Tourist center at the foot of Bukulja - After the Obrenovics and the Karadjorjdevics, Aleksic invests in Arandjelovac's Staro Zdanje

(Staro Zdanje)

It was built by the Obrenovics and the Karadjordjevics. Noblemen and travelers used to enjoy staying in it. Today, Staro Zdanje (Old Building) hotel at the foot of Bukulja is a ruin that has finally got a new owner after many years of decay.

Miroljub Aleksic, owner of the company Amasis (part of his Alco Group), has also bought Sumadija hotel, Arkade restaurant, swimming pool and two auxiliary buildings in addition to the hotel Staro Zdanje, which all cost him EUR 788,000.

Although formally protected as cultural heritage in early 21st century, Staro Zdanje, once the home of dukes and royal family and later a luxury hotel, lost the fight with negligence. Similar is the fate of the hotel Sumadija, which was the best organized spa complex before the World War II, and it is now only a gloomy building with a distasteful garish facade.

Reviving the spirit of Romanticism at the foot of Bukulja

When Aleksic took over Izvor Hotel and invested about EUR 35 million in it, and then invested another EUR 7 million in an aqua park, many people considered that as "gambling" because Arandjelovac is neither a capital city nor a classical winter or summer tourist resort. However, there is now no big congress or business meeting that is not organized here. In spite of that, the acquisition of dilapidated buildings caused the same reaction.

(Miroljub Aleksic)

- We will try to revive the spirit of Romanticism and the time when Bukovicka Banja spa resort, with its facilities Staro Zdanje, Sumadija hotel, outdoor swimming pool, Arkade, Paviljon, Skoljka and an one-of-the-kind park under the auspices of the Danube Banovina, became one of the most significant spa resorts in Serbia - Miroljub Aleksic says in a talk with eKapija.

At the same time, as he points out, they will do their best to offer amenities that will justify the investment in commercial sense and complement the existing tourist offer of Izvor Hotel and the aqua park.

From Bukovicka Banja to Baden Baden

The media immediately started guessing how much the new owner would invest in the reconstruction of facilities. Their guesses ranged between 30 and 50 million euros.

(Sumadija)

- According to the land acquisition agreement, our obligation is to invest EUR 5 million, and it is probably clear to everybody that that's not enough if you want to have the reconstruction done properly. We are just working on a business plan, so we should soon know an estimated value of the investment, but it is clear that the amount will be quite big - Aleksic explains to eKapija.

Reconstruction starts soon and will be carried out in phases. Sumadija hotel will be renovated first, then the swimming pool will be demolished and a modern four-star-plus hotel spanning 10,000 square meters of usable area will be built in its place, whereas Sumadija hotel will get four stars.

Since these hotels are protected by the state, we have asked the president of Alco Group to tell us how much their purpose and appearance will be changed, especially those of Staro Zdanje, which is now a ruin and practically needs to be built from the ground up.

- Given that these facilities are under state protection and represent first-class cultural and tourist heritage sites, and as you yourself define them - they are neglected ruins, two things are clear: first, their exterior look must not be changed, and second, their interior will be a compromise between new tourist standards and their functionality.

Arandjelovac's tourist offer = Alco Group's tourist offer

When we asked him last year whether he was maybe interested in taking over these protected facilities, Miroljub Aleksic told us he would be happier "if some other investor comes to Arandjelovac and buys these hotels." Today, when asked to list the advantages and disadvantages of the fact that the tourist offer of Arandjelovac will practically depend on his money, he says:

- Competition in every business is healthy, keeps you awake and encourages further investment and improvement of the offer. Since none of the foreign and domestic investors has recognized this destination as something attractive to tourists and worthy of investment, it is up to us to prove them wrong and us right.

Jelena Djelic