KotorArt project receives support from the Western Balkans Fund

With the support of the Western Balkans Fund, International Festival KotorArt, in partnership with the NGO Mostovi from Trebinje and the Almashani Association from Novi Sad, is implementing a significant regional project named Contemporary Fortress of Culture: Boka, Trebinje, Novi Sad.

Co-funded by the European Union, IPA – Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, WBF is a unique initiative created by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of six regional countries - WB6, with the mission of strengthening more intensive cooperation between the Western Balkan countries, in order to integrate them into the European Union. Out of more than 250 projects submitted in the recent WBF call, only 30 of them were selected, five from which originating from Montenegro. At the official ceremony on this occasion in Tirana, the WBF Grant Award was presented to Ratimir Martinović, President of the Don Branko Sbutega Foundation, by Alexis Hupin, Head of the European Union Delegation to Albania.

With the realization of the project Contemporary Fortress of Culture: Boka, Trebinje, Novi Sad, International Festival KotorArt continues to implement its socially responsible practices, intertwining art with important social topics, thus continuously contributing to public interest and development of cultural values of the Montenegrin society.

Through research and analysis of opportunities and challenges of largely forgotten and neglected Austro-Hungarian heritage in the Bay of Kotor, Trebinje and Novi Sad, the aforementioned project puts an emphasis on protection, valorization and sustainable use of cultural heritage, its potentials in terms of sustainable development, but also intensifies the level of regional cultural exchange and cooperation.

The activities of the project in Montenegro will be realized as part of the KotorArt festival, within “Pjaca od filozofa“, at the fortresses of Vrmac, Goražde and Trojica, and will include public conferences, concerts and a film screening. We are looking forward to the fact that the audience in our partner cities will have the opportunity to, in addition to conferences and music programs, attend guided tours of Austro-Hungarian fortresses and gastroheritological eventsthe PR service of the KotorArt festival.

Project activities in Montenegro will be implemented by the Don Branko Sbutega Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of Montenegro, the Ministry of Defense of Austria and the Embassy of Austria in Podgorica.

This summer, The KotorArt International Festival is planned to take place from July 1st to August 14th, under the auspices of UNESCO, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and the Municipality of Kotor, with the support of the European Union, numerous embassies in Montenegro and other important partners and sponsors.