The Kotor Fortress will be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, it was confirmed today at the 41st session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which is being held in Krakow.
In addition to the fortress in Kotor, the list also included the fortified cities of Bergamo, Peskijera del Garda and Palmanova from Italy, the defense system of Zadar and the fortress of St. Nikola in Šibenik, from Croatia.
"The committee gave recommendations to Montenegro, Italy and Croatia regarding the necessity of preparing HIA (Heritage Impact Assessment) for all development projects; the necessity of informing the World Heritage Center about all projects that may affect outstanding, universal value; adoption and implementation management plans; preparation and implementation of the Tourism Capacity Development Study; preparation of a cross-border conservation strategy for this cultural asset based on specialist expertise in the field of Venetian fortifications, and monitoring of all activities through the activities of the International Coordinating Body. When it comes to Kotor, it is especially recommended to revise and change the boundaries of the protected environment so that a part of the sea is included, in order to improve the further valorization of the cultural property. In particular, it was requested to continue efforts to solve the problem of urban development in Kotor, which needs to be treated separately through the HIA.", it is stated in announcement of the Ministry of Culture.
In addition to Herceg Novi, for which the procedure for fulfilling requests in accordance with ICOMOS recommendations will soon be launched, in order to be included in this registration in the following period, Montenegro also applied for Ulcinj.
"The findings of UNESCO experts indicate that the Venetian layer in Ulcinj has not been preserved to the extent of confirming its authenticity and integrity, however, as this cultural asset has indisputable cultural values that indicate the complexity of cultural influences that have left their mark on Ucinj, its status will be the subject of special attention in cooperation between the Municipality of Ulcinj and the Ministry of Culture," the statement added.
Montenegro was represented at the 41st session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Krakow by: Dragica Ponorac, Ambassador of Montenegro to France at UNESCO, Aleksandar Dajković, Director General of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, prof. Dr. Ilija Lalošević, contact person for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and Milica Nikolić, general secretary of the Montenegrin National Commission for UNESCO.
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