Exactly four years ago, UNESCO approved the inclusion on the preliminary World Heritage List of the collection of sites "Borders of the Roman Empire - Danube Limes in Serbia". On that occasion, it was assessed that the number - 62 localities, their geographical distribution and preservation, ranks the Danube Limes in Serbia among the important world cultural and tourist features.
Among those 62 localities is the Belgrade Fortress, which as an individual locality is also on the National Preliminary List for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
There is a strong possibility that due to the construction of the gondola on Kalemegdan, UNESCO will remove the sites along the Danube Limes from the preliminary World Heritage List, and that the Belgrade Fortress will never even reach it. Namely, because of the gondola, Limes will not look like it did when it was included in the preliminary List, and the Belgrade Fortress will lose the attribute of authenticity. So, it may happen that not only Kalemegdan, but also other localities of the Danube Limes will be disqualified because of the gondola. Those localities are mostly small places and it would mean to them that they are part of the world's heritage because it would be a sure way to progress, and it would not be bad for Serbia to gain a reputation and safe tourists from all over the world thanks to them.
To Serbia, the gondola is faster than all that. Judging by the statements of its officials, everyone who wants to get rid of the gondola in favor of the status of Limes and Belgrade Fortress is wrong.
For example, Mirjana Andrić. She is the director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, an institution that is responsible for protecting the Belgrade Fortress, a cultural monument of exceptional importance, which means that it has the highest level of protection, that is, no one is allowed to touch it, let alone demolish it. And yet, the Republic Institute issued to the Public Enterprise "Skijališta Srbije" Conditions for the preservation, maintenance and use of cultural assets and assets that enjoy the status of prior protection and protection measures, for the purposes of developing a detailed regulatory plan for the Kalemegdan-Ušće gondola.
Mirjana Andrić, a guest in RTS's "Belgrade Chronicle", said that the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments "must not stop the city's progress" considering that "cities live", she explained that the Kalemegdan Fortress is in question as an archaeological site and not as a fortress, pointed out that the Smederevo fortress, which is part of Limes, has more elements than Kalemegdan to enter the preliminary World Heritage List as a separate site, as well as that it is for the preliminary UNESCO Only 20 locations were enough for the list, not 62 as we have!
If I understood correctly, Kalemegdan means we don't need it at all! There are those who will conquer the reputation of Serbia even without him!
Goran Vesić, the deputy mayor of Belgrade, has no doubt that the gondola will not jeopardize Kalemegdan's candidacy for the UNESCO list. "European and world fortresses that have gondolas are under the protection of UNESCO," he said, announcing that the people of Belgrade will ride the cable car until the end of this year. The only thing that bothers Kalemegdan is the Military Museum being embraced by UNESCO, he explained, but that will be sorted out soon. As soon as that happens, "with the help of UNESCO, we will fix the entire fortress, as was done with Golubačka," he announced. To be honest, the Golubac fortress was reconstructed thanks to the help of the European Union, but those who believe in Vesić will not even notice this inaccuracy.
Therefore, all of you who are told by expert knowledge that the gondola and the Belgrade fortress are not a match, you are wrong and you do not care about the progress of Belgrade and Serbia. By "you" I mean Europa Nostra and the 14.000 signatories of their petition, the faculties and the UNESCO Department for Cultural Policy and Management of the University of Arts, the Archaeological Society of Serbia and the Society of Conservators of Serbia, the Regulatory Institute for Renewable Energy, and all others who are members of the Ministry of construction, infrastructure and transport, the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Telecommunications, the National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, and many others in this country indicated that they should obey the laws.
Because where in Serbia is it that the government is wrong. And that he can't do what he wants.
