Niš, 22 June 2023

With the EU support the energy efficiency of the Puppet Theatre building in Niš will be improved

With the support of the European Union (EU) the City of Niš has started work on enhancing the energy efficiency of the Puppet Theatre building with the aim of improving working conditions in this only professional theatre for children and also the only puppet theatre in southeastern Serbia. The EU grant in the amount of over 170,000 Euros was extended through the EU PRO Plus programme, which is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry for European Integration of the Republic of Serbia, while the city of Niš participates in the realisation of the project with over 17,000,000 Dinars.

The works will include a complete replacement of the heating installations, including the stage, dressing rooms and audience hall, as well as the procurement of equipment for broadcasting live. Additionally, during the project, a workshop and a theatre play about the importance of environmental protection will be organised for children.

"The Puppet Theatre in Niš has a tradition of over 60 years, and what is more important, it is visited annually by about 20,000 visitors, mostly children of preschool and school age." That is why the energy rehabilitation of this building, as an important cultural institution for children and young people, was high on the list of priorities of the City of Niš, along with improving the working conditions of all employees and the 34-member acting ensemble", said the Mayor of Niš, Dragana Sotirovski.

The deadline for the completion of the works carried out by the company Termopro doo from Aleksandrov (Merošina municipality), selected in the public procurement procedure conducted by the City of Niš, is 150 days.

The project in Niš is among the local infrastructure projects in the regions of Šumadija and Western Serbia and Southern and Eastern Serbia that the EU supports through the EU PRO Plus programme with close to six million Euros in order to improve the quality of life of people through the renovation and reconstruction of educational, health and social care institutions, sports and cultural facilities, and improvement of communal infrastructure and public administration buildings.