Yesterday in Osijek, a ceremonial signing was held for the grant involving the project “Educational and informative tourist center ‘Stara Pekara with Trg Vatroslava Lisinskog, Tvrđa’”. The total value of the project amounts to 66,054,649.11 kuna, of which 52,617,194.49 kuna will be co-financed from EU funds as part of the tender “Preparation and implementation of integrated development programs based on the restoration of cultural heritage”.
HRTurizam reports on January 20, 2017 that the implementation of the project in the Old Town in Osijek (commonly known as Tvrđa) will restore the old bakery (“Stara Pekara”) of the Austro-Hungarian army and convert it into hostel accommodation with a range of additional restaurants and cultural events. This will further revitalize Trg Vatroslava Lisinskog in the Old Town to have a public stage and place for various events and meetings, while the project will have a direct impact on increasing employment and the development of new economic and social activities in Osijek.
“I am extremely proud that Tvrđa, the heart of Osijek, will be restored with EU funds. This is only part of the overall reconstruction of Tvrđa and one of the projects that will restore it to its former glory and status it deserves,” said Gabrijela Žalac, Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds. Žalac added that this important project will boost the development of accommodation in Osijek and increase the number of various cultural, educational and social events in the Old Town. In addition, the project will certainly have a direct impact on the increase in the number of visitors and extend the tourist season, which will position “Tvrđa” in Osijek as the tourist center of the whole region.
This project is another in the series of agreements that have been so far signed under the EU competition “Preparation and implementation of integrated development programs based on the restoration of cultural heritage”. The Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds has granted a total of 380 million kuna from the European Fund for regional development for the implementation of projects that contribute to the restoration and protection of Croatian cultural heritage. The investments are put towards cultural goods and the development of additional facilities, which are primarily tourism facilities or services at the local and regional level.
