Gallery
Description
Property Name: Museum-City of Gjirokastra
Inventory No: 355-84-1
Date of infill of the inventory form: 2007-11-06
Country (State party): Albania
Province: Gjirokastra
Town:
Geographic coordinates: 40° 4′ 10″ N
20° 7′ 60″ E
Historic Period: Classic Ottoman (1453-1579)
Year of Construction: 13th-17th century
Style: Classical Ottoman
Original Use: Residential
Current Use: Residential
Architect: Unknown
Significance
The houses are exceptional with their authentic tall architecture. These type of buildings are called Kule(tower) in Balkan region. The structure is made of stone, similar to the rocky landscape. The ground floor is like a high basement to be used in winter, and the upper floor is used for summer.
Selection Criteria
iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared
iv. to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history
State of Preservation
Gjirokastra was declared “Museum City” in 1961. In 1965, the Institute of Cultural Monuments established an office in Gjirokastra, which started a systematic restoration of the historic buildings. By 1990, 38 buildings of the first category and 253 of the second category were restored. At the same time, the castle has been subject to maintenance, consolidation and restoration. After 1990, the works have been interrupted due to the lack of funding, and are only being started again in the past couple of years.
The general condition of the urban fabric is variable. Unfortunately, many buildings are not in good condition. This structure has been on the Unesco World Heritage list since 2005.
References
Archnet Website: http://www.archnet.org
Unesco Website: http://whc.unesco.org