Historical Landscape and Cultural Tourism: Brankovina

Abstract

The Brankovina cultural and historical complex with the immovable cultural property is a very important cultural centre of Serbia with preserved authentic historical and material values that is designated as a cultural property of great importance along with environmental protection. Cultural heritage plays an important role in shaping the character of a place and historical ambience. The insufficiently developed awareness about the importance of cultural heritage for the development of this area, as well as a lack of clearly defined programs and measures that would ensure a continuous process of protection, presents a constant threat to the survival of this important heritage. The main objective of the 2015 General Regulation Plan (GRP) for the Brankovina settlement, which was developed by the authors of this paper, was to define the requirements and measures for the spatial, economic and functional development of this area. Landscape values, available potential for tourism development and inclusion into tourism offer of Serbia provide an additional basis for improving specific values of Brankovina. According to the Plan, the new facilities were planned such as cultural park with a museum, tourist information centre with a multifunctional space for a contemporary museological narrative, interactive workshops for children and adults, exhibition space, open-air amphitheatre, ethno-restaurant, small hotel, bookshop, and a souvenir gift shop. The main question addressed in this paper is how to plan the new facilities that would be appropriate to the importance of this cultural and historical area but without environmental consequences? How to create harmonious relationships between preservation of inherited values and safeguard authenticity of urban structure and natural areas with cultural tourism so that they could have positive ecological, economic and social effects for the surrounding area? How to make a balance between the protection and development at the same time?