Vršac's main tourist destination gets new look - restoration of Donžon Tower and organization of whole complex at 10 ha in the pipeline

Vršac's chateau, the five-century-old monument of culture and the main tourist destination of one of the most beautiful towns in south Banat, should get new look prior to autumn 2010. Reconstruction of that medieval fortress will be carried out in two phases, while the process of selection of the contractor for works on restoration of Donžon Tower is in progress.

- Restoration of the most representative facility within the chateau is planned to be followed by the organization of the whole complex at 10 ha and construction of new access junctions, and the money for forthcoming investments has already been provided by the Ministry of Culture, the municipality of Vršac and company Hemofarm. Total of 20m RSD is provided for the first phase, while the construction works will run parallel to the works on the project for new tower and new ramparts around the chateau - Branislav Krnić from the Vojvodina Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute, who worked on the project, told eKapija.

According to his words, after the archeological researches that took place in the period 2001-2004, the complete image of the fortress was created and, based on the collected data, the project for revitalization of the complex was elaborated.

- Donžon Tower is the only facility that resists the ravages of time. What is necessary is the restoration of its mezzanine structures and stairs, as well as installation of roof. The tower, which is about 26 meters high, will have three mezzanine structures and four floors. Construction of the two-floor facility that used to be linked to the tower is also in the pipeline. Toilets for visitors will be on the first, while the curator's office will be on the second floor - said Krnić and added that the surface of that new facility would be about 60 square meters, while the tower occupied the surface of 416 square meters.

According to some earlier ideas, the Tower may host a museum on the first two levels. In that case, an observatory for watching stars would be placed on the third level since, due to favorable weather conditions, one can see Timisoara and Belgrade from the top of the tower.

Organization of complex

According to the words of Krnić, the project for organization of the complex of Vršac's chateau represents the most demanding part.

- Construction of new, smaller tower on existing foundations is in the pipeline, while the fortress will be surrounded by new ramparts. According to the plan, a luxury restaurant will be opened in so-called Round Tower, and the whole complex, which occupies the area of 10 ha, will have numerous additional contents. Auxiliary facilities, including ethno-houses and the place for organization of cultural events and concerts, will also be built on the plateau, while the paragliding track will remain the same. In addition to organization of the complex, it is also necessary to have the existing access roads organized and new access road built, as well as parking lot - said Krnić.