February 3, 2019 - The 50. Mimosa Festival officially opened at the Feast of Mimosa Fish and Wine in Baosici, which brought together about 15,000 visitors to the Herceg Novi Riviera. The Igalo Institute hosted the first of the four planned costume balls, and visitors of Herceg Novi's jubilee edition of the Mimosa Festival in Baosici have the opportunity to enjoy the "Fragrances and Taste of February" Bazaar.

Mimosa Festival Opening Ceremony, photo by Milan Dobrilovic

 

Saturday's vibrant and exciting program featured the majorettes, Herceg Novi Music, Đenovići Local Music, Boka Band, Old Captain, Trombones and Clowns who performed along the Riviera of Herceg Novi in Kumbor, Djenovici, and Baosici.

Mimosa Festival Opening Ceremony, Majorettes, photo by Milan Dobrilovic

 

By tradition, the hosts also prepared snacks. At seven locations, at 12 booths, homemakers from the NGO Fešte Baosici feast brought out about 1,200 kg of fish, and the guests dined with 1,000 liters of wine and beer. The trio jury chose the most beautiful booths - the first place was won by the "Mimozice" booth, the second by the "Old Fisherman" booth and the third by "Lanterna." 

New Castle of the World

 

The idea of gathering around the world, sharing the name "Newcastle," is inspired in 1996 and represents the idea of an artistic manager, John Nicholas. He started the "Newcastle of the World United" project, which resulted in an internet site and a book under that name. The project aimed to strengthen links in the domain of friendship, culture, education, and tourism between the cities that share this name. Since 2018 Herceg Novi joined the Newcastle family and is among the more than 40 members of this association that brings together cities from all continents.

The Italian polyvalent artist - musician, screenwriter and artist, Luca Tito Faraci will be a guest at the Fourth Comic book Weekend Festival organized by Herceg Novi Comic festival (HSF) in collaboration with the Italian Embassy and JUK Herceg Fest, and within this year's jubilee 50th Edition of Mimosa Festival.

This year's comic weekend will be held from February 14^th to 16^th and is dedicated to the Italian cultural strip phenomenon Tex Willer, who celebrates 70 years.

From 2007 until today, he has made several dozens of issues, as well as two maxi editions, one of the most famous comic book heroes - legendary Tex, and beside him, another guest at the comics weekend is the great Italian artist Walter Venturi. This phenomenal artist was the guest of the 12th edition of Herceg Novi Comic festival held last year in September, and since 2012 works for the publishing house Bonelli Editori which also publishes Tex.

Guests of the Fourth Comics weekend are also the representatives of Belgrade publishing house “Veseli Četvrtak” (Merry Thursday), representatives of Bonelli for the local market, who will give a lecture on the history and success of the comic Tex Willer phenomenon in these areas, while Tito Faraci as one of the best experts on Tex will be given a general lecture on the cult ranger and the adventures of this comic hero for 70 years.

The Comic Weekend will begin on Thursday, February 14^th at 7 pm, with the opening of the 70th anniversary Tex Willer exhibition at the lobby of Dvorana Park, where the guests from Italy will present the works. The next two days, Dvorana Park, the City Café, Nikola Đurković Square, the HSF comic workshop will hold lectures, workshops with young artists and students from Herceg Novi, all accompanied by standard drawings for fans, comic books exchange stock and famous HSF parties.

Text by CdM, on January 29th 2019, read more at CdM

31 January 2019 - During the first seven days of the Jubilee 50th Mimosa Festival, the ancient fortresses of Herceg Novi, run by Public Cultural Institution Herceg Fest, will be open to visitors. From February 1 to 7, Kanli Kula Fortress and Forte Mare will be open every day from 10 am to 4 pm, and the entrance is free!

The Municipality of Herceg Novi, through the National Commission for UNESCO, has nominated Forte Mare Fortress for inscription on the World Heritage List. The candidacy was sent within the already existing nomination "Venetian fortifications of the 16th and 17th centuries." Last year, the candidacy passed the relevant institutions and entered the list as a transnational nomination of Montenegro, Italy and Croatia.

Forte Mare Fortress (The Sea Fortress) is located on the coast. It was built between the 14th and 17th century, restored in 1833 and from 1952 was reconstructed in the summer cinema. The fortress was built on solid rock, above the promenade, and within the walls, there is a passage from the seashore to the top of the fortress. On the upper side, there is “SEA GATE ( Porta di Mare) with preserved fortification elements of Bosnian period. Forte Mare certainly among the most beautiful examples of fortification architecture and quite realistic assumptions are that there was a nucleus of the Old Town.

Kanli Kula Fortress (Bloody Tower), a monumental fortress in the Old Town, was built by the Turks after 1539. It was built on the site and foundations of an earlier fortress. In the present size, the work of the Turkish builders has preserved, in the most part, the authentic architecture of that time. Raised at an altitude of 85m, on the north side of the city, and with its position and ramparts, the complex fortification system of the Old Town is rounded up. Dimensions of the fortress 60x70m, with corner towers of coarse domestic stone, make a monumental impression. Some parts of the western wall belong to the period of early use of firearms. The Turks gave it a final appearance, while the Venetians made certain repairs and attachments after significant damage, especially in 1687, when the Herceg Novi was conquered after a two-year Turkish rule.

When it comes to Kanli Kula Fortress, this building is awaiting the rehabilitation of the landslide of a wider area, as this is only the first step in a major project of rehabilitation of the fortress itself. According to the tender of the Government of Montenegro - Directorate of Public Works, the site will be repaired by the Institute for Construction DOO from Podgorica.

The concert of the regional star Zdravko Čolić on Friday evening at the plateau in front of Hotel Igalo will open the Jubilee 52. Mimosa festival, as confirmed by the organizers at today's press conference.

We remind that we thought that the expected spectacle, in case of heavy rain, would take place at the Igalo Sports Center, which has been discarded as an option.

"Due to technical and security reasons, it is not feasible to accommodate a large number of people in this facility, and the interest for Čolić's concert is enormous," said the Vice-President Miloš Konjević

During the 50 days of the festival, 60 different programs will take place: from folk festivals to the theater, art, literary and other programs. Director of Herceg Novi Fest, Gordana Porobic Krcunovic, said that Herceg Novi would be "a European festival stage" during that period. Secretary for Social Activities and Sports, Darko Klasić announced the sports program within Mimosa Festival, which will have 15 different events from the Coup of sports fishermen to Race of “karića”.

To the remarks that the program, defined late and still not accurate, overwhelming and without a clear concept, the Festival Director said that they adhere to the original concept from the 70s.

It remains to be seen, for example, how many visitors outside of Herceg Novi will be motivated to visit the Mimosa Festival because of the Days of Norway, Poland, Italy and some other countries or for a theater show.

The representatives of the Directorate have announced that the jubilee celebration of the mimosa is expecting a record number of visitors, after all, that they have done in recent months in promoting this unique winter event. Director of Tourist Organization, Pavle Obradović pointed out that a lot of marketing and advertising of the Mimosa Festival in the region was done. He is confident that the hotels and private accommodations will be fully booked. The excellent promotion, as stated from the Festival's Directorate, also contributed the Mimosa Festival Caravan, which visited 17 cities in five countries. Good acquaintances claim that the effect would surely be better if the Caravan was organized at least a month or two before the beginning of the Festival.

Text by Slavica Kosic, on January 31st 2019, read more at Vijesti

January 31, 2019 - The Old Captain's House - the Stumberger Museum in Baosici will open its door for visitors for the Mimosa, Fish, and Wine Feast, which attracts the most significant number of visitors of the Herceg Novi Riviera during the Mimosa Festival. On Saturday, 2 February, the museum will be open for visitors from 8.30 am until 3 pm. Entrance is free.

Miroslav Stumberger was born in 1892 in Slovenia. A highly educated man who spoke five languages was a passionate explorer and fighter for preserving the history, culture and ethnographic heritage of Boka Bay and the whole of Yugoslavia.

Stumberger has collected a valuable collection of antiquities that adorned his house in an exquisite ambiance, which he invented at the end of the 50s, later called the Old Captain's House.

He gave the house and legacy to the Baosici Local Community and the city of Herceg Novi. The Stumberger Museum's settings make collections of icons, weapons, technical, naval and other devices, amphorae, old family photos, ethnological objects, geographic and naval charts.

At the end of the last century, this museum was one of the most visited places on the Herceg Novi Riviera.

In the valuable legacy, there were over 700 titles. Stumberger's library contained the British Encyclopedia of 1788, the Famous English Bible of 1548, Napoleon's 1806 Code, Astronomy and the Basics of Geometry from 1604 and many more. The museum of Miroslav Stumberger, "The Old Captain's House," was several times a target of vandals and thieves, repeatedly robbed. Between lots of lost artifacts was a valuable British Encyclopedia.

Miroslav Stumberger was born in Brezice, Slovenia. He completed the Military-Naval Academy in Pula and continued his service as a Naval Officer in the Army of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

He was the first commandant of the submarine "Nebojša," today exhibited in Porto Montenegro as an integral part of the permanent setting of the Maritime Heritage Collection. As a captain of the battleship and commander of the South Military Sector based in Kumbor, Miroslav Stumberger retired in 1937 at the age of 45.

Stumberger was a well-known and acclaimed antiquity finder and ship modeler. Among the valuable artifacts of his collection, the museum visitors also have the opportunity to see his craftsmanship- models of old sailing ships he created with a lot of knowledge and passion.

Public institution Herceg Novi Museums and Galleries, after decades of decay, renovated and reopened the Old Captain’s House - Stumberger Museum to the public in July 2015.

January 31, 2019 - As an introduction to the 50th Mimosa Festival, the City Gallery Josip Bepo Benkovic will open tthe 52nd Herceg Novi Winter Salon, one of the longest and most important art manifestations in Montenegro. The official opening is scheduled at 7 pm on Thursday.

The 50^th Mimosa Festival Caravan announces the jubilee edition of one of the oldest and most famous tourist-propaganda events in Herceg Novi and Montenegro, which will last from February 1^st until March 23^rd.

The caravan today introduces the mimosa into two Slovenian fraternized towns - Novo Mesto and Kranj, and tomorrow in Ljubljana, where they will perform at the Tourism Fair and in the city center, the organizers said.

City music orchestra, majorettes, clowns and trombone players performed at the main town square in Novo Mesto, with the support of Mestne godbe Novo Mesto, with whom Herceg Novi City music has excellent cooperation. Music, dance and mimosas invited citizens of Novo Mesto and Slovenia to visit Herceg Novi during the 50 days of the 50th Mimoza Festival, during which Slovenia's Days will be held in Herceg Novi on March 20^th.

The parade was preceded by a reception at the Mayor of Novo Mesto Gregor Macedonia, for the delegation from the Herceg Novi Municipality headed by President Stevan Katić. During the reception, the Mayor was given with a plaque of the 50^th Mimosa Festival, as a sign of gratitude for the support of the Caravan. Representatives of the two cities have stressed that they are looking forward to the continuation and nurturing of the several decades of fraternized contacts between Herceg Novi and Novo Mesto, as well as new opportunities for cross-border cooperation. The Mayo announced that the Novo Mesto delegation would visit Herceg Novi in March. He thanked them for the opportunity to host the caravan in Novo Mesto saying that Herceg Novi and Mimosa are "always good news".

Text by Slavica Kosic, on January 29th 2019, read more at Vijesti

The Serbian Education Society (SPKD), "Prosvjeta", awarded the traditional life-work award this year to the teachers Čeda Vukićević and Savo Radanović for their contribution to the education of numerous generations of young citizens of Herceg Novi.

Čeda Vukićević (maiden name Bronzic) was born in 1923 in the village Kameno in the family of Lazar Bronzic, also a teacher, as the tenth of twelve children. She finished the primary four-grades school in her native village, which was then the most advanced in the municipality Herceg Novi and which will produce the largest number of educated people, and especially teachers. In Lazara Bronzic’s family, all children will be educated in high schools and more. After completing four grades in Kameno, she attended high school in Herceg Novi and Teacher’s school n Cetinje.

She remembered the war years because the Italians set their house on fire in 1942, so she moved with her family to Herceg Novi, Savina, to their cousins Zloković. As a teacher in 1946, she worked in Petnjica. She got married in 1947 for geodesic engineer Dušan Vukićević, who became a post-war Minister of Transport.

Then she worked at the Ministry of Education in Cetinje and was also the school director in Baošići. She retired as a teacher at the elementary school "Milan Vukovic”. Her former pupils are today distinguished citizens, engineers, professors, doctors, professional athletes and artists.

Teacher Savo Radanovic was born on March 3^rd in 1947 in Prijevor, in the municipality of Herceg Novi. He graduated from the Pedagogical Academy in Dubrovnik and spent his entire working life at the elementary school "Dašo Pavičić" as a class teacher.

During several decades of work, Savo showed outstanding expertise and responsibility in work. Thanks to his many years of work at Sutorina, this school branch has survived.

The pupils, parents, and locals immensely admired him because of his enthusiasm and genuine dedication to the pedagogical and every work for the benefit of his native region, they say from SPKD "Prosvjeta".

Text by Slavica Kosic, on January 28th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

Herceg Novi, where there are 935 guests, is marking a jubilee 50th Mimosa festival. After the winter break, the Mediterranean Center Institute in Igalo will open its doors, which hosts the first Mimosa masquerade, as well as many other programs to be held during the jubilee festival as well as the day of Norway. We remind you that in this rehabilitation facility, the Norwegians have been treated since 1976. The collaboration between this health and tourism institution in Igalo and the Norwegian government, which sends its citizens for treatment and recovery, has lasted for four decades.

Since the very opening and the first mimosa festival weekend, we expect a good booking capacity, said the marketing director Nikola Mračević. The first guests are the beneficiaries of the Montenegrin Health Fund. A major visit of the guests from the region is expected in March, for whom there is the offer Ex Yu, while the first guests from the Netherlands will arrive on April 8^th and from Norway on April 16th.

There are several hotels in there Herceg Novi Riviera, in which 117 guests will be accommodated, while 818 are in the private accommodation. Among the tourists who are staying in the biggest city in Boka bay, at the end of January, there are only seven domestic ones.

Text by Slavica Kosic, on January 27th 2019, read more at Vijesti

The Overture to all programs will be a cult city manifestation devoted to "theatre" - XXIV HAPS – Herceg Novi April Theatre festival, from 15^th to 25^th April.

The Titular Festival is NGO Herceg Novi Theatre, and JUK Herceg Fest is host and co-organizer. HAPS, with the recommendation of the Culture Council, has been included in events necessary for the culture of the city, according to tthe he Tourist Organization.

From the 9^th to 16^th of June Herceg Novi will welcom the Day of Russian Culture, and the "breath of Russia" will be brought by the cultural delegates of this country. The event is a product of cooperation between the local TO and the city of St. Petersburg, which was strengthened by signing a memorandum of cooperation in November last year.

A rich and varied program is being prepared, whose carriers are the guests from Russia.

"The aim of the event is to present the diversity of national wealth, to affirm multiculturalism and to promote the cooperation of institutions, associations and artists. The guests from Russia will present themselves with a program designed to gather Russian citizens from Russia and the entire Balkans and to popularize Russian culture, spirituality, tradition and art in our region," said the TO.

The Festival of Classical Music, XXXVI Days of music will traditionally mark the beginning of July. Concert programs will be held as in previous years in Dvorana Park, from 10^th to 20^th July. The sponsors of this musical festival are the Montenegrin Ministry of Culture, Municipality and Tourism Organization Herceg Novi, while JUK Herceg Fest is the executive producer of the festival.

Right after the Days of Music is finished, the lovers of the written word will be able to get acquainted with the latest titles of local and regional writers who will present themselves at the Book Square from 21^st till 28^th July.

"The fair is designed as a unique edition of publishing, with the aim of popularizing books and reading, offering the many visitors with various interests the best and latest releases of domestic and foreign literature and literature from all fields of science and knowledge," the TO says. There are planned meetings with writers, various evening programs, as well as children's and drama programs.

This year's filmmakers lovers will be able to enjoy the latest regional, European and world titles, which will b brought to the screen by the Montenegrin Film Festival. It will be held, as it was the case so far, at 4 locations in the city, from the 1^st to 7^th of August. The projections in the main competition program will be screened at Kanli kula, and the other categories in Forte Mare Fort, Music Square and Bellavista Square. The executive producer of the festival is JUK Herceg Fest.

In addition to the festival dedicated to classical literature, the five-day guitar festival - Guitar Art Summer Fest will delight us this summer too. It will be held on the Square at the Music School from the 15^th to 20^th of August, and some concerts and Kanli Kula. Within the festival, during the day, the Summer School of Guitar will be organized, by which GASF supports and promotes young talents who have the opportunity to work and perform with the greatest guitarists.

The only opera festival in the region, Operosa, will be held from the 21^st to 24^th of August, as well as the VI festival of jazz music, organized by NGO Fortuna in cooperation with the Music School, which will be held in the standard term from the 25^th to 27^th of August.

The manifestations in the post-season begin with the only festival in Montenegro devoted to the ninth art - the 13th Comic book Festival, to be held from the 6^th to 11^th of September. Thereafter, there will be a sports fun recreational event - tuna hunt, Big game fishing, from the 12^th to 16^th of September. The beginning of October will be marked by the Festival of Spiritual Music, the International Festival of Chorus, organized by NGO Fortuna in cooperation with the Music School.

Text by Radio Jadran, on January 27th 2019, read more at Radio Jadran