Castle of Culture in Vrnjacka Banja ready for adaptation – City seeking contractors for works worth 2.4 million dinars

The Belimarkovic Manor in Vrnjacka Banja, better known as the Castle of Culture, is set to receive a new exterior and interior look.

The Vrnjacka Banja municipal administration has issued a public call for capital maintenance works on the Castle of Culture (Phase 3), allocating 2,404,015 dinars from the budget for this purpose.

The preliminary design was prepared by Elena Vasic-Petrovic PR projektovanje i izvodjenje DE Arhitektura from Nis, with Elena Vasic-Petrovic, B.Sc Arch, serving as the lead designer.

The building is a free-standing, state-owned structure with a floor structure of SB+GF+1+RF, and the gross developed area (GDA) of the section undergoing restoration is 262 m2.

The procurement covers construction and finishing works, as well as conservation and restoration efforts, on this famous edifice.

At the upper-floor level, one horizontal gutter and a section of the profiled cornice flashing supporting it are to be dismantled, along with two vertical downpipes.

The cornice will be repaired, as will sections of the balcony that may need to be dismantled to accommodate the planned works.

The installation of new gutters and sheet-metal flashing is also included in the plan.

At the attic level, all roof windows (8 in total) and the plasterboard cladding with its supporting framework will be dismantled, new windows and cladding will be installed and all necessary preparatory and finishing works will be carried out.

Upon completion of these tasks, final finishing works will be performed, involving the painting of the attic walls and ceilings.

The plot of land occupied by the Castle of Culture covers an area of 5,784 m2, and the total value of the work on the building across all three phases amounts to 10,245,936 dinars.

Belimarkovic Castle was built by General Jovan Belimarkovic, a government minister and regent for the underage King Aleksandar Obrenovic, based on a conceptual design by his nephew, civil engineer Pavle Denic.

The main design was prepared by the Austrian engineer Franz Winter, and construction was completed in the late 19th century.

The castle is situated on an elevation overlooking the main park and thermal springs of Vrnjacka Banja. It was built in the style of Northern Italian villas (even utilizing white marble from Belimarkovic’s own quarry on the slopes of Mount Goc).

General Belimarkovic’s heirs resided in the building until 1968, when it was purchased to serve as a cultural institution.

This edifice was designated as an immovable cultural asset by a decision of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Kraljevo in March 1970 and was categorized as a structure of great importance to Serbia. It officially opened to visitors in 1989 and is managed by the Vrnjacka Banja Cultural Center.

The deadline for tender applications is October 19, and more information (in Serbian) can be found HERE.

Opština Vrnjačka Banja

DE Arhitektura Niš

Vrnjačka Banja Municipal Administration

Elena Vasić Petrović PR projektovanje i izvođenje DE Arhitektura Niš

building restoration

Belimarković Castle Vrnjačka banja

Castle of Culture Vrnjačka Banja