The house of the artist Tripo Kokolja is on sale in Perast: why the municipality and the state did not find a way to buy the house and turn it into ...

Real estate in Montenegro, representing historical and cultural value, is changing owners ... Recently, Serbian folk singer Sasha Matic bought an apartment in the estate of Balavić, which is located in the town of Perast and where, in 1846, Peter II Petrovic Negos spent the summer and wrote the song “Night Gathers Centuries” (mont. “Noć skuplja vijeka”).

In addition, a house is currently being sold in Perast, in which the artist Tripo Kokolja) lived and worked in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The house is for sale for 750 thousand euros.

Local residents, like many architects of Montenegro, do not want to talk about it, and only the architect Alexander Dender agreed to clarify some points.

“The cultural values ​​of Montenegro can be privately owned, this is not a problem, but they cannot be devastated and destroyed. They can also be restored, but reconstruction should be carried out exclusively on the basis of the Institute for the Protection of Monuments and, of course, realistically, and not in anyone’s interests,” said architect Alexander Dender.

The question, however, is why the municipality of Kotor or the State did not find a way to buy this house and remodel it, for example ... into a small museum or gallery?

The following answer was received from the Kotor municipality: “The place of birth of the artist Tripo Kokolja was registered in 1961 in the Register of Cultural Property of Montenegro and is one of the five separate cultural property of the city of Perast. In accordance with Section 45 of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property, the cities or municipalities of Montenegro have the right to prohibit the acquisition of cultural property into private property, which means that a private person must first provide the state with information on the purchase of real estate representing the cultural value of the country.”

The Ministry of Culture of Montenegro reported that they did not receive such a notification. “If the parties signed a contract of sale, which was not concluded in accordance with the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property, then such an agreement is invalid and the state has the right to sue to refute this agreement,” the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro said.

If the state or municipality waives the right to buy or does not respond to the seller’s offer within 60 days, the owner can sell this cultural property to another private person, in accordance with conditions that cannot be more profitable and favorable.

In addition, the Secretariat for the Protection of the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Municipality of Kotor said that they are following up on all UNESCO recommendations and states that the sale of Tripo Kokolja artist’s house is in the center of their attention.