Presentation/lecture on dry stone walling in Montenegro

On February 16, 2022 a workshop on DRY STONE WALLING – HERITAGE AND TOURISM was organized by the Faculty of Tourism, University of the Mediterranean Podgorica, within the ERASMUS + project BKSTONE (https://bkstoneproject.com/), which includes UNI together with 14 other HEI institutions from Europe. The lecture was given by archaeologist Željko Starčević, employed at the Orjen Nature Park in Herceg Novi. As a true enthusiast, Željko brought a stone and demonstrated the technique of building a dry stone walling.

In addition to students and teaching staff, the workshop was attended by representatives of partners in the destination, National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro (https://www.montenegro.travel/) and Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro (https://www.privrednakomora.me/), who as stakeholders will include the BKSTONE project in the promotion and animation of  entrepreneurs engaged in stone extraction and processing.

The technique of building on Dry Stone Walling, today has a cultural dimension. Once a rural infrastructure important for livestock and agriculture, Europe is experiencing new public attention through tourism. Dry Stone Walling  is becoming interesting for alternative tourist itineraries and the organization of volunteer workshops, because the motive for the arrival of tourists is not a hotel, but the experience and content of the destination. Dry Stone Walling as an indispensable part of the traditional anthropogenic landscape are important for the recognizability of Montenegro in the cultural sense. We hope that the promotion of the BKSTONE project will contribute to the beginning of revitalization and the need to protect these inherited cultural heritage in Montenegro.