Dr Zlata Vuksanović-Macura took part in the presentation marking the completion of the three-year Individual Project of the Department of Fine Arts of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, entitled Preservation of Traditional Musical and Architectural Heritage in the Republic of Serbia. The presentation of the project results was held on Saturday, 29 November 2025, at the Gallery of SANU.

The project was implemented during the period 2023–2025 and builds on long-term interdisciplinary research conducted by architects and ethnomusicologists, focused on the study, documentation, and preservation of intangible and tangible cultural heritage in Serbia. Particular emphasis was placed on examining the interrelationship between traditional music and architecture as complementary components of cultural identity and ways of life across different geocultural regions. Within the programme, project results were presented through documentary video materials, presentations, as well as live musical and dance performances.

Dr Zlata Vuksanović-Macura presented part of the research findings related to the study of traditional architecture in the Stara Planina region, with a particular focus on the concept of an architectural reserve and the identification of architectural cores in the areas of Gornji Visok and Zabrđe. Her presentation was accompanied by the screening of documentary videos produced on the basis of field research, including interviews with local residents, experts, and stakeholders involved in heritage preservation and sustainable development processes in the area. Part of the project results has also been published in the leading international scientific journal Heritage, in the article “Preservation of Vernacular Cultural Landscape and Sustainable Tourism: A Case Study from the Western Carpatho-Balkan Region” (authors: Zlata Vuksanović-Macura, Gorica Ljubenov, and Tamara Gajić). Through this publication, the project’s findings have gained additional internationalvisibility, particularly in the field of integrated protection of vernacular cultural landscapes.

The project was carried out by an interdisciplinary team consisting of: Academician Dr Jelena Jovanović, ethnomusicologist, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Musicology of SANU and member of the Department of Fine Arts (Project Leader); Dr Gorica Ljubenov, Dipl. Ing. Arch., Professor at the Academy of Applied and Artistic Studies – Higher School of Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Belgrade (Leader of the sub-project on architectural heritage); Dr Danka Lajić Mihajlović, ethnomusicologist, Research Professor at the Institute of Musicology of SANU; and Dr Zlata Vuksanović-Macura, Dipl. Ing. Arch., Senior Research Associate at the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” SANU, Belgrade.

The presented project results underscored the importance of an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to the protection of natural, tangible, and intangible heritage, as well as the potential of traditional culture and vernacular architecture in shaping sustainable development models in rural and peripheral areas of Serbia.

Date: December 22, 2025
Source: Dr Zlata Vuksanović-Macura

Photos: