The reason for announcing the competition is the need to re-examine the potentials and affirm the possibilities of setting up and developing an Archaeological Park in a specific area, as one of the strategic national projects aimed at preserving archaeological heritage and as a support to the activation of cultural, archaeological and congress tourism in connection with the subject site. By preserving the authentic remains of the archaeological site, by their programme-based revival, as well as the accompanying tourist contents and infrastructural development, it is necessary to satisfy both the current and the future needs of the site for the purpose of further explorations and attracting of visitors.

“Belo Brdo” archaeological site in Vinča constitutes an immovable cultural property of exceptional importance for the Republic of Serbia (“The Official Gazette of the SRS,” no. 14/79).

The goal of the competition is to select, in line with the Terms of Reference, programme requirements, potentials of the site and especially the significance and the values ​​of the archaeological heritage site (cultural property), the most adequate urban-planning and architectural design for the Belo Brdo Archaeological Park complex in Vinča. It is expected that the competition solution will integrate all of the existing specificities of the cultural property into a contemporary, authentic and recognisable multifunctional complex that corresponds to the surroundings and improves the values ​​of the ambience.

A specific goal of the competition is to preserve the cultural heritage through a spatial and programme organisation that provides conditions for bringing the topic and the period of the civilisation development closer to the visitors through different modalities – Archaeological Site at the site itself, Archaeo Park as the place of interpretation of Vinča Culture’s way of life, Visitor Centre as the place of presentation of the findings, and Neolithic Scientific Research Centre as the place of enhancing the research of Neolithic cultures through a multidisciplinary approach, additional education and training, and popularisation of the included scientific fields.

A goal of the competition solution is also to affirm a symbolic idea of new connections, modern communications and progress through the current potentials of site, in line with the cultural and historical context, modern tendencies in the field of cultural heritage presentation, and the significance and development of the subject site.

The selected designs will constitute the basis for the preparation of the urban-planning, technical and project documentation for the needs of the realisation of the development and construction of Belo Brdo Archaeological Park.

Fig. 2. Photograph of the competition area    Source: Archives of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia