Ministry of Culture of Montenegro recently announced a public call for projects themed Cultural Heritage and Local Communities to be presented within this year’s European Heritage Days programme. All national and local institutions working in the fields of culture and heritage are welcome to join the festival and celebrate the role of communities in heritage conservation, promotion and enhancement.

Taking place for the 9th time in Montenegro, European Heritage Days will be organised between 26th and 30th September, 2016. This is a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the country’s remarkably diverse landscape, architectural gems and historic sites, while actively contributing to preserving shared European heritage. The focus on heritage communities will enable national and local institutions to display the rich heritage of the country and greatly expand the event’s scope.

In 2015, European Heritage Days in Montenegro took place in the Municipality of Bar, Municipality of Kotor, the Capital Podgorica and the Old Royal Capital Cetinje. Within last year’s common theme highlighting industrial and technical heritage, the country primarily focused on representing its rich naval heritage and the way it integrates in today’s everyday culture.

One of the central events was the exhibition titled “Naval and technical heritage of Montenegro,” which was organised in cooperation with Maritime Museum of Montenegro and Collection of Maritime Heritage Porto Montenegro. In addition to this, visitors had an opportunity to learn more about the establishment of radiotelegraphy in Montenegro on the exhibition titled “How Marconi Made the World Closer to Montenegro” and discover “The Art of Binding” at the National Library of Montenegro "Đurđe Crnojević," which were some of the most well-attended events.

In 2016, Montenegro will join a number of other European countries in moving the focus towards the people who, with their traditional skills, knowledge and talents, help in creating shared European heritage. The final submission date for projects is 1st June and more information regarding the submissions can be found here.