History of Lovcen, description and features of the holiday

In the west of the Balkan Peninsula, there is a country whose nature deserves the highest praise. There are 5 nature reserves, one of which is Lovcen. It is located closer than others to the sea coast, which certainly attracts tourists. For a considerable number of people, this place became a discovery: Montenegro is visible at a glance, the views are stunning, I want to come back here again.

In the middle of the last century, Lovcen, located in the south-west of the state, was declared a national park. The mountain range is adorned with two highest points: Shtirovnik is a little higher - 1749 m, and Jezerskaya peak is lower - 1657 m. But not only mountain lovers can appreciate this beauty. The national park also attracts tourists, where there are 1300 species of plants alone.

The park was created by the authorities of Montenegro for nature protection purposes, and it also belongs to the cultural, historical and even architectural heritage of the country. Here there is something to inspire architecture lovers - for example, the village of Njegushi is a monument of national architecture.

The main tourist point of the park is the mausoleum of Peter Njegosi. For Montenegrins, this personality is cult: Peter II Petrovich ruled the country, was a bishop, a writer. And the place for his last refuge, by the way, he chose himself - this is historically evidenced. Alas, you cannot see the original chapel: that is the fault of the occupiers, the Austro-Hungarian army did not spare the national treasure. The Austrian authorities were not afraid to disturb the ashes of the deceased: according to their order, the remains of the ruler were transferred to the Cetinje Monastery.

But after the First World War, the Serbian ruler Peter I Karageorgievich managed to reburial the remains of the leader of the nation in the chapel, in the same place.The new chapel was built by King Alexander in 1920. Unfortunately, this was not the end of the misfortunes: during the times of socialist Yugoslavia (namely, this country, it should be recalled, included Montenegro), pagan mausoleums were preferred. Orthodox churches were destroyed, and the chapel was not spared. In the 70s of the last century, a mausoleum appeared in its place. And a few years after its construction, an earthquake awaited the country: many locals are sure that this is punishment for the desecration of the shrine.

Guides will tell tourists the difficult history of the area, but first impressions do not involve words. The head is dizzy from the beauties for which Lovcen is famous. Not far from the mausoleum there is a viewing platform with a breathtaking panorama. A huge part of Montenegro is in the palm of your hand. For this they come here!

Montenegrin National Park is not only a mountain and a nature reserve, it is a place of special energy. You can walk through the beech and pine forest, see rare tulips and crocuses, delicate lilies. There are wild boars, you can meet a deer, a fox. The bird representation is no less solid - golden eagles, eagles, and also voiced nightingales.

Finally, lovers of "relief" walks will certainly love the caves and crater-like depressions, mountain springs and even waterfalls. Some springs have an enviable mineral composition of the water.

And one more important attraction of the park - it is located in the border climatic zone. The sea and mountains coexist, and this has a beneficial effect on human health. Definitely a trip to Lovcen heals and boosts the immune system. Plus a huge amount of positive emotions, surprises, discoveries - this is no less useful for the human somatics.

Many tourists come here primarily for the sake of the mountains. The height of the mountain range is not as impressive, of course, as Elbrus or Mont Blanc, but 1700 m above sea level is a decent indicator. Mountain Lovcen has a rocky slope, in which there are many cracks, holes, deep drops. Aesthetically, it looks grandiose - it is not for nothing that so many beautiful photographs were taken with an eye on the mountain slopes.

But just imagine that from Mount Lovcen you can see about 70% of the country's territory - this fact alone is impressive, forcing you to build a tourist route taking this place into account.

Height 1200 m - the valley of Mount Lovcen, large, picturesque and, perhaps, the most interesting for a tourist. It is called Ivanova Korita. It is in this area that the Adventure Park is located with an area of ​​two hectares. Here, the developers have paved 7 trails that will surprise and delight lovers of physical activity and extreme sports.

On the same territory there is a tourist center, where you can get a map of the park with a detailed schedule of the route. Here you can also order a guide who will make your walk more meaningful and safe.

Interestingly, the entrance to Lovcen was free for tourists for a whole year. Local residents, whose houses are on the territory of the reserve, proved this right in court. In the summer of 2018, the authorities installed the barrier again, and the entry fee became constant again. True, this did not affect the territory of the villages, they began to take a fee right at the top, where the mausoleum of Njegos is located.

Let's figure out why else to go to Lovcen.

• In winter, the peaks of the mountains are covered with snow, so tourists rent skis and sledges for children. And all this is an hour's drive from the endless summer coast of the sea - the climatic contrast is impressive.
• The first spring months in the national park are the kingdom of crocuses. Indescribable beauty, whole meadows of crocuses that just ask for a traveler's camera lens.
• The whole family loves the rope park.If the child is already 5 years old, he will be allowed to such adventures. The price ranges from 8 to 20 euros.
• An ideal place for barbecue. And Montenegrins are well aware of this, who on weekends like to come to Ivanova Korita, where you can not only walk along the wonderful relief, pleasant for muscles, but also fry fragrant mountain kebabs. Note that barbecues and tables are free, available to everyone.

Finally, it is impossible to imagine leisure here without visiting the Njegos mausoleum. After seeing the historical site, you will continue your journey by getting to the observation deck. But 461 steps still have to be reached. And already there - unprecedented views and the feeling of soaring.

Many tourists come here for hiking. This is the name of hiking, which is now very popular (as before, however). A short, not to the point of insane fatigue, a trip through the mountainous terrain is what an office worker who is tired of serving the monitor and routine work needs. Moreover, there are several routes on Lovcen, you can choose the one that corresponds to the level of readiness.

Another notable place is the viewing benches over the Bay of Kotor. It is not surprising that wedding photo shoots in this place are so in demand. It seems that the whole world is looking at you, and this beauty is impossible to breathe. But you don't have to be newlyweds to appreciate the beauty of the place. If you have even a drop of romance in you, the feeling of “there are simply no words” will come to you here for sure.

And yet there is road Kotor - Lovcenif you look at the pictures from the quadcopter, they seem unreal. Do you know how many turns it has? Better to count them along the way, though. The road was built over 130 years ago.

Unfortunately, there is no direct public transport to Lovcen. But if you get from Budva to Cetinje, then bring the final point of the route closer. A bus to Cetinje costs a couple of euros, and already there you negotiate with a taxi driver, and for 25 euros (in both directions) you will get to Lovcen. There shouldn't be any problems with a taxi, there are many people willing to help you for an adequate price at the monastery.

However, you can also rent a car from Budva to Lovcen. But even here you will not be able to bypass Cetinje - whatever one may say, it will be closer. The road from Kotor to Lovcen is a rather narrow serpentine, but you can part way.

On foot you can also come to Lovcen. From Kotor, this journey will take at least five hours one way. But along the way there is a great resting point with a restaurant. Many tourists prefer to hitchhike back. If you decide to climb, you need to go out at dawn in order to be on the top of the most beautiful mountain in the afternoon.

A great place for a budget (but not so close to zero) vacation. If you are tired of the hackneyed tourist routes of central Europe, if you like small "cozy" countries, if the mountains and the sea, flowers, pine trees and hiking attract you a lot more urban, think seriously about a trip to Lovcen.

About the mausoleum of Petr Njegos in Lovcen Park in Montenegro, see the next video.