Cetinje: Bizarre decision — heritage authority demands restoration of renovated sidewalk after previously granting written approval

The administration of Prijestonica Cetinje has reconstructed the worn-out sidewalk near Studentski trg. But after the works were completed, the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property (UZKD) issued a decision demanding the sidewalk be restored to its original state, Portal Analitika reports.

The city says that before work began, its Secretariat for Housing and Communal Affairs had written to UZKD with precisely defined locations — Bajova Street, Ivana Crnojevića Street, Vladike Petra Street and Vojvode Batrića Martinovića Street. UZKD replied in writing that the interventions could be carried out as regular maintenance of cultural property under Article 75 of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property, and that no conservation conditions were needed.

Acting on that official reply, the city carried out the works. Now the same authority, which had been informed of the planned works and had granted written approval, is ordering the works halted and the site returned to its original state. “The public is entitled to a clear answer: what has changed in the meantime — the documentation, the nature of the works, or the Administration’s stance?” asks Prijestonica.

Prijestonica pledges to make the relevant documentation available to the public and to insist on a full and transparent clarification of the case. “Our goal has been and remains the regulation of public spaces and the preservation of Cetinje’s Historic Core, respecting the law and acting in line with the opinions and guidance of the competent state institutions,” the city’s response states.