The company “Briv” expects to invest a total of 43.79 million euros in the reconstruction project
The sale through bankruptcy proceedings, numerous auctions and reconstruction are only part of the history of Risan’s “Teuta” hotel, which should be opened as a five-star restaurant next year. “Teuta” was built at the beginning of the 80s of the last century, and it operated under the Hotel and Tourism Group (HTP) “Onogošt”.
HTP “Onogošt” was declared bankrupt in 2012, so “Teuta” was taken over by construction company “Briv” in 2014, which expects to invest a total of 43.79 million euros in this reconstruction project. The company told “Vijesti” that they took over Teuta through bankruptcy proceedings in 2014, after 14 unsuccessful public auctions, and that they paid 6.51 million euros for it. As they say, they took over the hotel in 2015, after all the formalities had been completed.
They emphasized that the future hotel will operate under the “Movenpick” brand, and that they signed a franchise agreement with the French company “Accor”, a hotel and catering company that owns and manages numerous franchises, with more than 5,500 hotels in 110 countries.
“According to the dynamic plan, the opening is scheduled for May 2025. So far, about 95 percent of the rough construction work, about 30 percent of the interior craft work, and 20 percent of the installation work have been done. In addition to the completion of all these works, the landscaping of the grounds and the complete equipment of the hotel remain to be done”, they said from the company “Briv”.
Unesco gave the green light
In the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for this project, it is stated that it is a five-star hotel that will function as an urban village, while the central building will have five above-ground floors. The total area of the plot on which the reconstruction is being carried out is 14,120 square meters. In addition to the reconstruction of the existing hotel, four more buildings with three above-ground floors will be built, so they will have 150 accommodation units through rooms, apartments and studio apartments.
Risan is one of the richest archaeological sites in Montenegro, and according to tradition, the Illyrian queen Teuta came there before the invasion of the Romans. Remains of Roman mosaics, villas, and Illyrian-Greek acropolises were found in the city, among others.
In 1979, the area of the Bay of Kotor-Risan was placed under the protection of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the bay was also included in the ecological network Emerald, i.e. the later “Natura 2000”.
According to the Law on the Protection of the Natural and Cultural-Historical Area of Kotor, in the Old Town of Risno and Gabela Street, buildings can only be renovated for the purpose of establishing and reconstructing damaged ones, rebuilding destroyed ones, based on material remains or authentic documentation about their appearance.
According to the documentation, “Briv” submitted a request for reconstruction in 2018, while the green light for the Individual Impact Assessment (HIA) for “Teuta” was given by the International Authority for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO and later by Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property, arrived in 2020.
No species protected by law grow in this location and in the surrounding area, but neither are they rare, endemic, or endangered. In addition, the reconstruction envisages the protection of the existing trees on the plot, including palm trees, cypresses and camellias.
According to the Elaborate, the space between the hotel’s facilities will look like the public spaces of the old towns of Bokej, will be greened with indigenous species and connected by footpaths, and the green areas will cover a total of 3,500 square meters.
Planned devices for waste water treatment
Among the harmful effects of this project on the environment, the Elaborate states that due to the mechanization, there will be emissions of harmful gases, dust, increased noise, but also that there will be no unpleasant odors. In addition, it is pointed out that there are no conditions for connecting the building to the city infrastructure, which is why the removal and collection of waste water will be done through a treatment device, and then the purified water will be discharged into the existing sewage collector of the former hotel.
The device will be able to process 150 cubic meters of sanitary and fecal waste water per day, while the existing sewage collector has been led into the sea.
The Elaborate also states that the quality of the sea water in Risno is at a satisfactory level, and during the year it varies from excellent to good, while the values of some metals in the sediment of the harbor there exceed the prescribed limits, when it comes to mercury, copper, lead and chromium.
As they said, “Briv” signed a contract with the company “Accor” in 2021. That franchise consults them during the design, construction, helps with the procurement of materials, equipment, setting up the business system and hotel functioning in accordance with international standards.
“Briv” clarified that after a positive assessment at the HIA study, they received urban planning and technical conditions from the Municipality of Kotor in early 2021. Later, a conceptual architectural solution for the reconstruction of “Teuta” was prepared, which was designed by “Studio Grad”, whereby the gross construction area is more than 19,310 square meters. Consent to the solution was given by the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism in 2021, and later the Elaborate was prepared and approved by the local Secretariat for the Protection of Natural and Cultural Heritage in 2022.
