Contest for EU Grants for Renewal of Winemaking Villages of Rajac, Rogljevo and Smedovac Opens

The contest for the awarding of grants for the reconstruction of houses and wine cellars in the villages of Rajac, Rogljevo and Smedovac, which are located in the Municipality of Negotin, opened on March 21, as announced by the German Organization for International Cooperation GIZ.

Priority will be given to facilities from before 1945, so as to preserve traditional architecture as much as possible, and the total amount of EUR 500,000 will be distributed to private owners through the “EU for Cultural Heritage and Tourism” project, which will considerably contribute to the preservation of the authentic look of these villages, the announcement says.

The wine cellars of Rajac, Rogljevo and Smedovac are monumental complexes of remarkable importance, and they are also on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list.

The main goal of this invitation is to have the houses built before WW2, when the rural architecture was at its peak in these areas, conserved, restored and kept from dilapidation. The EU support will also contribute to the preservation of the wine cellars. These “stone villages” were built in the 18th and 19th centuries so as to best store and produce wine. Many residents continued the family tradition of producing wine, whose tasting, in the unique environment of stone wine cellars, is a special tourist attraction.

The first information workshop for the residents of Rajac, Rogljevo and Smedovac will be held today at the head office building of the Municipality of Negotin, and the participants in the workshop will have an opportunity to learn about the rules of the contest and gain insight into the documentation which they need in order to apply.

In the realization of the reconstruction of these villages and wine cellars, the “EU for Cultural Heritage and Tourism” and the Municipality of Negotin will cooperate with the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Serbia, in order to comply with all the standards in preserving the authentic look and purpose.

The “EU for Cultural Heritage and Tourism” project deals with the development of tourism and preservation of cultural heritage in east Serbia. It is financed by the EU and the German government and implemented by GIZ, in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia.

GIZ Beograd

Ministarstvo turizma i omladine Republike Srbije

Opština Negotin

German Organization for International Cooperation GIZ

Rajac

Rogljevo

Smedovac

Rajac wine cellars

Rogljevo wine cellars

Smedovac wine cellars

EU for Cultural Heritage and Tourism project

wine cellars

houses

reconstruction

contest

grants

public invitation

workshops