European Union supports continuation of works on the renovation of the King's Winery in Topola

In Topola, with the support of the European Union (EU), work on the reconstruction of the King's Winery, one of the oldest wineries in Serbia and an endowment of the Karađorđević dynasty, continued. EU funds are extended through the EU PRO Plus programme implemented by UNOPS in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration.

After the first phase of the works, completed in 2024 with the support of the EU through the "EU for Cultural Heritage and Tourism" programme, the second phase of the winery's renovation is aimed at completing the remaining works on the main building, including masonry, crafts, stone carving, carpentry and installation works, along with the purchase of furniture, new lighting and interior decoration. Through the project, the plateau in front of the winery will be renovated, while the gates from the time when the winery was built by King Aleksandar I Karađorđević in 1931 will be completely restored.

In this way, the King's Winery will get full functionality, and the tourist offer of Topola and the whole of Šumadija will be significantly improved, which is also the goal of the broader integrated project CREST -Cultural Revival for an Enriched Šumadija Tourism, implemented by the Regional Agency for Economic Development of Šumadija and Pomoravlja (REDASP). With EU support of over one million Euros, through this project, along with the restoration of the King's Winery, work is being done on the construction of the the visitor centre "Pećina Risovača" in Aranđelovac is being reconstructed, the Culture Centre in Borač in the municipality of Knić is being renovated, while in the municipality of Rača the restoration of the ethnic complex Petrovi dvori in Viševac, the native village of leader Karađorđ Petrović, has been completed. The implementation of these project activities activates the tourist potential of this territory, preserves and promotes the cultural and historical heritage and improves the local economy due to the expected increase in the number of visitors.

The CREST project -Cultural Revival for an Enriched Šumadija Tourism  is one of 18 integrated projects, derived from territorial strategies, which the European Union supports with more than 9.6 million Euros through the EU PRO Plus.  The EU support to integrated territorial development continues through the EU INTEGRA programme, which since January this year has been implemented by the Standing Conference of Cities and Municipalities (SCTM) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in cooperation with the Ministry of European Integration. The programme funded by the EU with 15 million Euros aims to modernise local self-governments in Serbia through the implementation of European models for integrated territorial and sustainable urban development that have been piloted through EU PRO Plus.