The exhibition “Traces of Time – The Geoheritage of Serbiaˮ

Organized by the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, the exhibition “Traces of Time – The Geoheritage of Serbia” will open at the SASA Gallery of Science and Technology, on Thursday, 3 September, at 6 p.m.

The exhibition reveals to us the exceptionally rich geological heritage of our country, which testifies to the formation and development of the Earth over hundreds of millions of years. Rocks and fossils hold precious records of ancient seas, primeval ecosystems and the complex geological processes that have shaped the territory of present-day Serbia.

Over several decades of research, valorisation and protection of natural areas, the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia has identified and evaluated numerous significant geoheritage sites. Due to their rarity, representativeness, scientific, educational, cultural and aesthetic value, as well as their potential vulnerability, these localities represent valuable testimonies of the geological past and an important part of the natural heritage.

Geoheritage sites are most often designated as natural monuments. The exhibition presents these sites within the following thematic units: stratigraphic and palaeontological localities, geomorphological phenomena, waterfalls and cascades, speleological sites, hydrological phenomena, as well as representative geoheritage sites as part of larger protected natural areas – national parks, nature parks, special nature reserves and outstanding natural landscapes. Of special importance in this regard is the Đerdap UNESCO Geopark, the first geopark in Serbia, which was inscribed on the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network list in 2020.

The exhibition is complemented by valuable fossil and mineral exhibits from the rich collection of the Natural History Museum in Belgrade and the Geological Collection of the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, which further emphasize the diversity and richness of Serbia’s geological heritage.

Our efforts to conserve Serbia’s geoheritage, at the same time enable us to preserve the traces of time, records of a world that existed long before us and which will remain a lasting testimony to the Earth’s geological past for present and future generations.