Yesterday at 6 pm, a meeting within the Archaeological Treasure of Colentum 6 project was held at the Murter Public Library and Reading Room. The main goal of the Archaeological Treasure of Colentum 6 (ABC6) project is to contribute to the valorisation of the cultural and natural heritage of the Colentum archaeological site by engaging and educating landowners on Gradina hill, encouraging volunteering in the local community and networking stakeholders from the private, public and non-profit sectors. The project is run by the Argonauta association in cooperation with the Municipality of Murter-Kornati, with financial support from the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds.
The meeting brought together owners of some of the land on Gradina hill and representatives of the non-profit, public and private sectors. At the start of the meeting, Ivona Jadrić, executive director of the Argonauta association, presented the Archaeological Treasure of Colentum 6 project and recalled the results of the successfully implemented projects Archaeological Treasure of Colentum 1–5.
The participants had the opportunity to hear all about the Colentum Archaeological Park project designed by architect Vinko Peračić. The architect presented the conceptual design for landscaping Gradina hill in Murter, with particular emphasis on creating an arboretum at Colentum. After the presentation, Ranko Milić, a consultant with the Eupolis group, presented a model of public-private partnership for managing Gradina hill for the benefit of the local community, landowners, visitors and all stakeholders involved.
The open discussion at the end of the meeting showed that the landowners on Gradina hill reacted positively to the proposed projects and would gladly take part in future projects. The discussion was also joined by Luka Ježina on behalf of the Municipality of Murter-Kornati, which has applied for funding with the Colentum Archaeological Park project. This meeting was the first official contact with the landowners on Gradina hill, and as such we consider it very important for continuing cooperation and activities at the Colentum archaeological site.
The meeting also announced the next activity: landscaping one of the plots on Gradina hill as a pilot project for the future arboretum on Gradina. An inventory of plant species on Gradina hill is also under way, which will be another important contribution to the valorisation of this site.
