CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE OF THE BAY OF KOTOR REGION AS PRESENTED IN THE »GLASNIK NARODNOG UNIVERZITETA« AT KOTOR

The »Narodni Univerzitet Boke Kotorske« (The People’s University of the Bay to Kotor) was active between 1934. and 1941. Its members were persons of various professious of the region. Its publication, »Glasnik Narodnog Univerziteta« (»The People’s University Herald«), appearing regularly during the mentioned period, has published 22 issues, which represent a permanent documentation of the successful activity of its publisher. The first noticeable and useful manifestation of the People’s University was a cultural and historical exibition held at Kotor in the early October 1934., at which all the places lying in the Bay of Kotor took part. There were about 600 exibits from collections owned by churches, private persons, municipalities, schools and cultural institutions. After starting in the above-mentioned way, the »Glasnik« dedicated a number of its pages to the historical and cultural monuments, their significance, custody and preservation. The »Glasnik’s« collaborators included, in addition to the local ones, also Mihovil Abramić from Split, Đurđe Bošković from Belgrade and Đoko Mazalić from Sarajevo. The contents of the publication included a variety of programs covering education, culture, scientific research, etc. Since the last war, all the programs have been realized, some of them even exceeded. A series of new museums and collections have been established, such as the Pomorski Muzej (The Maritime Museum) at Kotor, Zavičajni Muzej (The Home Museum) at Hercego Novi, Gradski Muzej (The Town Museum) at Perast, and the Archaeological Collection at Risan. The Historical Archives at Kotor, as well as the Archives and Scientific Library at Herceg Novi, have obtained favourable conditions for their activity and development. The churches at Kotor, Prčanj, Perast, and Herceg Novi have undergone signifacant restoration and preservation intervention. In the course of these interventions we were happy enough to welcome frequently the esteemed and meritorious academician Dr. Cvito Fisković, arriving either as researcher in our archives or as partaker at our meetings, showing permament interest for our activities. We owe him many valuable advices and suggestions, while supporting us cordially in our efforts at preservation of various buildings and objects with a cultural or historical value. Four outstanding articles dealing with the maritime past of the Bay of Kotor have been published by Dr. Cvito Fisković – one in the monthly publication »POMORSTVO« (Rijeka) and three in the »Godišnjak Pomorskog Muzeja« (The Maritime Museum Annual) at Kotor – for which we are indebted to special gratitude to this respected personality. With our best wishes for his 70th birthday, we expect his successful and useful cooperation in the days to come