The heart of Lovcen. That, in short, is the location where the resort on Ivan's beds is located, and other facilities managed by the Public Institution "Lovćen-Bečići". The guests staying there, as soon as they leave the accommodation, are shown markings that lead them further through the hiking trails.
According to "Vijesti" director Dušan Kaluđerović, the well-maintained paths lead to all the peaks and viewpoints of the Lovčen massif, to Jezerski Vrh and Njegoš Mausoleum, and only a few hours' walk leads to the Old Town in Kotor, the center of Cetinje, or the beaches.
Part of the facilities of the "Lovćen-Bečići" JU operates throughout the year. Others are sometimes late in opening, because there are not enough people interested to work, especially in the kitchen...
On May 13, "Vijesti" toured the facilities managed by the "Lovćen-Bečići" PU. On that day, the landscaped green areas in front of the resort were full of children, with children and their entourage, teachers, a journalist and a photojournalist passing by in the resort facility as they entered and left the rooms, ready to go down to the dining room for lunch.
"On the day of the visit, the users of the services of the Recreational and Educational Center 'Lovćen', better known as the 'children's resort on Ivan's beds', were 145 students of the Elementary School 'Mexico' from Bar, as part of the realization of the School in Nature program. In addition to providing accommodation, food and recreation services, the children's resort offers the possibility of organizing meals for educational institutions, travel agencies and numerous other organizations that decide to organize one-day trips to the National Park 'Lovćen'. In this regard, on the day of the visit to 'Vijesti', we had an additional 300 students from the territory of Nikšić and Podgorica, who decided to spend the day at Ivan's beds", said Kaluđerović.
Full all year round
As he added, May and the first half of June are reserved for the implementation of the school in nature program, when the "Lovćen-Bečići" PU will host elementary school students from the territory of Bar, Herceg Novi and Podgorica.
The summer, he adds, is reserved for providing services to beneficiaries of material security and children who are placed in institutions or in family accommodation, but also for numerous scientific, sports, cultural and non-governmental organizations, which traditionally organize summer schools and camps on Ivan's beds.
And after the school holidays are over, the children's resort in Rafailovići, which is also managed by the "Lovćen-Bečići" PU, will start working.
Their users are also centers for social work and other institutions, and they, says Kaluđerović, have already been informed of their summer vacation dates. According to Kaluđerović, although all the capacities of the two resorts are available to those users, a slight decline in the number of users has been evident in recent years.
"In this regard, and at the initiative of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, two meetings were held during the current year on the topic of cooperation between institutions and centers for social work, in order to further encourage users who have the right to use services in children's resorts". he said.
In addition to the resort on Ivan's Corridor and the resort in Rafailovići, JU "Lovćen - Bečići" also manages the hotel "Ivan's Konak" and the "Palac" branch office, which are located on Ivan's Corridor.
Those facilities, says Kaluđerović, open their doors to all individual guests during the summer months.
Speaking about the occupancy of the facilities, he said that the children's resort at Ivan's Koriti is open and full throughout the year.
"If the opportunity arises, we reserve September for the annual vacations of the employees in that facility, while in the rest of the time various activities are carried out, from educational programs, through nature schools, summer and winter holidays for children to the organization of numerous camps, seminars and workshops," he said. .
Guests from Western Europe like to stay in Lovcen
Other facilities managed by the Institution, Kaluđerović explains, due to the specifics of the location, and from the aspect of profitability, operate seasonally - the children's resort in Rafailovići operates in the period June - September, the hotel "Ivanov Konak" with the annex "Palac" operate in the period May - October. "Lovćen-Bečići" JU on Ivan's beds also has a cafe-pizzeria "Kraljicin vrt", which is open all year round, but that, says Kaluđerović, largely depends on the available workforce.
The "Palac" branch is the former summer home of King Nikola and his family. "Ivanov Konak" was opened at the end of 2007.
Although children up to the age of 14 are their main guests - in accordance with the activity performed by the "Lovćen - Bečići" PU, in the facilities where catering is performed, their guests, says Kaluđerović, are also numerous tourists from Western European countries, but almost all visitors of NP "Lovćen".
Apart from the fact that the facilities they are staying in are located "in the heart of Lovcen", guests who stay at Ivan's Korite have a children's playground, sports fields, a summer stage, an adventure park...
"Apart from the location itself, which in itself is the greatest asset that our guests enjoy, they have at their disposal two tennis courts, a court for basketball and handball, as well as a football field. The summer stage is a special attraction, and it is mainly used by participants of organizations that are our traditional guests, for the purposes of numerous promotions and realization of various themed evenings. For the youngest, on warm summer evenings, it is the most beautiful location for organizing outdoor parties," says Kaluđerović.
The adventure park is located in the immediate vicinity of the resort, it does not belong to JU, but the Institution and the employees of the Park have been cooperating for years, so, says Kaluđerović, a discount on the price of their services is also provided for the users of the children's resort.
The resort and other facilities in Lovcen are located "in the heart of Lovcen". Guests literally leave the accommodation and find markings that lead them to the surrounding peaks and other locations.
"The children's resort on Ivan's beds, together with other facilities managed by the Lovćen-Bečići Public Administration, is located on the route of the Primorsko-Mountain transfer center 'Orjen - Lovćen - Rumija', so it can be rightly said that the paths to all the peaks and viewpoints of the hunting massif begin right in front of the resort building itself. From the most popular trail to Jezerski vrh and Njegoš's mausoleum, to the most beautiful viewpoint - Baba's head, there are a large number of trails that are adapted to people of different fitness levels, which represents the special attractiveness of the Lovćen mountain. The paths to the most beautiful Lovcen peaks lead through dense beech forests and are on average between seven and 10 kilometers long," says Kaluđerović, who is a mountaineer himself.
As he added, from the well-maintained trails of Ivan's River, you can reach Kotor's Old Town, the center of Cetinje, or the most beautiful beaches of the Budva Riviera in just a few hours.
Ivan's beds are the starting point for the Lovcen mountain marathon, which has been organized several times over the past years. Other events are also organized at Ivan's beds - "Tea Party on Lovćen", an event that brings together all those who want to know about the rich flora of the "Lovćen" National Park, the Mountain Festival...
"Our institution, through the provision of its services, aims, among other things, to promote the values that NP 'Lovćen' provides, so we try to acquaint our users with the history of our country, considering that a significant part of history was created precisely in the Podlovćen region. As the locality of Ivan's Korita itself is extremely grateful for the organization of numerous competitive activities in nature, obstacle races have been organized in recent years, the popularity of which is growing every day", says Kaluđerović.
During the period of holding such events, he adds, they record an increase in the number of guests in all facilities. During the organization of the events, the "Lovćen - Bečići" PU also provides some logistical assistance to the organizers, which establishes mutual cooperation to the satisfaction of all.
With the cable car, Ivan's troughs are even more desirable for vacation
The cable car "Kotor - Lovćen" with the exit station Kuk is less than seven kilometers away from the facilities of the PU "Lovćen - Bečići", says the director of that PU, which further increased the number of guests on the territory of the National Park.
"Which in any case has a positive effect on the business of our institution. All our guests have access to information about the distance of the location where the cable car is located so that they can enjoy a unique view of the Montenegrin coast. "If the construction of the cable car towards Ivan's troughs and further towards Lovcen continues in the coming years, Ivan's troughs will become one of the most desirable places for vacation," he says.
A mountain lodge would complete the offer
Kaluđerović is a mountaineer and nature lover. He says that the "Lovćen" National Park abounds in numerous natural resources that attract the curiosity of scientists and all nature lovers, but that, in addition to the many well-maintained hiking trails and those that still need to be arranged and adapted for safe use, the Lovćen mountain lacks a mountain lodge in comparison to homes on the mountains. Western Europe.
"Despite the existence of a building that once had such a purpose, the state's negligence, lack of financial resources and the lack of interest of the local community led to the fact that one of the most beautiful buildings in the Lovćen massif is not being used. From the aspect of mountaineering, the full meaning of the Lovćen National Park would be given by the reconstruction of the old mountain lodge," he said.
When asked if the PU "Lovćen - Bečići" cooperates with local producers for the procurement of foodstuffs, he said that they are not in a position to do so, because all procurement is carried out through tender procedures.
"Nevertheless, despite this, our institution cherishes the principles of a socially responsible company, so in the last two years we have tried to help the local community through numerous donations. We continuously hold sports and cultural events, and among the most significant and beautiful donations are the purchase of two EKG machines for the JZU Dom zdravlja Cetinje, the equipping of the IT room at the 'Njegoš' Elementary School in Cetinje and the equipping of the gymnasium at the 'Šunjo Pešikan' Primary School in Trešnjevo. With this, we strive to create better conditions for the education of young generations and better conditions for providing health care to the entire community", said Kaluđerović.
New roof and windows in mid-October
The children's resort on Lovcen will be closed from mid-August to mid-October, when the roof reconstruction work is planned.
"In cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, and in accordance with the Law on the Budget for 2024, funds have been allocated that will be used for the adaptation of the roof and facade of the children's resort facility. The tender procedure is ongoing and we hope that by the end of the current month we will choose a contractor for the works, whose start is planned in the second half of August," said Kaluđerović.
The adaptation project includes adaptation of the roof and facade, replacement of skylights and installation of heating in the flat parts of the roof.
Kaluđerović said that they expect that after the works are completed, the long-standing problem with the penetration of atmospheric water in certain parts of the building will be solved, and thus "valid conditions for better quality work on the interior" will be obtained. After those works, as he said, the plan is to carry out works on the water supply and sewerage network in phases, which will be followed by numerous works on the decoration of the entire interior and contents of the building itself.
School in nature for two nights 100 euros
"Vijesti" has repeatedly written about the organization of schools in nature, where students are mostly sent to private accommodation. The Ministry of Education said earlier that schools in nature are not their responsibility.
Children's resort on Ivan's beds, that is, "Lovćen-Bečići" PU, appears as a provider that can provide accommodation for children.
According to Kaluđerović, for 2024, their price was 100 euros for two pensions, 125 euros for three, 155 for four pensions, while the price for five pensions is up to 175 euros.
The price includes transportation of users from and to the place of residence, food and accommodation for users, all-day medical supervision for all users and an animation program.
Kaluđerović said that, traditionally, elementary schools from Podgorica and coastal municipalities choose the mountain, while schools from the north choose the Montenegrin coast for the implementation of activities of this type.
There is no one to work in the kitchen
There are 25 employees with an indefinite contract at the "Lovćen-Bečići" PU, while the contract with the others is signed as needed. During the summer season, when all facilities work, the collective has 100 employees, says Kaluđerović.
"The long-standing problem with the shortage of labor in the territory of the whole of Montenegro is also reflected in the work processes in our institution, so it happens that certain catering facilities are not opened on time. "The key problem is the kitchen staff, who are in short supply on the labor market," he said.
As he added, wages in the "Lovćen - Bečići" PU are aligned with the Branch collective agreement for social activities, so they are significantly different from the wages offered in the field of tourism.
"In this regard, it is necessary to think in the direction of defining the legal status of the Institution, so that, through that process, the business would be clearly demarcated into an activity of public interest and an activity that would deal with the provision of commercial services", said Kaluđerović.
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