The Počitelj Tourist Association said that the damage was immeasurable and that about 100,000 BAM are needed to fix and repair everything, as well as to prevent further deterioration.
Počitelj, a small Herzegovinian place in the oriental-Mediterranean style, has always attracted passers-by, tourists and artists. However, the fortress, madrasa, tower and the remains of buildings more than 400 years old testify to the negligence of the authorities for this Herzegovinian pearl.
Decay of buildings
The famous Počitelj tower and madrasa have been collapsing and decaying for years.
The Shishman Ibrahim Pasha Madrasa, with its original copper domes, was built more than 350 years ago. However, the wooden structure of the canopy and the roof collapsed. And on the Počitelj tower, which dominates the place, the roof has been collapsing for a long time.
The Počitelj Tourist Association said that the damage was immeasurable and that about 100,000 BAM are needed to fix and repair everything.
“After finding out that part of the Shishman Ibrahim Pasha Madrasa in Počitelj collapsed, and that the building is near of complete destruction, the Commission on Preservation of National Monuments on several occasions demanded that the competent institutions implement urgent protection measures, not only at this but also at other protected units part of the historic urban area of Počitelj”, the Commission emphasized.
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They added that the devastating fact is that even after 26 years since the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, no comprehensive steps have been taken in order to completely renovate and protect Počitelj. Shared competencies are not, and should not be, an obstacle to joint efforts to preserve cultural and historical heritage.
“In order to further protect this extremely important and significant cultural and historical monument, the Commission on Preservation of National Monuments will initiate a meeting of all relevant institutions as soon as possible to prevent further destruction of Počitelj,” the Commission said in a statement.
Public call
When it comes to financial funds for the protection of national monuments, the Federal Ministry of Physical Planning said that they have issued public calls for beneficiaries for the Expenditure Program with criteria for allocating funds “Capital transfers to other levels of government and funds” on which, as stated in the received applications, no application was submitted related to the renovation of the Počitelj tower and the Shishman Ibrahim-pasha madrasa.
“Public call for 2021 (“Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH”, No. 13/21) was published on March 5, 2021 and was open for 15 days. In the received applications, no application was submitted related to the renovation of the Počitelj tower and the Shishman lbrahim-pasha madrasa“, they emphasized.
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Besides the decay and collapse, the city administration of Čapljina said that they also have a problem with lighting, for which they set aside 36 thousand BAM, but that they are currently waiting for the permission of the Federal Ministry of Physical Planning.
The Ministry confirmed that they have received a request from the City of Čapljina requesting the issuance of consent for the execution of lighting works, as well as a preliminary design.
“On October 26, 2021 we requested from the Commission on Preservation of National Monuments of BiH to submit its opinion on the compliance of the planned interventions with the protection measures prescribed in the above-mentioned decision of the Commission, since the planned infrastructural interventions have a direct impact on certain parts of the historical areas. Only, after the adoption of the final version for decorative, architectural lighting, on the basis of which the investor will be ordered to prepare technical documentation at the level of the Main Project, the Federal Ministry will be able to initiate the procedure of issuing the final decision only for the architectural ensemble of the Gavrankapetanović Tower, with external and internal walls (and not the entire historical area of Počitelj)”, they explained.
E.S.
