TIRANA, Oct. 16 – Allegedly unplanned construction at Butrint’s archeological site initiated debate last week in Tirana, as it was reported that the Ministry of Culture had approved the building of a multi-cultural centre without consulting UNESCO, which has declared Butrint a World Heritage site. Minister of Culture, Mirela Kumbaro, broke her silence after attending the hearing session called by the Media Committee last week and spoke of the Butrint project. UNESCO Board Member, Auron Tare, also followed-up to Kumbaro’s comments during a talk-show he was invited to about the topic.
Kumbaro told the talk-show Top Story that the object is an existing building since 1975, around 50-60 square meters, and that has been used a warehouse so far. She said that the building is located at a strategic spot of the Butrint tour, where the increasing number of tourists can come for refreshments and souvenirs after the long, 1hr and 40min walk around Butrint. Kumbaro added that these kinds of projects are always ‘sold’ to private parties, as the Ministry does not have the competence to offer such services.
“It is not in the Ministry’s competence to open cafes and restaurants, and we also don’t have waiters or chefs. At the park we have restoration specialists, archeologists and caretakers. Just like with museums and archeological parks, all countries enable this through outsourcing, which is what the investment of the subject that will manage and pay the rent of the object until its end day is called. After this, the object is left to the park’s authority as a service point, and will later be decided what to do with it. What we can all agree on is that an area as big as Butrint needs a service like this, so that it’s not left to the control of ambulant, uncontrolled salesmen. This part of the Butrint package, after the implementation of public toilets and an electronic ticket-point.”
Moreover, Kumbaro said that all construction that will be added to the existing object is going to be easily removable, harming nothing around it and leaving everything that may be laying underground unaffected.
Tare, who also was invited at a talk-show to talk of the Butrint scandal, as an UNESCO Board Member, confirmed Kumbaro’s words that there is an existing object, originally someone’s house and later-turned a depot, that will be built on. He also said that although Albania is not legally required to report to UNESCO concerning everything, each country should have an updated managing plan concerning its sites.
“Member states should define their managing plans; UNESCO is not a kindergarten teacher that will clarify everything. The managing issue is immediate, and Albania has been instructed to address it as soon as possible. Archeologists claim that we are dealing with an area that is archeologically enriched,” Tare said.
Tare also added that “in my experience, tourists do not visit Butrint to eat. Mainly, visitors go there either in the morning, or in the evening. This construction does not have any real sense, and a valid managing plan could approve these services outside the area.” According to him, the managing plan would not only help the Butrint Park with the construction issue, but also with the growing number of tourists, which might overcrowd the park, and it could also help the families that still live and work around it.
During last week’s interview, Mechtild Rà¶ssler – the Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre – also stressed on the importance of a good managing plan. Albania’s last official managing plan belongs the period 2000-2005; a second managing draft was evaluated by ICOMOS International in 2013, while UNESCO is still expecting a final version of the managing plan by the Ministry of Culture.
