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Lovćen ( cyrl, Ловћен, ) is a mountain and
national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
in southwestern
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...
. It is the inspiration behind the names ''Montenegro'' and ''Crna Gora'', both of which mean "Black Mountain" and refer to the appearance of Mount Lovćen when covered in dense forests. The name ''Crna Gora'' was first mentioned in a charter issued by
Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&nd ...
in 1276 and was used for several regions across medieval Serbian lands, including
Skopska Crna Gora tr, Karadağ, italics=no , photo = Skopska Crna Gora-MKD.JPG , photo_caption = , photo_size = 250 , highest = Ramno , elevation_m = 1651 , elevation_ref = , prominence_m = , prominence_ref = , listing = , location = North Macedonia ...
and Užička Crna Gora. Mount Lovćen rises from the borders of the Adriatic basin, closing the long and twisting bays of
Boka Kotorska The Bay of Kotor ( Montenegrin and Serbian: , Italian: ), also known as the Boka, is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated around the bay. It is also the southernmost part of the hi ...
and making the hinterland to the coastal town of
Kotor Kotor ( Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative ...
. The mountain has two imposing peaks, ''Štirovnik''; and ''Jezerski vrh''; . The mountain slopes are rocky, with numerous fissures, pits and deep depressions giving its scenery a specific look. Lovćen stands on the border between two completely different natural wholes, the sea and the mainland, and so it is under the influence of both climates. The specific connection of the life conditions has caused the development of the different biological systems. There are 1,158 plant species on Lovćen, four of which are endemic.


National park

The national park encompasses the central and the highest part of the mountain massif and covers an area of . It was proclaimed a national park in 1952. Besides Lovćen's natural features, the significant historical, cultural and architectural heritage of the area are protected by the national park. The area has numerous elements of national construction. The old houses and village ''guvna'' are authentic as well as the cottages in ''katuns'', summer settlements of cattlebreeders. A particular architectural relic worth mentioning is the road, winding uphill from
Kotor Kotor ( Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative ...
to the village of
Njeguši Njeguši ( cnr, Његуши) is a village in the Cetinje Municipality of southern Montenegro, located on the slopes of Mount Lovćen, within the Lovćen national park. It is part of the territory of Njeguši tribe. Demographics According to th ...
, the birthplace of Montenegro's royal family, the House of Petrović.


Great War

Upon the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, Montenegro was the first nation to come to
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
's aid, and Nicholas I of Montenegro ordered his army, on August 8, 1914, to commence operations against the Austro-Hungarian naval base in the
Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( Montenegrin and Serbian: , Italian: ), also known as the Boka, is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated around the bay. It is also the southernmost part of the hi ...
, the Austro-Hungarian
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
's southernmost base in the
Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...
. It was just across the border from Mount Lovćen where the army had placed several batteries of artillery, and on the same day, Montenegrin guns commenced firing on Austro-Hungarian fortifications. The forts of Kotor and the old armoured cruiser SMS ''Kaiser Karl VI'' returned the fire, aided by reconnaissance from navy seaplanes. However, on September 13, Austrian-Hungarian reinforcements arrived from Pola, in the form of three active pre-
dreadnought The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...
battleships, the SMS ''Monarch'', SMS ''Wien'', and SMS ''Budapest''. They outgunned the Montenegrins, who nevertheless put up a fight for several weeks, with artillery duels almost daily. With the entry of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
into the war, the French realised that the capture of Kotor might be beneficial to their own navy and so landed an artillery detachment of four and four naval guns under the command of Capitaine de frégate Grellier, at
Antivari Bar (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and Serbian language, Serbian: Бар, ; sq, Tivar; it, Antivari or ''Antibari'') is a coastal town and seaport in southern Montenegro. It is the capital of the Bar Municipality and a center for tourism ...
, on September 18–19. It took Grellier a month to move his guns inland but eventually his batteries were set up and positioned in fortifications on the south side of Mount Lovćen. On October 19, the French guns opened fire. The Austro-Hungarians called for reinforcements and on October 21, Admiral Anton Haus despatched the modern battleship SMS ''Radetzky''. With a broadside of four guns and four guns, the ''Radetsky'' would tip the balance. Naval seaplanes had been busy taking photographs and mapping accurate positions, and at 16:27, on October 22, the battleships all opened fire. ''Radetsky'' made a number of direct hits on the guns and fortified positions on the mountain and on October 24, one of the French guns was completely knocked out. On October 26, the ''Radetsky'' opened fire before sunrise, catching the French and Montenegrins offguard, and a number of batteries and fortifications were destroyed during what was a heavy bombardment, including another French gun. By 10:00, Allied firing from Mount Lovćen had ceased. The following day the ''Radetsky'' repositioned closer to the shore and blasted the Allied positions further. Grellier conceded defeat and pulled out his remaining saveable guns. Likewise, the Montenegrins abandoned their fortifications. By November, the French High Command decided to give up its campaign to neutralize and capture Cattaro, and the ''Radetzky'' returned to Pola on December 16.Noppen, Ryan & Wright, Paul, ''Austro-Hungarian Battleships 1914-18'', Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2012, pps:28-30. In early January 1916, the Austro-Hungarian army launched an offensive into Montenegro, and the battleship ''Budapest'' was again used to assist the troops against Lovćen's renewed defences to such good effect that on the 10th, the Austro-Hungarian troops took the Lovćen Pass and the adjacent heights, where the French guns had previously been. The bombardment of Mount Lovćen played a decisive role in breaking the morale of the defenders of the mountain, and the Montenegrins requested an
armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
two days later.


Mausoleum

The biggest and most important monument of Lovćen national park is Petar Petrović Njegoš's Mausoleum constructed in 1971. The location for his burial place and the mausoleum at the summit of ''Jezerski vrh'' was chosen by Njegoš himself as his last wish.


See also

* Lovćenac, a village in the
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...
named after the mountain by an influx of
Montenegrins Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Genetics Accordi ...


References


External links


Lovćen National Park Information and Pictures.

Official Website of Lovćen National Park

Lovćen Mountain National Park

A list of Montenegrin royal burials with pictures of Mt Lovćen Mausoleum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovcen Mountains of Montenegro National parks of Montenegro National symbols of Montenegro Cetinje