As Morski writes on the 3rd of February, 2020, the revitalisation of St. John’s Fortress is the largest project ever awarded to the City of Sibenik with the use of EU funds. With a total value of more than 50 million kuna, the project was submitted on January the 29th, 2016 to a tender entitled “The preparation and implementation of integrated development programmes based on the restoration of cultural heritage”.
On the first day of August of the same year, a contract was officially signed, whereby the City of Sibenik received a grant from the European Regional Development Fund. The European Union revitalisation of the Fortress of St. John was co-financed in the amount of 41.5 million kuna from European Structural and Investment Funds (under the Competitiveness and Cohesion operational programme), while the City of Sibenik provided the rest of the funds.
With this project, the City of Sibenik continued the restoration of its fortification systems (Fort St. Michael, Fort Barone), which is a significant element of both local and national cultural heritage. With the revitalisation of the Fortress of St. John, two units of the fortress will be renovated and equipped. The northern part is known as “Klijesta” and the southern part is known as “Zvijezda”, or star.
The revitalisation of St John’s Fortress with a total area of 18,657 square metres will see the restoration of the ramparts, the introduction of innovative facilities, attractions and content. At the foot of the northern defense rampart (klijesta), visitors will be able to enjoy a gastro-visual concept. With the help of the revolutionary 3D video mapping technique on the walls of the fortress, content will be displayed, which will create optical illusions and the impression of movement of static objects. St. John’s Fortress will also house an educational campus equipped with smart interactive classrooms and presentation spaces. It will also provide quality accommodation with accompanying thematic programmes that will greatly contribute to the prolongation of the tourist season as well as the longer stay of visitors in the City of Sibenik.
Renovation of both parts of the fort and investment in the development of innovative facilities, adapted to different groups of visitors, will significantly improve the tourist and cultural offer. The project will network key actors in the cultural and tourism sector, with the aim of creating high value-added content and improving the overall strategic management of cultural heritage. Foundations will be created for the sustainable management of the resources and the offer of the City of Sibenik, and the popular Dalmatian city will be positioned as a cultural and tourist attraction, in which tradition and modern technologies are successfully merged.
The revitalisation of St John’s Fortress will also be a channel for the promotion of (local) SMEs. In this way, with a direct increase in the number of visits, the number of employees will increase, according to a statement from the City of Sibenik.
Make sure to follow our dedicated travel and lifestyle pages for more.
