Economic Growth Albania Project #7903

Albania: Preservation Supports Sustainable Economy

by Adventures in Preservation (AiP)

Project Report | Feb 27, 2012
Need for Preservation Skills Training Illustrated

By Judith Broeker | AiP Program Director

Koloi family home lost in 2010

Conservation efforts by Adventures in Preservation at the Skenduli house are part of a larger community program to save Gjirokastra, Albania’s remarkable history. This ongoing effort has given a new lease on life to some of the historic buildings that support this unique fabric of life, but sadly, in other instances help is not available. Every year sees the catastrophic collapse of another tower house.

An inspiring success story played out at the Bar Clavis, located in the center of the old town Pazar or Bazaar. Rustem Mikos invested his life savings after the fall of Communism to buy this building, and for almost twenty years operated a small hardware store. The building is as old as the pazar itself, and Rustem decided to restore and update the building for a new venture. During restoration, he removed a large wild tree from the foundation, and discovered to his surprise the original street level, paved in cobble stone. Rustem preserved his find under plexi-glass plates for you to see when you visit.

In 2008, AiP team members were invited into the Cene house for a tour by the elderly owners. The team was alarmed to see a major ceiling beam in the formal sitting room on the verge of failing. The owners stated that each night they went to bed fearing the beam would break and bring the house down on them. AiP brought this to the attention of city officials, and UNESCO made the house a priority, repairing the beam within the next few months.

But not all houses are saved in the knick of time. The Koloi house developed leaks in its roof, and resources were not available to repair the problem. Most of the roof collapsed within several years, and shortly after (in the winter of 2010), the house collapsed into the street. This has been the story for about one third of the tower houses in Gjirokastra. As family homes are lost, family members most often have to move to poorly built new apartments in the new section of town.

AiP is part of the team committed to conserving this amazing collection of architectural heritage. We invite individuals and corporate sponsors to join us in bringing this historic city back from the brink and again making it a lively, vital community.

Bar Clavis before restoration after roof collapse

Bar Clavis as opening day nears

Cene's at gate to their family home

Cene's fear this ceiling beam will fail

Links:

Join AiP during the next available dates, Sept. 2-15, 2012

Permalink

Dec 1, 2011
Assessment Report Key to Hands-on Skills Training

By Judith Broeker | AiP Program Director

Volunteer records condition under the arched entry

September is a beautiful time of year to travel to Albania and work in Gjirokastra. The AiP team took advantage of this, arriving from Denmark, Armenia and the U.S. to meet our Albanian partners at the Skenduli House and spend a week completing documentation needed to prepare a Condition Assessment Report. This was the next key step in AiP’s project, Albania: Preservation Skills Training for Local Youth.

We also knew that the rainy season could begin about mid-month, so we jumped into our work knowing we had four days to explore every corner, examine all materials and complete the photography. The third day fortunately – yes, fortunately – brought an amazing deluge of rain, which provided us with invaluable information on roof leaks, gutter problems, drainage issues, and more. The amount of rain that fell in that one day demonstrated why the huge internal cisterns that collect this water provide each tower house with a self sufficient water supply including sufficient water pressure to support the plumbing system.

It is now late November, and the report that will guide our work at the Skenduli House is ready. This report, completed by our outstanding volunteers, will provide information to potential funders about the amount of support needed to save this historic masonry giant.

In 2012, there are two opportunities (May and September) for you to join an international team of volunteer vacationers and local trainees to get this much-needed work underway. If travel to Albania won’t fit in your plans for next year, you can still be an important part of the project by making a donation today.

Rain runs down stone streets during deluge

Volunteer prepares drawings of historic interiors

Links:

Read about volunteer vacation opportunities in Gjirokastra

Permalink

Sep 12, 2011
Team Arrives for Next Stage in Skills Training

By Judith Broeker | AiP Program Director

Skenduli neighbor shows great need for repairs

September is just around the corner, and AiP’s project, Albania: Preservation Skills Training for Local Youth is about to take a big step forward. In mid-September, a team from Denmark, the U.S. and Albania will gather at the Skenduli House in Gjirokastra to get much-needed preservation work underway. The team will include a conservation architect, preservation specialists, community leaders from Gjirokastra, and an intern; all working to document the current conditions and problems of this tower house and to prepare a work plan.

The documentation and work plan comprise the next important step in preparing for three years of hands-on training in traditional building techniques. The training will provide local Albanians and other Balkan residents with skills training that will better prepare them for productive jobs. As training is underway, vital repair work will be completed on the Skenduli House, which still retains much of its original material and has been lovingly cared for by the same family that built it several hundred years ago.

Looking around Gjirokastra, it is apparent that a number of these amazing tower houses have deteriorated to the point of near collapse. If this continues, the city will lose the primary resource – its built heritage – that is allowing residents to develop a sustainable economy.

AiP’s program begins with training in traditional building skills combined with community education. This will lead to the rescue of irreplaceable historic buildings and the creation of job opportunities, bringing growth to well-managed heritage tourism and ultimately creating an improved economy and a better standard of living for the city’s residents.

Join the people of Gjirokastra in their effort to move upward from their position as one of the poorest economies in Europe. Please make a donation today.

Next generation of trainees watch with interest

Heritage tourism relies on saving unique vista

Links:

Join program volunteers in 2012

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.