Europe's Only Kilim Museum to Open in Pirot – Building for 300 Kilims Under Construction

(Illustration) The state-protected “Bela Macka” facility in Pirot will be fully reconstructed and turned into probably the only museum of kilims, a special type of tapestry-woven carpets, in Europe. Over 300 kilims, which are currently stored in the depots of the Museum of the Nisava Region in Pirot, will be moved to this facility, for which the experts of the competent Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments of Nis have already prepared a protection study on 120 pages. As the facility is dilapidated, the artworks have been moved, and a new facility, identical to the original one, will be built in its place, in partnership with the Institute.

– Considering that the facility is slowly collapsing, the Communal Inspection Service is addressing the problem, and the facility will be fenced off for the safety of the passers-by. I emphasize that the plan is to demolish the facility, in line with the instructions of the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments, so that a reconstruction can be carried out. Before that, of course, in cooperation with the Institute, whose experts have already prepared the Study of the Protection of the Facility and practically preserved the facility as is, we will apply for funds from the EU pre-accession instruments, in order to secure the money for the reconstruction of the entire complex – said Bojan Randjelovic, the assistant mayor of Pirot.

– The study was prepared in time by the experts of the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments. The document has 120 pages and is the basis for the protection of the facility, as it has been fully surveyed, the artworks have been listed and moved from the facility. In early 2020, we started preparing the draft project task for the reconstruction of the Green Market and the Bela Macka facility. Our partner in this project is the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments. We should have already had the preliminary designs for both facilities, but they are late because of the state of emergency. In the next week, we will sign an agreement on the preparation of the project-technical documentation for the reconstruction of the Green Market and the Bela Macka facility and the project-technical documentation for the reconstruction will be prepared. The facility needs to be demolished and will be reconstructed to look as it did originally, based on the draft project and the study prepared by the experts of the Institute. Once it is built, the facility's primary purpose will be to house the Kilim Museum. Over 300 old Pirot kilims, which are currently in the Museum of the Nisava Region, will be displayed there – Randjelovic said.

Muzej Ponišavlja Pirot

Grad Pirot

Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments

Bojan Ranđelović

Bela mačka

kilims

kilim museum