If you want to know something about the rich, cultural and historical heri- tage of Montenegro, as well as see its natural beauties, you should go on the Montenegro Tour. We travel by bus from the coast and over the mountain, enjoying the beautiful si- ght of the coast and nice scenery, to the old capital of Montenegro, Cetinje.

Cetinje is the religious center of Montenegro and its capital from 15th to mid 20th century. Today Cetinje is the official capital of Montenegro (Po- dgorica is the administrative capital). It is positioned in a valley bellow mo- unt Lovchen. Cetinje represented the center and symbol of Montenegrin struggle for freedom for centuries. The genesis of Cetinje was caused by historical-political, as well as social-economical circumstances of the 15th century. The conquering campaigns of Ottoman Turks forced the (in those days) ruler of Zeta (previous name of Montenegro), Ivan Crnojevich, to move his capital from fortified town of Zabljak (in Zeta valley) to less approachable terrain – first to Obod (in 1475), and then even deeper into the mountains, at the foothill of mountain Lovchen. Ivan Crnojevich built a court for himself in Cetinje field (valley), in 1482. Two years later, he built the now famous monastery. By building of the court and monastery, the new capital was formed, and it was named after the small river, called Cetina, that ran through Cetinje valley in those times. Ivan Crnojevich also moved the residence of Zeta’s archbishop to the newly built monastery.

Thus, Cetinje became not just the secular, but also the religious /spi- ritual center, in which Ivan’s son, Djurdje Crnojevich, has founded the first cyrillic printing office in Slavic south (nowadays known as the Cr- nojevich’s printing firm). That printi- ng office was founded only 38 years after Gutenberg has invented the printing process. The office worked in Cetinje from 1492 till 1496. In the foothill of Orlov Krs, on the place where previously the court of Ivan Crnojevich was positioned, bishop Danilo built a monastery in 1701. He used architectural elements from the previously destroyed Crnojevich’s court to build the monastery. The core of the mona- stery complex is a church of rather small dimensions, dedicated to the birth of the Mother of God, with an iconostasis from mid 19th century, made by Greek masters. In the south part of the complex, coffin with the remains of St. Peter of Cetinje is being kept, while closer to the entrance to the monastery one can found graves of duke Danilo and grand duke Mirko Petrovich, father of king Nikola I. One of the greatest sacred things of Christianity, the hand of St. John the Baptist, is also being kept in the monastery. The Monastery’s museum is the most important museum institution of its kind in Montenegro, when talking about wealth and diversity of exhibits. The Cetinje Monastery nowadays represents the symbol of Montenegrin spirituality, freedom and educational enlightenment.

Lovcen is a mountain and national park in southwestern Montenegro and it  has two imposing peaks, Sti- rovnik (1,749 m) and Jezerski vrh (1,657 m).The mountain slopes are rocky, with numerous fissures, pits and deep depressions giving its scenery a specific look. Standing on the border between two completely different natural wholes, the sea and the mainland, Lovcen is under the influence of both climates. The specific connection of the life conditions has stipulated the development of the different biological systems. There are 1158 plant species on Lovcen, out of which four are endemic. The biggest and most important monument of Lovcen national park is Njegos”s Mausoleum. The location for his burial place and the mausoleum at the summit of Jezerski vrh was chosen by Njegos himself as his last wish. However, Njegos”s express wish was to be buried in a small chapel which he had built in his lifetime. This was done, but the original chapel was destroyed when the Austro-Hungarian army invaded Montenegro. Njegos”s remains were then transferred into Cetinje Monastery and buried in the chapel rebuilt by King Alexander in 1920 s. Contrary to Njegos”s express wishes to be buried in that chapel, the then communist powers of Montenegro destroyed the chapel and built in its stead a monumental mausoleum in Viennese Secession style. The local Bishopric (Mitropolija) of the Serbian Orthodox Church opposed the destruction and even took the matter to the Constitutional Court, albeit with no success. The design was that of Ivan Mestrović who, although world-famous, had never set foot on Lovcen.

Njegusi  is a village in southern Mo- ntenegro, within Cetinje municipa- lity. It is located on the slopes of Mount Lovcen, within Lovcen natio- nal park. This village is best known as birth place of Montenegro”s royal dynasty of Petrovic, which ruled Montenegro from 1696 to 1918, as well as everyday office supreme temporal power in Montenegro, Gubernadur, from one of the oldest families in Njegusi-Radonjic, which ruled from Montenegro , first to the Supreme serdar Stano of the 1520th and even earlier (the days of the family Crnojevic), as of a later gubernadurs of the 1756th year, to 1832. year. Village is also significant for its well-preserved traditional folk architecture. Njeguski sir and Njeguski pršut (local forms of cheese and prosciutto, respectively), made solely in area around Njeguši, are genuine contributions to Montenegrin cuisine.

The package includes a flight (Friday-Sunday), Accommodation in Podgorica 2 nights at the Hotel Laguna (3 *) and a dayly trip to Cetinje, Monastery of Cetinje, Ivanova korita and a village of Njegusi. Starts from CHF 339.00. For this package a minimum of 2 people is required.