CASTLE OF VRSAC ­ TRESCIENTOS AÑOS DE SOLEDAD

Ref.: 273
Área temática: 03 Integridad visual de los paisajes urbanos históricos
Fecha de recepción: 15/11/2008

AUTORES (* Autor principal)

VECANSKI, Snezana * (República de Serbia) - Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments Pancevo

ABSTRACT

The remains of the medieval fortification of the castle of Vrsac lie east from the city on a hill which dominates the Banat plains. When, after three hundred years, urban development at the foot of the hill began, life in the castle ceased to exist. However, the remains of the castle or "tower" as it is colloquially called, has become a symbol of the city. The Historic Centre of Vrsac1 with its vineyard landscape, new settlements at the foot of the hill and with the old castle on the top, all comprise the Historic Urban Landscape of Vrsac with its characteristic silhouette. How has this silhouette changed through time and how much of it exists in the collective memory of the people of Vrsac? This is the theme of the first part of this project, the search for the visual identity of the HUL of Vrsac and how the influence of contemporary architecture has changed it.
In the 60s the town started to spread towards the hill and the roofs of the new settlement cowered the green areas. But on the other hand, some tall buildings that block the view to the hill and the medieval Tower, the symbol of the town, were built in the town centre. These "mistakes from the past" are not being repeated, construction is limited to the foot of the hill, while the slopes of the hill that has the tower on its top remain covered in greenery. High-rise construction has been banned in the centre and guidelines for the building of new houses that must comply with the surrounding ambiance have been brought. However, despite some oversights, it can be concluded, that the town has retained its characteristic silhouette.
The other part of the paper analyses the project of the medieval Tower revitalization, i.e. the different opinions of the conservationists in Serbia regarding the future appearance of the tower- the town's symbol. The author thinks that the present appearance of the tower without a roof, ending with teeth, should be kept and roofing done by a flat roof so that the recognizable silhouette of the town is kept2. However, a group of Serbian conservationists have the opinion that the tower should have a pyramid-shaped roof, constructed on the basis of analogy with other similar fortresses. The author of this paper deems that view wrong as there are no preserved remains of a roof that was destroyed more than three hundred years ago, because such a roof does not exist in the collective memory and finally because such a roof would seriously disrupt the appearance and the symbol of the town, thus conflicting the essence of what is defined as HUL.
Conclusion:
HUL identification: recognition of the physical and functional interfusion of the constructed area and the natural setting of an area through history, which together create the visual identity of the area.
HUL analysis: implies multidisciplinary research.
HUL monitoring: requests joint action of experts, the local government and the inhabitants.

NOTA:
1, We presented the paper "The Historic Centre of Vrsac, Documentation and Conservation Policies: a Case Study", at the 11. Forum UNESCO University and Heritage Seminar, Firenze, 11-16 September 2006 and then we announced our next step: the evaluation of the vineyard landscape and the revitalization of the medieval fortification at the top of the hill with regard to its tourist potential.

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