Skopje, 20 August 2024 (MIA) - Minister of Culture and Tourism Zoran Ljutkov met Tuesday with the acting director of the Museum of North Macedonia, Borche Topukovski, discussing the draft project for a thorough reconstruction of the Museum. Ljutkov added that the procedure for obtaining approval for construction is underway, followed by reconstruction of the roof, and a tender for the reconstruction of the other part of the building will follow in the next period.

Minister Ljutkov recalled that the museum was last renovated in 2010.

"We will strive to restore the splendor of this institution and for this purpose a project for a thorough reconstruction has been developed. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is in the procedure of acquiring a building permit, after which we will move on with repairing the roof, for which there are already allocated funds. F or a thorough reconstruction of the other part of the facility, a multi-year public procurement tender will be published in the coming period,” the minister said.

He hopes the permits will be obtained in a very short time, and by the end of the year, the roof will be finished within the end of the year. The Minister is also convinced that with the realization of all phases of the project, the museum will finally be made in accordance with all standards, as it is a guardian of our cultural heritage.

"The Museum of Macedonia is the oldest and largest museum in Macedonia, with the task of collecting, preserving, and presenting our cultural heritage. The Museum is currently in a terrible state, illustrating our attitude towards cultural heritage and although much was promised in recent years, nothing was done to improve the state of the oldest museum in Macedonia," Ljutkov noted.

He stressed that the gallery of icons that falls under the first category for protection, after the 2016 earthquake and issues with the roof and leaks, had to be moved to a storehouse and stored in inappropriate conditions.

"In many situations employees have to intervene, and since we are talking about the employees, I must say that in the last three years, 30 people retired, and only one person was employed. That illustrates the attitude towards our culture, tradition, cultural heritage and attitude towards institutions," Ljutkov stated.

The Minister said that he will visit all institutions that fall under the competence of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism until the end of the year.

“Together with experts we will assess the situation, make decisions, and submit proposals to the Government, so that we can intervene, and not cause further damage.

Topukovski added that he hopes that over time the Museum restore its splendor.

“We have the most valuable museum collection in the country- the icon gallery. However, other ethnological museum objects are also valuable and important for the presentation of our cultural heritage. The meeting with the Minister today was very productive, and we have great hope that we can start from a dead end and that over time we can give the Museum the splendor it deserves,” Topukovski highlighted. ssh/ba/

Photo: MIA