The iconic mountain and national park behind the Bay of Kotor, cradle of Montenegrin identity.
Lovćen National Park
Lovćen National Park protects the central and highest portion of the Lovćen massif in southwestern Montenegro, a limestone and dolomite mountain range that rises sharply between the Adriatic coast and the interior highlands. Standing behind the coastal town of Kotor and enclosing the long, twisting bays of Boka Kotorska, the mountain has shaped not only the scenery of this part of the Adriatic but also the very name of the country: both Montenegro and its local-language form, Crna Gora, mean 'Black Mountain,' inspired by the dark appearance of Lovćen's densely forested slopes.
The park encompasses a classic Dinaric karst landscape of rocky slopes, fissures, pits, and deep depressions, supporting more than 1,100 plant species, two of which are endemic to Montenegro. The area's significance is as much cultural as natural. Lovćen is home to the Mausoleum of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš atop Jezerski vrh, the old royal village of Njeguši, traditional katun summer settlements, and the winding old road from Kotor that climbs through the massif. Proclaimed a national park in 1952, Lovćen remains one of the most symbolically important protected areas in the country.