European Heritage Days are celebrated every September throughout Europe, under the patronage of the European Commission and the Council of Europe, through the organization of events at the local and national level, in accordance with a single theme chosen at the European level. Through this manifestation, thousands of events are organized every year in order to strengthen awareness of the common European heritage and the constant need for its protection. In Montenegro, the realization of this manifestation is carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Media, with the involvement of institutions and organizations from all over Montenegro.
The theme of the European Heritage Days 2025 was “Architectural Heritage: a window to the past, a door to the future”, with the aim of highlighting the rich diversity and wealth of all types of immovable cultural heritage that surround us. In Montenegro, a total of 40 programs were implemented in 15 municipalities, promoting architectural heritage – from historical buildings to contemporary architectural structures.
Within the European Heritage Days, katuns were also promoted as an important part of our architectural heritage. Representatives of the Regional Development Agency for Bjelasica, Komovi and Prokletije participated in two events and presented the katuns.
The Orjen Development and Protection Agency, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media, organized the event “Orjen Katuns – Architectural Heritage”, within which on 25 September 2025, a panel discussion “Orjen Katuns – Past and Future” was held in the village of Kameno. At the panel discussion, the situation of the katuns on Orjen and their future was discussed. The panel discussion was moderated by Željko Starčević, and the panelists were: Ivan Mališić from the Regional Development Agency for Bjelasica, Komovi and Prokletije; Dr. Veselin Luburić from the Public Institution National Parks of Montenegro; and Aleksandra Kapetanović from the NGO Expeditio, who is a collaborator for cultural heritage in the MED GIAHS project of the Regional Development Agency for Bjelasica, Komovi and Prokletije. It was emphasized that the katuns, during revitalization, must preserve their primary purpose related to livestock farming, while tourism, which is increasingly popular, is an additional benefit but must not become the main activity. In this sense, further harmonization of institutions and ministries from different sectors is needed, as they must provide tangible incentives for the realization of such a conceptualized eco-tourism offer that respects cultural heritage and enables synergistic engagement in traditional katun activities and tourism.
Organized by the Cultural Heritage Association NAPREDAK Gornja Lastva, on 26 September 2025 in Gornja Lastva, a professional gathering and discussion on vernacular architecture was held, within which an exhibition of drawings of traditional architecture created using the Vernadoc method by architect Jelena Pejković, dipl.ing.arch., was presented. Within the event, architect-conservator Aleksandra Kapetanović gave a presentation “Research of Katuns in Montenegro”, through which research activities and projects carried out in recent decades in Montenegro, which dealt with the very interesting and until now insufficiently addressed architectural heritage of katuns, were presented. Various research activities of the University of Montenegro and the Historical Institute, the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), as well as projects of the Regional Development Agency for Bjelasica, Komovi and Prokletije, were presented. The conducted research represents significant progress and must certainly continue, as it creates a basis for adequate protection of the architectural heritage of katuns.
