MEDIEVAL TOMBSTONES ˝STEĆCI˝ FROM CROATIA ON UNESCO'S WORLD HERITAGE LIST

In July 2016, during the 40th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, the Republic of Croatia, together with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, submitted the multinational nomination of the Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Among the 28 necropolis that have been inscribed on the World Heritage List by the decision of the World Heritage Committee, two are found in Croatia located in Konavle and Cisti Provo. The Church of St. Barbara in the village of Dubravka is one of the oldest churches in Konavle and the largest preserved medieval cemetery in Konavle is found around the church. The existence of 104 tombstones has been established here.

The value of the stećci medieval tombstones as cultural heritage and their tourist potential was recognized by the Dubrovnik-Neretva Country Regional Development Agency DUNEA that implemented the project ˝HERCUL – Valorisation of the Cultural Heritage of Medieval Tombstones in the Western Balkans˝ from 2011 to 2014. As part of the project, the medieval tombstones stećci trail was created, a tourist route which includes 19 locations in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, from the Neretva River Valley, along the Dubrovnik Littoral Region, to Konavle, including the new UNESCO site in the county – the Church of St. Barbara. Brochures have been published and there is a promotional film about the stećci tombstones that can be viewed on the Rural Dubrovnik Neretva web page.