11 December 2018 - The historical Mansion of Ivo Andrić, a famous Yugoslav novelist and poet and a Nobel Prize laureate, located in the Topla district of Herceg Novi will be fully reconstructed by June 2019 with special attention to the preservation of its appearance and authentic elements in order to fully meet the aesthetic standards which Andrić himself set up, announced the representatives of the Municipality. The Mansion is a unique object of undeniable cultural value, not only for Herceg Novi and Montenegro but also for the region.
"We do not intend to devastate what Andrić has set as his aesthetic standards, so the building will have the appearance which was originally imagined and constructed," said the head of the Office for International Cooperation of the Municipality of Herceg Novi, Simonida Kordić.
With the renovation process of the Mansion, Herceg Novi will get a modern, refurbished house of literature and a prominent place for cultural, artistic and tourist experience. Although the project foresees that works on the reconstruction should last until 2020, the process is accelerated because the Herceg Novi Municipality representatives assessed that it is of great importance that this building becomes operational for the next summer season. "There will be plenty of interactive equipment, because of the idea that the building should not represent only a monument to Andrić, but it should also become a part of the life of the citizens of Herceg Novi and its visitors. In addition to the aforementioned equipment, which will introduce the Andrić’s Mansion to the new age, we will also acquire elements that reflect the spirit of the author himself - authentic furniture from that period and other equipment of museological quality, in order to preserve the spirit of the times the author has lived in, "said Kordić. She added that the facility would also be adapted to persons with disabilities and less mobility by building a ramp.
Reconstruction of the House of Ivo Andrić is carried out through the cross-border project "Co.Co. Tour" implemented by the Office for International Cooperation of the Municipality of Herceg Novi, and approved in the framework of the cross-border cooperation program Italy-Albania-Montenegro. The total funds provided for this project are 190,000 EUR.
