TIRANA, April 9 – The ancient city of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1992, has been recommended as a top European destination for a second time this year in the UK, this time by prestigious British newspaper The Guardian.
“Very few visitors, and stunning ancient Greek, Roman, Frankish and Ottoman remains,” is what led The Guardian and its readers’ travel tip rank Butrint as one of Europe’s top 10 national parks.
“It is a must-see for fans of ancient history; it boasts a number of significant archaeological sites and is considered a “microcosm of Albanian history,” says The Guardian in its online version about the park located in southernmost Albania.
Earlier this year, The Culture Trip, a UK-based one-stop digital platform for global culture and lifestyle, suggested Butrint as one of the “top 12 historical destinations in Europe you didn’t know about.”
“Buthrotum, or Butrint in Albanian, is a ruined Greek and Roman not far from the Greek border. The city grew considerably during the period of Roman control after Caesar who designated it a colony for veterans of the wars against Pompey the Great. Augustus later renewed those plans and expanded the city, building an aqueduct, forum, theatre and nymphaeum. The city size doubled and thrived until its decline during the period of the Later Empire. Today the site has been excavated, and is open to visitors as part of the Butrint National Park,” says the Culture Trip.
Inhabited since prehistoric times, Butrint has been the site of a Greek colony, a Roman city and a bishopric. Following a period of prosperity under Byzantine administration, then a brief occupation by the Venetians, the city was abandoned in the late middle Ages after marshes formed in the area. The present archaeological site is a repository of ruins representing each period in the city’s development.
Excavations carried out by Albanian and foreign expeditions continue shedding light on the ancient settlement. In 1992, Butrint was designated as a World Heritage Site – a status that identifies cultural and natural sites of outstanding universal value.
The National Park was established in 2000 affording Butrint full protection within Albanian law. The original 26 sq km of the park boundaries were in 2005 expanded to 86 sq km.
The amphitheatre, dating from the 3rd century BC, bears witness to the cultural riches of the city, the stone banks of seating, of which 23 rows have been preserved, would have held an audience of 1,500, says UNESCO. The theatre is situated at the foot of the acropolis, close by two temples, one of which is dedicated to Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine, who was worshipped by the city’s inhabitants.
Excavations have brought the light to many objects – plates, vases, ceramic candlesticks – as well as sculptures including a remarkable ‘Goddess of Butrint’ which seems to completely embody, in the perfection of its features, the Greek ideal of physical beauty.
