The Ambassador of the European Union in Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret, and the Minister of European Integration, Tanja Miščević, together with the Mayor of Niš, Dragoslav Pavlović, as well as the presidents of the municipalities of Svrljig, Merošina and Gadžin Han, and the director of the Regional Development Agency “JUG”, visited Niš Fortress today where the project of renovation of the atelier and former casemates, which will be turned into a centre for creative industries, is underway. This project is supported by the European Union through the EU PRO Plus program, in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration, and includes the territory of the City of Niš and the municipalities of Svrljig, Merošina and Gadžin Han.
The project, worth one million euros, envisages the revitalization and activation of the atelier and the space of the former casemates in the Niš Fortress into a centre of creative industries, traditional crafts and artists, that will be able to produce and market their works in this location.
During the tour of the site, Ambassador Giaufret pointed out that he is proud of the partnership between the European Union and the City of Niš in the revitalization of part of the Niš Fortress.
“We are implementing this project with our partners from UNOPS, and it is significant, among other things, because it includes the surrounding municipalities in preserving the cultural heritage and raising the socio-economic aspects of the involved local governments”, said the Ambassador.
Minister Miščević emphasized the importance of cooperation on projects like this one.
“When we allocated fund to this project in June, we actually supported the start of joint work with the City of Niš and the EU, to reconstruct the Niš Fortress so that its interior spaces become modern centre for creative industries. And one whose influence goes beyond the local environment. The restoration of part of the Fortress is part of a project that the EU, in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration, supports through the EU PRO Plus program on the territory of not only Niš, but also the municipalities of Svrljig, Merošina andGadžin Han. We want the ultimate goal to be that their existing public spaces are also renovated, in order to protect the cultural heritage, but in a way that it has a new role in the promotion of heritage, to be available for more than 50,000 citizens of these municipalities, especially young people, to show and express their creativity” said the Minister.
Mayor Pavlović emphasized the importance of the partnership between the City of Niš and the European Union.
“The European Union is an extremely important partner of the City of Niš. The best evidence of this is the wastewater treatment plant in which the EU is investing EUR 60 million. The project at the Fortress site is also very significant. The Fortress guarded Niš for centuries, not it is our turn to defend it from the toll of time. The Niš Fortress is the symbol of Niš. They stand as two sides of the same coin. We are grateful to the EU that allocated one million euros for the project to preserve the cultural treasures of the Fortress. This shows that being a part of Europe, first of all, means being your own individual entity”, said the Mayor of Niš.
In addition to the restoration of the Niš Fortress, the project includes the establishment of three information points in the municipalities of Svrljig, Merošina and Gadžin Han, as well as an info corner in Niš. These points will provide visitors with an educational and informative experience, including details of cultural and historical sites slong the Tabula Peutingeriana (Peutinger Table)cultural trail, which connects the region’s landmarks.
