Status of monument -> National monument
Published in the Official Gazette of BiH, no. 53/11.
Pursuant to Article V para. 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 39 para. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, at a session held on 11 March 2011 the Commission adopted a
D E C I S I O N
I
The historic monument of the bridge known as the “Roman bridge” in the village of Vranci, Municipality Kreševo, is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 2208 (old and new survey), title deed no. 170, cadastral municipality Kreševo, Municipality Kreševo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The provisions relating to protection measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02, 6/04 and 51/07) shall apply to the National Monument.
II
The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the Government of the Federation) shall be responsible for providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the protection, conservation, restoration and presentation of the National Monument.
The Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and setting up signboards with basic details of the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.
III
To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument on the area defined in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated:
- all works are prohibited other than conservation-restoration works, routine maintenance works, works designed to ensure the sustainable use of the monument, and works designed to display the monument, with the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning (hereinafter: the relevant ministry) and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority);
- it is recommended that original materials and building techniques be used wherever possible during conservation and restoration works and works designed for the presentation of the National Monument, which shall be carried out under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;
- the Bridge shall be used only as a footbridge;
- a maintenance programme and plan shall be drawn up for the National Monument;
- works that could be detrimental to the National Monument are prohibited, as is the erection of temporary facilities or permanent structures not designed solely for the protection and presentation of the monument;
- the dumping of waste is prohibited.
The following urgent protection measures are hereby prescribed to be carried out on the site to which the above protection measures apply:
- clearing the site of the National Monument of self-sown vegetation and litter;
- conducting a detailed architectural survey of the structure to determine the extent of damage;
- conducting a structural analysis of the structural elements;
- drawing up a conservation and restoration project based on the architectural survey and structural analysis.
IV
All executive and area development planning acts are hereby revoked to the extent that they are not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision.
V
Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canton, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation thereof.
VI
The Government of the Federation, the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning, the Federation heritage protection authority, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II to V of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.
VII
The elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.kons.gov.ba).
VIII
Pursuant to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions of the Commission are final.
IX
This Decision shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Gazette of BiH.
This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Martin Cherry, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović and Ljiljana Ševo.
No: 02-2.3-77/11-12
11 March 2011
Sarajevo
Chair of the Commission
Amra Hadžimuhamedović
E l u c i d a t i o n
I – INTRODUCTION
Pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a “National Monument” is an item of public property proclaimed by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to be a National Monument pursuant to Articles V and VI of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and property entered on the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02) until the Commission reaches a final decision on its status, as to which there is no time limit and regardless of whether a petition for the property in question has been submitted or not.
Pursuant to a petition/proposal submitted to the Commission by the Kreševo Society for the Preservation of Cultural, Historical and Natural Assets on 9 January 2009 and to the provisions of the law, the Commission proceeded to carry out the procedure for reaching a final decision to designate the Property as a National Monument, pursuant to Article V para. 4 of Annex 8 and Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments
Statement of Significance
The bridge known as the “Roman Bridge” is on the mining road of Antiquity, remains of which have been found about 400 metres from the bridge. Little is known of its origins, but its location and the morphology of the area suggest that there must have been a bridge here in Antiquity. The shape of the roadway indicates that the parts of the bridge now above ground date from the Ottoman period. The bridge is of considerable historical value in that it has retained its original form; it is of simple shape, with a single arch resting on the river banks without abutments or wing walls. It is now in poor condition following years of exposure to the elements, the ravages of time and neglect.
II – PRELIMINARY PROCEDURE
In the procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a national monument, the following documentation was inspected:
- Data on the current condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs, data of war damage, data on restoration or other works on the property, etc.
- An inspection of the condition of the property.
- Copy of cadastral plan.
- Copy of Land Register entry.
- Historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.
- Letter no. 02-35.2-10/10-128 of 28 July 2010 requesting the opinion of the owner, Kreševo Municipality, which was received by the Commission in a letter ref. 06-23-sl-12 of 11 August 2010.
The findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of the property are as follows:
1. Details of the property
Location
The village of Vranci is about 2 km south-west of the town of Kreševo, in the narrow valley of the Mrganovac brook, on the slopes of Mt. Lopata.
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 2208 (old and new survey), title deed no. 170, cadastral municipality Kreševo, Municipality Kreševo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Historical information
The earliest reference to Kreševo in written documents dates from 1435, when it was already an important mining centre in Bosnia(1). There were several bridges in the village, most of them wooden, which have not survived. Evidence that there were several can be found in the name of a caravanserai, which was known as the caravanserai between the bridges of Kreševo(2). Further evidence can be found in a record in the sidžil of the Sarajevo kadi. On 28 March 1778, the terms of a deed of endowment by Mustafa Halifa, son of Ahmed from Đerez – Bačina mahala in Sarajevo included the provision of funds to repair the bridges on the Biočka River near Kreševo(3).
The River Kreševčica valley is an area of traditional iron-working and mining, with numerous smithies, many of them in Vranci. As well as working in the mines and quarries, until the eve of World War II the people of Vranci each had a smithy where they produced hand-made wrought-iron wares. They were famous for their wide range of hand-made nails, from the nails used to shoe horses to those used in the building trade. The people of Vranci have always worked as blacksmiths and were known in the region as skilled craftsmen.
In reference to the origins of the name Vranci, in an attempt to associate the mines of central Bosnia with Saxon miners, Vladislav Skarić compares it with the German name Frank (Franz), with the letter f replaced by v(4).
Nothing is known about the builder or the date of the bridge in Vranci. As with most structures in the Balkan peninsula, surviving folk traditions date it to the Roman period, which could be true in the case of this bridge, given that there are surviving remains over a length of about 2000 metres of a “Roman road” about 400 metres above the bridge. A study of the site suggests that there must have been a bridge at this very spot in Antiquity, but whether it was this bridge, or rather its footings, will have to be determined by archaeological investigations. The shape of the roadway, however, indicates that the parts of the bridge now above ground date from the Ottoman period.
2. Description of the property
The old stone bridge in the village of Vranci is the oldest surviving structure in the entire Kreševo region and the only one to have retained its original form. To this day the setting of this little bridge consists of indigenous Bosnian architecture. Its simple form gives the impression that it has grown organically from its surroundings. It consists of a single round arch, resting directly on the banks of the river without separate abutments. It was built of roughly-hewn stone blocks of various sizes, fairly evenly laid, except in the intrados. The large stones of the barrel merge directly into the structure of the spandrel walls. The bridge is 9.50 m long and 2.60 m wide at mid point. The roadway is paved with small, evenly-cut stone blocks, now covered with self-sown vegetation and damaged as a result, no doubt on account of years of exposure to the elements and neglect.
The barrel forms a segmental arch with a span of about 5 metres, composed of large, evenly-cut voussoirs. No mortar can be seen in the joints, and the surface is overgrown with vegetation, so that it is hard to determine whether the entire bridge was dry-stone built or whether weather conditions have resulted in the disappearance of the mortar. The highest point of the bridge is 2 metres above water level. The intrados is of finely dressed cut stone with radial joints.
There are no mouldings of any kind – string courses etc. – on the bridge – nor is there a parapet, and it is possible that it never had one. The roadway, which rises evenly from both sides towards the middle, suggests that the visible parts of the bridge date from the Ottoman period. Judging from the absence of any particular stylistic features, to all appearances the bridge was built by local masons(5).
The bridge’s poor condition means that it is now used only as a footbridge.
3. Legal status to date
The bridge has not been subject to statutory protection(6).
4. Research and conservation-restoration works
Nothing is known of any investigative or conservation-restoration works on the bridge.
5. Current condition of the property
The findings of an inspection of the property are as follows:
- the Roman Bridge in the village of Vranci is in a state of dilapidation due to neglect;
- the walls, joints, barrel and roadway are covered with self-sown vegetation and biological deposits;
- damage can be seen in the barrel of the bridge, where there is no mortar in the joints, so that the whole structure is in poor condition;
- the poor condition of the bridge means that it is used only as a footbridge;
- the “Roman” Bridge has been in poor condition for some years, prompting the 'Kreševo' DZKP and PV to apply to the Canton for funds to rehabilitate it and carry out the necessary masonry works. The sum of 2,000 KM was received, and was used in 2010 to carry out minor repairs and masonry works to make the bridge structurally sound and restore its original appearance(7).
III – CONCLUSION
Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.
The Decision was based on the following criteria:
A. Time frame
B. Historical value
C. Artistic and aesthetic value
C.iii. proportions
C.iv. composition
F. Townscape/ Landscape value
F.iii. the building or group of buildings is part of a group or site
The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:
- copy of cadastral plan,
- photodocumentation, Canon Power Shot SX 10 IS 10.0 megapixel, Arijana Pašić,
- drawings of the bridge, Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport.
Bibliography
During the procedure to designate the monument as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:
1955. Krstić, Augustin. “Povijesni spomenici Kreševa” (Historic monuments of Kreševo), special offprint from Dobri pastir, yr. IV-V. Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, 1955.
1989. Gojković, Milan. Stari kameni mostovi (Old stone bridges). Belgrade: Naučna knjiga, 1989
1998. Čelić, Džemal i Mehmed Mujezinović. Stari mostovi u Bosni i Hercegovini (Old bridges in BiH). Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, 1998.
2004. Chabbouh Akšamija, Lemja. Arhitektura svrhe, Akcentirane kamene mostovne konstrukcije osmanskog perioda na carskom bosanskom drumu (The architecture of purpose, accented stone bridge structures of the Ottoman period on the imperial Bosnian road), master's dissertation. Sarajevo: Faculty of Architecture, 2004.
http://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kre%C5%A1evo_%28BiH%29
(1) For more on Kreševo, see the Decision designating the historic urban area of Kreševo as a national monument of BiH – Decision no. 08.1-6-527/03-6 of 3 July 2003. Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/03
(2) Džemal Čelić and Mehmed Mujezinović, Stari mostovi u Bosni i Hercegovini, Sarajevo: Sarajevo - Publishing, 1998, 143.
(3) Sidžil no. 8, 58.
(4) Skarić says that it is not usual in the Kreševo region for the foreign consonant f to be replaced by v, but rather to remain unchanged. An exception is the name of the Black River, which the people of upper Lepenica also call Vojnica. He also says that in northern Herzegovina, where the people who settled in the Kreševo region came from, the foreign consonant f is replaced by v. (Skarić, 1936, 73)
(5) Džemal Čelić and Mehmed Mujezinović, op.cit., 143-144
(6) According to a letter from the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport ref. 07-40-4-3088-1/10 of 30.07.2010, the property was not protected by the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of BiH.
(7) According to a letter from the Department of Civil Defence, Planning, Proprietary Rights and Cadastral Affairs of Kreševo Municipality, ref. 06-23-sl-12 of 11.08.2010.
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