A country of contrasts, where magnificent mountains meet the beautiful coastline of the Adriatic sea, and where the rich history meets the modern age – Montenegro has announced its partake in the 2018 European  Heritage Days events.

Combining its unique natural treasures with centuries-old cultural traditions, Montenegro has had many successful celebratory seasons. Being a part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the 2018 events are marking the theme The Art of Sharing to allow for even a greater number of participatory activities and inspiring ideas to come to life.

Traditionally starting on September 21 and lasting until the end of the month, the events will be open everyone interested in exploring European values. Individuals, organisations or local heritage groups are invited to share unique, local, cultural heritage narratives by submitting their event via the application form on this web page.

Call for European Heritage Stories in Montenegro

Montenegro also encourages the participation in the European Heritage Stories initiative. The call is open to heritage communities from 50 European states signatory to the European Cultural Convention that have organised at least one EHD event in the last three years, as well as EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Award winners and European Heritage Label sites.

Intended to help spread local heritage narratives to the wider European audiences, the call is open from April 20 until May 20. The stories submitted will be recognised on a European level and have a potential to be later developed into a project that will further help the preservation and promotion of the heritage item it addresses.

Experiencing the Heritage of Montenegro

For Montenegro, last year’s celebrations have set high standards when it comes to sharing the festive spirit of heritage appreciation.

Continuing with the inspiring initiatives, the country launched a photo contest earlier this year to promote its magnificent cultural treasures. Similar to the last year’s nature-inspired contest featuring Cultural and Natural Beauties of Kotor, the 2018 edition aims to encourage a greater participation in heritage explorations and particularly motivate the young people to get involved.  

Moreover, last year’s celebration included five days packed with 35 events all over the country. Visitors were able to enjoy a great number of activities ranging from exploratory walks in the mountains, hiking tours and the Tara River rafting, to visiting and taking part in a restoration workshop at the Mezzaluna Fortress in Herceg Novi, as well as the multimedia exhibition When Exhibits Come to Life at the Natural History Museum of Montenegro in Podgorica.

Considering the rich programme of previous years, Montenegro’s citizens and visitors justifiably have great expectations from the 2018 events and there is no doubt that its passionate organisers will be up to the challenge in the year of heritage sharing.