Reconstruction of the Doboj Castle

Doboj Castle is a symbol of the shared Serbian and Bosniak cultural heritage. The common work on its reconstruction unites a town that straddles the Serbian and Federation entities, and will also improve the tourist potential of the region.

Description

This initiative aims to re-build local cultural and historical treasures such as the great medieval castle of Doboj. In our city, we are trying to achieve positive cooperation between mostly Serbian and Bosniak local residents, and the development and constructive usage of local resources in order to further the development of the community and a better life for all.

The city of Doboj has survived hard conditions of conflict and even today it is divided by ethnic lines and borders – the southern part of the city is in the Federation entity and the northern part is in the Serbian entity. (Republika Srpska) Therefore we have many examples of national and ethnic conflict but one thing that unites all people here is the Castle, and all agree that this castle is a mutual historic monument for all citizens of Doboj.

By reconstructing this cultural and historic monument we have improved the tourist potential of this region and at the same time initiated common work on a monument for all Bosnians in this region and all citizens of Doboj.

Aims / Objectives

• Reconstruction and further protection of the Doboj castle;
• Promotion of tourism in our region;
• Creating new jobs for local residents;
• Organising the first tourist fair in our region; and
• Promotion of our mutual historic heritage.

Here in the Balkans where the past is more alive than the present and is interpreted by many leaders differently, regular people are often manipulated by the media and politicians regarding their history.

Ever since the war stopped in this region many media outlets have tried to spread their often incorrect historical facts, saying that there is nothing that unites people in Bosnia together. We try to fight this and show to the people a rich heritage which doesn’t divide us from each other but unites us because there are a lot of historical sites here which are symbols to Bosniak, Serbian, Croatian and others of a shared life and past.

This initiative lessens the risk of conflict in our region because it rebuilds something important for all ethnicities such as the Doboj castle , a cultural and historical heritage site destroyed by the war during the 1990s.

How it is Articulated

Through events. So far we have managed to organise a Bosnian Herzegovinian tourist fair which had international character - we have opened this city to people beyond our borders.

This NGO has also been one of the most active organisations and promoters of the first Bosnian NGO network called “EkomrežaBiH”. We have participated in many cross-entity campaigns for the protection and promotion of civil rights and the environment.

Achievements / Learning points

We are proud to have organised the reconstruction of the old castle and gained the cooperation of relevant factions in our city, as well as the fact that we have had international support as strong as the local support.

Our organisation has achieved a lot through this project especially, a good reputation. Our advice for others in our situation would be just keep on working to improve life in your communities.

Geographical Area of Operation

Municipality of Doboj in the Serbian entity, Bosnia Herzegovina.

Funding Resources

Project grant from the EU.

Organisations Involved

• ROTOR;
• The Swedish International Developmental Agency (SIDA); and
• The Doboj Municipality.