Montenegro explores the heritage and nature of Ostros

Montenegro Travel Massive gathered on 6th of April for an interactive, experiential & educational event in the area of Ostros.

This article was written by Bojana Sekulić, a member of Montenegro Travel Massive, and Interpret Europe Country Coordinator for Montenegro.

Bojana is a keen heritage enthusiast and supports tourism initiatives that help build sustainable communities. At the event, Bojana guided attendees using knowledge she acquired on the Interpret Europe Certified Interpretive Guide Training held in Elefsina, Greece, 25 Feb – 2 Mar 2019.

Getting to know Skadar Lake National Park

The community got together in the Skadar Lake National Park to learn about two innovations for Montenegrin tourism: heritage interpretation as a tool for social bridging and the new thematic trail that connects ancient and modern times in Ostros.

The participants were welcomed by co-organisors Kirsi Hyvaerinen and Slavica Vukčević at the Visitor Centre in Virpazar. Virpazar is a a village that most visitors to the National Park would find as a possible starting point for walks, cycling, or birdwatching trips. An educational, creative, and interactive walk in the village of Ostros would follow.

Walking along the trail that brings together “legends, love and life” in Ostros, the participants discovered first-hand how natural and cultural heritage interpretation results in long lasting impressions.

The group was surrounded by the mystic chestnut forests and the spirit of the ancient Kosara’s and Vladimir’s love story, over 1,000 years of history, traditional architecture, and St Vladimir’s cross that unites all three confessions of this area.

We demonstrated how interpreters are ambassadors of heritage – not just by talking facts, but by stepping into the shoes of the visitors and triggering creativity in many ways. Discussions along the trail followed, about the eternity of good deeds of saints and ordinary people, and how we can support our community today.

The event was full of unexpected impressions, featured by dialogue as a core value of heritage interpretation, ideas for new actions and feedback collaboratively painted by participants on canvas.

A community initiative

Around 20 tourism experts and heritage lovers got together to make new contacts, share ideas, knowledge and experience. The topic of interpretation, the cause of the National Park and Travel Massive was explained in the national TV RTCG´s morning program a few days before.

It was delightful that the locals Agron and Milaim, who live in the village, joined the group, showing the willingness of the community to take ownership of the trail, which is not yet signposted. It should fulfill the location-specific recommendations given in the project for all 5 National Parks (ʺDevelopment of Projects for Setting Up Thematic Trails in the National Parksʺ).

The five trail concepts were developed by the expert team of PRÁTTO Consulting in 2014-2015 and funded by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, for the Public Enterprise National Parks of Montenegro.

Thanks to our partners and sponsors

The Montenegrin national team of Interpret Europe provided nibbles and drinks for the first welcome gathering. At the end of the walking tour the tables were filled with authentic, delicious Skadar Lake area specialities, cooked by the skillful chefs of tavern Votra in the village of Ostros and sponsored by Montenegro Adventures DMC.

To and from the main site, the bus transportation with the company Gardašević was provided by PRÁTTO Consulting. All photos were taken by Igor Šuntić.

Cleaning up the trail

During the walk the participants joined the global movement #TrashTagChallenge – #TrashTagMontenegro and cleaned up the trail. Over 50 bags of trash were collected. The participants were willing to support the new citizens´ movement #OcistiME – with the petition to ban single-use plastic bags.

A next dedicated cleaning action is needed and will be organised with this initiative, helping to make Montenegro a better place to live and this beautiful region more competitive in the tourism scene.

The full-day event was a great chance to start with anchoring heritage interpretation at all levels of our community, raising awareness that natural and cultural heritage and their protection are key to our quality of life.

Thanks to Bojana for the write-up, and a big thank you to all members who attended and participated in the cultural heritage walk.

Follow Bojana on Travel Massive and join the Montenegro chapter to connect with the community and learn more about any future events.