Serbia is celebrating its 17th edition of European Heritage Days with over 300 events this year. Marking the common theme “Arts and Entertainment,” the largest cultural festival in Europe is shining a light on the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Serbia. This autumn in Belgrade, Bac, Prokuplje and many other cities in Serbia, there are exciting opportunities to explore various arts and entertainment forms that shaped the European cultural landscape.

Symbolically, especially for the 17th edition of the festival, Serbia is celebrating 17 important milestones, including the 280th anniversary of the birth of the great Serbian writer and philosopher Dositej Obradović, and the 135th anniversary of the National Bank of Serbia. The colourful programme is, as always, offering the youngest generations of heritage explorers thematic games and participatory activities.

Museums, concert halls, theatres and sports facilities are taking centre stage for the discovery of multicultural roots in Serbia's arts and entertainment scene. Families, heritage enthusiasts and art lovers can enjoy an unforgettable experience and explore the diverse material and immaterial cultural heritage of Serbia.

The opening ceremony in Vrnjačka Banja

The central event this year will be organized in Vrnjacka Banja with the theme of “heritage and nostalgia”. The rich program will illustrate the most beautiful days of Vrnjacka Banja, where people spent, and still do, their free time in this beautiful city, by visiting concerts, walking the parks, and enjoying the healing properties of its wells. 

Belgrade as the Heart of Local Culture

As the Serbian capital and one of the oldest cities in the world, Belgrade is traditionally home to the largest number of cultural events during the festival. From exhibitions and guided tours dedicated to some of the country’s anniversaries to art workshops for children, Belgrade is setting the tone for another successful season of heritage exploration. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the birth of the great Serbian writer – Milorad Pavić and 35 years since the first edition of his greatest work “Dictionary of the Khazars” a special programme throughout the country is dedicated to marking this important milestone in Serbia's cultural scene. The National Library of Serbia organised the exhibition that featured some of the most extraordinary translated editions of the book as well as many personal items of the writer including photographs and the manuscript of the “Dictionary of the Khazars.” Children 7 to 10 years old had a unique opportunity to visit the works and techniques of the great Pablo Picasso at the dedicated workshop at the National Museum in Belgrade. In addition to this, the Museum of African Art joins the celebration of European Heritage Days with a series of free events aiming to present the diversity and richness of African culture, traditions and customs as an inseparable part of the world’s cultural heritage.

The National Bank of Serbia 

Marking the 135th anniversary of its foundation and the 90th anniversary of the Banknotes and Coins Bureau, the National Bank of Serbia will celebrate European Heritage Days on 5 October with a programme of events open to visitors of all ages. In addition to exhibitions and guided tours of the National Bank of Serbia Visitor Centre, visitors are treated to a unique gift of a bank note with their face printed on it as a souvenir.

Days of Bač Highlights

As one of the most significant cultural places in Serbia, Bač was awarded with the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in 2018. The local cultural festival “Days of Bač“ is one of the largest cultural manifestations in Serbia during European Heritage Days. Thousands of visitors gathered this year from 20 to 22 September in the historical town of Bač to rediscover the arts and entertainment tradition treasured for centuries. The rich cultural programme included a wide range of medieval arts and crafts workshops, concerts, and a guided tour of the fortress.

Prokuplje Continues the Celebratory Tradition

The National Museum Toplice in Prokuplje is another major contributor to this year's programme. Recognising the diverse potential of the interpretation of the common theme, the museum organised a series of events that would bring cultural heritage closer to people of all ages and interests. A number of exhibitions, lectures and literature-inspired events are part of this year's programme in the museum. Darko Žarić, director of the museum, invited all interested participants to take part in the exhibition of old toys and contribute with their collections.

Celebration of European Heritage Days all over the country

The Memorial Day at the Library in Čačak invites visitors to come to the institution on a particular day and share with their librarians their memories (which would be captured by camera), upload photos for digitization or other objects that make up individual memories and memories of that time.

A leisurely stroll along with the story of the curators and visitors would visit the cultural monuments in the city, as well as the (former) Pirot corso and quay near Nišava river.

People are invited to come to the museum in Pirot and listen to music - a program aimed primarily at older citizens, as well as other music lovers from records, transistors, cassette players ...

With a diverse cultural programme available across the country, European Heritage Days in Serbia are inspiring thousands of visitors to come together for a celebration of shared European traditions.