Ownership of an important historical building is given back to Romania by the Serbian government

Serbia has officially transferred the ownership of the Luceafărul complex in Vršac to the Romanian government, fulfilling the agreement between the Romanian and Serbian governments drawn up in Bucharest on June 27, 2022.

"The Luceafărul complex in Vršac, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia, is a particularly important part of the cultural heritage belonging to the members of the Romanian minority in Serbia," says the document outlining the transfer of the right of ownership.

The complex is one of the most imposing buildings in Varșeț, located in the center of the town on a plot of land of about 2,460 square meters.

It was built in 1894, with the original purpose of it being the Luceafărul Bank, which financed the agricultural activity of the Romanians in the area, but it soon came to be used for multiple actions to promote the Romanian cultural and spiritual identity in Serbia.

During the communist period, the building was nationalized by the Yugoslav authorities.

"It belonged to the Romanians for over 50 years, generating and concentrating a cultural effervescence that gave strength, cohesion, and continuity to all that is Romanian in the neighboring state during a very difficult period from a historical and political point of view," said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, upon the initial signing of the agreement, quoted by Agerpres.

At the end of the communist regime, associations of members of the Romanian minority in Serbia asked for the retrocession of the building, but their requests were not favorably resolved by the Serbian authorities, mainly due to a lack of documents proving ownership.

Now that the complex has been returned to Romanian ownership, there are plans for it to become the headquarters of the Consulate General in Vršac, as well as a space for promoting Romanian culture once again.

(Photo source: Vnikitenko | Dreamstime.com)