Suvaca in Kikinda

The Suvača cultural monument is located in the territory of the municipality of Kikinda, which belongs to the Northern Banat District. Kikinda is situated at a rather favourable geo-strategic position at 7.5km from the border with Romania and 60km from the border with Hungary and is the largest borderline city along the entire Serbian-Romanian border.

The Kikinda Suvača mill is a cultural monument of outstanding importance for the Republic of Serbia. It is the only preserved horse-powered grain mill in Serbia.  On a European scale, this type of mill is exceptionally rare. Suvača is an authentic mill, more than one hundred years old. In addition to its architectural, cultural, historical and intangible value, Suvača is also exceptional for its symbolic value. It is one of the symbols of the city of Kikinda, kindling a sense of community. For these reasons, there is a great interest in its rehabilitation, both at national and local level.

photo credit: Foto Sretenovic Kikinda

The Suvača mill is today owned by the Municipality of Kikinda and is managed and taken care of by the National Museum of Kikinda.

Suvača is one of the symbols of Kikinda. The local population considers it an important symbol of their identity. Members of the local community are proud of Suvača, and they regard it significant and valuable, and are glad to show it to their guests. Suvača is amongstthe oldest symbols of Kikinda; and which is even more important, it is the symbol of Kikinda’s farmers, that is, the keeper of the identity of “ordinary” people originating from families of farmers regardless of their national or religious affiliation.

The primary vision of the Suvača cultural monument is its transformation into a community center, which is to assist development and improvement of cultural needs of the local population and development of sustainable entrepreneurship based on resources of non-material cultural heritage. This vision foresees a transformation of Suvača into a point for cultural amenities, education and development of skills of the local population, as well as its conversion into a sales space and place for development of brands of local products based on the identity of Suvača and non-material heritage of this area.

In this manner Kininda-based Suvača is to be represented as a unique building of traditional architecture that preserves and evoques memories of traditional life of Vojvodina farmers, tastes of the nature and rural life and a point for development of sustainable entrepreneurship and economic strengthening of the local population, primarily of women and the youth. This vison will be establised by 2019. whene Suvaca will be rehabilitated. Funding for this acitivity came from EU IPA founds. In cooperation with Romanina partners, National Museum Kikinda will work on promoting Suvaca and dray mills history in this part of Europe as a touristic attraction.

photo credit: Foto Sretenovic Kikinda

About the Author

Estela Radonjic Zivkov
Estela Radonjic ZivkovHeritage specialist
anthropologist, interested in vernacular heritage