The destruction of Kosovo’s cultural heritage on display in Tirana

TIRANA, Oct. 10 – Around 200 pictures on display at the National Museum of History in Tirana are showcasing the destruction of Kosovo’s cultural heritage from 1998 to 1999 when the neighbouring country was invaded by Serb military troops. The exhibition organized by Kosovo’s Institute for War Crimes Research features burned and damaged cultural heritage objects destroyed by Serb troops during the 1998 armed conflict. The majority of objects and monuments date from the 15th to 19th centuries.
Speaking at the exhibition’s opening ceremony this week, Kosovo Ambassador to Albania Sylejman Selimi said the exhibition portrays the efforts by the Albanian people for freedom and brings the destructive doctrine of the Serb regime to cultural, historical and religious monuments during the 1998-1999 war.
Zejnullah Gruda, the director of Kosovo’s Institute for War Crimes Research introduced findings of the destruction of cultural heritage in Kosovo making a comparison in a regional context.
Albanian Culture Minister Aldo Bumci also hailed the Kosovo government policy of preserving their cultural heritage. The exhibition will remain open until Oct. 14.