THE 8th REGIONAL RESTORATION CAMP

GJIROKASTRA, ALBANIA
28 APRIL - 12 MAY 2012

PRACTICAL INFO

Duration of the camp: April 28 May 12, 2012

Location: Gjirokastra, Albania
Location of the camp works: Spatial planning and interpretation at the archaeological site of Antigonea;
practical repair works on several 2nd category monuments and window workshop on Babameto 1st category
monument in the historic centre of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gjirokastra
Organizers:
Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB)
Polis University, Tirana, Albania
Faculty of Philology and History, University of Tirana, Albania
Financed by:
Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB) through funding from Sida (Swedish International Development
Cooperation Agency)
Partners in the project:
Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports, Albania
Gjirokastra Conservation and Development Organization (GCDO)
Institute of Monuments of Culture of Albania
Gjirokastra Regional Directorate of National Culture
The Office for the Coordination and Administration of the Museum City of Gjirokastra

Background
Albania has wealth of cultural assets, and most of them are of outstanding value in the region. However,
many of the historic sites in Albania are in an urgent need of preservation, restoration, and management
through appropriate techniques and materials as well as by using thorough investigations and research in
order to preserve them and to be able to pass them on to future generations.

In response to such a situation, CHwB and its Albanian partners have initiated a project in the city of Gjirokastra
that aims at restoring a number of monuments in the UNESCO protected zone of the city. The project is
named Gjirokastra 2009 -2011. The buildings are chosen according to the list of priorities stated by the
Regional Directorate in Gjirokastra and the Institute of Monuments of Culture.
The aim of the restoration projects is to create an educational impact through participation in regional
restoration training activities that are planned to be organized twice a year. Moreover, CHwB aims to create
a model for good restoration, management, maintenance techniques, and the proper usage of cultural
monuments in the historical setting of Gjirokastra.
CHwB has been continuously implementing numerous restoration projects of immovable cultural heritage
since 1996 all over the Western Balkans, with a special focus in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.
The proposed restoration camp in Gjirokastra aims at providing participants with the proper methods and
techniques of conservation, restoration, and practical hands-on experiences in restoration.

Objectives
The objectives of this 8th restoration camp are to:
Provide participants with the knowledge of principles and methodologies of restoration/conservation
applied in reference to international charters on restoration/conservation;
Train participants on evaluating historic buildings;
Train participants with problems and solution when it comes to traditionally used materials within
historic buildings
Provide participants with an opportunity to network with colleagues on a international level.

CAMP CURRICULUM
Lectures to be delivered during the camp:

Gjirokastras urban townscape: Hierarchy, rich and poor, trading, religion, protection, relation to
the surrounding society, visible and non-visible relations. Historical changes, old and new threats,
possibilities, visions, consequences of being a World Heritage site.
Gjirokastras buildings: Their basic structure, the principle of the house and its relation to fresh and rain
water, protection, heating and cooling, cooking and food storage.
Learning about applied materials wood and lime
Environment effects and the materials used
Restoration principles and conventions

CAMP ACTIVITIES

The activities, outside the lectures, during the 8th Restoration Camp are planned to be divided between
hands-on work and study visits.

Hands-on work:
The participants will be divided in groups where each group will be focusing on carpentry, masonry techniques,
etc., on the several monuments of 2nd category in Historical City Center of Gjirokastra. Specific group will
be dealing with surveying of Antigonea archaeological site and its surrounding, studying the context and
proposing regulation plans.
Study visits in southern Albania:
Sites and museums in Gjirokastra
Butrint National Park (UNESCO World Heritage site)
Church of the Cross, Labova

NECESSARY TOOLS AND MATERIALS

Tools: Will be provided on site
Materials: Will be provided on site

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CAMP PARTICIPANTS

There will be approximately 50 participants invited to this camp; 20 participants will be senior students of
architecture from POLIS University in Tirana; 15 participants will be senior professionals from post-graduate
course in Cultural Heritage Management from the Faculty for History and Philology, University of Tirana.
The remaining 16 participants are planned to be invited from the following countries:
ALBANIA

KOSOVO

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

BULGARIA
CROATIA
GREECE

MACEDONIA
MONTENEGRO
ROMANIA
SERBIA

Working language: English will be the working language throughout the camp.

QUALIFICATION AND APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Qualification requirements

Applicants should be:

Able to attend the entire camp and each activity of the program
Young professionals or students finishing their diploma or continuing with their Masters Degree in
architecture, art history, or archaeological studies
Interested in the preservation, restoration of historic buildings and able to make effective use of the
results of the camp session in their home countries
Able to communicate with good proficiency in English - the working language for all lectures.

Applying
Download the application form PDF at www.chwb.org/regional or request a copy from gearda.demiraj@
chwb.org. Fill out your application completely and send it back to CHwB via either:

Post:

Cultural Heritage without Borders

Trashgimia Kulturore pa Kufij
Rr. Ismail Qemali 34/1
Kt. III, Zyra Nr. 15
Tirana, Albania

OR

E-mail:

gearda.demiraj@chwb.org

DEADLINE: March 30, 2012

Submit all of the required documents (including the recommendation by the respective institution you are
engaged with) before this deadline.
Notification of application results
Screenings of applicants will be made by CHwB. As indicated above, 16 applicants will be selected. Final
information about the selection process will be available by April 3, 2012. After the selection, CHwB will
notify successful applicants of the results. The notifications will be sent via e-mail. In the selection process,
the need for a gender balance among the participants will be taken into consideration.

Evaluation of participants and certificates

Evaluation of participants in the camp will occur through a grading system that combines evaluation of practical
work on site (100 points) with evaluation of theoretical knowledge (100 points) attained through the lectures
and presentations. It will be the craftsmen themselves who will grade participants on the first component of
evaluation, based on the participation, talent and efficiency of each participant during the works on site. In
regard to the second (theoretical) component of evaluation, all participants will be required to take a written
test near the end of the Restoration Camp. The maximum number of points for each participant is 200 points.
Certificates will only be distributed to participants who participate in all the lectures and the works on site
and who are able to collect more than 100 points.

ACCOMMODATION
Participants will be accommodated in different hotels in the city of Gjirokastra.

FUNDING FOR CAMP PARTICIPATION

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Applicants are encouraged to look for scholarships in their own countries from state institutions, foundations
and other sources of funding to cover at least their travel expenses, but also some of their other costs.
The organizers will partially cover the costs of the participation in the camp during the two weeks of work.
Accommodation costs of 10 /day and a meal allowance of 5 /day will be covered for each participant.
Excursions, and costs connected to the participation in the camp (tools, papers etc) will also be covered by
CHwB.
For any additional information please contact CHwB at:

gearda.demiraj@chwb.org
+ 355 69 54 81 293
www.chwb.org/regional
CULTURAL HERITAGE WITHOUT BORDERS / Trashgimia Kulturore pa Kufij
Rr. Ismail Qemali 34/1
Kt. III Zyra Nr. 15
Tirana, Albania