Roman Baths in Čačak – (In)Feasibility Study

Abstract

The case of the Roman baths in Čačak presents the study of the marginalization of the heritage of Western Serbia. Although situated in the modern centre of the city Čačak, from the time of their discovery in 1970, the baths have remained hidden from the public view, considered as an obstacle by the inhabitants, local small business and the city administration. The theoretical consideration of the location of the baths indicates minimal risks for their successful revitalisation in relation to their environment, but in reality the attempts at their material preservation have been utterly unsuccessful. The missing link in effective revitalization of this site is the lack of the constructive relationship baths – individual – community, of the climate they mutually create in the space, or the particular characteristics of the space itself. The key for the protection of cultural heritage in Serbia lies in the education of the local public, cooperation with the local authorities in the changes in the urbanistic policies of the city, and taking the cultural heritage as the incentive for local development and identity, and the example of the Roman baths in Čačak may indicate the path for overcoming the obstacles.