The “Budva Boka 2028” project entered the final round of the competition for the European Capital of Culture for 2028, which confirms the potential of Budva’s cultural development. If it wins, Budva will host a year-round program of cultural events and activities, which will showcase its artistic, musical, theatrical and literary traditions, as well as its contemporary cultural expressions.
The program, which will include performances by local and international artists, exhibitions, workshops, conferences and other cultural events, was presented in the presence of numerous visitors and media at the Tourism Fair.
The European Capital of Culture project, according to the president of the Council for Culture of the Municipality of Budva, Predrag Zenović, gives the opportunity to all those who deal with Budva as a tourist destination to join together culture and tourism, so that every visitor to Budva in the coming period will understand that culture is an inseparable segment of the experience , which as a tourist can have in this city.
– This year, Budva is in the finals for the European Capital of Culture in 2028, and we hope that it will enter the sixty or so cities that have won that flattering title, and since there are a large number, hundreds of thousands of cities, it is a great honor and privilege to be in the finals of Budva has shown that, what is its historical significance, which is a city that is two and a half millennia old and has cultural and civilizational layers of almost all great civilizations and cultures, it is a city that has extremely important historical, medieval monasteries on its territory, Fresno painting. It is a city that has its own old town that dates back to Venetian times and is quite recognizable today. Boka, which with its cultural expression and natural landscape, is truly something that is unique in the whole world – pointed out Zenović, adding that these are just some of the features that Budva, together with Boka, can bring to the European capital of culture.
Zenović believes that this title should not belong only to cities that have always been recognized as a place of culture, but to cities that can achieve great transformation and change, and according to him, Budva can provide that.
– To return to its cultural essence, to return to that beautiful Mediterranean city that connects the Balkans and Europe and the Mediterranean and Europe, that can connect culture and science, and it is one of the oldest cities on the Adriatic, and at the same time the city with the youngest population. So a lot of things that we can combine and create a new amalgam that we call the European Capital of Culture and we hope that in that year we will also have cultural and artistic programs throughout the year, that by then we will create an adequate infrastructure for culture, that we will finish large and important infrastructure projects, in the first place I am thinking of the Budva – Bečići promenade, but also the entire path that should go along the coast from Jaz to Buljarica and that by connecting the village and the city, the rural and the urban part, the hinterland and the coast, we should give Budva a new form and a new essence in which culture will be an inseparable part – concludes Zenović.
The director of the Foundation Novi Sad 2022 – European Capital of Culture, Nemanja Milenković, through the example of Novi Sad as the holder of the title of European Capital of Culture, says that this project represents a tailwind not only for Budva and Boka, but for all of Montenegro
– This is not a project that only changes the culture, but it makes the social and social environment change, and there is not a single city that is already the European capital of culture, but a city that wants to become one. It is enough to set goals, to solve things that you see as problems through culture, and on the other hand, things that may not be prominent enough, but are good, should now be raised to a higher level and in that synergy and balance Budva in that process from for five years, create a new story, a new city where culture is not just a concert, exhibition, performance, but a way of life – said Milenkovic.
The cooperation that the model and face of that city, Danijela Dimitrovska, achieved with Budva gives her great pleasure, and as she stated, she sincerely looks forward to her future visit to Budva, where she will create material that will present this city in a slightly different way.
– The point is to present Budva and Budvanksa Riviera in a slightly different way. Not only as a place for summer holidays, but also as a wonderful place to visit throughout the year. In addition to the beautiful beaches, there are many festivals, carnivals, monasteries, restaurants, so I will try in a slightly different way to convey impressions to everyone, so that people come and experience the same – said Dimitrovska.
Praising the project, a member of the Habanera string quartet, Nina Birač, said that this is an excellent undertaking for artists as well.
– The visibility will definitely increase, and we will be able to perform numerous performances and make contacts with numerous world stars – she said.
