The revitalisation of the Stojan Janković Castle
and the area of the villages of Islam Grčki, Islam Latinski and Kašić

SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT

Initiator of the Project

University of Zagreb, Faculty of Philosophy, Institute for Croatian History, The ‘Triplex Confinium’ Project
Prof. Drago Roksandić, PhD
Ivana Lučića 3, HR – 10000 Zagreb
Tel. +38516120153; e-mail: drago.roksandic@ffzg.hr; drago.roksandic@zg.htnet.hr
Tea Mayhew, MA, assistant; tel. +38551372069; e-mail: vidagents@inet.hr

Project partners

University of Zagreb, Faculty of Philosophy, Department for the Information Sciences, Museology Cathedra, The ‘Croatian identity in marketing of places and development strategies’ Projects
Prof. Tomislav Šola, PhD
Ivana Lučića 3, HR – 10000 Zagreb
Tel. +38516002348; e-mail: tomislav.sola@ffzg.hr
Darko Babić, assistant; e-mail: dbabic@ffzg.hr

University of Zagreb, Faculty of Philosophy, Department for Ethnology and Cultural Antropology, The ‘Coastal Bunjevci’ Project
Milana Černelić, PhD
Ivana Lučića 3, HR-10000 Zagreb
Tel.+385516120134; e-mail: mcerneli@ffzg.hr
Marijeta Rajković, assistant : e-mail. mrajkovi@ffzg.hr

‘Ruđer Bošković’ Insitute, Zagreb
Uroš Desnica, PhD,
Bijenička c. 54, HR-10000 Zagreb
Tel.+38514561173 ; e-mail : uros.desnica@irb.hr

Volunteer Centre Zagreb
Domagoj Kovačić
Bašćanska 11, HR-10000 Zagreb
Tel. +38513013736; e-mail: vc@zamir.net

The Centre for Peace Studies Zagreb
Gordan Bosanac, programme coordinator
Livadićeva 36, HR-10000 Zagreb;
Tel. +38512338315; e-mail:cmis@zamir.net

Short description of the goals and activities of the ‘Bridges’ Project

The ‘Bridges’ Project is being carried out in the area of the Stojan Janković Castle (which is a first grade cultural monument) and the area of the Upper Ravni Kotari, especially in the ethno-confessional mixed villages of Islam Grčki, Islam Latinski and Kašić. This area was deserted and devastated during the Croatian War of Independence.
The general goals of the project are:

1. Revitalisation of the mixed national communities of Islam Grčki, Islam Latinski and Kašić and their sustainable development based on evaluation of their heritage and their development potentials.

2. Develop a model for the usage of the appropriately evaluated and revitalised cultural heritage in order to reinforce social cohesion and economic development and its application on other similar areas.

Specific project aims:

1. Create conditions for the return of the villages’ inhabitants to their land.

2. Revitalisation of the Stojan Janković Castle and its surrounding arboretum as an area of cultural-historical importance as well as a natural heritage site.

3. Establishment of a regional Centre for Inter-culturalism and Sustainable Development in the Stojan Janković Castle which will be based on ICT.

4. Establishment of a local Eco-Community Museum

5. Create conditions for permanent and temporary employment for the local people.

6. Create and implement the local sustainable development project.

Explanation of the Project’s goals and aims:

The ‘Bridges’ Project has been created as a long term project as a synergy of trans-disciplinary research and application of the results to the local, sub-regional conditions of the Upper Ravni Kotari region. Therefore the activities are focused on two connected levels:

First of all our goal is to research the traditional potential as well as contemporaneous needs and aspirations of the local people. In this case the ‘Bridges’ research team is scientifically oriented as well as a participant in the local processes related to revitalisation.

Besides this the ‘Bridges’ Project contains some inter-related aims which were designed as an institutional framework for practical initiatives in local daily life. This is related to a) the Stojan Janković Castle as an integral eco-cultural monument complex (together with the arboretum and nursery which have to be revitalised), b) Centre for Interculturalism and Sustainable Development, c) Eco-museum, d) Association of the Friend’s of the Stojan Janković Castle and Ravni Kotari region.

All the initiatives include the collaboration of the people from this region (whether they live in the region in Zadar, Rijeka, or Zagreb, etc.), local and regional experts, entrepreneurs, the government, scientists and collaborators from all over Croatia and the world, as well as non-governmental organisations. The ‘Bridges’ Project is based on the partnership model of financing and team recruiting and therefore stays open for any further collaboration.

The project was initiated by the University of Zagreb and its results will also be available for education purposes and any further scientific and media dissemination.