Serbian, Romanian Sites Join Threatened Heritage List

“Being on the list of 'The 7 Most Endangered' opens a window of opportunity to rescue the sites but also means increased responsibility for national stakeholders,” the President of Europa Nostra and acting Dean of the European Investment Bank Institute, EIB-I, jointly said on May 4, presenting the list in Vienna, Austia.

Designed by Hungarian architects Marcell Komor and Dezsö Jakab and built in 1902, the synagogue in Subotica, on Serbia's northern border with Hungary, combines a modern concrete and steel structure with traditional decorative elements of Hungarian Folk Art.

The building was used by the Subotica National Theatre for some years but is now empty, with visitor access available only one day a week, and its condition has sadly deteriorated.

Synagogue in Subotica, Serbia is acknowledged as a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance. | Photo: Courtesy of Europa Nostra Serbia

Despite restoration work undertaken in recent decades, the building remains seriously endangered, as do the wooden churches of southern Transylvania and northern Oltenia.

These vernacular structures in Romania were built from wood taken from Romania’s thick forests using traditional construction techniques in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Wooden churches in southern Transylvania and northern Oltenia were built in the 18th and 19th centuries | Photo: Courtesy of Pro Patrimonio Foundation

These churches are privileged by their amazing location and are decorated with murals.

However, they have been steadily abandoned in recent decades, owing to their small capacity, isolation and lack of amenities. Some have some became cemetery chapels. They are...