17 UNESCO guidelines

4.5.2.Social characteristics

Besides Perast, other settlements in the bay prospered during the Venetian rule, first Kotor, then Prcanj and Dobrota, which developed intensive naval activity, participated in naval battles against Turks and pirates and received the status of municipalities. For their war and other merits, Perast and other settlements received numerous privileges from the Venetian Republic, and prominent individuals received noble titles and the Knights of St. Mark. The navy also had a military detachment formed to defend the city, which was commanded by the admiral, performing the function of port captain. The detachment had the task of patrolling the sea and opposing the enemy, and to participate in the operations of the Venetian fleet if needed. The military detachment under the command of the admiral was initially completely independent of the civilian administration of the fraternity. Being settled in a place called Luka (Port), Bronza Palace served as an maritime complex throughout its history from the Venetian Republic to the Austrian Empire. Its position and high merchant activity rendered the place to obtain the title of main city port and thus connection with the outside world.

5. UNESCO guidelines

The recommendations introduced both by UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro through its body of Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage were considered as a base point in the future interventions. In that context, it is proceeded with applying each of the written guidelines to the particular site of the project, emphasizing their importance for this project and how the story of the 5 points previously explored integrates abovementioned guidelines in an attempt to save the most important qualities of Perast.

Regarding the process of preservation of the city gardens the documents prescribes following measures: “Keep green and free spaces as much as possible in the settlements, and great attention should be paid to terraced gardens and backyards; to preserve "green breaks and penetrations" in the built tissue; natural forests, which penetrate into built-up urban areas or surround them, should be specially protected and arranged as urban greenery”.

Moving on to the road that passes on the upper side it recommends: “The modern road, in addition to the already created negatives due to the violation of the natural characteristics of the terrain in the border zone of the city towards the hill, poses a danger of breaking the imaginary border of the settlement; appear. It is necessary to neutralize the created terrain violation by passing a modern road by establishing a humus embankment overgrown with vegetation along the border towards the settlement. This will mitigate the negativities created in the area by cutting the formed plots into a lower and higher part, which violates their unity.”

Moving to the old Austrian roads it prescribes following: “Individual objects in the hinterland registered as cultural monuments (mainly fortifications from the Austro-Hungarian period) are intended for revitalization depending on the capacity and the possibility of their inclusion in infrastructure systems from simple connection with footpaths to complete equipment. The method of protection and revitalization especially refers to the old roads from the Austro-Hungarian period

that are in use today, but they should be properly valorized and reconstructed as a significant part of the cultural and historical heritage.”

Related to the squares and streets it recommends that: “At the beginning of development, emphasis should be given to the coastal promenade and the main street. In this coastal zone, the buildings are easily accessible due to the flat terrain, so there will be the majority of tourist facilities, An important determinant of the architectural heritage of Perast is the preserved urban matrix of the city, the oldest parts of which date from the medieval period. The regulation lines of the blocks most often include the older estates of some important Perast families (kazades). Later fragmentation and division of property into branches of older families resulted in changes that resulted in the current appearance of the city, whose matrix represents a treasury for further study of its history and urban development. Therefore, the basic characteristics of the Perast structure must be preserved without changes.”

Regarding the old family’s palaces it recommends: “Very significant monumental complexes of housing and defense architecture that belonged to prominent families of Perast should, in addition to being renovated, also represent these residential units as the way of life and housing culture of the most important Perast families over a period of several centuries and should include the space that belonged to them with fence walls, driveways, courtyards, houses chapels, gardens and outbuildings and introducing new use.” So I would add to that – really seeing them in a totality rather than partial sections of the whole complex.

In the sense of the fortress reconstruction it says that: “Reconstruction of the ruined complexes, are intended for central activities, which means the accommodation of central institutions of economy, administration and culture, as well as business, commercial and service activities. One of the most significant features of the urban whole of Perast is the preserved panorama of the city imprinted in the characteristic landscape that makes up its natural environment. However, with the passage of a modern transit road between the settlement and the fortress of St. Cross is a significantly disturbed symbiotic relationship established between the architectural heritage of Perast and its natural framework”.

Regarding the roads around the fortress itself which we can also see in the Theresian cadaster from 1880s the document states as follows: “Research in the wider area around the fortress, can provide new data related to earlier fortifications, but also the existence of a presumed ancient road. As a defense of Perast, from the side of the hill, the fortress was a hub of paths and roads, some of which are passable, and lead to the churches of St. Petka and Our Lady of Health, the villages of Glogovac and Risna. Only by returning to function would the picture of the functioning of the fortress and the city in relation to the environment be complete.”

Regarding the palaces the document also prescribes that: “captain's palaces and buildings should be provided for museums, galleries and high tourism facilities; other facilities that contain elements typical for the area to be reconstructed and activated in accordance with the planned purposes, primarily housing and tourism; in addition Inherited tissue, which includes horizontal and vertical regulation, retaining walls of terraced plots, valuable trees and spontaneously formed communications, should be respected and incorporated into new urban and architectural solutions.”