Lovcen National Park

Lovćen rises between the Bay of Kotor and the old capital at Cetinje, a limestone massif that has carried symbolic weight in Montenegro out of all proportion to its size. On the Jezerski vrh summit at 1657 metres stands the mausoleum of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, prince-bishop and poet, designed by Ivan Meštrović and finished in 1974, reached by 461 steps through a tunnel. The view from the terrace runs over most of the country.

Background

Both Montenegro and Crna Gora, names meaning 'Black Mountain', were inspired by Lovćen and the dark look of its dense forests. Crna Gora first appears in a charter of Stefan Milutin from 1276. The higher of the two main peaks is Štirovnik at 1,749 m. The slopes are rocky karst of limestone and dolomite, cut by fissures, pits and deep hollows. Standing between the sea and the interior, the massif feels the influence of both climates, and 1,158 plant species grow here, two of them, Taraxacum validum and Cardamine montenegrina, endemic to Montenegro. The national park, declared in 1952, takes in the central and highest part of the massif over 62.20 square kilometres.

Source: Wikipedia, "Lovćen"

What's there

• The Njegos mausoleum - Mestrovic's monument on the summit, reached by 461 steps.
• The summit terrace - a view over the bay, the coast and much of the interior.
• The Kotor serpentine - the switchback road climbing from the bay.
• The karst landscape - bare limestone and dolines across the massif.

When to go

May to October; the roads are closed or difficult in winter snow. Mornings are clearest before haze builds. Summer weekends bring heavy traffic on the serpentine.

Things to know

The 461 steps to the mausoleum are steep and enclosed in a tunnel. The serpentine road from Kotor is narrow with severe drops and heavy summer traffic. Haze often limits the view.

Nearby

Njegusi is north, and Cetinje is northeast.

Key facts