in Puglia and one in Molise) and both national agencies for the management of national parks of Albania and Montenegro decided to implement together a common action to promote and support the biodiversity safeguard and to develop joint management plans for cross-border habitat and ecosystem, explains Keep.eu.

Particularly, the project LASPEH - Low Adriatic Species and Habitat focused its attention on three species and three habitats very important for their ecological value, extinction concerns or endemic aspects in the Low Adriatic basin. The three species (and their pilot areas) are: tetrao urogallus (National Park Mali Tomorrit/Albania), botaurus stellaris (Regional Natural Reserves of the Eastern Coast of Taranto/Puglia) and aythya nyroca (Regional Natural Park "Litorale of Ugento"/Puglia); the three habitat (with their pilot area) are: pseudo - steppe with grasses and annuals of Thero - Brachypodietea (Regional Natural Park "Coastal dunes from Torre Canne to Torre San Leonardo"/Puglia), Tilio - Acerlon forests of slopes, screes and ravines (Oasi WWF Guardiaregia-Campochiaro/Molise) and Macedonian pinus peuce forests (National Park of Lovćen/Montenegro).

For each identified species/habitat PPs will develop a specific pilot project activity and plan (together) common cross - border guidelines for the management in the program area of the same species/habitat.

06 July 2019 - According to the announcement by local News Agency Radio Jadran, the first installation to point out the plastic pollution and the problems that such pollution has on the environment, and primarily the sea, was created for the Kotor Children's Theatre Festival. This installation and the whole movement is organised within the framework of the program Youth for Clean Adriatic (Montenegrin: Mladi za čist Jadran) financed by Beyond Plastic Med and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

The stunning installation was made by the skilled hands of the Kotor-based artist Mijo Milovanović, and further upgraded by the hard-working young hands of volunteers of the NGO Naša akcija, as well as the Kotor Children's Theatre Festival.

NGO Our Action (Montenegrin: Naša akcija) was founded in 2012 as a non-governmental association whose general goal is the development of the citizens' awareness and their inclusion in the social, economic, ecological and cultural development of society, the quality of life of citizens and the local community as a whole.

Beyond Plastic Med, the initiative that supports the Youth for Clean Adriatic Program, is an international platform, dedicated to research and implementation of solutions against plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. This task force aims at bringing together the private sector, civil society, political and regional initiatives in a global cooperation network. To this effect, the BeMed Platform carries a « call to action » open to all Mediterranean countries. It supports and encourages environmental conservation projects and thus launch the process of restoring and protecting the Mediterranean Sea.

Aside from this installation in Kotor, there are also other planned installations that point to the plastic pollution of the sea, and young volunteers during the festival diligently work on the second interesting installation.

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