04 March 2019 - The first International Film Festival “Uhvati Film Montenegro” (English: “Seize the Film” Montenegro) will be held on March 5 and 6 in Kotor. The opening ceremony of the Festival, film screenings and the discussions are planned for Tuesday, March 5 at 4 pm (at Cinema Boka) and March 6 at 12 pm (at the Solidarity Gallery in the Old Town of Kotor).

As the director of the festival Aleksandra Božović explained for TVCG, film festival Seize the Film is part of the regional network Film festival Seize This Day With Me/Seize the film, which has been held for the past 16 years in Novi Sad, Rijeka and Banja Luka, and this year it comes to Montenegro.

According to its organisers, the Film Festival Seize this Day with Me - Seize the Film includes screenings of foreign and domestic films on the topic of the lives, activities and achievements of people with disabilities and the following programs: film workshops, forums/discussions with the filmmakers and actors who appear the films, a seminar for journalists and students of journalism, exhibitions, performances, etc… in which people with disabilities participate.

16 films from 13 countries (among which are Japan, Italy, Argentina, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, Turkey, Russia, Germany, Serbia) will be screened at the Festival in Kotor and they are selected from the program of the Novi Sad Festival 2018.

The festival features 16 films about people with different types of disabilities, different age, social, national, gender structures. It is this diversity that gives a broader picture of the situation of persons with disabilities, so it is possible to notice differences in approach and position, but also similarities.

The first International Film Festival Seize the Film Montenegro will be opened with the Japanese short film "Wheelchair dancer".

"The film projections are preceded by a panel discussion on the participation of persons with disabilities in culture, on institutions’ accessibility in regards to people with disabilities, but also on content, as well as how people with disabilities are displayed in movies and in the media," Božovic explained. The panel discussion will be organized in Kotor on March 5, starting at 12 pm in the Solidarity Gallery in the Old Town of Kotor.

"Guests of the festival and panelists will be representatives of the public sector, media houses, artists, representatives of non-governmental associations both from the country and from abroad," said Božovic.

As explained by the festival organisers, the goals of the Festival are: “informing the public about the lives, activities, positions, and accomplishments of people with disabilities, recognizing one’s own identity and potential, facilitating a better understanding and acceptance of differences, and influencing the media to more adequately follow activities and events in which people with disabilities participate”.

The Film Festival has, is in its 16 years of existence, attracted the attention of numerous media outlets, and, as a topic, it has had an everyday presence in both printed and electronic media.

The festival is organized by the non-governmental Art Association 365 in partnership with Association of Youth with Disabilities of Montenegro and supported by the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro and the Municipality of Kotor. The festival is supported by the Cultural Centre Nikola Đurković Kotor, the Cultural Centre Novi Sad, as well as the partner organizations from the region AS Parnas Novi Sad, Spirit Rijeka Association and HO Partner Banja Luka.

01 March 2019 - You still haven’t decided where to head to for the winter holidays? Here’s our suggestion – come to Montenegro! As the name implies (Black Mountain), more than 80% of Montenegro is covered in mountains so we would say the best way to experience Montenegro is first to experience its mountains. Particularly in winters, Montenegro is in abundance with all kinds of winter activities from skiing, snowboarding, to ice-skating, snowmobiling and others.

Montenegro has two main ski resorts, Ski Resort Kolašin 1450 and Ski Resort Savin Kuk, located within the staggering mountains of Bjelasica and Durmitor. Besides them, there are also smaller ski centres like Ski Centre Vučje, Ski Centre Lokve, Ski Centre Hajla etc.

Ski Resort Kolašin 1450 offers a wide range of services including the ski-lift facilities, ski equipment rentals, ski depot for children and adults, night skiing, ski schools by professional ski instructors and much more at the 25km of slopes. The resort is located 8km from the city centre, at an altitude from 1450m up to 1973 meters, and easily accessible by car or bus.  The slopes are well-maintained, divided and marked. Besides for experienced skiers, this place is very popular amongst the beginners and intermediates, who want to improve their skills. With good snow quality and reasonable prices, we are sure you will enjoy this resort to the full.

Renting ski equipment for one day this season costs 10€ for adults, and for children 8€, while the price of a ski depot for the disposal of ski equipment is from 3€.

Close to the National Park Biogradska Gora, this ski area is considered a great tourist destination where after an exhausting day on the ski slopes, you can rest and savour the delicious home-made Montenegrin cuisine with a glass of mulled wine.

Kolašin 1600

Besides Kolašin 1450, this year, Ski Resort Kolašin 1600 has been opened, as “the new pearl of winter tourism in Montenegro”. The infrastructure of this ski centre will operate in total about 4.6 km of ski slopes, on which one six-seat ski lift is installed.

Savin kuk

Ski Resort Savin Kuk is located within the territory National Park Durmitor, 5km from Žabljak which is known as one of the favourite tourist destinations. At the altitude of 2,000 metres, this ski resort has two two-seater cable cars, three ski lifts, one of which is equipped with reflectors for night skiing, as well as a children's ski lift. There are a total of 5km ski slopes, with a capacity of 3 000 skiers. The resort is easily accessible by car and bus transport is often being organised from Podgorica.

Javorovača

In Žabljak, there is also another ski centre Javorovača, with two ski lifts, baby lift, night skiing, ski school and ski service, at the track length of 400 m.

Vučje

About 20 km from Nikšić in the direction towards Žabljak at an altitude of more than 1,300 metres, located on the slopes of the plateau of Krnovo, Ski Centre Vučje is placed. A recreational trail of 1200m, two smaller tracks of 120m and a snowboard park with jumps are at disposal for the visitors. The cable car has a capacity of 200 skiers per hour. Ski equipment renting prices are 10€ a day, which is the same price for a daily ski pass, while ski area for children and beginners, as well as rental of sledges, is 5€! The tourist-recreational complex Vučje, besides a ski centre, service for renting and repairing ski equipment, also includes a 3-star hotel with a restaurant.

Hajla

After being inactive for 13 years, Ski Centre Hajla has been reopened in 2017. Hajla is one of the most magnificent mountains in Montenegro. It is located at the very border of Montenegro and Kosovo, and with its highest peak of 2403 m, it is the highest mountain of the Montenegrin part of the Mountain wreath of Prokletije. Two ski schools are operating on the ski area, "Rožaje Ski School" and "Turjak Ski School" which are conducted by lead skiing instructors with international licenses. All accompanying equipment for safe skiing including safety fences, trail markers, mountain rescue services and equipment for urgent repair of possible injuries are installed, with a medical worker also on the track. Within the track named Turjak 2, snowboard club „Jump“is organising snowboarding school with a five-day training course.

Lokve

Ski Centre Lokve is located on the mountain Cmiljevica, at an altitude of 1350 to 1700 meters. Found close to the same-named hotel Lokve, which has not been working for the past couple of years due to privatisation, this ski centre is 15km away from Berane, and next to the main road to Rožaje. Thanks to its mesmerising nature and the fact that is close to the highway to Serbia, this ski centre has a great potential of becoming a real winter attraction in this northern part of Montenegro. Currently, the length of existing slopes is around five kilometres, and the centre has a two-seater chair lift and two ski lifts. The daily ski equipment price for adults is 10€, for children 7€ and the youngest 5€.

Source: My Guide Montenegro

28 February 2019 - The German Airline Lufthansa has confirmed that starting from April, the company will launch a seasonal flight from Tivat to Munich and Frankfurt in Germany as part of the expansion of the network in the Balkans Peninsula.

Lufthansa will enter the Montenegrin market next year by launching flights from Munich and Frankfurt to Tivat. Services from both German cities will be maintained once per week. The Munich-Tivat service will start April 13, while the Frankfurt-Tivat service will be launched three days later, April 16. The services will be maintained with the airline’s 136-seat Airbus A319 aircraft.

The Director of Lufthansa Group in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia, Bernhard Wodl, stated that Lufthansa decided to launch connections between Tivat and both its hubs in Germany, as the Montenegrin market has a lot of potentials. From Montenegro, passengers will be able to use Lufthansa’s large global network of hundreds of destinations and thousands of connections.

During the negotiations with the German airline, Danilo Orlandić, Head of the Airports of Montenegro, gave a statement on the importance of the connection with the German market and the cooperation with Lufthansa. "Lufthansa, as one of the most important carriers in Europe and the world, should be our partner. The German market is extremely important for our tourism industry. Furthermore, German airports have excellent worldwide connectivity, so the launch of new routes to this market is vital for the public, "said Orlandić.

You can find more information about the new service and the schedules of the new flights at the TMN dedicated page.

Other Lufthansa Group-member airlines serving Montenegro include Austrian Airlines from Vienna to Podgorica, Brussels Airlines to Tivat, as well as Eurowings from Dusseldorf to Tivat. Other airlines which have already confirmed new flights to the Montenegrin market next year include Laudamotion from Stuttgart to Podgorica and Enter Air from Poznan to Tivat.

28 February 2019 - Ryanair has put tickets on sale for its upcoming new service between Barcelona and Podgorica!

Connections from Barcelona to the Balkans are becoming even more diverse as Ryanair launches a new route to Podgorica in June.

Montenegrin Airports have invested enormous effort to establish the direct airline Podgorica - Barcelona, bearing in mind the fact that the Pyrenees peninsula is one of the most significant markets in Europe.

As TMN reported earlier, Danilo Orlandić, the Montenegro Airports’ executive director, started negotiations for the establishment of the airline above at a meeting within European Aviation Forum, Connect 2018.

"As I said earlier, we took a proactive approach and established contact with companies within markets that we think are not open enough. One of the most important markets is the Pyrenees peninsula and having in mind all factors, we decided to do everything to establish the direct line Podgorica - Barcelona, "Orlandić told CdM.

The European Aviation Forum, Connect 2018 gathered more than 500 representatives of 65 airline companies and 250 airports who visited Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi to discuss aviation challenges. During the three days of the Forum, the delegates of air companies including Royal Dutch Airlines, Gulf Air, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Ukraine International Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and many others have discussed existing and expected challenges in the field of air traffic, and have provided grounds for cooperation between airlines and airports for new flights.

Podgorica – Barcelona flights will launch on June 6 and run once per week, each Thursday, until October 6, after which the route will be maintained twice per week, on Thursdays and Sundays. It marks Ryanair's second new service to the Montenegrin capital this year, following Bologna. Further flight details can be found at the ExYu Aviation Website.

As CdM learns, the significance of this line is enormous, as Podgorica Airport will be the only airport in the region that will be connected to Barcelona throughout the year. Other airports have seasonal lines with the capital of Catalonia, so Podgorica will be the point of uniting this part of Europe with Barcelona outside the season.

This is the first direct airline linking Montenegro and Spain.

February 27, 2019 - While the Hollywood actress Kirsten Svanholm, known as Kitty Swan and born in Copenhagen, Denmark, was making the movie "Tarzan and the Brown Prince" on 31 October 1970, in which she played the role of Tarzan's beautiful companion Jane, she hadn't even dreamt that there was a magical country, hidden in the heart of Europe with an even more magical name – Montenegro, writes Milija Pajkovic in the blog within the project "All Wonders of Montenegro", telling us the amazing story connecting the Hollywood star and the small town of Berane at the nothern part of our country. 

It is highly likely that, back then, Kitty didn't even know where this lovely country, full of clear streams, rivulets, rivers and lakes, resting next to the sea and curled up under mountain massifs, in the form of a cuddly cat, was located. On the last day of October, the beautiful Danish lady couldn't even have imagined that there was a small picturesque local community in the fairytale-like Montenegro, with a magical name as well – Berane! If someone had told her by chance that she would somehow end up in Montenegro and Berane, she would have definitely just shaken her cute head as if to say "no" and continued stroking her long dark hair!

However, it is well known that sometimes things that a person could never dream of, or even conceive of, happen to them! It is certain that those things which are directed by destiny and some special force could not be directed even by the best director in the world! It was exactly on that 31 October in 1970, while shooting in Rainbow Springs in Florida that the unskilled pyrotechnicians caused a fire on set which quickly spread out of control and Tarzan and Jane, or Steve Hawkes and Kitty Swan, were unexpectedly caught in the midst of that fire. It took a great deal of effort to get them out of the centre of the fire – Kitty had burns over a quarter of her facial and bodily skin, although Steve got off more lightly. Kitty was transferred to the best American clinic for treating burns, in Gainesville, also in Florida. However, the experts could not help her and they suggested that she should not do anything for a year and after that the worst-case solution could be implemented – plastic surgery. But, Jane would not be Jane, queen of the jungle and Tarzan's love, if she hadn't learned something important, even from a regular fairytale film, and the lesson she learned was that life was a constant struggle and that life, in fact, was just a regular jungle and that those who want to persevere in this jungle-life must never be despondent! Even though she was severely injured and although she barely made it out alive, she decided to declare war on the burns, scars and colloids! She decided to bring back at least the smallest fraction of her previous beauty and to dream the most beautiful dream – to become a mother.

The fact that she could barely walk, had difficulties moving her hands and arms, and constantly had dark thoughts, was something that she never wanted to accept as obstacles on the path towards achieving her goals. It was precisely during that time, when we still all had the same TV channel in our then united country, that the weekly magazine "Radio and TV Review" ("Radio i TV Revija") was issued! Apart from the announcement of the upcoming shows, there were stories about male and female singers, actors and actresses published in this magazine, and sometimes they even published translated news from foreign magazines which had similar topics. It was in this way that some parts of the report from an Italian magazine were published shortly after Kitty's accident, and this report provided a vivid portrayal of the beautiful Kirsten's accident. "Radio and TV Review" was widely read in Montenegro, including in Berane, a dreamy little local community, lulled to sleep under the peaks of Komovi, Bjelasica and Cmiljevica, bordering a plain next to the silvery River Lim. Among the members of the regular readers club of "Radio and TV Review" was a married couple from Berane, Jovan and Dragica Šaljić, who lived in the most recently constructed Berane suburb, located below Bogavsko Hill, known as Novo Naselje (New Settlement). The magazine could have published the article and Jovan and Dragica could have read it in their back garden, under their apple tree, with the sound of their bees, and none of this would have had any relevance to Kirsten Svanholm's most important battle in life had the Šaljić couple not been engaged in making health products from herbs – something they were not doing just for fun.

Therefore, as soon as they found out what this article was about, they were rather shaken up by the actress's cruel destiny. Jovan quickly wrote to the editorial team of the "Review" and the letter he wrote was as short as possible: "I can heal Kitty Swan, Jovan Šaljić, herbalist, Novo Naselje, Berane!" Jovan was already famous in herbalist circles, mostly for healing people after they had been burned, and this was because he and his family had kept the secrets of their ancestors, lived in harmony with nature, respected it and took from it only that which was offered in abundance. And, of course, if there hadn't been anyone in this team of editors who actually believed Jovan, the letter would have probably ended up in the wastepaper basket. But when destiny takes care of things, events uncoil in the exact way they were destined to – not long passed and Kitty Swan, Jane in the film, landed at the airport in Berane, which was located just above Šaljić's house, on a long plain in the valley!

She was wrapped up in blankets, had a pained grimace on her face and she seemed frightened by the sudden leap into an unreal world, which was both strange and beautiful at the same time. She had been bewildered and in disbelief when she first heard about the strange herbalist from this unconceivable country called Montenegro, from a place called Berane, being able to help her, and this situation made her look like a trapped lioness from one of her films. However, faster than expected, Kitty started to feel and look better! Šaljić's ointments started producing results and this was exactly what modern medicine hadn't been able to do, to regenerate a youthful look and restore the old glow of the skin, to get rid of the colloids and unbearable itchiness, and to return elasticity to the entire body. Along with the visible physical recovery, Kitty started feeling her true self mentally as well. Surrounded by the kind attention of the Šaljić family, and with the fact that they accepted her as a family member and with good and healthy home-made food, Kitty Swan was becoming stronger by the day! When the glow in her beautiful eyes started to came back, she took a walk around Berane, along the famous promenade, all the way to Đurđevi Stupovi Monastery, surrounded by the unending attention from the entire population of Berane, and, of course, overwhelmed by the curiosity of the local population because it was not a daily occurrence for them to have a heroine from the silver screen in town, and especially not one whose film were always eagerly watched – Jane!

Additionally, Kitty loved sitting under the big apple tree in the back garden and enjoying the greenery and peace; apart from that, she played hide and seek with the children from the nearby houses, thus becoming their favorite friend. A performance in her honor was organized in the Cultural Centre in Berane, and Roko Dragović translated from Danish for the audience – he was a young man, also from Novo Naselje, who occasionally travelled to Denmark. Swan performed a few songs, which delighted the audience. Steve Hawkes, her on-screen husband – Tarzan – showed that he was not only a great actor, but a great person as well! It was no trouble for him to travel all the way to Berane and provide his unreserved support towards her in this struggle. He was also a guest of the Šaljić family. Steve Hawks, or as the locals from Berane called him "Tarzo", was, in fact, Stjepan Šipek from Samobor, a small settlement near Zagreb! Šipek never found out who his real parents were, and when he was abandoned, he was taken in by a lady from Samobor who lived on her own. The well-meaning lady truly had a good soul and bonded with the child, as she also had no family – her name was Sofija Čakalić. Interestingly enough, she was not related to him in any way.

Even though she was alone and poor, she brought Stjepan up as if he were her own son, as his mother, grandmother and whatever else she had to be. He quickly grew into a strong lad, who became famous for his exquisite strength, physique and healthy appetite throughout the area of Samobor, and even in the surrounding parts. Sofija had a great wish for Stjepan to become a locksmith. Whether poor Sofija–Soka understood and had in mind the profitability and historical importance of that trade remains unknown; none of the very few chroniclers from Samobor record this, or else were not allowed to record it. However, Grandma Sofija's wish never came true, as her Stjepan, her Stjepko, her baby, travelled to Canada in 1959. His trip to this distant country changed his life completely, and this all started in 1964 when he won a swimming marathon at the famous Lake Ontario. He swam a distance of 17 kilometers in eight hours and 55 minutes. After four years, he arrived in Miami Beach; this was exactly the time when films audiences were looking for a new Tarzan, and Šipe was among 300 men who applied for the role.

He won the audition easily. Since he showed that he was prepared to grapple with all the challenges of film making, and especially this type of film, he was given the leading role in the movie "Tarzan, King of the Jungle" during this same year, in the summer. This is how the doors of the film industry opened for Stjepan Šipek from Samobor, and he soon became Steve Hawkes. During his stay in Berane, he became a favorite among the children, as well as the older population, because he exercised in Šaljić's garden, climbing the apple and pear trees, as if he were in a real jungle. Apart from him, Šaljić's home was of course visited by Kitty Swan's fiancé, Roberto, an Italian, and numerous other actors and musicians. The aforementioned shows mostly originated during those evenings when they enjoyed together good food and drinks. During a stay in Belgrade, Kitty Swan recorded the famous old Montenegrin song "Ima Dana", together with the famous folk singer, Toma Zdravković, and the same record, which was published by the label "Jugoton" contains the song "Pjesma o Kiti Svon" (A song about Kitty Swan) performed by Zdravković:

I was listening to this song just yesterday and crying

Kitty Swan For me, you are a beautiful flower in my heart For me,

you are a sad song, Kitty Swan. Your shaky voice means the life to me

And I don't know you, Kitty Swan But I sing about you because you

are in this heart of mine For me, you are a sad song, Kitty Swan.

One day your pain will end A dawn will bring a smile to you

Now sing and smile, each flower looks like you It will stay forever in my heart.

In September 1971, Kirsten Svanholm – Kitty Swan – left Berane almost completely cured, and apart from the many nice and dear recollections and memories, she took ointments with her in her bags. The following year, in September, Jovan Šaljić and Kitty met in Podgorica because she couldn't travel to Berane by car and she couldn't fly there because planes no longer flew into Berane. There was a happy occasion to be celebrated – she was pregnant! Their encounter was touching, full of tears of joy and immense gratitude shown by the beautiful Dane, Kirsten, who had been victorious in her biggest struggle in life, thanks to the help of Mr Jovan Šaljić, the man who cured Kitty Swan. Kitty Swan's stay in Berane was published in almost all the newspapers in the old country of Yugoslavia, but people from Berane and Montenegro did not succeed in making anything bigger out of it and in realising that their future lies in agriculture, combined with the production of healthy food, the exporting of drinking water and tourism, rather than in heavy industry! But there is more to this!

As usually happens in our country, there were individuals who claimed that this ointment was nothing new and that even they could have cured the famous actress! It is true that the valley of Berane and its villages, as well as the surrounding area, represent a true repository of therapeutic teas and potions, and that many people have retained their family's secret recipes and make exquisite ointments. However, it is equally true that no one prevented them from sending a letter and trying to heal Kitty Swan, just as Jovan Šaljić did, together with his wife Dragica, who was originally from the old trading and commercial Antović family from Plav. The area of Berane could have become a film location, even for the types of films dedicated to the adventures of Tarzan and Jane, since there were many areas of virgin forest in Berane at the time, especially in the forests of Šekularac, Bjelasica, Cmiljevac, Kom and Bihor. These areas were abundant in streams with swirling vortices and waterfalls, lianas and large butterburs. Additionally, finding stuntmen among the local population, representing the different tribes in the jungle, would have been easy.

They tended to tan quickly, especially during the first days of spring while herding sheep in the mountain meadows, and during the summer, while they mowed the "Tipac" grass. Unfortunately, such a project would be inconceivable today, since the thick forests are ruined, stripped down and dispersed. This is mostly due to activities undertaken by the households close to the forest areas, but also due to raw material collected for the use of the cellulose and paper factory, and later on due to activities undertaken by various groups of private businessmen and illegal tree fellers. Sadly, Tarzan and Jane would no longer have a place to hide in these forests. Additionally, even the stuntmen are no longer around; most or all of them have left the villages and moved to the centre of the country, or all around the globe. They are now pale, that they could only act in westerns. However, they couldn't even make it there because there are too many cowboy films nowadays"!

Source: www.svacudacrnegore.com (Sva Cuda Crne Gore- All Wonders of Montenegro)

Written by Milija Pajkovic

“All Wonders of Montenegro” project has been initiated by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism with the aim of renewing interest in tourist locations in the country, and completing their digitalization.

February 25, 2019 - Orahovac is a place in Kotor Bay, which stretches from the village of Ljuta to Perast. The name of the site is first mentioned in the 15th century. Like most settlements along the Bokelian coast, and Orahovac exists as Gornji (upper) and Donji (lower) - the first was formed the settlement in the hinterland, and later the urban area along the coast. Today, it is just the coastal part of Orahovac - the center of the settlement and the village Drazin Vrt, what we read in the area, while most of the upper settlement is left behind preserving only the outlines of the former cultural landscape. Our host in Orahovac is Professor Dr. Ilija Lalosevic, an architect.

"At the time of Old Zeta, Orahovac was the principal and included Donji Orahovac, Drazin Vrt and Glogovac, if we are talking about the seafront. Orahovac once belonged to the Perast municipality, and we know that Glogovac was part of it, by notary records from the Venetian period. As far as Gornji Orahovac is concerned, we have a whole range of hamlets - the Velje Selo, the largest, then the Kljavici, Jezevici, Ubalac and Velinici. What we see today along the shore is therefore only a small part of the settlement territory, which inland goes all the way to Krivosije, and in one part even borders with the Municipality of Niksic and the Municipality of Cetinje - the villages of Grahovo, Zalazi and Cuce. Of course, the older settlement is Gornji Orahovac. Along the coast, as well as in other parts of the Boka Bay, such as the Stoliv or Prcanj, at first were just objects related to sea activities, while the majority of the villages were in the background," explains Professor Lalosevic.

Copyright: www.dan.co.me

From 1482 to 1684 Orahovac was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. It was freed along with Risan and other places under Turkish rule, up to Kumbor. "At that time, the inhabitants began to be more involved in maritime and commerce, which meant the spread of settlements along the coast. Although Orahovac in the past was primarily perceived as a settlement of farmers and fishers, it was significant in the maritime sector and especially in the trade. Because of the connection to the hinterland, this place was the door of Montenegro to the sea - the area of Cuce gravitated to Orahovac. Therefore, after liberation from the Turks in the 17th century, beside Kotor and Risan, the one in Orahovac was the third market in Kotor Bay. For this purpose, the whole network of paths has been made, as evidenced by the documents available in the Historical Archive in Kotor," explains architect Ilija Lalosevic.

Orahovac is today one of the few places along the coast of the Boka Bay where you can still feel the authentic culture of life. The reason for this, above all, lies in the fact that the cultural landscape along the coast is still quite well preserved of the pressures of excessive and inadequate urbanization. "In comparison with other places in Boka, we can say that Orahovac is well preserved, especially part along the coast with old, stone houses. After the earthquake in 1979, some buildings were built that are not very close to the ambience, but the town mostly preserved the character and urban matrix, characterized by smaller buildings and a lot of greenery. The relationship with the coast, the sea, the Mandraci has been preserved, we have kept the beaches. We have a tourist resort that we did not want, against which the locals even managed to compete at the session of Kotor Municipality in the 1990s, but it was subsequently built. It is the Synthesis Complex, which, as we would say, is seen from the plane. We have several dense urban angulations that are not in the character of the matrix, but it is still negligible when we look at what has happened in the area of Dobrota, Kostanjica or Prčanj."

Gornji Orahovac is almost completely abandoned today. "According to some data, Orahovac had almost 1,000 inhabitants in its "golden age", in the middle of the 19th century. The village was very populated; each household had about ten members, especially in the largest hamlet of Velje Selo, which had thirty houses. Gornji Orahovac became abandoned after the Second World War when emigration took place. Today there are no permanent residents, and part of the houses is preserved only in Ubalac settlement, to which, thanks to the efforts of the locals who are still returning to the hinterland, especially the teacher Mr. Abramovich, a road was made. This route comes from the hinterland of Risan, from the locality of Kalacka Voda. To other villages of Gornji Orahovac, there are no roads, and they are abandoned completely thirty years ago," says Professor Ilija Lalosevic.

Today, Gornji Orahovac is known primarily as a popular destination for alternative tourism, hiking, and mountain-climbing, which brings us to the sad fact that this part of Boka Bay has met more tourists than residents. "There are plenty of domestic and foreign guests, as well as my colleagues, who visit Gornji Orahovac, primarily within walking and hiking trails. I was there last time in 2005 when we prepared the exhibition "Orahovac - a village on our conscience" realized by Jadran Art from Perast and the former Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. Except for the needs of this exhibition, some ethnologists from the University of Belgrade were also involved in the research. While we were engaged in the Regional Institute, colleague Aleksandra Kapetanovic and I started work on collecting materials - shooting old houses, after which the rural architecture of Gornji Orahovac was not deeper studied," Lalosevic explained.

In anticipation of some better times for the legacy in the hinterland, and Orahovac, as well as other places along the coast, today mostly lives from tourism. However, the site has managed to preserve a part of earlier economic activities. "We in Orahovac still have fishers who are engaged in fishing in the old, traditional way. Agriculture, because of the terrain configuration, has never been specially developed but we're cattle breeding. Unfortunately, this activity is dead. As far as tourism is concerned, Orahovac is not a place that characterizes masses. The capacity is primarily directed towards family tourism, which is why Orahovac attracts guests seeking peace and rest and the true meaning of that word. Along the coast, we have several wonderful beach bars, which are embedded in the ambience and are characterized by a lot of greenery. I think peace and harmony are what attracts tourists to Orahovac. Earlier, most of our guests come from Belgrade and Novi Sad, and now most of our guests come from Western Europe, Germany, and France," says our host in Orahovac, architect Ilija Lalosevic.

The church of St. George on the rock Stanac, Copyright: Portal Beogradska Nedelja

When it comes to the cultural heritage, the most important monument of Orahovac is the church of St. George. Its architecture is not impressive, but its position. It is located on the great natural rock of Stanac. The chapel on the site of today's church altar dates from the 13th century, while the rest of today’s church was erected in the 19th century.

Today, in Orahovac you can visit the Bajova kula tower, a place where the famous Montenegrin warrior Bajo Pivljanin once operated. You can opt for one of the hiking trips in the hinterland, or enjoy the pleasant seafront ambiance, with friendly hosts and hard working fishers who continue to sail on the wooden boats, using the fishing tools of their grandparents.

24 February 2019 - Tour Guide Association of Montenegro visited Nikšić yesterday to officially celebrate the International Day of Tour Guides. 50 of them had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with cultural and historical monuments, the most representative facilities and tourism potential of the town at the foot of Trebjesa.

“We hope that this visit will make a very positive impact on our municipality and that we will enhance tourist visits. We also hope that we will improve the quality of the tourism offer of Nikšić since it is, as many people think, the neglected destination on the tourism map of Montenegro,” said the tour guide and a representative of the Association, Miljan Mijušković.

Deputy president of the Municipality of Nikšić, Sonja Nikčević, pointed out that this city “still has not found the place it deserves on the tourism map of Montenegro”.

“Your arrival will help reinforce the story of Nikšić as being tourism town, with all its attributes that we are going to develop further. I am one of those who think that Montenegro has a unique address in tourism and, in that sense, I believe that Nikšić is one of its pearls, about to find the place it deserves,” said Nikčević.

Today, thanks to the improved transport infrastructure, the importance of the town at the foot of Trebjesa is significantly higher. In addition to that, the hotel industry gives its contribution as well. As far as tourism offer is concerned, this city has a lot of things to be proud of. Beautiful nature and cultural and historical monuments in the first place.

“Let’s just mention Crvena stijena, Roman bridge dating from the 3^rd century, Carev most, (the Emperor’s Bridge), the castle… Everybody is amazed at the nature Nikšić offers,” said Nikčević.

Local administration will keep working hard on improving the tourism offer of this beautiful town and its adequate positioning and categorization.

Experience of the representatives of the Association shows that, so far, Nikšić barely existed in the tourism programs.

“We pass through Nikšić when we go rafting or canyoning. After this visit, the story about Nikšić will definitely become richer,” concluded tour guide from Budva, Darinka Grloman.

Source: Cafe del Montenegro

24 February 2019 - Connections from Barcelona to the Balkans are becoming even more diverse as Ryanair launches a new route to Podgorica in June 2019.

Montenegrin Airports have invested enormous effort in order to establish the direct Podgorica - Barcelona line, bearing in mind the fact that the Pyrenees peninsula is one of the most significant markets in Europe.

Danilo Orlandić, Montenegro Airports’ executive director, started negotiations for the establishment of the aforementioned airline at a meeting within European Aviation Forum, Connect 2018.

"As I said earlier, we took a proactive approach and established contact with companies within markets that we think are not open enough. One of the most important markets is the Pyrenees peninsula and having in mind all factors, we decided to do everything to establish the direct line Podgorica - Barcelona," Orlandić told CdM.

The European Aviation Forum, Connect 2018 gathered more than 500 representatives of 65 airline companies and 250 airports who visited Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi to discuss aviation challenges. During the three days of the Forum, the delegates of air companies including Royal Dutch Airlines, Gulf Air, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Ukraine International Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and many others have discussed existing and expected challenges in the field of air traffic, and have provided grounds for cooperation between airlines and airports for new flights.

As CdM reports, according to the agreements established at Connect Forum and further negotiations, the direct airline Podgorica-Barcelona will be established from June 2019. Flights will be organised once a week and from October two times a week.

The Podgorica - Barcelona airline will be run by low-cost company Ryanair, with which Montenegrin Airlines has already reached an agreement. Previously during the Forum, MA also negotiated with companies Vueling and Iberia.

As CdM learns, the significance of this line is enormous, as Podgorica Airport will be the only airport in the region that will be connected to Barcelona throughout the year. Other airports have seasonal lines with the capital of Catalonia, so Podgorica will be the point of uniting this part of Europe with Barcelona outside the season.

This is the first direct airline linking Montenegro and Spain.