Tirana Times
TIRANA, Jan. 25 – Albanian and foreign specialists have concluded that the giant mosaic featured in the central facade of the National Museum of History in Tirana is seriously endangered and can survive up to a maximum of another 30 years despite the restoration it will undergo. After several months of identifying the damage to mosaic, restoration specialists said the mosaic has undergone tremendous irreparable degradation during its 30-year existence. Specialists said the material used to create the mosaic has been severely damaged and the steel grid corroded, making its intervention extremely difficult.
An Albanian specialized firm has been contracted to carry out the restoration work in the mosaic which has been covered with huge advertisements since May 2010. Specialists said earlier intervention in the mosaic which has not been restored since its inauguration some 30 years ago is necessary because some of its parts are falling off.
“This is the biggest mosaic in the Balkans and one of the most difficult restoration projects our directorate has undertaken,” said Arben Kadia, the head of regional directorate of national culture in Tirana.
The restoration of the 440 square-meter mosaic is expected to finish by this year.
A proposal to remove the mosaic because of its communist elements two years ago sparked heated debate and the idea was finally rejected.
The museum facade displays the largest mosaic in the country, known as Albania.
This impressive large mosaic on the facade of the National Museum shows ancient Illyrians, Albanian nationalists and anti-Axis guerillas fighting for Albanian freedom. The communist red star in the centre was removed in 1994.
Albania’s history from the mid-Paleolithic to the present time can be seen in the National History Museum, the largest in Albania.
The museum was inaugurated in 1981. It has various sections, such as the Middle Ages, the National Revival, the Independence period, the World Wars, as well as areas devoted to antiquity, dictatorship, ethnography and iconography.
