Villa Rustica for tourists and explorers - Construction of Scientific-research center in Viminacium which will revive the antique spirit is nearing the end

No later than next year should Serbia get fully constructed facility of the archeological tourism in Viminacium. It is about the scientific-research center at Kostolac, with a unique atmosphere of the antique Rome where a visitor can be both an archeologist, a legionary or an emperor.

The Scientific-research (Domus Scientiarum) has been designed as a multi-purpose facility, so, apart from the fact it will be used by scientists from Serbia and abroad for their studis, researches, and workshops with students, summer schools, organization of congresses and topic meetings, it will also be a place for the accommodation of tourists showing bigger interest in visiting this historical site.

As Miomir Korac, Director of the Archeological Project, Viminacium, said for eKapija, majority of work has been done and works have been nearing the end. It has been planned that the center is ready till June next year, at the celebration of 1700 years of the Milan Edict. Along with the finishing works,preparation works for the large exhibition Via Roads of the Roman Emperors, are being carried out, which will be shown in several other world cities, apart from Serbia.

City which Roman Emperors loved

The Scientific-research center, the construction of which started in 2007, has been designed in the shape of Roman Villa Rustica. The center occupies 4.000square meters, with five atriums, two levels – upper one with offices fr work and accommodation and lower presenting an isolated zone with increased security level and air conditioning control in museum offices and conference halls.

The upper level contains a group of antechambers, surrounded by labs, accommodation rooms for expert teams and visitors. Next to that, there is a library, document center, laboratory, a kitchen with a dining room. The center also has replica of Roman thermal baths used as mini spa center.

- The east wing is for explorers while the west one will host guests researchers fro other countries we cooperate with. I

The exhibition, but also the center itself, will attract even bigger number of tourists than the one visiting Vimunacium today. The center can host up to 100 guests so the visitors, congress and conferences, generate income later used for funding, continuous research and development of archeological park.

Attractions

In prosperous times, Viminacium was one of the biggest Roman towns in the Balkans and it was elected several times for the place of army concentration and starting point in numerous wars. It had between 35 and 48 thousand people who, according to nowadays criteria, made it a city of Belgrade size. Almost every Roman emperor visited Viminacium. Today, visitors can see north gate of military camp, paleo-christian facility where the first Christians used together and bury, emperor, amphitheater, occupying larger area than today’s Belgrade arena.

A special attraction in Viminacium is the discovery of a mammoth Vika, more than a million years old. The experts from the Faculty of Archeology have recently discovered new huge mammoth fossil, 10 times bigger than Vika. Therefore,it is thought this archeological site is also mammoth graveyard.

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