The European Capital of Culture project, as it was envisaged during the bidding process, should bring new vision and hope, new energy, and realisation that Novi Sad has cultural and creative potential. This is easily achieved if all the players gather around the common goal that benefits all of us. These intangible benefits create completely new values, and a unique momentum that is hard to build up, but is unstoppable when reached, resulting in a realisation that the culture is not an unnecessary expense, and that it is both priority and new strategy of the city’s development.

One more confirmation that this basic idea of the European Capital of Culture is grounded is the announcement that the construction of the archaeological park will begin in Novi Sad, in the Sajlovo neighbourhood. The park will exhibit proofs that humans settled Novi Sad 5,000 years BC. It is planned that this archaeological park become a place that will collect, in one place, all extraordinary archaeological discoveries that represent a rich cultural-historical heritage of Novi Sad.

In his statement for the Radio Television of Vojvodina, Siniša Jokić, Director of the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments of Novi Sad, announced that the future archaeological park in Sajlovo will be financed within the project for affirmation of cultural-historical identity of the city of Novi Sad, which is related to the European Capital of Culture, and that the funds will be provided ‘by the City and, most likely, we would get support of the Province and the Republic’.

As it is expected, the archaeological park in Sajlovo, as a cultural-historical complex, will primarily have educational purpose, but it is also expected to become an important tourist segment which would make the city of Novi Sad proud. If everything goes as planned, the construction of the archaeological park in Sajlovo should begin in 2019. The park will cover the space of 11.8 hectares near motorway, but just a few kilometres from the centre of Novi Sad.

These archaeological discoveries were revealed when part of the Boulevard of Europe was being constructed, and the excavated artefacts are kept in a safe place, it was stated in this coverage by the Radio Television of Vojvodina.