Cetinje has arrived in Kolašin - this is a frequent comment these days, after the facade of the Native Museum in that town was renovated.
Dark red or terra rossa on one of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in Kolasin, on Trg Boraca, beautified the city center, but also restored the authentic, completely forgotten appearance of the building, completed at the beginning of the last century.
And judging by the first "burgundy" facade, "Cetinje arrived in Kolašin" on January 1, 1906, when the first State building was inaugurated. The house, now the Museum, was purchased by the then Government of Montenegro on July 9, 1905 for 12.000 kroner from divisional officer Pavle Vujićić. Adaptation and renovation of the building was started immediately.
"The works started immediately after the public call was completed, and the best bidder was Risto Bojović, a contractor from Kolašin. The works were under strict control from Cetinje, and the material for the final works was ordered from Italy. In several documents from the State Archives in Cetinje, we have confirmation of these allegations, as well as the paint that was ordered and arrived in Kolašin via Kotor, Cetinje and Podgorica", Branislav Jeknić, director of the Culture Center, told "Vijesti" it is part of the Museum.
It was he who insisted that terra rossa be returned back to Kolašin. He says that he found information in the archives that "locksmithing and lighting were ordered for the needs of the State House almost 120 years ago."
"I am sending you here as an attachment a policy for some red earth (color) 'terra rossa' that we ordered in Trieste. Please send this to us with the rest of the order if you haven't sent it already. Go to Minister Mijušković and ask him to order that they send 500 kg of cement to the regional administration in Kolašin for the repairs of the state house in Kolašin, at the expense of commander Pavle Vujisić, which I informed the Ministry about yesterday," he writes in part of the correspondence regarding the completion of works on the house which was purchased by the state.
Jeknić says that if there was no document, perhaps the building of the Native Museum would have been apricot or some pale pink, as suggested by some experts and designers.
And the dilemma about the color of one of the most dominant buildings in the center of Kolašin was caused by the fact that in the mid-80s of the last century there were not so many old residents of Kolašin who remembered the authentic color of the Museum.
Namely, burgundy did not withstand the decades of Kolašin frost, snow and rain, so it faded over time. Thus, when they asked the then oldest resident of Kolasin what his earliest memories were of the former state administration building, he told them that it was pink. This determined the color of the facades until a few days ago.
Adaptation of the facade of the Kolašina Native Museum building began on June 12 and was completed in record time. In addition to the facade, the carpentry will also be restored.
"The carpentry being restored is old and has, over the years, been exposed to various damages, such as wood rot, breakage, scratches, cracks or deformation, which requires precision in the work to restore the carpentry to its original state. Works on the facade require more time due to damage due to long-term exposure to weather conditions, which implies precision and great care in order to preserve the authenticity of the object. In addition, care must be taken to preserve and protect the original appearance and respect the regulations", said the President of the Municipality, Vladimir Martinović, at the beginning of the works.
The works are carried out from financial resources provided by the previous administration, with a donation from the Capital City, while part of the money was provided by the Municipality.
Jeknić also reminds that the building in which the Museum is located today was declared a state property on January 1, 1906, by the decision of the then Government. All state institutions were housed in that building for 12 decades.
He pointed out that after the reconstruction the building will be a real representation of the historical period and construction in Kolašin.
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