About the Project:
The municipality of Bač cultural heritage importance was recognised and valorised quite a long time ago and from the late 1950s much has been done in terms of investigations and preservation. More recent activities in finalising the efforts put in in the framework of the “Centuries of Bač” – Integrative Protection Development Project have been going on since 2006: additional investigations, protection, presentation and proper management.
The “Centuries of Bač” Project originated as a natural response to a local community interest for preserving its heritage which was in a bad state and could not be put in use or presented to the public. The heritage exceptional value in this part of Serbia and Vojvodina is its layers of history and multicultural features, along with a specific interaction of man and the swampy, flatland terrain with the main European waterway – the Danube River.
The Bač and its surroundings architectural and archaeological heritage is a testimony to its great historical significance, whose artefacts date eight millennia back. The Bač mediaeval fortress is from the 14th century, with its castle and a town below, the Orthodox monastery of Bođani is from the 15th century, the Bač Franciscan Monastery is from the 12th century and the remains of an old Turkish bath are from the 16th century. Furthermore, the Bač heritage comprises vernacular architecture, industrial and hydro-technical structures, vast natural as well as intangible heritage. They all make an exceptional potential for developing cultural, environmental, religious and special interest tourism.
In late 2005, the Provincial Institute made a draft project called the “Centuries of Bač” (Dr. Slavica Vujovic, architect), then goals and action plan were set for 2006-2010 period, featuring its developmental character and integrative approach to preservation.
Project Goals:
- Cultural heritage additional investigations, valorisation and reinterpretation;
- Heritage authenticity preservation;
- Enlarge the area of sustainable use;
- Raise the local community awareness of the cultural heritage importance and values;
- Create a sustainable model of the heritage protection process management;
- Create conditions for development and employment based upon: scientific investigations, restoration, providing museum facilities, nurturing old crafts, cultural tourism;
- Create prerequisites for the entire area as a cultural landscape to be inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Project Structure
The Centuries of Bac Project structure and its realisation were deigned in accordance with the modern project management. The structure was suitable for a project portfolio management model, which allows for simultaneous management of multiple projects of programmes. And, of course, to deal with each new problem (or a body of problems) required an original approach. In the case of the Centuries of Bac, based on a comprehensive approach, an open model was acceptable.
Besides the open model (strategic) planning that allows for unification of the results obtained in individual sub-projects, a possibility was created for the results from similar aspects to be brought together into thematic units. The activities' results obtained in the same protection fields are grouped in three Project components: A – investigations; B – conservation; and C – use. It is viewed as a way of implementing the concept of equality of cultural heritage protection and safeguard aspects.
Project Realization
The first period 2006-2010. The Centuries of Bac Project was focused on the cultural heritage in the Bac Municipality area in accordance with the pre-set goals and objectives. A priority was on the Bac Fortress, which allowed extensive investigations and the use of the Donjon Tower. Technical support was available through the Council of Europe programmes (the Centuries of Bac Project was included in 26 South-East European consolidated projects), and an international cooperation with Italy was accomplished within a I.Ne.P.S Project, which covered the Franciscan Monastery of Bac and the Bodjani Monastery. The Ancient Bac and Its Surroundings was included in the World Heritage Tentative List in March 2010, which resulted in its inclusion in the Republic of Serbia Spatial Plan. Project coordination and investigation and technical protection activities were managed by the Provincial Institute, while the Centuries of Bac Fund was in charge of the activities on the level of the local community, gradually taking over in the process of heritage preservation and use and in spreading the network of stakeholders.
When the first period had ended and the Centuries of Bac Project achieved results had been evaluated along with the results accomplished through international collaboration, a conclusion was made that the goals and tasks had been set properly, bringing unquestionable development potential, which necessitated continuance. The concept proved to be a live and actual one, while an integrative approach brought forth multidisciplinary methods into action.
The second period 2011-2015 started when a fresco of Christ's Crucifixion with the Virgin and St John, dating from the 13th century, was discovered in the Franciscan Monastery of Bac, which galvanised public interest, strengthening support and in 2013 led to a new Italian-Serbian project – now in the field of conservation. The project marked a start of years-long works on salvaging and restoring the endangered Bodjani fresco paintings. This period was also fruitful in defining the character of the Bac and its surroundings area as a cultural landscape, which spread its borders to the neighbouring municipalities of Backa Palanka and Odzaci. Then an Education Centre was established in the Bac Fortress suburb, and from 2014 it has been housing the seat of the Centuries of Bac Fund. The European Union granted a donation for the Franciscan Monastery of Bac rehabilitation project. The Centuries of Bac Project started attracting new partners by offering the obtained results as a deposit in further projects. In that sense, the greatest accomplishment was made through a partnership participation in an international "HEROMAT" Project (2012-2015), which added to its better visibility and knowledge enhancement about the Bac Fortress from the aspect of the materials to be used.
Results of The Centuries of Bač Project were presented to a wider public on exhibition named " Cultural Heritage – How to Preserve and Use – One Decade of Integrative Protection Development Project Centuries of Bač", which was hosted by The Gallery of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad (15.7. – 14.10.2016.) and at The Grand Gallery of the Central Military Club of Serbia (30.6 – 19.7.2017.). Both exhibitions were followed by the rich side program consisted of thematic forums, professionally guided tours and workshops for children. The book " Cultural Heritage – How to Preserve and Use, Centuries Of Bac Contribution", by the same author – Dr S. Vujović, was also published.
Plan of Action for the third phase (2017–2021):
-Finalizing The Rehabilitation Project of the Franciscan Monastery in Bač and becoming and active site for touristic and educational purposes.
-Contribution to celebration of/marking the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018
-Completion of the nomination file for the site and inscription of the Historical Place of Bač and its Surrounding the site on the World Heritage List
-The Monastery of Bođani – Finishing the conservation and restoration of the frescoes in the entire Church of The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and marking the 300th anniversary years, since its foundation
-The Bač Fortress - realization of the second phase of rehabilitation (Northeast sector of fortified castle,
-Tower gate "Šiljak" of the fortress' suburbium, and reconstruction of the rammed earth house as part of the Educational Center within fortress' suburbium
-Turkish bath - Hamam – research and intervention works, creating (pre)conditions for international cooperation
-RC Chapel of St Anthony the Hermit in Woods – research, examinations and conservation
-Joint programs with the Laboratory for Materials in Cultural Heritage
-Active participation in diffuse musealization and management of the cultural landscape
PARTICIPANTS IN ACTIVITIES OF THE PROJECT CENTURIES OF BAČ AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNER PROJECTS
Director of the Provincial Institute (PZZZSK) Zoran Vapa
Initiator and author of the concept of the project, project coordinator: dr Slavica Vujović
Architecture:
PZZZSK– conservation architects: dr Slavica Vujović, Rastko Vlajković, Ljiljana Stražmešterov, Jelena Filipović, Nataša Ratković, Branislav Milićević, Conservation technicians: Veljko Novaković, Aleksandra Pekez; Associates: Anja Ivanović, Ivana Vasilijević; Associates – statics engineers: Pjetro Faraone, Čaba Majaroš
Archaeology:
PZZZSK – conservation archaeologists: Dragan Anđelić, Ivana Pašić; MV: Nebojša Stanojev, Marija Jovanović; GM: Dragan Radojević; Fund Centuries of Bač: Vesna Glavočević
Art History:
PZZZSK – art historians specialists in conservation: Dejan Radovanović, dr Bogdan Janjušević; Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia: Lukrecija Pavičić Domjan, Ranka Sarčević Virt, Martina Juranović Tonejc; Associates: dr Ljiljana Stošić, dr Denis Vokić i dr Dušan Škorić
Ethnology:
PZZZSK: dr Mirjana Đekić, Associate: dr Tijana Jakovljević-Šević
Painting conservation:
PZZZSK – conservators and restaurators: Siniša Zeković, Mario Vuknić, mr Jasna Gulan, Maja Veličković, Miroslav Zakić, Olivera Brdarić, Zoran Barišić, Vladimir Petrović, Miroslav Nonin, Dragan Sič, GMS: dr Daniela Korolija Crkvenjakov; ISCR: Donatella Cavezzali, Marie Jose Mano , Antonella Amoruso, Silvia Pissagroia, Gabriella Gaggi, Giulia Cervi
Wood conservation:
PZZZSK– conservators and restaurators: Rastko Čurčić, Tanja Tomić, Miloš Vujaklija; Technicians: Goran Radaković, Dejan Radaković
Conservation of metal:
PZZZSK: Lajoš Lukači, MV: Ana Oleaš
Conservation of textile:
MV: Bojana Kostić Krčadinac
Material examination (causes of degradation) :
TFUNS – Technologists: prof. dr Jonjaua Ranogajec, , prof. dr Siniša Markov, prof. dr Eva Lončar, dr Snežana Vučetić, Ognjen Rudić, Helena Hiršenberger, Damir Čjepa, Ana Vidaković; RZZSK: mr Aleksa Jelikić; FTN – Department of Civil Engineering: prof. dr Vlastimir Radonjanin, prof. dr Mirjana Malešev, prof. dr Miroslava Radeka, Vesna Bulatović, technologist; UP: prof. dr Đovani Rico; CIK: Vesna Živković; ISCR – chemists: dr Giancarlo Sidoti; Associates: mr Milica Marić Stojanović, chemist
Spatial planning and nature protection:
ZAVURBVO: Svjetlana Reko, mr Vladimir Pihler; PZZP: dr Jadranka Delić
Photography:
PZZZSK: Nedeljko Marković, Vladimir Petrović
Documentation:
PZZZSK: Katarina Dobrić, Radovanka Gulan
Business and administrative support and services:
Nevenka Anušić, Zora Anđelić, Tanja Vojnović, Branka Mačkaški, Dragica Kostić, Petar Topić, Stana Pastornački
Team of the Institute:
Partner projects:
Project Partners:
Project support:
