Lovćen National Park

Lovćen National Park protects the Lovćen mountain massif in southwestern Montenegro, surrounding the historic town of Cetinje. The park is valued for steep karst ridges, dense pine and fir forest patches and high viewpoints over the coastal landscape.

Prominent within the park is the Njegoš Mausoleum near the summit, a monument to Montenegrin ruler and poet Petar II Petrović-Njegoš; visitors also come for hiking trails, scenic overlooks and mountain roads that access viewpoints looking toward the Bay of Kotor and the Adriatic. Trails vary in difficulty and some routes access the mausoleum by paved steps.

Lovćen has been a symbol of Montenegrin identity and contained defensive and religious sites for centuries; the modern national park status preserves natural and cultural features and routes used by visitors. The mausoleum project in the 20th century relocated and consolidated the memorial at the mountain top.

The park sits on the Lovćen massif immediately above the old royal capital Cetinje in southwestern Montenegro, a short drive inland from coastal towns such as Kotor and Budva; steep mountain roads connect the park to nearby towns and the Adriatic coast.

• Scenic viewpoints: The park protects the Lovćen massif and is prized for panoramic viewpoints that look over the Bay of Kotor and the surrounding Adriatic coast.
• National mausoleum: Contains the national mausoleum of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, a key historical monument and cultural symbol for Montenegro.

What to See #

• Njegoš Mausoleum: A mountaintop mausoleum housing the remains of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, completed and opened in its current form in 1974 and designed by sculptor Ivan Meštrović.