Although bridges bring people together, Nikšić's Emperor's Bridge can also be said to separate them. Some devastate it, others defend it. And so, straddling the two extremes, this imposing building welcomes its 130th birthday.
"To build car scraps, to build concrete halls around it, but it was a struggle and we saved it from various storms. It still dominates this field today," says Dejan Nikčević, a resident of Kličevo.
Built with the financial help of Russia in 1894, during the reign of Emperor Alexander III Romanov and Prince Nikola, it was the largest construction project in Montenegro. It served as a link between Nikšić and the south of the country, the construction lasted several years with the involvement of many people, but the main works were completed in half a year.
And how long will it take us to arrange it and finally bring it to use?
"Various pieces of furniture are made there, but they cannot survive. Unscrupulous citizens break it. It would be good to see that it is lit up, like all bridges in Europe, that care is taken, that respect is shown. Foreigners are coming, children's excursions are organized... In 2013, I urged Cetinje to be placed under protection. And it was placed under state protection, but nothing better," adds Nikčević.
They say from the local Tourist Organization, they can only hope to get better when it is clear.
"Unfortunately, some influences appear there and do not allow us to valorize it as we would like. First of all, a very bad environmental picture," says Mitar Barać, director of TO Nikšić.
Other municipal services are responsible for that, which, for now, are ineffective in this regard.
"With the prior consent of our Agency for the Protection of Personal Data, install video surveillance at those locations, among other things, at Crevo Most," said Veselin Čurović, head of the Nikšić Communal Police.
To animate the municipal authorities, they are also trying in the leadership of the local community of Kličevo, to which the bridge belongs. They are waiting for the municipality to buy the land around the bridge and make it available to them.
"To build sports fields that are missing in Kličevo and serve for social events. We also asked for cameras to be installed in order to try to protect it, they will probably approve it at some point, but we are late," said Branislav Eraković, president of the Ministry of Health of Kličevo .
NGO Pandurica does not agree with this, so two years ago on June 20, they started the Romanov Family Days event here. The TO says that this may be a good start, and the locals expect to move on.
"Perhaps that event will become a trigger for all of us as a community to turn more to that locality," says Barać.
Nikčević, when asked if he believes that the bridge is waiting for better times and better times, says: "Since it was built, the bridge has been waiting for better times for us too. And for better individuals to come and do something".
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