The blue balloons signifying the European Heritage Days celebrations were all over Montenegro this September! From Kotor and Herceg Novi on the wonderful Adriatic coastline, all the way to the mountainous areas of Kolašin and Petnjica, 12 Montenegrin municipalities marked this year’s common theme Heritage and Nature.  

With 35 activities organised between 25 and 30 September, this was an exciting European Heritage Days year for Montenegro. The events started with an international conference at the Ministry of Culture and continued with a variety of events all across the country.

The main focus was on the beauties of the country’s natural heritage and all the ways it enriches our everyday lives.

The citizens had an opportunity to participate in a number of lectures, concerts, workshops, and outdoor events to get closer to the nature around them. The hiking tours around the extraordinary landscapes of Montenegro, a traditional dance concert at Biogradska Gora National Park, and a restoration workshop at the impressive Mezzaluna Fortress in Herceg Novi were just some of the excitements Montenegro offered this year.  

In addition to this, the visitors could freely access the natural heritage collection of the Natural History Museum of Montenegro in Podgorica at the exhibition titled When Exhibits Come to Life. This multimedia event provided interactive lectures to make the collection items more appealing to the visitors, especially the younger ones.

Those seeking adrenaline-boosting activities, could join the Tara River rafting and not only experience the power of one of Montenegro’s fastest rivers, but also enjoy the authentic nature surrounding it.  

When it comes to history lectures, one of the best ways to explore Montenegro’s past was the visit the archaeological site Torine and Pecina grad in Petnjica. The European Heritage Days tour at the site offered an insight into the region’s history, which spans over five millennia.

Blending history, science, tradition, and culture, this year’s European Heritage Days in Montenegro brought people of different interests together to celebrate the values we all share. The number of events and regions that participated speaks about the popularity of the Heritage and Nature theme, which was more than suitable for a country with such a diverse landscape and cultural richness. The growing participation also shows how much the citizens of Montenegro appreciate their heritage and how much they enjoy being included in its preservation and promotion.