This is a story about the old and new, of respecting past but following the needs of modern times and new generations. The story about a tennis court that deserves to be taken care of so it could serve citizens of our town and state. As it is one of the first courts in our country, it is essential to make it usable and representative again. In this story it is explained why this is important and what it will mean to the local community and Europe in general.

The building of the former Italian embassy in Cetinje, which now houses the National Library of Montenegro, was built from 1905 to 1910, according to the project of the Italian architect A. C. Corradini. The construction was completed in the year in which Montenegro was proclaimed a kingdom. Apart from the architecture, it is also recognizable by its luxurious courtyard surface.

It is a three - storey building with a basement and attic with a central, entrance area accentuated by a porch, above which is a ceremonial balcony. It is located in the middle part of the park with an area of 2.2 hectares, within which a tennis court has been built on the northeast side. The area around the building was also used for playing golf.

During various visits and stays in Europe, King Nikola I Petrović Njegoš noticed the great interest of the aristocracy in tennis. Diplomatic representatives accredited to Cetinje also showed interest in this sport. Due to that, tennis courts began to be built next to the missions. The tennis and golf club were founded by the Italian Embassy in 1906, while the tennis court was built in 1910. During the First World War and the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Montenegro, sports fields were either neglected or completely destroyed.

Today, the tennis court is something that can very rarely, or maybe not at all, be found in the yard of such an institution as the National Library. Furthermore, it is surrounded by a beautiful park where the citizens of the Montenegrin Old Royal Capital like to spend time alone, in pair, with their friends, their youngest, or pets. The correlation of the building, spacious park space, tennis court and cultivated green areas, completes the scenery and creates a unique ambient whole. Driven by the desire to make stay in the complex of our library as attractive and pleasant as possible for citizens and to be promoters of healthy lifestyles, especially for young people, we decided, hopefully with your help, to pay a little more attention to our tennis court.

The tennis court is in a rather neglected state, since the priorities have always been different over time. Given the limited financial resources, the emphasis was always on some more urgent interventions, and the focus was on the preservation of both the building and the library holdings, which on many occasions were seriously endangered and in risk of destruction.

Due to the protection of the building as a cultural heritage, the dimensions of the existing terrain must not be changed, but its reconstruction is more than necessary. And it would be beneficial for the whole city and the local community. The surface of the tennis court is about 570 m2. It was leased for a short time, which further devastated it because the renter did not invest in its maintenance. In other words, renovation of the tennis court is important for multiple reasons. First of all, it is part of the cultural - historical complex which has been inscribed on the Cultural Heritage List. It houses the National Library of Montenegro “Đurđe Crnojević”, which preserves the cultural heritage of Montenegro in its funds. The park around the building is accessible to the citizens of Cetinje throughout the day and is the only one in that part of the city. Enriching the content by arranging a tennis court would increase the interest of the local community in sports activities, direct the attention of young people towards playing tennis, especially when you keep in mind that there are four schools nearby: one primary and three secondary (of general, technical and art orientation). Also, the continuous presence of young people in the library environment could be stimulating for the development of reading habits and the use of library resources, and thus increase the number of users in our reading rooms.

The efforts of libraries around the world are moving in the direction of attracting as many users as possible with new services, using all their potential. The tennis court of the National Library of Montenegro represents one such potential, very important for the local community, which has not been valorized in the right way until today, nor has it been properly taken care about.

Cetinje is the Old Royal Capital and very heart of Montenegro. All the most valuable cultural and historical monuments and relics are located in Cetinje. Therefore, Cetinje Historic Core is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. As a country going to European integration process, Montenegro hopes to truly become a fully accepted part of European community in every sense of the word. It is of great importance to share our rich heritage with others and raise awareness of it on local and pan - European level. The renovation of the tennis court in front of the facility of the former Italian embassy (that’s why part of the title is the word “mission”) which houses such an important institution like the National Library of our country has many advantages. It would be great to share with Europe that we are capable of enriching human experience by enriching our own services and giving people the opportunity to get various types of self-improvement in one place. Tourist are always happy to visit our library and the building it is suited in. We would like to make their visits more interesting too. Europe would get a library with a tennis court that we hope it could be proud of.