Ten collapsed roofs of characteristic houses in Gjirokastra and Berat will be restored under the project
TIRANA, March 6 – Both inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list as rare examples of an architectural character typical of the Ottoman period, the southern historic Albanian towns of Gjirokastra and Berat have been included in revitalization project aimed at assisting the difficult process of preservation, restoration and revival of the Built Heritage. The EU funded project “Revitalisation in historic towns of Gjirokastra and Berat by resolving political conflicts” – REVATO, implemented by the Organization for Conservation and Development- GCDO Gjirokastra, an NGO operating since 2011, is also supporting registration of Built Heritage real estate and social class self-organization of its holders.
The 18-month project launched last February will inform the public, and identify the owners of abandoned monumental houses. The project will also help set up an Association of Home Owners and facilitate the process of property registration. “For this purpose, its members will need to understand and learn how to run the association. They need to learn how to lobby, to advocate and create good public relations.”
Ten collapsed roofs in Gjirokastra and Berat will be restored under the project.
The two fortified historic centres of Gjirokastra and Berat are remarkably well preserved, and this is particularly true of their vernacular buildings. They have been continuously inhabited from ancient times down to the present day. Situated in the Balkans, in Southern Albania, and close to each other, they bear witness to the wealth and diversity of the urban and architectural heritage of this region.
Located in central Albania, Berat bears witness to the coexistence of various religious and cultural communities down the centuries. It features a castle, locally known as the Kala, most of which was built in the 13th century, although its origins date back to the 4th century BC. The citadel area numbers many Byzantine churches, mainly from the 13th century, as well as several mosques built under the Ottoman era which began in 1417. Gjirokastra, in the Drinos river valley in southern Albania, features a series of outstanding two-story houses which were developed in the 17th century. The town also retains a bazaar, an 18th-century mosque and two churches of the same period.
