Lovcen in Montenegro - photo after the trip. Mount Lovcen and Njegos Mausoleum in Montenegro (photos, reviews) Lovcen Park

Lovcen National Park is one of 5 nature reserves in Montenegro 🌳 It is closest to the sea coast, so tourists visit it first. It’s worth going here in the summer for the coolness of the mountains, because the height of the mountain range reaches 1749 m. In the spring, the meadows of Lovcen are dotted with crocuses, in the fall the trees are in golden robes, and in the winter the slopes are covered with snow. To travel to Lovcen, choose a sunny day, without rain, otherwise you won’t see the panorama of Montenegro because of the clouds.

From Kotor to Lovcen and the mausoleum, the road takes about the same - taking into account pauses in the photo - 1.5 hours. I would recommend making a small detour and stopping by the eco-village of Njegushi, it is along the way, but a little to the side. A similar road from Tivat, you can drive along the mountain through the fortress Trojica.


The smartest thing to do is to combine both routes together. Then you will have a circle, with several pauses - admire the nature of the national park, visit the mausoleum or panoramic platform, taste national dishes, buy prosciutto in Njegushi (cut and vacuum-packed), walk around Cetinje, Kotor or Budva. It turns out to be a trip for the whole day.

IMPORTANT: take something warm with you, the temperature will differ by 10-15 degrees, especially in cloudy weather.

Road from Kotor to Lovcen- this is a narrow serpentine for 1.5 cars with 32 bends, but people pass in “pockets” and on turns. The road from Cetinje to Lovcen, but there are no sharp turns - in the photo. For those who are used to driving on wide highways, the nervous system will suffer. And there is also a 3rd path, it does not go up to the top of the mountain, it is a bypass from Cetinje to Njegushi. Now it is being expanded by 2 lanes, a tunnel has been made in the mountain, and they promise to complete it by the end of April 2018. On Google Maps for now this road is shown from the time it was built - the 19th century, but soon it will be more convenient, safer and shorter.


Walking to Lovcen from Kotor you will need about 5-6 hours one way. The beginning of the trail can be seen in the photo - near the Shkurda River in front of old Kotor - 42.426938, 18.774335😉 There will be a place along the way Krstac with restaurant, where you can relax, have a snack, and drink cold drinks. You can hitchhike back (for free), spend the night in Ivanov Koryty or in Njegushi. I recommend going out early in the morning at dawn; during the summer day the bay is stiflingly hot, at which time you need to be already at the top.

Lovcen – 66 years National Park of Montenegro

The area of ​​the national park is small - 6220 hectares, the climate is temperate continental and mountainous, influenced by the Mediterranean. The highest peaks are Jezersky Vrh, where the mausoleum stands - 1657 m and Štirovnik with antennas opposite - 1749 m. To protect the unique nature and cultural heritage, the Lovćen mountain range was declared a national park under Yugoslavia in 1952.

Ivanova Koryta - a place for relaxation

I have already told you what to do in the Ivanova Koryt valley, and I can add to the above a summer children’s camp and tennis courts. It is located at an altitude of 1250 m and is of glacial origin. The name of the valley is associated with the spring of the same name Ivanova Korita, and originally came from the name of the Montenegrin ruler of the 15th century - Ivan Crnoevich. In the green meadows there was always pasture and vegetable gardens, which were irrigated by the same source, flowing through gutters from tree trunks.

The photo shows a view of the fertile valleys of Lovcen from above. Our Russian ethnographer and historian Pavel Rovinsky, whose name a street in Cetinje is named today, wrote: The water immediately partially seeps into the ground and goes down underground, and part of it flows from above to the low Blatishta platform, closed on all sides. This is an excellent place for grazing cattle; all grains grow well here, except corn, for which it is too cold here. His book “Montenegro in the Past and Present” is available.

Njegos Mausoleum instead of a chapel: construction scandal

The mausoleum of ruler Njegos was a bone of contention between the communist government of Yugoslavia and the Orthodox Church. In 1845, on this peak he personally erected a chapel in honor of his uncle Peter Njegos, who ruled Montenegro at that time. The great poet, philosopher and Lord wanted to bury him here after his death, which happened very soon; he died at the age of 38 from tuberculosis.


Peter II Petrovich Njegos ruled the country in such a way that he is loved and revered by the people to this day! He became something of a reformer, wanted to create a European state from semi-wild and undeveloped Montenegro, suppressed separatism, built the first hospital and schools, fought for the country’s independence from the Turks, was a great poet and philosopher. You can see his portrait on the 20 Serbian dinar banknote. And in Kyiv in 2013 a monument to Peter Njegos was erected

Montenegrins considered the chapel on Lovćen with the body of the ruler to be a shrine, so the reaction to the actions of the authorities to build a mausoleum in its place among ordinary people was negative. It was - it became


In fact, the initiative to build a mausoleum on the top of Lovcen for the first time came not from the communists, but from the royal power of the union state of Serbs, Slovenes, Croats. In 1924, Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic presented the first project; later sketches were presented at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. The second design of the mausoleum was created by the same architect, but 30 years later under the communists.

1 photo is what we have now, 2 photos are an unfulfilled project. Both remind me of Egypt...


I note that during the First World War, the chapel on Lovcen was destroyed by the Austrians. As a result, due to lack of funding, they decided to abandon the idea of ​​a mausoleum and restored that chapel. Russian architects, white emigrants, were also involved in this work. The restored chapel was made of cut Lovcen stone, the size and shape were the same as the previous one.


During World War II, the chapel was slightly damaged by the Italian occupiers, but not too much. As a result, its destruction lies in Montenegrin hands and conscience... On May 1, 1945, the communist newspaper “Borba” proclaimed the existence of the Montenegrin nation (without reference to the Serbs). The newborn nation had to reckon with the past, and the Njegoševa Chapel was supposedly a symbol of Serbian Montenegro, so it had to be destroyed. It is now difficult for foreigners to understand the essence of what is written, these are the turbulent Balkans, where every nation tells its neighbor that it did not exist, that its faith is better, etc. As for me, the communists simply did not want to contemplate the church on the top of Lovcen, visually visible from many points in Montenegro. Watch the video of the destruction

And in 1952, the authorities commissioned the already well-known sculptor Ivan Mestrovic to design a mausoleum. Interesting facts about him:

  • Meštrović has always spoken out against the Union of Serbs and Croats
  • The architect of the mausoleum, Njegos, had never been to Lovcen in his life; at the time of ordering the mausoleum project and until his death, he lived in the USA
  • Before his death, he built a mausoleum for himself in his native place in Croatia


But allegedly due to poor economic conditions and the death of the architect in 1962, construction was suspended for a time. Smart people from all over the country stood up in defense of the Chapel and the Negoshi Covenant. There was a compromise decision to erect it in Cetinje. In 1969, the Organization for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Montenegro gives the go-ahead to move the Chapel. But the Holy Archbishop's Council of the Serpian Orthodox Church began to argue with this decision, and the next day in Cetinje they staged a demonstration against the Montenegrin-Litipal Metropolis. As a result, a trial began between the authorities and the church. It ended with a promise to preserve the authenticity of the building and move it to Ivanov Koryt. As a result, the chapel was destroyed to the ground...

To see all the beauty of Montenegro you need to visit the Lovcen National Park and Mount Lovcen. We bring to your attention photo from a trip to the park and Mount Lovcen

From the heights of these mountains in clear weather, almost half the country is clearly visible! You can see the Adriatic coastline and mountain ranges, including the snowy peaks of the Durmitor National Park.

Next, our path ran through the town of Ivanova Korita, which is famous for its holiday homes and ski slope. In summer, a recreation and entertainment park is organized here. This park consists of several trails of varying difficulty, built on trees. They have bungees, ropes, nets, as well as obstacles with logs. Families with children love to visit this town.


After such a sign in Ivanova Korita, we moved to the left and got a little lost, going in the wrong direction...
But in that direction we were able to see this cozy village. Our trip took place in early May, so there was still snow in some places...


Not far from this settlement we noticed such a wonderful blanket of blue mountain flowers.


Next, we decided to turn our car around and drove along the right route towards the Lovcen mountains :). Along the way we encountered such beautiful landscapes as this one:


The snowdrifts were very high in some places...


The snow on Lovcen finally melts by mid-June or July. After just a few kilometers of the mountain road with turns, the Shtirovnik peak with antennas installed on the peak became visible in the distance.

Photo of Mount Lovcen in Montenegro
It should be noted that Mount Lovcen has 2 peaks: Štirovnik (1749 meters) and Jezerski vrh (1657 meters), on which the mausoleum of the most famous ruler of Montenegro, Peter II Petrovich Njegos, is located.

Having arrived at this place, which is equipped with a small parking lot, passengers of cars and buses leave their vehicles and begin to climb to the top of Jezerski vrh on foot. When we went up, the road was quite slippery, mixed with snow and clay. Further the path ran through a small pine forest.


It would seem that there was very little left to the entrance to the mausoleum, but this impression was deceptive... Having reached the first observation deck, we found a small restaurant and a souvenir shop on the underground floor. Entrance to the restaurant's toilet cost 50 eurocents.


And to the mausoleum, as it turned out, it was necessary to climb another 461 steps up)). But what gorgeous views have already opened up on the sides! All the nearby villages and even the city of Cetinje were in full view. We quickly hurried upstairs)


Along the way, on these stairs near the windows, there were still significant blocks of snow lying here and there! The passage itself at the top was also blocked with snow, but at the edge there was a small footpath along which one could climb up. Later it turned out that this long step can be walked around along the old upper staircase in the open area.


But this path is more dangerous, because... You can accidentally trip and fall straight from the mountain, and it’s very high up there! And therefore not entirely safe. On this ancient path you can see such intricate pyramids of stones).


Having reached the very last step, we found ourselves at the entrance to the mausoleum! Such an extraordinary gate greeted us there (statues dressed in national costumes). This entire territory, incl. and the Lovcen mountains are considered sacred to Montenegrins. Entrance to the Njegos Mausoleum is paid and costs 2 euros for adult visitors and 1 euro for children. At the entrance, the man who sold us tickets also offered us, in addition, a free book with a brief history of the Mausoleum in Russian and Serbian. We set off to explore this extraordinary place.


From the heights of the top of Jezerski Vrh, impressive panoramas of Montenegro really open up! The spirit of the time is just hovering here... You can feel all the space and beauty of nature! In the distance you can see the Adriatic coast, and in good weather you can even see the coast of Italy!


After reading all the useful information from the booklet, we went to take a closer look at the observation deck and the surrounding beauty.


Impressive views of the neighboring peak Štirovnik, which is almost 100 meters higher than Jezerski vrh.


The feeling of flying at the top does not go away for a second!) You can admire the panoramic views here for a very long time.

No wonder the ruler and poet Peter II Petrovich Njegosh bequeathed to bury himself in this place in order to admire the beauties of Montenegro from there. He built a small chapel especially for this purpose in 1844. During the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Montenegro, this chapel was destroyed, but its remains from Mount Lovcen were preserved and transferred to the Cetinje monastery.

And later they were returned back to Lovcen. But during the rule of the Communist Party in Montenegro, the chapel was demolished again, i.e. the will of the ruler was not fulfilled... The modern Mausoleum was built according to new drawings in the 20th century. And here is the view of the Mausoleum itself, which opens from this observation deck.


Currently it is the highest mountain monastery in the world. The mausoleum is a monumental structure. It was created by the famous Yugoslav sculptor Ivan Mestrovic.

The chapel itself contains an impressive golden dome, under which is a sculpture of Petar Njegos himself. He froze in a thoughtful pose, with a majestic eagle positioned behind him. This sculpture personifies the spiritual beauty and strength of the Montenegrin people.


When leaving the chapel there is a small portico and stairs down, where it is very cold and the wind can be felt. Down there in a marble sarcophagus lie the remains of the great Montenegrin ruler Peter II Petrovich Njegos. There is always dim light and fresh flowers are piled here, which complement the atmosphere of deep reverence and holiness of this place.


It can be noted about this ruler that in his politics he fought for the independence of Montenegro from Turkey, was against tribal separatism in Montenegro itself, and was an active supporter of Yugoslav unity. He demarcated the Montenegrin-Austrian border in the Adriatic littoral.

Petr Njegosh published a number of his own books and collections: a collection of folk songs “The Serbian Mirror” (1845), a collection of poems “The Hermit of Cetinje” (1834), “The Face of Turkish Fury” (1834), an epic poem “Svobodiada” (1835). The pinnacles of his work were the poems “The Ray of Microcosm” (1845), “The Mountain Crown” (1847), and “The Pretender Stepan Maly.” The ruler also founded a school and a printing house in Cetinje. Petr Petrovich Njegosh died at the age of 38 from tuberculosis.


View of the observation deck from Mount Lovcen. It is also worth noting that Lovcen became a national park in 1952. This park was founded with the aim of protecting the unique nature of Lovcen, as well as to protect the historical, cultural and architectural heritage.


Our return route lay through the ancestral village of the rulers of Montenegro - Njegushi. Petr Petrovich (Rade Tomov) Njegosh was born on November 13, 1813 in the village of Njegusi in the family of Tomo Markov Petrovich and Ivana Prorokovic-Petrovich. The Petrovic-Njegosi family was the ruling Montenegrin dynasty from 1697 to 1918.

This village still honors the memory of its rulers and famous people. The village has extraordinary traditional architecture. In addition, almost every family in Njeguši keeps ancient recipes for the signature Njeguši prosciutto, cheese and wine. All travelers can taste these delicacies and buy them as souvenirs.

Mount Lovcen is the most important symbol of disobedience to enemies and constancy. If we consider that its wooded slopes served as the last line of retreat for the Montenegrins during the war, the symbolic value of the mountain becomes clear. In addition, Lovcen is, in all likelihood, the “Black Mountain” that gave Montenegro its name. The highest peak is Shtirovnik (1749 m), topped with a television transmitter. The second highest peak is Jezerski vrch (1657 m), which is of greater importance as the last resting place of the country's national hero Njegosi.

The area around the main peaks is Lovcen National Park. Its entire karst landscape is dotted with cracks and holes, giving it a distinct appearance. Due to the difference in altitude, there are several vegetation zones on the steeply ascending slopes. Another reason for the diversity of vegetation in Lovcen National Park in Montenegro is the influence of both Mediterranean and temperate continental climates. About 60% of the park is covered with forest, dominated by birch, and Bosnian pine grows on the northern side of the mountain. Unlike plant life, there are not many animals in Lovcen National Park, mainly due to the lack of mountain rivers and lakes. Among the mammals there are rabbits and foxes, and among the birds there are mainly partridges, quails and wild pigeons. In addition, the national park is home to many reptiles and snakes.

EXCURSIONS WITH A VISIT TO LOVČEN:

How to get to Lovcen National Park

The most common way to get to Lovcen National Park is by driving along the long, winding road from Cetinje. At the entrance to the park you will need to pay 3 euros. The center of tourist activity is Ivanova Korita (14 km from Cetinje), an undulating hill known for its exceptionally clean air. There is a small dormitory for schoolchildren, mountain huts, restaurants and a visitor center. The centerpiece for visitors is a group of busts representing all the rulers of Montenegro from the Petrovic-Njegos dynasty. There is also a modest chapel nearby, erected by King Nikola.

Mausoleum of Njegos in Montenegro

The most important monument of the national park is the Njegos Mausoleum at the top of the Jezerski Hill. The mausoleum is located 21 km from Cetinje and is open from May to mid-November from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Even during his lifetime, Njegos decided that he would be buried here, on the top of the magnificent mountain, which he constantly observed from Cetinje, and where he often reflected on his work and his life. He built a small round church here in 1844 and begged the Montenegrins to ignore tradition and bury his body here after his death. His wish only came true in 1855 due to high snow during the winter at the time of his death and the war with the Turks the following spring. The church remained intact until the First World War, when it was damaged. The occupying Austro-Hungarian troops decided to destroy this symbol of Montenegro and build a giant statue here in memory of their victory. In 1925, King Aleksandar of Yugoslavia rebuilt the church with some minor additions. However, at the end of the 1950s, a new initiative appeared - to demolish the "Alexander Chapel" and build in its place a mausoleum worthy of Njegos's importance. The controversial plan met with fierce opposition and heated discussions began that lasted for years. Finally, the chapel was destroyed and the mausoleum was opened in 1974.
The furthest point that can be reached by car in Lovcen Park in Montenegro is a small parking lot below the peak, which can be crowded during the high season. Next to it there is a small souvenir shop and restaurant, and above that there is a staircase leading through a tunnel to the top of the mausoleum.
Sculptor Ivan Meštrović found his inspiration in the style of ancient shrines. The first part of the mausoleum is an atrium made of black marble with a symbolic well in the middle. In front of the entrance to the atrium there are two giant caryatids dressed in the national costume of Montenegro. Behind them is a hall with a grandiose monument to Njegos (weighing 28 tons). Directly below the monument there is a small crypt containing the grave of Njegos.

Viewing platforms in Lovcen Park

On the other side of the mausoleum there is a path that leads along the abyss to a round observation deck. On a clear day you can even see the coast of Italy from here. In any case, from this observation deck you can see the rocky landscape of Montenegro and the coast of the Bay of Kotor. There are several more observation platforms in the national park, which offer excellent views of the surrounding area. Many representative photographs of the Bay of Kotor were taken from these observation platforms.

Lovcen National Park was registered in 1952 as a special environmental zone of Montenegro. This park is located at the junction of two climatic zones - Mediterranean and continental, which contributed to the development of a rich fauna with numerous endemic species of animals and plants. 1/3 of the existing varieties of flora on the territory of Montenegro grow here.

The park area is also home to many animals: wolves, bears, wild boars, foxes, deer, rabbits, hedgehogs, voles, about 200 species of birds, 11 species of reptiles, and a huge number of different types of insects. The two highest peaks stand out in the Lovcen Mountains - Štirovnik (Štirovnik), 1,749 meters above sea level, which can only be climbed with special equipment, and Jezerski vrh (Lake Cross) -1,657 meters above sea level, where it is located.

Lifehack: In the summer, when visiting the city of Cetinje, Lovcen National Park, the Njegus residence, do not forget to take outerwear and wear jeans. The temperature difference between the hot coast and Cetinje can be up to 10-15 degrees. In winter, snow is possible here, especially at the top of the Njegos Mausoleum.

Lovcen National Park is beautiful at any time of the year. Driving along the mountain serpentine, you will see how the surrounding nature changes. If you just walked along the embankment on the coast and admired the palm trees, magnolias, and acacias, then here you will already find a real forest of northern latitude.

How to get to Lovcen National Park?

Lovcen National Park can be reached in two ways, from the city of Cetinje, as well as from along which part of the caravan route passed. You can plan a trip by car with an initial visit to Cetinje, then Lovcen National Park, and a descent along the old Kotor road, also called the Royal Road. A descent consisting of 25 loops awaits you. For some this may seem extreme, but the view of the Bay of Kotor will hide the possible difficulties of this mountain serpentine.

By car or taxi from Cetinje you can get to (Ivanova Korita), a picturesque plain in the mountains, where there is also an extreme park “” with ropes stretched on the trees, structures along which you can pass trails of varying difficulty levels.

Entrance to Lovcen National Park is paid - 3 euros per person.

Of course, it’s better to see it once than to hear about it a hundred times!

We found an error in the text. Select it and press Ctrl + Enter