Gjirokastra ist jetzt Welt Kultur Erbe
Albania’s Gjirokastra Included in World Heritage List
25/08/2005
The southern Albanian town of Gjirokastra, considered a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, was among 17 cultural sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in July.
By Erlis Selimaj for Southeast European Times in Tirana -- 25/08/05
Gjirokastra is located in the Drinos river valley in southern Albania. [Erlis Selimaj]
UNESCO has included the southern Albanian town of Gjirokastra on its World Heritage List. The town, located in the Drinos river valley, is known as Albania's "museum city". It is considered a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers with large estates.
Gjirokastra was one of 17 cultural sites added to the list in mid-July by the World Heritage Committee, chaired by Themba Wakashe, South Africa's deputy director-general for heritage and national archives.
A 13th-century citadel provides the focal point of the town, which contains outstanding examples of the kullë, or tower house -- a type of building that emerged in the 17th century and is characteristic of the Balkan region. A kullë has a tall basement, a first floor for use in the cold season, and a second floor for the warm season.
Interiors, particularly in the tourist zones, feature rich decorative details and painted floral patterns. The town also retains a bazaar, an 18th-century mosque and two churches of the same period.
The town developed after World War II, and today is an economic, cultural, and educational centre of southern Albania. Gjirokastra is not the first location in Albania to make the UNESCO list. In 1992, the ancient settlement of Butrint, dating back to the 6th century BC, was added. In all, the World Heritage List now numbers 812 sites, including 628 cultural, 160 natural and 24 mixed sites in 137 states. In July, three countries -- Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova -- joined the list for the first time.
One of the immediate effects will be a financial boost. Local authorities in Gjirokastra will have the right to request funds from the state and from international donors in order to protect its cultural assets.
Gjirokastra is also the birthplace of the well-known Albanian novelist and poet, Ismail Kadare, winner of this year's Man Booker International Prize. He has described his hometown as "overshadowed by a great castle, as daunting as it was impressive ... its prison-tower radiated power and menace in every direction".
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setim.../features/2005/08/25/feature-03&rate=5#rating
