Exhibition dedicated to stećci opened in Vienna

An exhibition dedicated to stećci - medieval tombstones - was opened last night at the Porča Palace in Vienna. The exhibition was organized at the initiative of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Austria, and with the support of the Austrian Government, reports the Patria News Agency.

Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Đorđe Miličević, reminded that in January 2015, the five-year work of experts from Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina was successfully completed with the submission of the nomination dossier to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

"The project of serial nomination of stećci for inscription on the World Heritage List represents one of the most complex and extensive documents in the field of protecting architectural heritage," said Miličević, expressing his expectation that the nomination of stećci for inscription on the World Heritage List will significantly contribute to the promotion of stećci and their value, and thus provide an additional contribution to the tourist offer of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"We sincerely believe that the decision of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be positive and that stećci will be included on the World Heritage List, because they deserve it," emphasized the Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs.

Stećci, medieval monolithic stone monuments, are found throughout the territory of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as parts of Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia. Out of 70,000 registered stećci, over 60,000 are located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Stećci are national monuments of culture and as such have the highest degree of protection.

Before the opening of the exhibition at the Porča Palace, a lecture on stećci was held at the Federal Ministry of Science of Austria, it was announced from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.