After having launched the initiative for the revitalisation of Počitelj in December 2023 and after having hosted two meetings between representatives of the most responsible institutions and officials in accordance with the prescribed competences for the activities in the area of ​​national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports undertook the activities of performing a situational analysis of the “Historical City Area of ​​Počitelj”.

On this occasion, the third meeting was organised on 13 May 2024 in the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports between the relevant stakeholders: Federal Minister of Culture and Sports, Sanja Vlaisavljević, Director of the Institute for the Protection of Monuments, Robert Stergar, Special Representative of the European Union in BiH, H.E. Johann Sattler, and Peter Kraljević, Sanja Stanojević, Karel Lizerot and Elma Prcić from the EU Delegation in BiH. The meeting was also attended by the representative of the European Investment Bank, Josip Polić, Assistant to the Mayor of Čapljina, Irena Bakalar Bulum, Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Sabina Šahman Salihbegović, and Advisor to the Federal Minister of Spatial Planning, Goran Lulić.

At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Vlaisavljević welcomed the guests once again to the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports and referred to the activities carried out between the two meetings, as per the conclusions from the second working meeting.

Ambassador Sattler addressed the meeting attendants, and thanked the Ministry led by Minister Vlaisavljević for the perseverance and strength in the process of realising the set goals of the initiative for the revitalisation of Počitelj, as well as for the concrete activities undertaken previously. During his opening speech, he pointed out the importance of implementing the Gavran Captain’s Tower illumination project and the sports field in Počitelj, as the first activities that the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina planned to support. Ambassador Sattler also informed the attendees about the preparation of a cultural event that will soon be organised in Počitelj, and which would officially mark the beginning of the project.

Director of the Institute for the Protection of Monuments, Robert Stergar, presented to the meeting attendants the findings of the analysis of the current state of the Počitelj Historic City Area. According to the available documentation and an insight into the functioning of Počitelj, it was concluded that no strategy for planning the tourism offer of Počitelj was in place with the set and defined short-term and long-term strategic goals. Furthermore, there was no Management Plan for the protected Historic City Area, nor was the historic core of Počitelj under proper management. Stergar also pointed out that no organised activities were executed in any segment of the functioning of the protected historical area.

According to the opinion of the Institute, as Stergar pointed out, it was necessary to ensure the safety of visitors in terms of the stability of all masonry structures and buildings that make Počitelj so valuable. A strategic approach to revitalisation and conservation-restoration renovation projects was needed in which the purpose and program activity of public buildings would be defined with a defined management body that will take care of ongoing maintenance and preservation of the whole.

In the discussion that took place during the meeting, it was concluded that some of the defined activities should be carried out in the shortest period of time, and the deadlines for their realisation were determined. It was agreed that the next meeting would be organised after the implementation of the agreed activities.