Thanks to the ROMANICA – Roman Heritage Connecting the Past and the Present project, Budva will, for the first time, open to the public one of the most significant archaeological sites in the Old Town – the Roman baths, which have remained hidden beneath Trg Crkava for decades.
ROMANICA is a cross-border project focused on the research, protection, interpretation and sustainable tourism valorisation of Roman coastal and underwater heritage in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The project brings together the University of Zadar as the lead partner, the City of Biograd na Moru, the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar, the Franciscan Museum in Tomislavgrad, the University of Montenegro and the Municipality of Budva.
In Montenegro, the project is being implemented by the Centre for Archaeology of the Institute for Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies of the University of Montenegro and the Municipality of Budva.
The total value of the project is €1,836,681.60, of which the European Union, through the IPA III CBC programme, is providing €1,561,179.36, or 85 per cent of the total project value, while the remaining 15 per cent is provided by the project partners.
Beneath the stone plateau of the Old Town, where numerous residents and visitors pass every day, lies Roman-era Budva. The ancient public bathhouse, discovered following the devastating 1979 earthquake during the reconstruction of the Old Town, was an important place for socialising, relaxation and gatherings at a time when Budva was part of the Roman world and an important point along the maritime trade routes of the eastern Adriatic.
During archaeological excavations in the 1980s, remains of bathing pools, furnaces and an ancient underfloor heating system were discovered. Although the site was researched and conserved by experts led by Professor Mirko Kovačević, the Roman baths have never been accessible to the public or included in the city’s cultural and tourism offer.
The ROMANICA project introduces a new approach to the valorisation of this exceptional cultural heritage site. The project provides for the conservation and presentation of the authentic remains, their opening to visitors, as well as the development of modern digital interpretive content that will enable a better understanding of Budva’s Roman heritage and its connection with the Adriatic’s underwater archaeological heritage.
In this way, the Roman baths will become part of Budva’s cultural offer and a new place for visitors to engage with its ancient and maritime history, contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage and the development of sustainable cultural tourism.
The ROMANICA project began on 15 June 2026 and will run for 24 months. It is being implemented under the Interreg VI-A IPA Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro Cross-Border Cooperation Programme, under the priority of sustainable and inclusive tourism and culture.
Source: radiotivat.com