05.05.2021, 13:09h
Krka National Park receives the prestigious Plautilla Award
The Burnum archaeological dig site and the Burnum archaeological collection has received the Plautilla International Cultural Tourism award,
with a silver medal for quality and innovation in managing historical localities, in the field of interpretation and protection of cultural heritage and the promotion and distribution of cultural tourism products.
As part of the 6th International Congress of Historical Cities, the Public Institute of Krka National Park won an award in the category of Historical city/locality/institution due to the significant activities to protect and restore cultural and historical heritage in the park. The Plautilla International Cultural Tourism Award for quality and innovation in managing historical cities, in the field of interpretation and protection of cultural heritage and the promotion and distribution of cultural tourism products, at the ceremony organised by the Solin Tourist Board, Hotel President Solin and the Town of Solin. The awards are granted in three categories: best cultural tourism product, historical city/locality/institution, and best cultural tourism itinerary.
The Burnum archaeological site, a gem of antiquity, includes the Roman legion military camp, amphitheatre, military training ground, water system and the remains of the town basilica. The camp was erected at the turn of the new age, in a position that overlooked the passage over the Krka River. Burnum was the seat of the XI Legion of the Roman Army Claudiae Piae Fidelis, the IV Legion Flaviae Felix and the VIII Legion Augusta. Next to the legion camp auxiliary troops (cohorts and ales) were housed, with a small camp built in the eastern section.
Near the amphitheatre, visitors can see the arches remaining of the commandery building, and basic remains of several walls of the military exercises area. When the military left this camp, due to the favourable infrastructure in place, it was transformed into a town with a municipal ranking, which played an important role in the region until late in the period of Antiquity. It had sanctuaries, amphitheatre, aqueduct, paved roads, and other town structures.
A part of the camp is also the Burnum amphitheatre, which was the centre of cultural and social life. Today it again plays a similar role. Many years of painstaking and detailed reconstruction have been invested to attempt to regain the old, lost splendour. In addition to the architectural reconstructions, with more and more to see every year, efforts are also being made to reconstruct its social role.
The archaeological items from the area of ancient Burnum (weapons, tools, artefacts for everyday use) are on display in the Burnum archaeological collection at the Krka Eco Campus in Puljani, opened in 2010. The exhibit themes on the first floor of the collection are: architecture in the Burnum area, daily life of the Roman soldier, stone epigraphic monuments, and the presentation of results of systematic archaeological research on the Burnum amphitheatre. The first floor of the collection also houses a cast model of the amphitheatre, with the bust of Emperor Vespasian who had the amphitheatre restored in 76 or 77 AD.
The second phase of the museum collection of the Burnum archaeological collection was finally actualised in 2019. The exhibit themes are the Roman military calvary, Roman army – legions, interactive and multimedia technology. The Public Institute of Krka National Park produced a film that was taken at the Burnum archaeological site and the surrounding locations, that shows the life, customs and diet of the Roman soldier in the Burnum military camp during the first half of the 1st century AD.
The archaeological site and archaeological collection are open to visitors year-round.
