In this episode of Smart Regions, Euronews Correspondent Aurora Velez travels to Ptuj to see how European funds have helped revitalise a decaying town centre, transforming it into a social hub boasting classic and modern design.
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00:00 The ancient town of Tui in northeast Slovenia is enjoying a new lease of life.
00:07 This bright and airy events center was once an abandoned glassworks factory within an urban wasteland.
00:13 Today it is a hive of cultural and professional activities,
00:17 and it`s all thanks to a major renovation project supported by the European Union.
00:22 The structure boasts both traditional and contemporary styles to create a multifunctional space.
00:28 This is the city center of one of the oldest cities in Slovenia,
00:33 and it was really degraded before this intervention.
00:37 So, what we wanted to do is to remove all the cars and to reintroduce the material that were here historically,
00:45 and to give back the streets to the citizens, not to the cars.
00:53 Set on the Drava River, this historic town with its terracotta roofs uses charm and timeless elegance.
00:59 Home to approximately 23,000 people, it was once a Roman settlement.
01:04 The newly renovated public space, complete with an array of exhibition rooms, has helped to transform Tui`s historic center.
01:20 In one of the small theaters, these high school students rehearse twice a week.
01:46 In total, the municipality who spearheaded the project renovated more than 1,300 square meters of the old town.
01:54 The adjacent medieval alleyways and Vracov Square were also refurbished.
02:00 The builders uncovered the original paving and restored it to its former glory.
02:05 The goal was to revive the old town center, to re-establish the space and the intention that young people get their place in the city.
02:15 Now, there are different cultural societies in this space, and then we also have some older ones, so we are also building on this intergenerational dimension.
02:25 The budget for this project amounted to more than 4.9 million euros.
02:30 2.1 million was allocated by the European Cohesion Policy.
02:35 Another 2.2 million was donated by the local authorities.
02:39 And the rest, 539,000, was provided by Slovenia`s Ministry for the Environment.
02:45 One of the crowning features of this project is how the interior space opens out into this courtyard, to facilitate dozens of shows, concerts and exhibitions throughout the year.
02:56 (music)
02:58 you