The Minister of Culture and Media, Tamara Vujović, and the President of the Municipality of Herceg Novi, Stevan Katic, signed today a memorandum of cooperation on the implementation of the "SA CREATIVITY" project, which envisages the complete revitalization of the Španjola fortress by 2027 and the establishment of an international creative center, announced the Municipality of Herceg Novi. .
The announcement adds that it is about the Interreg IPA program South Adriatic 2021-2027, in which the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro is the host, and the project partners are the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro, the Ministry of Tourism of Albania, and the Italian regions of Puglia and Molise.
"The aim of the project is to protect the cultural property from further deterioration by putting it in a new, sustainable and contemporary function. After the reconstruction in the existing dimensions, the building will have capacities for residential stays of artists, creative entrepreneurs, development of creativity and creative industries, especially in the field of multimedia art , as well as applied sculpture, graphics and painting. The facility will have equipped exhibition, presentation and accommodation units, office space and a shared garden - a summer stage," the Herceg Novi Municipality said in a statement.
Vujović said that the signing of the memorandum is the first step in the implementation of the project.
The Municipality of Herceg Novi also said that the next steps have been defined so that one of the most beautiful fortresses could be revitalized and turned into a cultural hub.
Vujović said that in parallel with the archaeological research, the removal of the "hangar" area, the arrangement of the ramparts, the Ministry of Culture and Media will perform the necessary administrative procedures, phase the project and call for a tender for the first phase.
"We have the main project, estimate and estimate from 2021, which will be revised. In addition to about 1,6 million euros, which will be allocated to the project from the IPA, 600.000 euros have been allocated from the Ministry's budget for this purpose," said Vujović.
She pointed out that there is readiness and that everyone is aware of the importance of Spanjola for Herceg Novi and Montenegro.
"This is one of the first projects of revaluation and rehabilitation of fortification buildings so that they can be used for creative industries, cultural tourism and the like. What should happen by December 2027 is the complete reconstruction of Španjola, which will truly become a cultural, creative hub with places to accommodate artists, stages, studios and that in addition to the infrastructure, we are already thinking with the Municipality of Herceg Novi how to live 365 days a year one of the most beautiful, and certainly the fortress with the most beautiful view", concluded Vujović.
Katic said that for many years Herceg Novi has been waiting for the start of the revitalization project of the Španjola fortress, one of the most significant when it comes to cultural and historical monuments in that city.
"I am happy that we signed an agreement on how and in what way the revitalization of the fortress will be financed according to the project that was carried out in the previous period. Today, the steps have been defined as to how we will work together on this. We expect the works to start already in the fall. This is a big day for Herceg Novi because we are entering a project that has been expected for many years. I thank the Ministry of Culture and Media and all the people who presented this project, on which we will work together in order to have a completely revitalized Španjola fortress, which is one of the most important cultural objects, by 2027 in Herceg Novi," Katic said.
The press release states that during the working visit there was talk of joint cooperation at numerous Herzegovinian festivals with an emphasis on the Film Festival, which will be significantly improved this year, as well as the possibilities of supporting various cultural projects organized by institutions or individuals.
"There was also a tour of Španjola fortress after the meeting attended by the President of the Municipal Assembly of Herceg Novi Ivan Otović, the director of JUK Herceg fest Tatjana Ateljević, the director of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Dobrila Vlahović, the associate for capital projects Miloš Janković and adviser Milena Ražnatović", concludes in the announcement.
Bonus video:
