The rehabilitation of dying villages in Serbia is a matter that could be considered in many other countries of the world. I’ve just been in Serbia to participate in a workshop – held in terrapanonica – whose aim was precisely to repopulate these villages.
The situation of Villages in Serbia
Currently the situation is tragic from this point of view , more than 1,000 villages have already deserted , and many more are on track to become one. The problem is the lack of infrastructure and standards necessary to convince people that living in the country is better than living in the city.
We can not criticize an exodus from nature to the city , because that is exactly what has happened in most of the nation in times of development, starting from 800 . What we can suggest is to not go our own way. Maybe we can anticipate a tendency to return to the countryside from the city. Trend that is developing in many places of the world now.
What should we do to get people to go and live in villages in Serbia?
The proposed solutions can be many . If we take the case of an ordinary village surrounded by nature, inhabited by about 20 people and characterized by the presence of a monastery , then the chances might be those that came out of the group of international students who sought a solution in this direction.
It could turn into a nearly zero energy village, for it to become a symbol and an example of sustainability. You could encourage tourism through spiritual paths that culminate in the visit to the monastery . Or turn it into a catalyst of events, musical and otherwise . Or even an incubator for start-ups, a business incubator and auto-production of goods. The reasons and ways to achieve them are varied as we see , the path to this goal is certainly not easy and probably any job to start will find its fulfillment over the years . Unlikely that there is an idea that can reverse the situation instantly .
But life in these Villages in Serbia , as evidenced by these photos, taken in the village Grgteg Fruska Gora in Serbia, is totally in harmony with nature, with its gentle rhythms and its nice features. Hard not to think for a moment that it would be a joy to be able to live like that , only to wake up and consider that we can not afford it . Admitting that the life we want to do not allow us to live far from schools , services and infrastructure that the city assures us .
Internet surely will become even more important in convincing us that we could afford to go back to living in nature.
A video of the workshop held in Terrapanonica in May 2014:
All photographs ©Luca Onniboni – (do whatever you want, reminding us)
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