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Adventures in Preservation: If once a historic building is gone, it’s gone forever
Both Albania and Kosovo are known as countries with a wide cultural heritage, including monuments, clothing, museums and a rich menu of traditional foods. These treasures make both of them very attractive places for visitors from all over the world. Here may be the only places in Europe where you can enjoy some adventure doses too.
By: Agnesa Sejdiu
However, many of the homes that represent the lives of Albanians at that time, which you may encounter in many areas of Albania and Kosovo, are in a miserable state. Even those that have resisted time are at the edge of the collapse. In an attempt to save them, so many other can generations have the opportunity to get acquainted with the history of Albanians, many organizations are still fighting to protect them, mostly massively supported by civilian society, writes Ndërtimi.info.
On a mission just like this, attempting to bring to life historic buildings and monuments throughout the world, “Adventures in Preservation (AiP)” from the USA ended up in Albania and Kosovo, doing a tremendous job together with many volunteers.
“Adventures in Preservation” was founded by two women with a great love for historic buildings and a strong desire to travel and understand the world. Judith Broeker and Jamie Donahoe.
For Ndërtimi.info, Judith Broeker, one of the founders of the organization, talks about her experience in Albania and Kosovo, from where they moved leaving behind a great job.
Their “Adventures in Preservation” website, that is open to any community that needs help to save any valuable historic building, one day received a request from a resident of Gjirokastra. He sought help to revive their prominent historical bazaar, involving commercial and residential structures.
Their organization accepts only one new project every year, so this is a very competitive process. Meanwhile their work in Gjirokastra in 2015, one of their volunteers, a photographer living in New York, originally from Kosovo, told them about the need for help in Kosovo.
Their team then went to Drenoc, Kosovo, to determine if they could get a project. In 2016, a team went to Drenoc to help repair and transform a historic tower into a guesthouse that would help the local economy.
All those who helped in these projects, therefore, volunteers, who are on average fifteen for each project, love the work a lot, because as Broeker says, their only issue was to make them stop working at the end of the day.
“The maximum we can take per week is fifteen, because we want each person to have one on one training from the onsite expert, followed by guidance as each person uses their newly learned skills to help complete the job. We always remind people of the large amount of work that can be accomplished, even by a group of five! The only issue we have with AiP volunteers is getting them to stop working at the end of the day. Everyone seems to love the work and is focused on getting as much done as possible”, she says.
One of their projects, including the re-use of a historic tower as a B & B, was done in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Without Borders (CHwB). Broeker says both in Albania and in Kosovo, the goal of bulding conservation is not only to save the history and culture of the region, but to use these resources to support growth of heritage tourism.
However, their visit to the two countries has left many impressions.
“Every new project AiP takes on allows us to experience a new and interesting culture. One of the highlights of an AiP trip is immersing yourself in the unique culture of the area including the food, events, historic and cultural sites, as well as meeting community members. We are never disappointed! The architectural heritage of Albania – showcased by the tower house of Gjirokastra – is incredible. The wonder of exploring the steep, winding streets and pathways of Gjirokastra’s historic town remains one of my favorite travel memories. I was transported to another world. In Kosovo, we lived with a local family, learning about traditional food, farming practices, and the history of the kulla and it’s use. We all became great friends and several from the AiP group have returned to visit the family who hosted us. Since the majority of AiP volunteers are women, we do try to encourage women in the communities where we work to feel confident to join us in the work and learn new skills”, said Broeker.
Work on the preservation of buildings has a great impact, especially in the life of the surrounding community. Saving them, saves the identity of the country, they serve as a record of human creativity, and if once a historic building is gone, it’s gone forever.
You can find the albanian version of the article here: https://ndertimi.info/me-amerikanen-qe-restauroi-trashegimine-kosovare-kur-historikja-zhduket-zhduket-pergjithmone/
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