PHOTOGRAPHY HELPS PRESERVE CULTURAL HERITAGE: DOCUMENTATION OF TREBINJE'S NATIONAL MONUMENTS UNDERWAY

TREBINJE – The documentation of national monuments and cultural heritage sites is currently underway in the city of Trebinje as part of the project "Photography in the Service of Culture and Ecology," implemented by the citizens' association "Mostovi."

PHOTO: Grad Trebinje

The project's primary goal is to record the current condition of Trebinje's cultural and historical heritage through photography, with particular attention given to monuments threatened by deterioration, inadequate maintenance, and environmental impacts.

Through extensive fieldwork and the involvement of participants from a photography school, the project is creating a unique photographic archive that will serve as a valuable foundation for future efforts aimed at protecting and promoting the city's cultural assets

Project organizers emphasize that photography plays a far greater role than artistic expression. It serves as an important tool for documenting the actual condition of cultural heritage while raising public awareness about the urgent need to preserve these historic sites.

By visually presenting the current state of monuments, the initiative seeks to draw the attention of institutions, heritage professionals, and the wider public to the importance of systematic cultural heritage protection and the preservation of local identity and historical memory.

Once completed, the project will produce a catalog featuring photographs and essential information about the documented monuments. The publication will be submitted to relevant institutions as a contribution to initiatives aimed at improving the protection of cultural heritage in the Trebinje area.

The initiative is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the challenges facing cultural heritage preservation while encouraging responsible institutions to take concrete measures to safeguard Trebinje's historical landmarks for future generations.

The project is being carried out within the framework of the Regional Programme on Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 3 (ReLOaD3), funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with 14 local governments, including the City of Trebinje, which co-finances local projects with 35 percent of the total funding.