The “Medieval Public Baths” opened to the public

The Monument of Culture built in the XVII Century, “The Medieval Public Baths” which are close to the central square of the costal city of Durres, are now open to the public, thanks to a businesses association which is called, “The Commercial Street”. This association handled the restoration work which took more than one year. The association is also striving to use these environments as a gallery for figurative arts. The exhibition contains forty photographs of the city of Durres at the turn of the 19th Century. The Public Baths of the city were located on one side of the “Commercial Street,” which is recognized as the main boulevard of this ancient city. This work was restored primarily in the middle of the 80-ties of the last Century. According to the specialists, it is thought that the Public Baths were built in the 13th Century during the same period similar objects were constructed around the country. The Public Baths in Durres covering an area of 65 square meters were made up of three separate environments. In the centre was the dressing room, and the chamber is covered by a spherical cupola (the original has long since been destroyed), which is 5.80 meters above the floor. Right in the centre of the semi-sphere there are 12 tiny windows. The floors of the other environments were heated by steam through a network of pipes connected to a furnace at the back of the building. The artistic exhibitions lend the monument a current dimension.