Zlakusa pottery on the UNESCO list

The knowledge and skills of Zlakusa pottery-making were inscribed on 16 December 2020 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, under reference RL/01466. The full name of the element is 'Zlakusa pottery making, hand-wheel pottery making in the village of Zlakusa'.

What exactly was inscribed

It is not individual objects that were inscribed, but the knowledge and skills — the way of making unglazed vessels for thermal food processing, from clay and calcite dug in the surrounding area. UNESCO particularly highlights the craft's close link to the natural environment that provides the raw material.

Timeline and significance

• 2012 — inscription in the National Register of Intangible Heritage of Serbia
• 16 December 2020 — inscription on the UNESCO Representative List (15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee)
• The fourth element from Serbia on the list and the first from the field of craft knowledge and skills

How the craft is transmitted

The UNESCO nomination stresses that the knowledge is transmitted primarily within the community and families, through shared work with experienced masters. Additional modes of transmission are demonstrations at the Loncarijada fair and classes at the art school in Uzice.