RECONSTRUCTION OF HEAT PLANT ELIMINATES THE EASTERN GATE OF THE OLD CEMETERY ?
21.07.2015

Central entrance, at the "Eastern Gate" old cemetery "Gorica" in Nis, Palilula Municipality, last week for the reconstruction of heating plant "Jug" was completely devastated. The contractor removed the central pillar with a part of the gate, which had disappeared in the meanwhile, and other parts were damaged of the entrance to the complex, which in 1991 was put under the protection of the law.

President of Palilula Boban Džunić was surprised by this act. "Nearly three years we are trying to achieve our parliamentary initiative addressed to the town to Old cemetery" Gorica "offices in Memorial Park and thus to provide permanent treatment care and maintenance. Significant budgetary funds have been also invested but this is what the unexpected things happen - said Džunić. Based on the project of the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments and the Institute for Urban Planning, Municipality of Palilula with the support of the City of Nis has provided funding for the phase of adapting and fencing. First they completed work on "Eastern Gate" and then create conditions to continue work during 2012 on the "West Gate" of the Old Cemetery. Unfortunately, long-term protection and the completion of works on the project have not been completed and the complex of the cemetery "Gorica" which is currently spread over an area of 8 hectares (more than 3.4 hectares of abandoned space) left to unscrupulous citizens continue to destroy, take away fences and marble slabs , dispose of waste, vegetation is also quickly covering the place, until then adapted space and burial places. According to the president of Palilula words, it has already become a practice because of that and these unresolved issues, to go back every year to the beginning.

Works on the reconstruction of Heating plant "South-Jug", which was built 35 years ago, will be completed by the beginning of the heating season, it has been announced in this utility company. Until then, the contractor, the consortium team "Energotehnika Juzna Backa", will work on the renovation of the plant and enter the parts of new boilers and other installation equipment. The value of this large investment, which is realized with financial support from the German Development Bank KfW is about 2.4 million. For this purposes it is rather awkwardly shifted and then unsecured from theft, eastern gate of the Old cemetery "Gorica". The central entrance of the complex was destroyed.

And again we are at the beginning of this story. Overall past activity of the citizens and the management of Palilula, invested assets as if they were all spent in vain. Without denying, the huge investment that will improve heating for the population of Palilula and City of Nis, is the question that remains. How, finally protect and regulate the area which is an important cultural asset of Nis?

PROTECTION: As authentic testimonies of the personalities and events in Nis, with the decision of the Municipality of Nis in 1983, eight graves in the "Old cemetery" were placed under the protection of the Act. With the Decision of the Executive Council of the Municipality of Nis br.01-178 / 1-9-n of June 21, 1991, the entire complex of Old cemetery "Gorica" has been declared a cultural monument and is under state protection. The councilors of Palilula Assembly, on the nineteenth session held in NKC-in, 14.10.2010 brought unanimously decision to launch the initiative in the City of Nis that space of Old cemetery "Gorica" link in the "memorial park".