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This book introduces four historic cities of European and even global significance:
Gjirokastra, Ioannina, Ohrid and Prizren. Not only are they and their region the
southwestern Balkans still almost unknown to the rest of Europe, but their inhabitants themselves, due to the course of history, have known little about each
other for many decades.
The book for the first time puts the urban and cultural heritage, as well as the
management problems, of the four cities into a common context, and introduces
the present-day knowledge about them to an international audience. First and
foremost, however, it aims to strengthen the awareness that the cities of this region, essentially shaped by the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, are part of Our
Common European Heritage, which to preserve and maintain therefore is a task
for all of Europe.
Tirana 2012
List of Contents
Preface ....................................................................................................... 7
Sadi Petrela
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this
publication are the sole responsibility of the Gjirokastra Conservation and Development Organization and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
Editorial Staff:
Vesna Avramovska, Clara Puech, Kalliopi Rekata, Bariu Zenelaj, Erkan Zerdari.
Translations:
Language Solutions L.t.d.
Design and layout: Xhoan Guga, Delta Print Studio
Printed by: Gent Grafik
Acknowledgements
This book was made possible by a grant from Directorate General XI of the European Commission
under its Civil Society Facility. Our sincere thanks go to Henk Visser, Suzan Arslan and Genc
Pasko from the European Commission for their always positive attitude, constructive advise and
cooperative spirit, for their continuing encouragement, ready support and friendly cooperation.
We are greatly indebted, first and foremost to the authors of the texts, photos, maps and figures,
for their cooperation in the compilation of the materials for this book, to Lejla Hadzic, Albert Kasi,
Kreshnik Merxhani, Elena Nasto, Enkeleida Roze, for their manifold advise and support in putting
this book together, and to Katherine Kyes and Goran Todorovski for proofreading.
Stephan Doempke, Anduela Lulo (Caca) and Sadi Petrela
on behalf of the Editorial Staff
Preface
The book Four Historic Cities of the Western Balkans Values and Challenges is an important component of the European Values in Heritage
Project (EVAH), financed by the European Union. Like the project, the
book is broken into four parts, one for each EVAH city: Gjirokastra, Ioannina, Ohrid, and Prizren. The book has clear unity and purpose; it aims to
create yet another communication bridge to the cities, showing the common values and the specifics of cultural heritage that these countries bring
to the European culture. The book shows cultural heritage as an identifying element, as a product of the common historic development and as a
component of European integration.
The same as EVAH, this publication sees Europe foremost as a cultural reality. The Western Balkans has relentless enthusiasm and hope for the invitation to join the European Union and the possibilities this integration would
provide. Unfortunately, this enthusiasm is not met with corresponding
efforts by management in cultural heritage and their familiarization with
the current European standards. This publication looks at cultural heritage
as a top development and integration opportunity, but unfortunately it is
not recognized as such and therefore is not managed as it should be. This
is the reason why cities with immense potential in the region often offer
very little in reality.
As in all the other project activities, the book was addressed to the public
and the decision makers on a local, national and regional level. It reaches
them in their own languages, in Albanian, in Greek, and in Macedonian
(spoken in FYROM). It addresses European decision makers with the aim
to help them better understand the potentials and possibilities, and even
the obstacles the management of cultural heritage face in our countries.
This is why the book is also published in English.
We hope that in this sense, the book will be a two-way bridge which not
only brings us closer to European realities but does the same in carrying
our realities to Europe.
Each of the four parts of the book were written in their native language
by the relevant partners and their collaborators: The Academy for Training
7
1 GCDO has already taken on a new name and now it is called The Gjirokastra Foundation GF. The new name was not given to influence on the organizations goals and
objectives, but only to be better adapted with the new realities of its activities.
8
involvement and ownership both within the Western Balkans and between
the region and the European Union.
In the EVAH Project, four partners cooperated from four countries whose
relationships in the recent past have been rather difficult: Albania, Greece,
Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
The Gjirokastra Conservation and Development Organization (GCDO),
the lead organization in the project, works towards the sustainable
development of Gjirokastra and its region through conserving its
historic buildings, fostering revitalization of the historic town, supporting
sustainable tourism and promoting handcrafts and traditional skills.
The Academy for Training and Technical Assistance (ATTA) was established
with the aim to empower Kosovo civil society to build and empower their
capacities.Their fields of intervention are capacity-building, community
development, European integration, harmonization of Kosovo and EU
public policies, public policy design and culture.
The EGNATIA EPIRUS Foundation (EEF) from Ioannina, Greece,
representing the partner from an EU country, promotes activities involving
advanced information technologies and telecommunication networks,
inter-border collaboration, the promotion and recording of the cultural
heritage, alternative eco-agro tourism initiatives and the support of the
crafts sector.
Finally, the Macedonian Artisan Trade Association (MATA) is a non-profit,
non-governmental organization aiming to foster the development of the
crafts sector in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and to achieve
tangible social changes and benefits for artisans by providing assistance in
advocacy, product development, market access and capacity-building.
The EVAH Project targeted primarily key decision-makers on national,
regional and local levels to be involved in its activities, while the final
beneficiaries were the residents and businesses, including artisans, with
selling points located in the four historic cities, an estimated number of
40,000 persons. More indirectly, the entire wider populations of these
cities, totalling about 275.000 people, were benefitting from the Project.
Throughout the project, reference was made to pertinent European
instruments, organizations, projects, networks and initiatives. In particular,
the Heritage as Opportunity (HerO) Project and A Soul for Europe, who
are highly significant in this context, contributed greatly to a dialogue with
EU counterparts.
Considering that the imbalance of economic development and the
preservation of the historic urban fabric often results in either economic
stagnancy or the loss of cultural heritage, the Hero Project aimed to
develop integrated and innovative management strategiesfor historic
urban landscapes. Itsmain objective was facilitating the right balance
between the preservation of built cultural heritage and the sustainable,
13
14
* Stephan Doempke has been the Coordinator of the EVAH Project until March 2012.
16
In any case, it is important to realize that the Ottoman town in the Balkans
was not a product of laisser-faire but followed certain conventions that
have not always been visible to historians because they were rarely
explicitly recorded. One of these was the understanding of townscapes as
reflecting the Ottoman order of things, especially with regard to religious
hierarchies. The typical separation of the city into a bustling downtown
surrounded by a ring of almost exclusively residential districts must
probably be said to have reflected the ideal of a functional separation
between private and public lives.
The traditional disposition of residences as free-standing structures in
walled precincts with small gardens also made it possible not only to
manage their exposure to sunlight but also to adapt these structures to
changing needs in terms of spaces and functions. Their frequent location
of dwellings on slopes, where possible, certainly made sewerage more
efficient. While this architecture may thus have followed similar principles,
it did vary greatly according to region. Frequent snowfall, for instance, may
have made obligatory steep roofs, while lack of wood had people turn to
stone. The difference, for instance, between dwellings in Bosnia and in
neighbouring Herzegovina one region oriented toward the Adriatic, the
other toward the Balkan interior, and both being separated by the main
ridge of the Dinaric range can be considerable. Nonetheless, and despite
what some books might suggest, we must admit that we know very little
about residential architecture in the Balkans before the nineteenth century,
simply because so few structures have survived that can be securely dated
to this period. This also makes it hard to say something incontrovertible
about the development of residential architecture in this region. The
residential architecture of Balkan towns preserved to us reflects the range
of types and forms found in the nineteenth century.
Urban architecture
While in very few cases (such as Sofia and Thessaloniki) we can still find
monuments dating back to Late Antiquity, the old town districts of
Balkan cities largely preserve the structure and fabric of the nineteenth
century, even if their principal monuments are usually older. It was in this
period that new urban models entered the Balkan stage and occasionally
went into fierce competition with the traditional ones. Nowhere is this
as visible as in Sarajevo, where there is a sudden change between the
commercial district named Baarija a district whose structure can be
traced back to the decades around 1500, but which in its present form
reflects changes that occurred around 1900 (such as the open square with
a pseudo-Ottoman sebil-type water-dispenser) and the district around
the Central European style high street called Ferhadija, which emerged
as a counter-model to the old centre around 1900. In Skopje, the river
Vardar is the border between a traditional bazaar district that emerged
below the fortress starting from the fifteenth century and a modern
part that developed rapidly only in the past century. In Sofia, the changes
have been more incisive: that citys transformation into the capital of the
Bulgarian nation around 1900 left few remnants of its Ottoman past. The
ring road surrounding Sofias centre recalls the configuration of Vienna,
18
where many Bulgarians went to study architecture and related fields in that
period.
Most Balkan cities oldest urban structures usually also date to the
Ottoman period, and not earlier. Monumental exceptions include the
several cathedral-type basilicas built in the Balkan interior in a period of
restoration of Byzantine rule there in the eleventh and twelfth centuries,
with some of the best-preserved examples in Prizren, Serres, Verroia,
and Ohrid. That period saw an earnest revival of urban life in the region
after the incisive seventh-century barbarian invasions at a scale not
to be repeated until the later fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It was
then that many Balkan cities received their principal pre-nineteenthcentury monuments. As a rule, this was not an architecture that was the
result of local processes and the (design) work of local artists, however;
it followed types and styles formulated in what might be called the
Ottoman metropolitan region around the Sea of Marmara, where the
old court cities of Istanbul, Bursa, and Edirne (and hence also the principal
achievements in Ottoman architectural design) were located.
The standardization of Ottoman architectural types made it possible for
fairly remote settlements to receive monuments of a relatively noteworthy
character. Deviations from standard models were generally meaningful, in
the sense that they reflected a given patrons exalted status or ambition,
or date from a period in which details were not yet as standardized but
left to the discretion of builders and masons. For instance, the unusual
size and sophistication (in a provincial context) of the mosque of Gazi
Hsrev Beg mosque in Sarajevo probably echoes its patrons birth he
was the Macedonian-born son of an Ottoman princess as well as the
unusual degree of power yielded by its patron in a region in strategically
important location for the expansion of Ottoman hegemony into Central
and Southern Europe.
Irrespective of size, the urban architecture of Ottoman towns drew upon
a certain set of established types. In accordance with the settlements
significance, one would find Friday mosques (in the early period:
usually only one), smaller prayer-houses meant for use by specific
neighbourhoods, inns, covered marketplaces for luxury goods, bathhouses
(the coffeehouses of the fair sex), elementary and higher schools,
aqueducts, public fountains, etc. The popularity of domes as not only
structural but also iconographic elements in this architecture is quite plain
in many formerly Ottoman settlements. We know little about the original
decoration in the interiors of these buildings, but the ornamentation of
portals is sometimes significant.
In the fifteenth century, bathhouses were often privileged in terms of their
monumentality and decoration. At the end of that century, coinciding
with a greater need for the supervision of Muslim worship in a time
of heresies, an important shift was made that reserved most truly
monumental architecture for Friday mosques. A city like Sarajevo could
have as many as seven domed mosques. At the end of the sixteenth
century came another shift an echo of developments in the capital
19
22
23
24
GJIROKASTRA
A Chronicle in Stone
by Stephan Doempke
(with Oliver Gilkes, Sadi Petrela, Emin Riza and Elenita Roshi*)
Introduction
Very rich in historical architectural values, the museum city of Gjirokastra
is an important town that sheds light on what urban life was like in Albania
in the late medieval period. With its dominating hill being a natural site for
a military fortification, Gjirokastra drew its importance from its strategic
location controlling the Drino Valley one of the main routes from the
port of Durrs and central Albania to Greece and Byzantium. The Drino
Valleys rich agricultural lands were the other reason for Gjirokastras
families rise to wealth.
The historic town of Gjirokastra was inscribed into the World Heritage
List in 2005 as a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town in the
Balkans, deriving its outstanding universal value from two complimentary
factors: the setting of the town and its traditional houses.
Gjirokastra originated from a military and administrative castle out of
which the town developed in the 13th century. Unlike most other Balkan
cities it did not begin as a craftsmen center, but was a town of Albanian
farmers of large estate and administrators of the Ottoman Empire, which
influenced the type of town and also the architecture of its residential
houses.
25
It is the residential quarters that set the tone for the town. They were
determined by the rugged terrain, characterized by steep slopes and
escarpments, deep ravines and narrow ridges. As a result a unique type
of house originated that shows a wide variety from having to adapt to
changing terrain, resulting in a coexistence of the natural environment with
human creations that gives the town its unmistakable character.
History
Archaeological evidence confirms that there has been a settlement in
Gjirokastra since about 500 BC. Substantial block-built walls have been
unearthed suggesting the site was a significant fortification in the preRoman period (before 168 BC) and was probably refortified at the end of
the Roman Empire. The first reference to the settlement was recorded in
1336 by the Byzantine chronicler John Cantacuzene who mentions it both
as a fortress and a town.
The origin of the name Gjirokastra is less well-determined. The most
colourful suggestion is that it was named after Princess Argyro, the sister
of the feudal lord of the town who threw herself from the battlements,
together with her young son, during the final siege on the city by enemies.
Another suggestion is that the name came from either the Argyres, a preRoman tribal group who inhabited the area, or Argjyri, the name of a clan
native to the Gjirokastra region. The most poetic explanation is that the
city takes its name from the Greek words for silver (argro) and castle
(kastro); in reference to the grey stone walls, streets and slate roofs that
shimmer like silver in the rain.
The Drino valley has been a natural exchange route between the Adriatic
Sea and Greece for thousands of years. Given its geographical importance
as well as the rich agricultural lands, it has a long history of both peaceful
settlement and bloody conflicts. Various cultures have coexisted and
intermingled here, such as the Illyrian, Epirotic, Macedonian, Roman,
Slavic, Albanian, Byzantine, Greek, Ottoman, Aromunian and Roma, and
27
Evliya elebi was an Ottoman official who travelled all over the
Empire on behalf of the Sultan in the 17th century. He provided the
first detailed description of Gjirokastra in the year 1670:
The fortress is an old stonework construction situated along the
ridge of a high cliff Its long solid ramparts resemble a gallery. Inside
the fortress there is only one main street running from east to west.
Ranged on both sides of the street are 200 two-storey stonework
houses, roofed entirely with slate... In front of the eastern gate of
the fortress, down a steep embankment, is the quarter of the infidels,
called Kuuk Varo (Little Town). It consists of 200 illuminated spacious
houses. Under the cliffs to the north of the fortress is the old bazaar,
called the Fortress Bazaar, consisting of 40 little shops. This bazaar has
wooden gates at both ends, much like those of a bedestan, which the
watchmen close every night
Ali Pasha of Tepelena took over Gjirokastra in 1811. Born near the small
town of Tepelena in 1744, he rose from being the head of a band of
bandits to becoming the regional governor Pasha - of Epirus. Under Ali
Pasha, Gjirokastra became a strategic and commercial stronghold between
his twin capitals of Tepelena and Ioannina, thus laying the foundation for
its wealth. Gjirokastra flourished like never before, and it was during this
time that the first large houses which give Gjirokastra its characteristic
appearance today were built. However, Ali Pashas ambitions to fortify
his dominions sufficiently to be able to rebel against the Ottoman Empire
failed when Sultan Mahmud II overthrew and executed him in Ioannina
in 1822. After Ali Pasha was killed, Gjirokastra continued as an Ottoman
administrative centre and as an agricultural and trading hub.
29
During the later part of the 19th century, Gjirokastra was at the forefront
of efforts to promote a sense of Albanian national identity. In 1880 the
Assembly of Gjirokastra championed the cause for self-government and
resistance to Ottoman rule. In 1908, Gjirokastras first Albanian language
school, named Liria, was opened in the city followed by a series of
patriotic clubs and societies. The building recently restored still exists
on top of an isolated hill near the bazaar, and a monument was erected to
commemorate the beginning of literacy in southern Albania.
erciz Topulli, born in 1880, was the son of a prominent local family
and later became the leader of a band of freedom fighters during
a period of considerable unrest in the Ottoman Empire. In 1908,
his band assassinated the Bimbash, the Turkish commander in the
city, which was followed by the famous battle at Mashkullore from
which Topulli managed to escape. When Albanian independence
was declared in 1912 he took up the cause of defending the borders
of the new state and was killed in northern Albania during the First
World War. A statue, sculpted by Odise Paskali, was erected for him
in front of the Municipal Office in 1934, and his body was reinterred
in Gjirokastra in 1937.
30
During the early 20th century, when the borders of modern Albania were
being defined, Gjirokastra was a disputed territory. In the course of the
Balkan Wars, Albania declared independence in 1912, which was accepted
by the European powers in London a year later. Still, for a few months in
1914 the Gjirokastra region formed part of the Autonomous Republic of
Epirus under General Zographos, who agitated for union with Greece. Only
after the First World War, the Entente powers (Britain, France and Russia)
persuaded Greece to drop its claim to this majority ethnic Albanian area.
The present border was ratified internationally in 1921.
During King Zogs reign (1928-1939), Gjirokastra established itself as
one of the most important cultural and economic centres in the country,
though it was also famous for the large prison constructed in the castle
at this time. The city was taken by the Italians in 1939 provoking the
formation of a guerrilla-style resistance movement; known as the Partisans
they were opposed to the Italian and later German occupation. In the
final years of the war Gjirokastras rulers changed several times between
Greeks, Italians and Germans before much of the region was liberated in
1944 by the Partisans under their Gjirokastra-born leader, Enver Hoxha.
Gjirokastra became the base for the liberation of the rest of the country in
November 1944. It was through British bombing and German shelling that
the city suffered its first major destruction.
The years under communism saw extensive industrialisation. In 1961,
Gjirokastra was declared a Museum City by the communist regime in an
effort to restore and conserve the unique cultural heritage of the town.
A large workforce was assembled to maintain the old quarters. At the
same time, a new socialist town was built at the foot of the historic town
which soon took over many of the urban functions of Gjirokastra. Its new
apartment blocks, with modern amenities, attracted many people away
from the historic town.
31
When the regime fell in March 1992, Gjirokastras economy was already in
rapid decline. To achieve full employment, the communists had assigned
far more people to work in the already outdated and inefficient industrial
complexes than were actually required, and the subsequent collapse of
communism resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs. There was much civil
unrest, the National Armaments Museum was looted, and the enormous
statue of Enver Hoxha that had dominated the old town was pulled down.
1997 brought about further unrest with the collapse of the pyramid
financial schemes that resulted in the loss of many peoples life savings. A
significant part of the
Bazaar was burned
and damaged, and
the town became
violent and lawless.
The crisis triggered
mass emigration, and
the abandonment of
many of the historic
buildings that the
state could no longer
afford to maintain.
The collapse of
public services
in the rural areas after 1997 brought thousands of internal emigrants
to Gjirokastra. They were looking for housing in the lower new town
and triggered an unprecedented, unplanned and largely uncontrolled
construction boom. As a result, Gjirokastra today is a split town where
most of the economic life happens in the new town while the historic city
suffers from widespread emigration and decline.
32
lacking. The residential areas were strictly separated from the bazaar: there
were no residences in the bazaar, and neither were there commercial
spaces in the residential areas. In architecture, this distinction can be seen
between the dense two-storey wall-to-wall constructions in the bazaar and
the solitary residences of the Gjirokastra families which give the city its
unique appearance. Some stretches of road in the Old Bazaar, Hazmurat
and Varosh Quarters represent the transitions between the two spheres.
34
The Castle
The castle is undoubtedly the most impressive building in the city.
Archaeologists believe that the site has been inhabited since the Iron
Age in the 8th 7th centuries BC. The first fortifications - stone-block built
walls - were probably erected from the 5th century BC during the time
when Epirus was a battle-ground between Illyrian tribes, Macedonians and
Roman forces. A much larger fortress occupying an area of 2.5 hectares
was built on the eastern end of the ridge overlooking the Drino valley by
the Despotate of Epirus, under Byzantine auspices in the 12th and 13th
centuries.
35
After the Ottoman conquest in the early 15th century, the castle was
progressively enlarged and improved. Extensions were built throughout the
Ottoman period as the castle grew south-westward down the ridge.
The Turkish traveller, Evliya elebi has left us interesting information on the
castle from the middle of the 17th century. By describing it exactly during
the first phase of its final expansion, he reports that, besides the military
functions and the structures used for defensive intensions, there were
also residences, huge cisterns and a mosque. It may be assumed that, at
that time, the castle looked like a village encircled by a protecting wall,
much like the castle of Berat still looks today, but with additional military
structures.
The Castle of Gjirokastra as we see it today is mainly the work of Ali Pasha.
From 1811, he embarked on a substantial building programme, adding
the clock tower at the northern end, a great number of underground
storehouses and the fortifications at the southern end to fully enclose the
area occupied by the castle. Ali Pasha relocated the families who lived
within the fortified surrounding walls and reserved the castle entirely for
his residence and military purposes.
36
38
39
taken over by Italian and German occupation forces during the Second
World War, then by the communist regime in 1944, and finally closed in
1968.
The small part of
the prison that is
accessible to visitors
was developed
as a museum by
the communist
regime in the
1970s following
the model of
revolutionary jails
in the Soviet Union
and elsewhere. At
the far end of the
cellblock, adjacent
to a torture and
execution chamber,
is an impressive display commemorating the young girl partisans, Bule
Naipi and Persefoni Kokdhima, who were executed in the prison. The
display case contains the girls clothing and the rope that is purported to
be the one used for their hanging by the Nazis in 1944. At the far end
of the corridor, through the locked steel bars to the right, the rest of the
prison and the punishment cells can be seen.
The collection of antique cannons nearby is the remains of the original
Ottoman fortress guns, and many of them date to Ali Pashas time. This
collection is a typical one, ranging from two to twelve pounder guns, many
of which are naval weapons, removed from ships.
The remains of a United States Air Force training plane, a two-seat
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, is the airplane which was forced to land at
Rinas Airport, near Tirana in December 1957, after developing technical
problems. The pilot was returned to the United States a short time later
but the plane was retained by the Albanian authorities. This proud trophy
40
The Bazaar
Life in Gjirokastra has long been centered around the medieval castle,
with much of the population living inside its stout walls. In pre-Ottoman
times, the population would have relied on trade, while some served the
feudal lords, the Zenebishi clan, who controlled the region and used the
castle as their base. In 1419, the Ottomans consolidated their conquests
41
in the region and made Gjirokastra the capital of the new Albanian sanjak
(province). The growing administration and supporting garrison provided
the stimulus for the town to expand outside the castle walls. Initially it was
concentrated on the ridge outside the northern castle gate, an area still
known as the Pazar i Vjetr (Old Bazaar).
By the 1580s the town had more than 400 residences, and Gjirokastra had
become a trading centre to complement its administrative importance.
In the 17th century, Memi Pasha, the Ottoman governor, planned and
built a new commercial centre for Gjirokastra along the western slope
of the hill, the Pazar i Ri, (New Bazaar, referred to hereafter simply as the
Bazaar). It extends from a central nexus, the so-called neck of the bazaar
(qafa e pazarit) along five streets which connect it with the residential
neighbourhoods in all directions, and included a mosque built especially to
serve the craftsmen of the bazaar. The neck is still very much the center
of the historic town.
When people from the surrounding rural areas arrived in Gjirokastra for
trade, shopping or administrative matters, they had their special han or inn
where they would stay. The Hani
Zagoria (Zagoria Inn) on Hazmurat
Street is the last remaining
example of such an inn. The
peasants would ride up through
the ravine and leave their livestock
directly by the inn. As in the
livestock market, the bazaar was
full of small traders specializing
in artisanal crafts blacksmiths,
leatherworkers, tailors, embroiders, cobblers etc. The leatherworkers,
saddlers and tanners were largely Muslim, while the fur trade, metalwork
and silver-smith crafts were practiced by Christian families.
42
The bazaar was almost completely destroyed by fire, and then rebuilt in
the 1750s. After another devastating fire in the 19th century it was again
reconstructed. Its roads, keeping the old axes, were broadened, and the
houses in the bazaar today were built during that time. At its heyday in the
early 20th century, the Gjirokastra bazaar had about 410 workshops and
was a crafts center for all of Southern Albania.
The sloping terrain accounts for the construction of the houses in
descending blocks. Their almost uniform architecture and the widespread
use of carved stones prove the overall reconstruction of the entire bazaar
in one single period, from 1850 1870. Typically the two-storey premises
have a shop or workshop below and storage space above.
Not only is the bazaar characterized by its homogenous architecture,
but the same style also prevailed in the rest of the Gjirokastra residential
houses at the time. This integrated the bazaar well into the overall outlook
of the town. The bazaar of Gjirokastra is a rare example in the whole of
the Balkans of an ensemble of original buildings from the second half of
the 19th century which has maintained their original function to this day.
The bazaar displays
cobblestone
pavements with
extraordinary
designs. Most of the
cobblestone streets
in Gjirokastra are
paved with a mix of
black shale and pink
and white limestone
(the pink ones are
stained via an iron
oxidation process).
After having suffered
43
major destruction
during World
War II, the city
was rebuilt under
Enver Hoxha.
In the following
years, one hundred
craftsmen were
continuously
employed by
the state for the
restoration and
maintenance
works needed
to preserve the
historic buildings.
During the period
of civil unrest in 1997-1998, the bazaar suffered major damage again and
was deserted. Today many of its shops still remain empty, but with the
inscription of Gjirokastra onto the World Heritage List in 2005 and the
subsequent increase in tourism, a slow but steady process of revitalization
began and received a new dynamic through the establishment of an
artisan shop in 2007. Since then, several new workshops and galleries
have opened up and the sounds of the bazaar have returned.
Iso-Polyphonic Singing
Gjirokastra is one of the most well-known centers of iso-polyphonic
singing. Up until twenty years ago, this ancient tradition, deeply linked to
the Albanian national identity in Southern Albania, was a part of daily life
in the many cafes of the bazaar and in the more than 600 family houses of
the town.
Rendered mainly by male singers, the music traditionally accompanies a
wide range of social events, such as weddings, funerals, harvest feasts and
religious celebrations. It is always featured in the well-known Gjirokastra
Folk Festival, the
biggest regular
cultural event of
the nation. The
festival takes place
every four years
and is organized
as a nationwide
contest from the
local qualifyings
up to the
final national
competition.
44
Religious Buildings
As all of Albania, Gjirokastra was originally Christian, and the Church of
the Cross in nearby Labova is said to have been founded by Emperor
Justinian as early as the early 6th century. In 1515, after almost 100 years of
Ottoman rule, there were still 12,257 Christian families in the Gjirokastra
district compared to just 53 Muslim households. Most Albanians
converted to Islam in order to avoid their oldest son being conscripted to
Istanbul to receive a religious (and often military) education.
Albania today is also the global center for the Sufi traditions of Islam which
are collectively called Bektashism in present-day Albania although the
Bektashi are only one of four dervish orders in the country, in addition
to the Halveti, Rifai and Sadi. All four of them have been present in
Gjirokastra.
The spread of Sufism in Albania started in Gjirokastra, and it is particulary
strong in the south of the country. The Sufis collectively moved to Albania
first when the Janissaries were abolished by Sultan Mahmud II in 1826,
and again when Turkey became a laicistic state and the dervish orders
were prohibited under Ataturk. It is estimated that one third of all Albanian
Muslims today are followers of Bektashism, especially the intelligentsia,
and many of its leaders were at the forefront of the Albanian national
movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Religious life
in Albania was
suppressed after
the communists
took over in
1944. Thousands
of priests and
nuns, imams and
babas lost their
lives or had to
flee the country.
When Albania formally declared itself an atheist state in 1967, all religious
buildings were closed or destroyed. Religious activities were again allowed
after the collapse of communism, and today four confessions are officially
recognized in Albania: catholic and protestant Chistianity, (Sunni) Islam
and Bektashism.
deliberately designed to
extend over the original
street front, creating a
small parade of enclosed
shops that were rented
out to provide funds for
the maintenance of the
mosque. To this day, the
Muslim community is the
biggest owner of houses in
the bazaar.
On the west side of the
building, at street level, is
a small octagonal building
that is used for the ritual
washing before the faithful
attend prayers inside the
mosque. The front doors of
the mosque have carved
Arabic inscriptions: the
one on the right invokes
Allah; the one on the left
the Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam. The rooms inside are simple
in decor and furnishings, as has always been the case for mosques in
Gjirokastra.
In the corner, to the right of the main entrance, is the access to the
minaret tower. There are 99 steps to reach the top, each symbolising the
names of God as given in the Quran. The tower was built with stones that
each have a hole drilled through the centre. Once they were stacked in
place and the holes aligned, molten lead was poured through the stones to
help seat and consolidate the blocks.
There are remnants of smaller mosques in other parts of the city. In
comparison with the mosques in other Albanian cities, those of Gjirokastra
do not have particular characteristics. What distinguishes Gjirokastra
mosques is their small size as well as their poor decoration, especially on
the exterior. The Gjirokastra mosques are typically monochrome. Just as
the bazaar, they merge fully with the architecture of the city, from which
they have taken many elements, both in their general appearance and in
their architectonic details.
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The Tekke
Dating to the 17th century or before, the Tuff Hill Tekke, at the opposite
edge of the town, was another major center for the Bektashi Sufi Order.
The remains of seven turbe can be seen. The principal turbe, on the very
top of the hill, contains the graves of three important dervishes.
The large complex of the Baba Zallit Tekke, located between Gjirokastra
and Lazarat, was founded in 1780 by Asim Baba, a holy man who is
said to have stemmed from the house of the Prophet. It was from here
that Bektashism spread through Albania. Baba Zallit has been the most
important Tekke in Gjirokastra and was of particular significance in the 19th
century. Its gate is flanked by turbes with conical roofs, and it had a rich
library that was destroyed by the communists in 1944. One of the dervishs
of the Tekke was Baba Rexhebi who fled Albania from the communists
and founded the first Bektashi Tekke in the United States.
The great settlements of the Palorto and Manalat Quarters, built on steep
hill slopes, have a different composition, highlighting the block-like volume
of their buildings. The ensembles of both parts of the Dunavat Quarter,
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General Characteristics
The large family residences set the tone for the city; they are its main
composing element and its most outstanding architectural achievement.
With a relatively great number of variations, the Gjirokastra house
occupies a special position, constituting a different type of Albanian
urban residential house. It has particular characteristics in its composition,
planimetries and volume, and special constructive elements:
1. A Gjirokastra house is designed with respect to its height, and its
different versions are based on the number of floors or storeys.
2. A Gjirokastra house is characterised by its defensive functions which
are manifest in their small ground space relative to their height,
embrasures and small windows on the lower floors.
3. There is an organic relationship between the houses and the rocky
terrain. The location of the houses on steep slopes allowed increased
area in the houses by adding two more floors compared to the
traditional Ottoman house which had two floors.
The Albanian way of life of the time has also played its part in this
architecture: the need to display power and wealth, or defensive structures
for the clans that inevitably came to fight each other, the requirement to
build secure structures to house livestock in the winter and store water
during the long dry months of summer, and the need for spaces that
reflected the culture of Gjirokastra people; their hospitality and even
prosperity in an often harsh land. Almost all of the houses include big
water cisterns as Gjirokastra has no surface water, with the exception of a
few springs which run dry during the summer.
One of the important features of the Gjirokastra house is its defensive
character, which has changed over time. It was on the rise until the end of
the flourishing period of the Gjirokastra house and then began to decline
and disappeared completely by the end of the 19th century. Notable
security features were the heavy stone walls, small barred windows on the
lower floors and firearm embrasures. Apart from their defensive functions,
some of these features are rather symbolic since the steep hillside to the
back of the building would have made them vulnerable to attack from
above.
Construction
The construction of the Gjirokastra house brings together two distinct
parts: While the heavy stone construction of the lower floors has its roots
in the rural Albanian tower house (kull), the top floor, constructed of
wood and plaster, followed urban Ottoman tradition in both engineering
and design. However, the typical Ottoman design feature of dividing the
house into male and female quarters is not present in a Gjirokastra house.
The stone walls, up to one meter thick at their base, are bound with
limestone mortar with an in-built band of wooden beams to give the house
flexibility in the event of an earthquake. Notable in many houses are the
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tall arches (kemer), sometimes columned, which serve both the stability
and the aesthetic appeal of the house. Usually the kemer would be capped
by an open roofed space or terrace (kameriye) which connects to other
rooms and provides open air space in between.
The top floor, which needed to be cool for use in the summer months, is a
timber framework with walls of wooden lath covered with a special plaster
compound of aged lime, goat hair, egg whites and fine sand, mixed with
straw.
The Roof and Chimneys
The grey limestone slab roofs with their characteristic chimneys are a
defining feature of the Gjirokastra house and an essential element to the
towns urban landscape. This type of roof is omnipresent throughout
the historic region of Epirus, but not typically in Albania or in the rest of
Greece, where it can be found only in individual villages. It is therefore
assumed that it is an autochthonous element of Gjirokastras architecture,
pre-dating Ottoman influence.
The strong local oak could carry the enormous weight of the stone slabs.
It was used for the construction of the trusses, highly complex structure in
themselves. The limestone for the roof is taken from the nearby mountain
and is skillfully split into slabs only a few cm thick the thinner the slab,
the better the craftsmanship. It takes special expertise to place the slabs
on the trusses as to create a watertight roof. No mortar is used; only the
weight of the slabs hold them in place. But this means that the roofs need
constant surveillance. Especially before and after the storms and torrential
rains of the winter, they must be replaced in their proper position in order
to keep the water from soaking into the wooden beams which support
them.
The wealth of the homeowner
could be recognized by the
number of chimneys on his
roof. Since each fireplace in the
house had its own chimney,
the number of chimneys would
tell the number of heated
rooms in the house. Some rich
houses are said to have had up
to ten chimneys, contributing
to the impressive roof
landscape of Gjirokastra.
In order to prevent rain
water from running down
and washing away the
plastered walls, the roofs
had to protrude. Again, this
required supporting the roof
with wooden beams from
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outside in order to carry its massive weight. All these elements; the slabs,
the chimneys and support beams, built according to the necessities of the
natural environment, result in the typical, harmonic and highly aesthetic
appearance of the roofs of Gjirokastra.
The Courtyards and Gardens
Almost every Gjirokastra
house is surrounded by one
or more courtyards and/or
gardens; protected from the
outside world by massive
gates and high walls that
add to the monumental
character of the house.
The arch over the door
would usually contain a
small relief in Ottoman Turk
language telling the year
of construction according
to the Muslim calendar, sometimes flanked by other artwork.These open
spaces ensured a certain amount of distance between the houses and
later allowed extensions to the original buildings as needed. The gardens
provided essential herbs and fruit for daily consumption for the inhabitants,
as they still do today. During the harsh times of communist rule, when
private possession of productive means was prohibited, the secluded
urban gardens often allowed for the secret keeping of a chicken or even a
sheep or goat.
The urban gardens are an important, but mostly overlooked, feature of
Gjirokastras urban fabric, both in terms of its design and economy. Urban
gardens are
a rare feature
in European
towns, and
those of
Gjirokastra are
yet another
aspect to the
singularity of
this town.
Variations
With the planimetric and volume composition as the basic criterion
for its classification, the Gjirokastra house appears in three variations:
the perpendicular variation, the one-wing variation and the two-wing
variation. There are also special cases that are not included in any of these
variations, but which still possess the characteristics of the Gjirokastra
house.
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The perpendicular variation is the simplest one, and at the same time is
the basis for the future development of the Gjirokastra house. With respect
to its composition, it represents a prismatic block with a rectangular basis,
with two or three storeys. The first two storeys are linked by outer stairs.
This house is remarkable for its closed character and resembles, to some
degree, the north Albanian kull. Its simple and compact composition, its
characteristic composition in regard to terrain, as well as its height all make
it especially appropriate for defensive purposes. Among the few examples
of the perpendicular variations left worth mentioning are the Dhrami,
Stavri, Roqi and eribashi Houses.
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56
57
The period from 1810-1830 may be considered the classical period of the
Gjirokastra house. During that time a great number of large buildings with
outstanding architectural value were erected and most clearly exhibit the
essential characteristics.
A Gjirokastra house is remarkable for its height (vertical orientation).
Rooms all connect to the main passageway and often with each other.
The arrangement of the Gjirokastra house is very free. But what gives the
planimetry and volume of the Gjirokastra house diversity and height is
the semifloor (mezzanine) between the ground and upper floor. Since
the formation of the three-storied perpendicular variation, the Gjirokastra
house established a functional differentiation between the floors that
remained one of its important features until the 1880s. The loss of this
characteristic is linked to the use of the ground floor beginning to be used
as living space when the needs for defense, keeping animals and storing
large quantities of agricultural goods in winter became obsolete.
Interior
Immovable furniture such as elevated wooden platforms (dhipato), built-in
cupboards and trunks (musander), organically linked with the construction,
constitute an important feature of the Gjirokastra house, just as of the
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Albanian house in general. This makes for spacious rooms. Besides low
sofas, nothing intrudes into the volume of the rooms. Small ornate niches
in the walls play an important role.
In the houses with one or two wings which have internal staircases and
landings on the upper floors, new spaces called divan were created which
connected the wings of the houses and the individual rooms. The divan on
the top floor was usually a considerably large built-in balcony constructed
entirely of wood and with extensive carved decoration of walls, doors and
roof-supporting posts.
Unlike its interior, with its intricate architecture, the exterior of the
Gjirokastra house is much less ornate. Because of its orientation only the
faade and, in some cases, side walls were decorated. Outside there are
few architectural details; special elements are usually mingled together.
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In some more developed examples, the outside walls, and in some cases,
the side walls of rooms are decorated with mural paintings. In general, the
outside wall of the oda is decorated with paintings in baroque style, and
its side walls present two sitting lions facing each other, an homage to
Venetian culture.
Decoration
Carved, pained and gilded woodwork was very popular in the Ottoman
Empire. The painted frescoes on the walls of the main reception rooms
were also a local
adaptation of Ottoman
tradition. In the 18th
century a decorative
style known as the Tulip
Period was introduced
which emphasized floral
scenes and elaborate
garlands. This developed
into a more flamboyant
style by the early 19th century, sometimes called the Ottoman Rococo.
Flowers, fruits and other vegetation form the main theme. Many are
symbolic, such as pomegranates for good health and wheat sheaves for
wealth.
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The second floor contains two main rooms (oda) leading off from the
central divan. Similar in layout, they were used by the two branches of the
family as winter rooms, as their stone walls made them easier to heat. Each
has an adjacent toilet and bathroom (hamam), which were heated by the
fires in the main rooms. Low couches (sofa) ran around three sides of the
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63
rooms, and storage cupboards are built into the walls. At one end is the
musandra, a large cupboard, which stored mattresses and other bedding
during the day. The musandra conceals a short staircase leading to a small
gallery (dhipato) overlooking each room. Women and children retired
to these galleries during formal meetings when the men of the house
received guests.
The third floor contains
the grandest reception
room as well as two
smaller rooms. The third
floor divan is especially
grand with a wide ardak
(pergola) which offers a
spectacular view over the
town and valley below.
The head of the family
and his chief guests would
have sat on the raised dais
to drink coffee and smoke.
The two smaller rooms are summer chambers following the model of the
rooms of the floor below. The back parts of both the third and fourth floor
were kitchens for the winter and summer respectively.
The principal room on this floor was intended to be a multipurpose
reception room. It is large and elaborately decorated and was used for
the most important social occasions, such as weddings. The design and
decoration of the house is thought to be the work of the master architect
and decorator, Petro Korari, who was a favourite of Ali Pasha.
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An elaborate gallery and musandra covers the entrance door and adjacent
toilet. The ceiling is very finely carved and gilded. The windows, bar the
lunettes with their multicoloured glass, are unglazed to allow a cooling draft.
Other Houses
The Angonate House, built in a very dominant location overlooking the
main part of the bazaar, is the largest in the town. It was constructed
around 1881 for two families
and has an obvious symmetric
composition. It has a front
building which is not connected
to the residence, forming an
architectural ensemble of
outstanding value around a
courtyard. The rooms are now
far more specialized than in the
earlier buildings where function
was more multi-purpose,
though the principal reception
spaces remain distinguished
from the other rooms. The
multiplicity of windows shows that the defensive function is now less of a
consideration in the basic design and that life within the house takes on a
new importance.
The Babameto House belonged to a wider complex of the Halveti Dervish
Order which gave this quarter its original name, Tekke. In addition to
the Babameto House, it encompassed the entire area of todays open-air
auditorium and the Medresa. The complex included the Tekke Mosque as
well as two fountains. Evliya elebi noted: Around the courtyard of the
Tekke Mosque there are the cells of a Halveti Tekke, and on one side are
the graves of many saints and notables. The entire religious complex was
destroyed during the communist period; the Babameto House is the only
structure left. It was named after its first owner Baba Meto, the holyman
who was the keeper of the Tekke at his time.
This fine building is a double house: one of the rare cases in Gjirokastra
where two houses are attached together under the same roof, and was
intentionally built this way. This design reflects the growing influence of
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Western European ways of life at the end of the 19th century, tending
to smaller and more separated family units. It also lacks any defensive
features. There are two different inscriptions with dates on the main gates.
One has the date of 1885 and the other 1887. This house lacks a water
cistern, which is a normal feature of a Gjirokastra house. Here it was
unnecessary because of the numerous wells in this part of town; the two
of which were in the courtyard.
The Babaramo House is a building of important typological values and
belongs to the two-wing variation. Despite the changes made over time, it
is not difficult to date the construction of this house to the end of the18th
century.
The Beqiri House represents one of the best achievements of the onewing house. The original composition is well preserved although many
original architectural elements have been lost. The residence must have
been built at the beginning of the 19th century.
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The Kikino House represents one of the best achievements of the onewing Gjirokastra house. It was built in 1825 and is a three-floor building,
with a compact composition,
around a joining main core that
ends with a ardak (garret) on
the upper floor. The kameriye
has been well preserved, and the
mural paintings depicting floral and
everyday-life motifs are probably
the finest and most elaborate to be
found in Gjirokastra today.
The Resaj House (1831) is another
extraordinary example of the onewing Gjirokastra house. The residence fits perfectly into the rocky terrain
on which it is located. To have such finesse, the floors were built unevenly,
with two, three or four building blocks being used without touching the
structure of the residence.
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distinguished by its decorated ceiling and wooden poles, just as the many
other wooden decorations throughout this house give it an unrepeatable
value. The great number of loopholes and the sophisticated locks of the
main doors bear witness of its defensive function.
The Stavri House is an example of the original version of the Gjirokastra
house, exhibiting a unique composition with half a floor. On the inhabited
floor there are two living rooms and two supporting function rooms.
The Toro House is a very rare example of a Gjirokastra house with the
enclosure of the staircase inside the building. The closure of the stair space
creates three ambiences characteristic of the Gjirokastra house.
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Management
The historic town of Gjirokastra is
legally protected by the Decree on the
Museum City (1961, 2007), the Law on
Cultural Heritage (2003) and its status as
a World Heritage Site (2005). While the Decree and the World Heritage
status protect the entire area of the historic town, the Law on Cultural
Heritage places, in addition, more than 600 individual buildings under
protection as cultural monuments of 1st and 2nd category.
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74
IOANNINA
Introduction
The city of Ioannina is the capital of the Region of Epirus and one of
the most important commercial, cultural and intellectual centres in
northwestern Greece. Ioannina is located 420 kilometers northwest of
Athens and 260 kilometers southwest of Thessaloniki. The city lies at
an altitude of 480 meters above sea level, on the western shore of Lake
Pamvotis.
Lake Pamvotis and the surrounding basin are defined by mountain ranges;
on the north side, the most imposing is Mt. Mitsikeli. In the past, a smaller
lake, known as Lake Lapsista, was situated to the north of the basin, but it
dried up in the middle of the 20th century. The main characteristics of the
city are: the Lake, one of the most important ecosystems in the region;
the rich flora and fauna; the uniqueness of the climate, which combines
Mediterranean and mid-European elements, providing hot and dry
summers and cold and rainy winters.
The city of Ioannina is the seat of the Region of Epirus. At a distance of 6
kilometres from the city centre, one can find the University campus (one
of the most modern campuses in Europe), while the University Hospital
and the G. Hatzikosta General Hospital serve the needs not only of the
inhabitants of Ioannina but also of the entire northwestern Greece.
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Today, the city is one of the most important commercial, cultural and
intellectual centres of northwestern Greece. The fact that the majority
of the urban population, which is approximately 100.000, in addition to
20.000 students, is concentrated in the city resulted in its expansion mainly
to the south. The majority of it residents work in the tertiary and secondary
sector, i.e. in commerce, public health, education, public administration,
as well as in the sectors of manufacturing and construction. Only a small
number are involved in agriculture, animal husbandry and timber trade.
The city of Ioannina is widely known as the city of silversmiths. Ever
since the Byzantine era it has been the most important Greek centre of
production and selling of silver craft items. The Archaeological Museum,
the Byzantine Museum and the Municipal Museum have a rich collection
of exhibits, covering the long history of the area. They also host important
cultural events. The cultural events hosted throughout the year make
Ioannina a vibrant city to live in. Events such as the Epirotika, held in the
summer months, include exhibitions, concerts and theatrical performances.
The events organized by the Cultural Centre of the Municipality of
Ioannina, the commercial exhibition Epirus, held in the beginning of the
summer, and others, attract not only local residents but also visitors from
the wider region of Epirus.
History
Prehistoric era ancient times
Traces of human existence in the area can be dated back to the Upper
Paleolithic era, according to the findings that were excavated in the Cave
of Kastritsa, to the south of the city. A large number of settlements can
be found in the area, dating from the Late Copper and Early Bronze Ages
to the Roman era. This has been attributed to the geomorphology of the
region and the existence of a rich ecosystem that was hospitable to the
permanent establishment of small agricultural and farming settlements.
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After the 5th century BC, the residential areas began to flourish as new
fortified settlements were created.
According to sources, the Molossians inhabited the area in antiquity.
According to Greek mythology, the Molossians were the descendants of
Neoptolemus, son of Achilles. Towards the end of the 5th century BC or
the beginning of the 4th century BC, the Molossian League was established
as a coalition between the Molossians and other tribes of Epirus, under the
leadership of the Molossians. The seat of their state was the ancient city of
Passaron, located on the hill of Megalo Gardiki, to the north of Ioannina.
In recent years excavations carried out on the hill of Kastritsa, to the south
of the basin, revealed another important ancient city, dating back to the
time of ancient Passaron. It has been determined to be the walled city of
ancient Tekmona.
Recent excavations inside the castle revealed an ancient fortification, on
top of which the Byzantine fortification was built. The excavations also
brought to light coins, pottery and building remains of an ancient city, the
name of which, however, remains unknown.
Not far from the city, in the middle of the narrow valley at the foot of Mt.
Olytsika (ancient Tomaros), lies the well-known Sanctuary of Dodona.
According to historians, the Sanctuary of Dodona was probably founded in
the Early Copper Age (2600-1900 BC) and was devoted to the Greek god
Zeus. However, there is evidence that an oracle pre-existed on the same
spot. The oracle was devoted to the goddess of euphoria and fertility, the
Great Goddess, whose worship was particularly common in the eastern
Mediterranean area. The old goddess was called Dione, and she and Zeus
were the divine couple of the sanctuary of Dodona. Their symbol and
their home was the sacred oak (or beech) tree, which was depicted on the
silver coins of the Epirote League, dating back to the end of the 3rd century
BC. The priestesses interpreted the rustling of the oak leaves or the flying
of the doves to determine the will of the gods.
The Roman occupation of the region in 168 BC, despite the destruction
of the Epirote cities and the captivity of their residents, did not bring about
any radical changes in the residential landscape, and various archaeological
findings testify to the continuation of habitation during this period.
Byzantine period
There are only a few archaeological findings from the area dating back
to the early Byzantine centuries, while there are none at all for the city
and the castle. The formerly-held view that the city was founded by the
Byzantine emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD is not accepted today.
In 879, the name Ioannina was used for the first time, although the
etymology of the word is still disputed. In 1082, Anna Komnene mentions
in her book Alexiad that the citadel was built by the Norman
conqueror Bohemund Guiscard, who had captured the city and had
settled down for a short while, in his attempt to overtake territories of the
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and a half years. In 1822, Ali Pasha was killed on the island of the lake
of Ioannina. With the siege of the city and the military campaign, the
thriving economy and peoples lives were engulfed by turmoil and many
inhabitants had to seek refuge in nearby regions while a large part of the
city was burned down.
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City Monuments
The Castle
History
The castle of Ioannina is built at the southeast end of the city, atop a
small rocky peninsula that juts out onto Lake Pamvotis. Its modern layout
dates from the Late Ottoman period (end 18th - beginning 19th century).
However, it has incorporated parts of previous fortifications, dating back to
the Ancient and Byzantine period. Recent excavation work brought to light
ancient archaeological ruins. These elements corroborate the existence of
a walled settlement, dating back to the Late Classical and the Hellenistic
era. Architectural remains from the same period come to light every so
often inside the castle, covering its entire area. However, up to now, the
research conducted has not been able to identify this settlement with any
of the ancient Epirote cities that are mentioned in historical sources.
The castle continued to be the core of the city in Byzantine times. In 1082,
the castle fell into the hands of the Normans, and their leader Bohemund
reinforced the wall of the existing fortification and erected a second citadel
on the elevated northeastern part of the castle. The remains of the citadel,
which have been preserved up to the present day, include the circular
tower, which was later incorporated into the Seraglio of Ali Pasha, as well
as the ruins of the second northeastern tower.
buildings for his guard. In recent years, the Archaeological Service has
carried out a great deal of restorative and reinforcement work on the
defensive walls in order to enhance the reputation of the castle and its
preserved monuments.
findings from excavations, dating from the Early Christian period to the
beginning of the 20th century, such as coins, icons and pottery from the
wider region of Epirus. A prominent place among the Museums collection
has been occupied by the Byzantine sculptures from churches in the
area of Thesprotia, two Byzantine ceramic icons from Arta, etc. Among
the exhibits there are hand-written gospels and books printed in Venice
by Greek-owned printing houses. All these exhibits familiarize the visitor
with the history and the development of the city of Ioannina through the
centuries.
This building probably belonged to the wider complex of the Seraglio of
Ali Pasha. According to oral tradition, this was the Treasury. The building
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vestry for the bathers, an intermediate elongated arched space, the main
bathing room, the arched cistern, etc. The main room has the shape of a
cross, with small square domed niches.
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On the north side of the Metropolitan Church, a chapel was built to house
the grave of the patron saint of Ioannina, St George the Neomartyr, who
was hanged in 1838 by the Turks.
The Church of Archimandrio, dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin
Mary, used to be the katholikon of the Byzantine Monastery of the
Archimandrio, which is first mentioned in literary sources in 1383. Since
the end of the 15th century, the Archimandrio has served as a monastery
for women. Throughout the Ottoman occupation until the second half of
the 19th century, the monastery had been well known for its charity work.
The present form of the church is the result of the reconstruction works
that took place from 1858 to 1864. It is a large, three-aisled, domed
basilica with three arches on the east side and a narthex on the west side.
The marble iconostasis separates the nave from the sanctuary. The wall
paintings of the sanctuary were done in 1885, while the remaining part of
the church was painted in 1986. The church has a lot of icons, the oldest
of which dates to
the beginning of
the 13th century.
The majority of
the exhibited
icons date to the
17th and the 18th
century. To the
southeast looms
the monumental
tower-like
campanile
(steeple), built in
1915.
88
century in order to replace an older Turkish mosque that had been built
on the ruins of the pre-existing Byzantine Church of St. Stephan, which
was demolished at the beginning of the 17th century. Together with the
medrese (seminary), built on the northern side, they formed a religious
complex that used to be near the seraglio that Ali Pasha had built for his
son Veli Pasha.
The Litharitsia rampart is located on a low hill with the same name, not
far from the castle, to the southwest. This impressive structure, an example
of late Ottoman fortification architecture, was erected by Ali Pasha at
the beginning of the 19th century. The rampart was used for protective
purposes as a first line of defense in front of the castle. It is built in a
rectangular shape with many different levels. The upper part used to be
furnished with cannons, while the lower part had emplacements.
On the top of the hill, Ali Pasha had built a large seraglio in 1805, based
on designs by the architect J. Freywald. According to testimonies, Ali Pasha
had also built palaces nearby for his sons Muhtar and Velis. These buildings,
however, were completely destroyed by a fire. In 1983, the Archaeological
90
Museums
Visitors may get a view of the history of the region and the city of Ioannina
in the museums that exist not only in Ioannina but also in other cities
nearby.
The Archaeological Museum of Ioannina is located in Litharitsia Park in
the centre of the city. The Museum is housed in an interesting building that
92
was erected between 1963 and 1966, based on designs by the architect
Aris Konstantinidis. The exhibits include findings from the wider region of
Epirus, such as bone and stone tools excavated in the Palaeolithic sites of
Kokkinopilos, Asprochaliko, Kastritsa, among others, as well as findings
from the sanctuary and oracle of Dodona, from the settlement and the
cemeteries of the Molossian city that was excavated in Vitsa, from the
Necromanteion of Acheron, and elsewhere. Among the exhibits there are
sepulchral steles, architectural remnants, inscriptions and an interesting
collection of coins from various areas and periods. One of its halls is
temporarily housing work by Greek artists of the 19th and 20th century.
(Address: 25th March Square, tel. 26510-01050).
The Byzantine Museum is located inside the Castle, within the inner
citadel, known as Its Kal. There are finds from Byzantine cities of Epirus,
such as Nikopolis and Arta, icons, coins, etc (Address: Ioannina Castle, tel.
26510-25989, 26510-39580, fax. 26510-39342).
The Municipal Museum is housed in the Aslan Pasha Mosque at the
north-eastern citadel of the castle. The Mosque was in operation until
1922. Valuable traditional costumes and jewels from various areas of
Epirus, silverware and ceramic pieces, as well as wood-carved furniture are
among the exhibits, covering a time period from the 18th century to the
20th century. There are also interesting items representing the activities
of the three communities, (Christian, Jewish, Ottoman) that lived in the
city during the Turkish occupation. The collections of V. Pyrsinellas, A.
Pallis, personal items belonging to the poet Lorentzos Mavilis, the guns
of G. Karaiskakis, and other items are also on exhibit. (Address: Municipal
Museum, Ioannina Castle, tel. 26510-26356).
The Folk Museum was founded by the Society of Epirote Studies. It is
housed in a recently renovated building on 42 Michail Anghelou Street.
Objects of Epirote traditional art (textiles, woodcarvings, silverwork, etc.),
ecclesiastical items, household items, ceramics and local costumes are
among its most valuable collections. (Address: Folk Museum, 42 Michail
Anghelou Street, tel. 26510-23566).
The Pavlos Vrellis Wax Museum is located in the village of Bizani, at the
14th kilometre of the Ioannina-Athens National Road. It is housed in an
interesting fortress-type building, imitating a traditional Epirote mansion.
The life-size wax figures represent figures from modern Greek history,
divided into three thematic units: the pre-revolution period (Secret School,
Society of Friends, etc.), the 1821 revolution (death of Ali Pasha), World
War II (Pindos women, etc.). More than 150 wax figures, inspired by
various events, are exhibited in the Museum. (tel. 26510-92128).
The Islet
The Islet of Lake Pamvotis is 0,2 km2 in size and hosts a small settlement
and seven monasteries. The settlement extends over the northern part and
its existence has been verified as dating back to the Byzantine era. Today,
93
94
In addition to the katholikon, the ruins of the altar and the newly-built cells
surrounded by a precinct are preserved today. The katholikon is known for
the well-preserved wall paintings, some of the best preserved 16th century
paintings in Epirus. A wealth of depictions adorns the walls, distinguished
for their theological messages and the fine artistic work.
The wall paintings were made in
three different phases. The oldest
phase dates back to 1531-1532, while
the second phase dates to 1542.
The third phase dates to 1560 and
is attributed to the painters George
and Fragos Kontaris, known for their
work on other monuments in Epirus
and also in Meteora. Despite the
different phases and painters, the
wall paintings of the monastery form
a united ensemble with a variety of
scenes. Many of the depictions are
characterized by their originality, like
the seven wise men of Greece (Plato,
Apollonius of Tyana, Solon, Aristotle,
Plutarch, Thucydides and Chilon Lacedaemon). Another interesting
painting is the one showing five members of the Philanthropinoi family
praying before the figure of St. Nicholas.
Also characteristic are the life size figures of the Saints in military attire,
Christ Pantocrator with the angels on the dome, and the depiction of
Doomsday with the fiery river of Hell.
95
days of the siege by the Sultans army. Finally, he was murdered in the
monastery cells in January, 1822.
Today, the katholikon is a three-aisled, wooden-roofed basilica with an
elevated narthex to the west and a posterior hayat to the south side. The
modern form of the church dates to the 19th century. The southern wall,
however, is a remnant of an older church with wall paintings dating to
different eras (from the end of 15th or beginning of 16th century up to the
19th century).One of the most important icons of the church is that of St.
Panteleimon, dating back to the 15th-16th century. Another outstanding
work from the 16th century is the icon of Christ Enthroned. The majority
of the icons in the iconostasis were the gift of Anastasios Melas, envoy to
Russia.
In addition to the katholikon, two recently renovated buildings with cells
are preserved within the precinct. The north cell houses a collection of
incunabula and manuscripts from all the monasteries on the islet. Ali Pasha
was murdered inside the south cell. Nowadays, it hosts a small museum
with items dating to the period of Ali Pasha.
99
Management Issues
The first distinct organised urban planning intervention in the region of
the historical city centre of Ioannina (apart from the human geographic
and economic factors that had contributed to its formation up to the 19th
century) took place in 1869, when Rashim Pasha proceeded to the squaring
of the urban net and to the urban redistribution, as a result of a fire that
was set deliberately
to destroy a part
of the city. The
new town planning
began immediately,
according to the
plans of the German
chief engineer Holz,
while in 1883, the
Italian Bernasconi
drew up the new
lay out of the city.
Thus, in 1870 the
new market place of
Ioannina was created,
100
which preserves its original form to a great extent up to the present day.
The first Decree for the Town Plan was published in 1934. Unfortunately,
this Street Plan foresaw extensive alterations of significant building
complexes and arcades, since the new planning of the roads did not take
into consideration the existing situation.
In 1989, the Historical Centre of the city was enacted by the Presidential
Decree of 28-02-1989 (GOVERNMENT GAZETTE 605/D/89), with special
terms and building restrictions that had positive results on the maintenance
of the Historical Centre, since:
101
element, up
to the proud
mansions on
Kountouriotou
Street with
the numerous
rooms and
the impressive
entrances,
where once the
wealthy Jewish
citizens of
Ioannina used to
live, to Joseph
Evliya Street,
the heart of todays few remaining members of the Jewish community,
the bourgeois houses testify the local traditional architecture with the
characteristic railings on the windows, the vivid colours, the perfect
proportions and the wise symmetry. On Anexartisias Street one may still
see the inns and the famous arcades, all architectural monuments full of
memories and life, with small commercial stores on the ground floor and
the small dwellings on the floor.
However, what makes the Historical Centre of Ioannina unique is its
Castle, for being continuously inhabited ever since its foundation and
for the great architectural interest. The Castle is the place where all three
cultures, i.e the Jewish, the Christian and the Muslim, the last one to a
greater extent, left their marks. The houses inside the traditional settlement
of the castle also present a unique architectural interest, not to mention
the great number of monuments, like: the North-eastern citadel, the Aslan
Pasha Mosque, the Turbe (mausoleum), the Medresa (seminary), the Southeastern citadel (Its Kale), the Saray of Ali Pasha, the Byzantine Museum,
the Treasury, the Fetihe Mosque, the Tomb of Ali Pasha, the Synagogue,
the Hamam, the Soufari Saray, the Turkish Library, etc.
A negative feature is the current traffic system, which runs through the city
from the south end to the north end. This model leads to traffic suffocation
at the height of the densely built centre where the modern traffic lanes
either narrow or extinguish completely. The characteristic example of this
102
The elevation of the citys cultural heritage, its historicity, its modern
artistic activity and the aesthetics of the city area as the primary
parameters of the quality of life.
Development of a specific urban tourism as well as hosting of
congress and cultural/artistic events related with the powerful
city profile on a European level in the sector of direct natural
surroundings in combination with the historical and cultural
heritage as a factor of European identity and international opening
of the city.
The intermediate cities are a basic element of the sustainable
development policies, in the framework of the National Strategic
Reference Framework (NSRF), which is the framework of Interreg
103
the city both in terms of urban and cultural reserve and as part of the
citys vivid history (traditional uses and living areas)
Traditionally, the Historical Centre of the city of Ioannina was
characterized by the intense presence of trade, population,
mainly within the walls, and the traditional handicraft. Among the
contemporary uses is that of entertainment, mainly in the form of
restaurants and bars, which often take the place of commercial
stores and/or residences. In order to maintain the traditional uses
alive, the permanent residents of the region should have a good
quality of urban environment. This quality can be ensured with the
development of community areas that will facilitate the residents, the
guarantee of access and parking and the low levels of noise nuisance.
Nevertheless, the region of the Historical Centre is particularly
attractive as a residential area with a quality of aesthetics of the
structured environment.
For the same reasons, the Historical Centre is an attractive tourist
product and consequently it is necessary, apart from the urban
protection, to maintain the traditional commercial and handicraft
uses and to pinpoint them with a special labelling, with promotion
programs, with the establishment of happenings and other cultural
activities, as well as with the creation of tourist thematic routes.
Of particular interest would be the elevation of the co-existence
of the three religious communities that sealed the history of the
city (Christian, Jewish, Muslim). For example, the projection of the
Byzantine monuments with special-guided tours at regular intervals,
the elevation of the Jewish synagogue and the promotion of the
104
105
106
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Chantepleure, Guy: La ville assige Janina Octobre 1912 - Mars 1913. Calman-Lvy,
Paris: 1913
The Fetiyie mosque in the Castle of Ioannina. 8th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, Hellenic
Ministry of Culture, Ioannina: 2008 / . 8
, , : 2008
Ioannina. From the Byzantine Castle to the Ottoman City. 8th Ephorate of Byzantine
Antiquities, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Ioannina: 2009 /
. 8 ,
, : 2009
Konstantinos, Dimitris: The Kastro of Ioannina. Ministry of Culture, Archeological Receipts
Fund, Athens: 1997
Magnat Lannie, Zlia: Memoirs of a year in Ioannina 1894-1895. Fondation EGNATIA
EPIRUS, Ioannina: 2007
. 8 ,
, : 2008 (The Byzantine Monuments of Epirus. 8th Ephorate of
Byzantine Antiquities, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Ioannina: 2008)
. , , . 8 ,
, : 2009 (Monuments of Ioannina. The town, the island, the
basin. 8th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Ioannina: 2009)
. 8 , ,
: 2009 (The Castle of Ioannina. 8th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, Hellenic
Ministry of Culture, Ioannina: 2009)
: - , 1994
(Kanetakis Ioannis: The Castle Contribution to the urban history of Ioannina, 1994)
, : -. . ,
: 2010. (Keramidioti, Eftychia: Ioannina-Zagorochoria. Special Guide. Editions
ORAMA, Rafina: 2010)
, : . .
, : 2008 (Margaris, Vassilis: Ioannina of Stone. Vassilis
Margaris, Ioannina: 2008)
, : . ,
: 2004 (Papadopoulou, Varvara: The monasteries in the Island of Ioannina. Holy
Monastery of Eleousa, Ioannina: 2004)
: -
(Papastavrou Anastasios: Ioannina Praise The past that is not lost)
: . / , : 1996 (Rizario Fondation:
Ioannina. Olkos/ Rozario Fondation, Athens: 1996)
- : , 1988 (Rogoti Kyriakopoulou Demetra: Greek Traditional Architecture, 1988)
-, : . -. ,
: 1986 (Siniki-Papakosta, Nitsa: Old Ioannina. Drawings-Comments. Melissa Editions,
Athens: 1986)
-, : . -.
, : 2007 (The Castle of Ioannina. Drawings-Comments.
Prefecture of Ioannina, Ioannina: 2007)
, .: . ROAD, : 2007 (Psimenos,
Stephanos G.: Undiscovered Epirus. Road Editions, Athens: 2007)
: ,
: 2003 (Charisis Vasilios: Foundation Spatial role Layout of an early Byzantine
city, Ioannina : 2003)
, : . , : 2007 (Xatzis,
Dimitris: The End of our Small Town. Rodakio, Athens: 2007)
, : . . , : 1987 (Xouliaras, Nikos:
Loussias. Novel. Nefeli, Athens: 1987)
, & , 2005 (General Urban Plan
Study of Ioannina, & phase, 2005)
&
, & , 2009 (Regulatory Plan Study & Environmental
Protection Program for the urban complex of Ioannina, & phase, 2009)
107
108
PRIZREN
Introduction
For many centuries in row and under numerous rules of kingdoms and
empires, Prizren has been an important commercial, administrative and
cultural center. Each and every one of these kingdoms and empires left
behind rich treasures of cultural, historic and architectonic values which
make Prizren today a special city and the center of culture in Kosovo.
Stretched at the foot of the beautiful panoramic Sharri Mountains, and
divided in two by Lumbardhi River, which in hot summer days brings endlessly the attractive coolness from the Sharr Mountains, while in the winter
season populated by the migrating seagulls arriving from the Adriatic
coast, Prizren still radiates the beauty created by the human hand combined with the beauty bestowed upon by the divine.
The old Romans called it Therand; The Byzantines called it Prizdrijana,
and to all of them Prizren was the center through which passed the old
Dardan road that was called Via de Zenta.
Prizren flourished the most in the XIV century during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, when it became an important commercial and artisan city
with more than 1500 workshops and a center of culture and art as well.
Usually Prizren is known as a museum city or the city of sources and beauties. Prizren is the richest Kosovar city in cultural monuments. Under state
protection are more than 65 cultural heritage monuments with a treasure
of artefacts from different periods.
The city is inhabited by Albanians, Turks, Bosnians, Roma and others, who
by way of their work have built an environment of good neighbourhood,
reciprocal respect and of a promising future.
Prizen is a city that should be visited for its charming beauties reflected by
the cultural and historic monuments, the panoramic environment, as well
as for the hospitality of its inhabitants.
109
Monuments
Supplied with a great number of religious and profane buildings and with
the original part of the city, which are close to one another, the attractive
center of the city of Prizren is the most picturesque and the best preserved
in Kosovo. A short climb on the hill nearby leads you to the castle of the
city from where you can see the entire city. The old tradition of inter-ethnical and inter-religious tolerance can be observed in the small distances
that exist between the hundred years old catholic and orthodox churches,
mosques and tekkes.
Mosques
Prizen has over 46 mosques, most of which were built during the Ottoman
Empire. Built by local masters and well designed, they have impressive inner spaces that connect to the domes, porches, and the minarets outside.
The mosques were neglected for many years and were damaged during
the war of 1999 in Kosovo. The post-war projects, mainly financed by Turkey, started their renovation and restoration. Visitors are always welcome
inside the mosques, while during prayer time they can take a walk outside.
The preferred time for visits is 08:00 12:00 and 14:00 16:00. Photographs are allowed; when entering mosques is preferred to have modest
clothing and shoes should be taken off before entering inside.
The design of the mosques has been carried out according to predefined
rules. Usually, over the building is a dome, near is the minaret which is
used to call the prayer, and the porch (hall) where the believers take off
110
their shoes before entering inside. The part of the building used for washing is used to receive ablution, while every mosque is directed towards
Mecca. The biggest mosques usually are surrounded by walls, have a
garden, graves, sometimes even shrines, classrooms, as well as a medresas
and maktabs (religious elementary and high schools). It is possible even to
see delicate paintings and decorations, which never portrait humans, but
are focused on the presentation of geometrical figures, ornaments and
arabesques (Arabian calligraphy).
Churches
Prizren has several beautiful churches which belong to different historic
periods. Because of the frequent change of the powers ruling the city, their
destinations changed several times. The churches belong to the Orthodox
and Catholic religions. The visits inside the orthodox churches are possible
only with special permission provided beforehand by the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Graanica.
Filigree
Filigree is known in
Kosovo as an ancient
craft, which used gold
and silver to produce
ornaments engraved
with precision and
exceptional skill in
thousand of beads.
Filigree is believed to
have its origin from
the ancient Egyptians
and was later perfected by the Etruscans
and Greeks. Historical
records show that in
Kosovo filigree arrived
during the XV century
and it started to be
produced in the area at the same time. There are about 200 small producers of filigree today in Prizren and its regions, who survive by way of selling their produce in special shops. Among the best known and the biggest
is the group of ten artisans, who work together in a small workshop on the
northwest of the city. Simply called Filigree, the company was established in the previous communism system in 1947 and survived with a lot
of difficulty, until it was forced to be closed after the privatization process
following the war of 1999. A group of ten artisans work today outside the
building, producing with traditional methods elegant works upon orders
from customers inside and outside the country. Their workshop can be
visited by everyone that is interested to see this work from near. The workshop has also its shop with exhibited produces which can be bought.
111
the canyons of the White Drinos. The climate helps in the cultivation of
high quality grapefruit, trees and vegetables as well. The average annual
temperature is 12.5 degree Celsius; the lowest temperature is 1.3 degree
Celsius during January and the highest temperature is 23.2 degree Celsius
during July.
such as the customs, the forging machine to print money, churches and hospitals. The coin with Prisren inscription was forged in this same city.
In the second half of the XIV century the city started to become weaker
because of political conflicts and divisions. At that time, after the death of
Emperor Dushan (1355), the city was ruled by the Serbian king Vukashi
(1360-1371), and later by the Arbr princes of Balshaj and Kastrioti families. During all of the medieval age, in Prizren and in the surrounding areas
were built renown monuments of Roman-catholic religion (Sancta Maria
de Prisren and Sanctus Petrus supra Prisren), as well as Orthodox Byzantine
and Serbian monuments (The Church of Lady Prene-Bogorodica Ljevishka
and the Monastery of Saints Mihal Gabriel-Sveti Arhangjel near Prizren).
It is likely that the city fell several times under the Ottoman rule, until 1459
when it ultimately fell under the administration of the Ottoman Empire,
and started to flourish again. In the XVI century were built wonderful Ottoman religious monuments such as the Mosque of Gazi Mehmet Pasha,
the Hamam of Gazi Mehmet Pasha and the Mosque of Sinan Pasha. At
the time Prizren became part of the Ottoman province of Rumelia. It was
distinguished as a commercial city with prosperity, benefiting by the geographical position and the commercial routes north-south and east-west.
Prizren became the biggest city of the Ottoman administration in Kosovo.
At the end of the XVII century Prizren was conquered by the Austrians and
their ally forces, but very quickly the Ottomans gained again full control
over the city.
Prizren was a cultural and intellectual center of Kosovo during the Ottoman period. It was dominated by the Muslim population, which constituted 70% of the
overall population
in 1857. In 1878,
during the League
of Prizren, the
city became the
biggest cultural
center of the
Albanians and the
main center of
Albanian, not only
of Kosovo, politics
and culture.
A gathering of Albanians in 1863
In the XX century, the city underwent an intensive period of rapid constructions, especially near the commercial areas. At the end of 1918, when
the Serbian-Croatian-Slovenian Kingdom was created, Prizren was conquered and was included in the umbrella of this newly formed state, which
in 1929 was called the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. For many decades, the city
became one of the strongest centres of Albanian nationalism in the war for
independence.
114
Prizren and its region were heavily affected by the war in Kosovo in 19981999. At the end of the war, in June 1999, the major part of the Albanian
population returned to Prizren.
The most important and famous archaeological find in Prizren is the socalled Runner of Prizren which features the figure of a running girl, made
of bronze and discovered in the XIX century. It was sold to the British Museum where it still stands. Based on the investigations of British Museum
specialists, the figure was crafted in Sparta around 500 B.C. It may have
reached Prizren as a precious gift or as loot.
117
Main Gate
Mosque
Lower town
Upper town
South Town
ANTIC PERIOD
First stage (5th cent. BC)
MEDIEVALISM PERIOD
First stage (11th century)
Second stage (12th -13th cent.)
Third stage (14th cent.)
OTTOMAN PERIOD
First stage (16th cent.)
Second stage (17th cent.)
Third stage (17th cent.)
Fourth stage (18th cent.)
Fifth stage (18-19th cent.)
118
Main Gate
Mosque
Lower town
South town
Upper town
The castle of Prizren carried out its primary function until 1912. Since then
it was neglected and started to degrade. In 2008 some restoration and
conservation emergency measures were taken to prevent this degrading
process. The castle is one of the most interesting points for further investigation and for the promotion of cultural-historic tourism in Kosovo.
from the inside and outside, some windows were walled in and a minaret
balcony was built over the bell tower. After 1913 it was used as a church,
and in 1923 the minaret over the bell tower was destroyed.
During 1950 - 1952 the church underwent an overall restoration and conservation, the plaster was taken off, the walled-in windows were opened
again and other reinforcements were carried out as well. During the restoration-conservation works, the mural paintings were revealed again inside
and in the end the church was turned into a museum. During 2005-2008
various renovations were made on the roof and in the object interior.
The base of the building is rectangular. Initially it had three naves, but
after its reconstruction in 1307 when five domes were added and the
exonarthex with a bell tower was built, it took the shape of a deformed
(unproportional) church with five naves. On the outside the walls are not
plastered, and so the outer mural structure made of stones and tiles is visible. Inside, the walls aew plastered and partially painted. The church is the
first monument of the city of Prizren that was inscribed in the UNESCO
World Heritage List, in 2006.
120
was planned to make the church bigger and to give it the name of Holy
Trinity afterwards. Inside there are mural paintings as well, which were realised following the example of the Church of Levishka in the exonarthex.
During 1950-1952 the building was completely restored, the southern extension from the second phase was demolished, and the church changed
its outside appearance. Some further minor renovations were carried out
during 2005-2006.
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mosques built at the time were taking an important role. Since Namazgah
was situated in the suburbs of former Prizren, close to the fields, it was
used by the farmers that went in to pray during the time they worked on
their fields.
In the 1950s a big depot was built nearby. For its construction, a large
number of stones from the Namazgah Mosque were used; similarly, during the construction of
the health center in the
1980s, the old graves surrounding Namazgah were
destroyed. As it is possible
to see today, there have
remained only 2 or 3 of the
former graves which are
converted into shrines. Archaeological investigations
on Namazgah were made
in 1969 and 1989, but
unfortunately no protective measures were taken. In 2000, the Institute of Museum Monuments
of Prizren, considering the importance of this object, designed the project
for the restoration of Namazgah. In 2001-2002, with the financial support
of the Turkish government and Commune Council, restoration works were
carried out on the building, and the surrounding area was readjusted.
During the restoration, special importance was given to the construction
material and technique in order for them to be as identical as possible.
The archaeological museum is housed inside the hamam (public bath during the Ottoman period) area, built at the end of the XV century, in 1498
specifically. The builder of the hamam is supposed to have been Shemsudin Ahmed Bey. Because of the absence of written sources, the builder
and the date of construction are not exactly known, as well as the period
until when the building was used as a hamam. What is known is that the
hamam didnt have its initial function in the middle of the XIX century,
123
127
poles. The mosque is built with stones and is plastered on both sides. The
roof of the mosque (the dome, the pendants, the porch etc.) is covered
with lead sheets. Even though Mehmed Pasha built a shrine (mausoleum)
in the courtyard of the mosque, he was not buried there because he died
away from Prizren in a battle in Panoni (Hungary). Besides its architectural importance, the mosque of Mehmed Pasha is of historic importance
because it was here that the assembly of the League of Prizren was
convened. During the various festivities and manifestations, the Albanian
flag flew over the mosque, giving it the epithet Bayrakli (flag-bearer). The
object was restored several times, but unfortunately not in a professional
manner. The last and biggest reconstruction was carried out from 1994 to
1996. Also during this time the mosque was repainted again. In the courtyard are some old graves. In the 1970s, a part of the mosque was annexed
and converted into the museum of the League of Prizren.
The hamam is a
couple hamam
type, which was
used by both
genders at the same
time. It was built
with different types
of stone. The part
for men is a little
bigger than the part
for women. The
hamam has all the
spaces that hamams
of this type have. It is composed of the cold part (apodyterium) which was
used for reception, drinks and the wardrobe, and then is the lukewarm
part (tepidarium) which was used to provide customers with the necessary accessories such as towels, soaps etc. In this area were the sanitary
farcilities, too. This space leads to the main space, which is the hottest part
(caldarium) used for washing, sweating, massaging and entertainment.
Within the hamam are included even the technical rooms (qylhani), which
housed the water depots and the boiler. These rooms were in the southern
part of the building, and the customers were not allowed to enter them.
The walls are 90cm thick and are not plastered on the outside, while inside
they were plastered with lime mortar. The roof of the building has two big
domes on the cold part and 9 small domes over the warm part. The roof of
the lukewarm room and boiler has the shape of an arch. On the cold part,
129
the roof cover is made of tiles, while in the other parts is made of lead
sheets. Until 1964, the hamam was surrounded by bars; it was then when
it started to degrade and the restoration and conservation work followed.
Some restorations were carried out in the 1970s; similar work was carried
out even after the 1980s, when the building was totally neglected and was
used as a depot. After 2000, the cold part of the hamam was used as a gallery. Even though in the course of time it underwent some interventions,
the hamam preserved its originality in the compositional and structural
aspects. This is why it is considered a cultural monument.
131
to dominate the
square and the
old bazaar of
Prizren. It was
built in 1615 by
Sinan Pasha who
held different
positions in the
Ottoman administration. During
the Balkan Wars
and World War I,
the mosque was
used as an ammunition depot
by the Bulgarian and Serbian armies. Being aware that part of the construction materials were taken from the Monastery of the Archangels, 2 km
away in the suburbs of Prizren, in the 1930s the administration of the time
tried to destroy the mosque and restore its stones back to the monastery.
During the execution of the plan, the porch of the mosque was the only
part that was destroyed because large protests forced the leaders of the
plan to abandon it and interrupt the destruction. In 1968-69 the mosque
was converted into a museum of oriental manuscripts.
The building has a square shape with an annex
on the south-eastern part. This shape is unique
in Kosovo except for the mosque of Emin Pasha
in Prizren which was built in the XIX century
as an architectural copy of this mosque. The
building was erected 3 meters above the level
of the road. The construction materials used
are river pebbles and lime mortar, while on the
outside it is covered with carved stones that are
supposed to have been taken (bought?) from
the Monastery of the Archangels. The minaret
is made of pumice stones and is plastered from
the outside. There are 122 steps (basamak) up
to the balcony of the minaret (sherefe). The
interior has been plastered and painted at least
twice. The last painting was carried out during
the middle of the XIX century. Restorationconservation works were implemented many
times, while the conservation of paintings went on from 1973 to 1986 but
were not finished. In 2007, the restoration-conservation works restarted
and were completed in 2011.
The teke was built in 1835. Its construction is simple, built of stones and
adobe bricks, and the roof is covered with traditional tiles. Even though it
is made of several objects such as the teke, the prayer hall (semihan), the
shrine, the residential and the reception building, the complex in its organizational nature is composed of two parts: the teke and the prayer hall. The
prayer hall has a rectangular shape and is the main building where prayers
and other religious rites are performed. On its western side is the shrine
134
with the mausoleums of the tariqat leaders, starting from the founder of the
tariqat, Osman Baba and nine other leaders. There are two springs framed
in stone in the courtyard of the teke, one is circular like a fountain, while
the other has a rectangular shape with motifs carved on its front side.
It is important to mention the residential building on the eastern side even
though it is outside the complex today. The house was built in the XVIII
century; it has large dimensions and is rich in folkloric elements. In the
course of time the complex underwent some arbitrary renovations; some
efforts have been made to preserve the original elements but unfortunately
they havent had much success.
135
the garden. The decorations on the front part are characteristic, with floral
elements. The interior of the building is rich with ethnographic elements.
Woodcarvings are widespread in the house and were realised with special
dedication and skill. The roof is hipped, covered with traditional roof tiles
and the chimneys, elaborated as well, protrude from the roof in a circular
shape.
The house of Musa Efendi Shehzade lies in the flat part of the city, on the
old Saraji Street, and it was built at the end of the XVIII century. In the XIX
century, the house underwent a thorough renovation, especially in the
interior, while in the XX century some interventions enclosed the hall in the
ground floor on the northern-eastern side of the building and the protruded alcove on the second floor as well. The house belongs to the category
of residential houses with a veranda and a non-symmetrical second floor.
The interior is rich in ethnographic elements. It is worthwhile to point out
the decorated chimneys on the ground floor and the two chimneys on the
second floor. Woodcarvings are abundant, especially distinct in the ceilings, closets, and the closets built in the walls etc.
On the main faade, on
the eastern side, are wood
tympani with six-pointed
stars in the middle that
are characteristic for other
houses in the city as well.
137
In the middle of the XX century, when the property was divided between
owners, the garden was divided in half, and another object was built
covering the faade of the house. In 1999, the owner poured reinforced
concrete on the roof which deformed the protruded alcove. After the
1980s, the house was not used anymore as a residence.
138
immediately with the analysis of the documentation and the project design,
and the bridge was rebuilt in 1982 with the arch on the right side.
In 1925, on the front arch above the crown is the second inscription
SudOpstina Prizren 1925 god (Court-Commune of Prizren - year
1925). A similar inscription is on the Stone Fountain which is located in
front of the Sinan Pasha Mosque. When the fountain was moved to this
place, a water canal was formed which circulated along the square. But
after a small period of time the spring went out of function; even though
very elegant, the spring stands alone in a new environment.
140
with Skopje through the Sharri Mountains and the Vardar Valley. For a
long time, commerce and other connections between Prizren and Skopje
were maintained through this bridge even though it was not very suitable.
Following the construction of the new Prizren-Brezovic road from 195255, the old bridge lost its previous function, and since then the bridge was
left at the mercy of time. So far no inscription about this bridge has been
detected, and this is why the exact construction date and the builder are
not known. However, based on its construction technique it is possible to
observe similarities with the stone bridge in the center of the city, which
makes us believe that this bridge should be from the XV century.
The bridge is a single arch supported on the two rocky banks of the river.
It was built with river pebbles, while the twofold arch is made of carved
stones. When communication over the bridge was denser, both sides
of the bridge were filled in through an intervention and so both of them
became less steep. These fillings can be easily seen at first sight. They were
made with stones as well but with a less elaborate technique than the
original part. On both sides the bridge has two bulwarks of carved stones.
The bridge is: about 20 m long, 3.5 m wide, and 6 m high, measured from
the water level to the arch.
ond power station with the same capacity was installed in 1936. Following
the amortisation of the equipment and the insufficient capacity the plantt
lost its initial function.
On the initiative of the Institute of the Museum Monuments in Kosovo
(IMMK), the plant was converted into a museum, which was inaugurated
on 8 November 1979. The object is not very large; on the ground floor
is the big annex where the two turbines and other key equipment were
placed, while the other room housed the equipment for transmitting the
electricity. In the upper floor was the engineer room that was also used
by the supervisor of the hydroelectric plant. Following the conversion
of the object into a museum, the room was turned into a restaurant. In
the courtyard has been exhibited equipment from different hydroelectric
plants in Kosovo. An Austrian architect
selected the most suitable place to exploit the water flow and tried to adapt
the industrial object to the environment
by giving it the shape of a castle, being
inspired from the castle that is situated
above nearby. At the same time and on
the same style were also built the other
two buildings used for the transformers
(substations) which distributed electric
power throughout the city of Prizren.
142
Even though
the existing conservation plan
doesnt have
such a mandate,
it would be
appropriate to
establish in the
future a managing structure
which would
have everyday
control of the
condition of the
historic zone.
The structure
would be good
to have representatives from
the central and
local level. The
dysfunction of
the construction
inspectorate
at the communal level, and
especially the absence of cultural heritage inspectors (from the central
level) presents today one of the most critical links in the dysfunction and
disrespect of the rules for the protection of the historic area of Prizren. The
value of the conservation plan, even though it is one of the best plans our
institutions have drafted so far, is decreasing because of disrespect for the
permission required when carrying out works.
The protection of the historic zone of Prizren is presented to us today
more as a challenge in the enforcement of the applied laws than as challenge in the implementation of the urban plans, which, nonetheless, following the official approval on the local level, similarly present an applied
law for the institutions and the citizens.
References
The Archive of the Institute for the Protection of Monuments in Prizren, Marin Barleti
no. 1, 12000 Prizren, Republic of Kosovo. Tel: +381 (29) 244 487, qrtkpz@hotmail.com
The Conservation and Development Plan for the Historic Zone of the City of Prizren
CHwB Kosovo Office, Payton City / R. Zogovic no. 8, 10000 Prishtina, Republic of
Kosovo. Tel. +381 (38) 243 918, www.chwb.org
Prizren in 360 steps, the communal website for the promotion of the city of Prizren
http://prizren360.com/
Tourism guide on the internet: PRIZREN In YourPocket http://www.inyourpocket.
com/data/download/prizren.pdf
145
146
OHRID
Introduction
Curving around a small bay at the northeastern corner of the Ohrid Lake, Ohrid
has been a cultural and spiritual center
since antiquity, taking advantage of the
favourable natural conditions and the
protection provided by the hill overlooking
the bay. Lake Ohrid itself is a rare and
very old clearwater lake, a center of
biodiversity and fed by numerous springs
in its bed, adding to the spiritual value of
the Lake.
In the Byzantine era the missionary saints
Clement and Naum settled in Ohrid, and
the town became a centre of monasticism
and learning, its influence spreading
147
148
The folklore builders had built these houses under the influence of the
Ottoman and Byzantic building traditions. Because of this, it is no surprise
that the great French architect La Corbusier in his Collection of Works
dedicates particular attention to the Macedonian city house and its
facades, balconies and interiors when he writes about the city architecture
of the Balkan.
In some of the legends is said that in Ohrid have 365 churches, actually
known more than forty churches or remnants of churches. One of
the most impressive is the Holy Sophia former cathedral (During Tsar
Samuels reign 976-1014), built in the centre of Ohrids old town, upon
the foundations of an old Christian structure and some very well preserved
frescoes. Higher up the hill is the Church of the Holy Mother of God
Peribleptos (Most Glorious). This complex also includes a gallery of icons
and is near the recently renovated Building of the former Museum of
Slavic Literacy now the seat of the Macedonian Orthodox Church
Ohrid Archbishopric, Debar - Kichevo Diocese. Restored monastery of St.
Clement and St. Panteleimon located at Plaonik, on the wooded slopes
below Tsar Samoils fortress.
When talking about Ohrid as a centre of the region which is a city-museum
itself, one must bear in mind the fact that there is a museum whose origins
trace a long way back in the history. Namely, more than centuries before
the foundation of the British Museum in London (1753) and Louvre in Paris
(1793), there was an Archbishopric Museum in the church of Holy Mother
of God Perivleptos in Ohrid, which was one of the first and probably the
oldest one in Europe that existed for 400 years, in the period 1516 - 1916.
The existence of the museum in Ohrid nearly a millennium ago was
confirmed by the existence of a seal dating from 1516.
149
Historical Importance
The shores of Lake Ohrid have been inhabited since prehistoric times.
Archaeological findings speak of settlements form the Neolithic period
(the early Stone Age) 6.000 years B.C. Neolithic settlements rich in
archaeological material have been discovered dating from this period
in the level part of Ohrid in its northern suburb of Dolno Trnovo.
Archeological excavations certify that prehistoric pile dwellings existed in
the area of present-day Ohrid 5000 years B.C., implying that the origins of
the town are as ancient as 7000 years.
150
151
day of FYROM, Albania and Greece and which comprises Ohrid and
now vanished towns of Devol and Glavenica. With their arrival, Ohrid
developed into a leading center of Slavic cultural and literary activity.
Kliment spent thirty years among the Macedonian Slavs. The first Ohrid
literary school was founded at his monastery church of St. Pantalejmon in
Ohrid, built in 893. The 3500 pupils who came out of this school spread
the Slavic script, culture, art and liturgic singing across several Slav lands
as far as Kiev in mediaeval Russia. By the end of the 9th and beginning
of the 10th century the Slavic literacy, spirituality and culture were
founded. Ohrid was one of its main centers and has distinguished merits
in the spreading of the Slavic spirituality in Europe and across the world,
especially in the process of evangelism of the Slavic Christian East which
actually begins on the shores of Lake Ohrid with the engagement of St.
Kliment and St. Naum. It was spread through the Bulgarian Preslav to Kiev
and Moscow, from there to the Far East in Asia and to the coast of the
Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Long after the death of Kliment in 916 and Naum in 910, the Ohrid literary
school continued to be a source of manuscripts invaluable for Slavic
studies and the history of art. This school began work on national soil in
the 9th century and was a loyal adherent of the Glagolitic alphabet. Some
of the most valuable Slavic manuscripts dating from the period up to the
12th century, when the Glagolitic alphabet was supplanted by the Cyrillic
are attributed to it.
Samuels Empire had its genesis in the Ohrid region. Around the middle of
the 10th century, a Slav prince from the Ohrid region, Nikola, and his sons
David, Aron, Moses and Samuel rose first against Bulgarian rule in 976
and created the first medievial Macedonian state. Its limits were constantly
extended during Tsar Samuels reign which lasted for nearly four decades,
until they reached as far as the rivers Danube and Sava, the Bay of Corinth
and the Adriatic Sea. During the reign of Samuel (976-1014) and his
successors, Gavrilo Radomir and Jovan Vladislav until 1018, both before
and after Samuels time and of his successors the fortress was destroyed
and rebuilt again. After the transformation of Samuels state into a political
and ecclesiastical seat, Ohrid became a real mediaeval metropolis.
After Samuels defeat on Mount Belasica in 1014, the Byzantine Emperor
Basil II captured 14 000 of his soldiers and after blinding them, but leaving
each hundredth soldiers with one eye, he returned them to Samuel.
Samuels successors were unable to control the vast empire and soon
afterwards, in 1018, it suffered total defeat. Emperor Basil II, on capturing
Ohrid, ordered the city ramparts to be demolished and Samuels imperial
family was taken prison. The patriarchate Ohrid was reduced to the rank of
an archbishopric.
The period of the archbishopric, whose jurisdiction extended over a vast
territory from the Danube to the walls of the city of Thessaloniki and the
Adriatic Sea, was a particular chapter in the history of mediaeval Ohrid.
Wishing to retain its influence over the Macedonian Slavs, the Court at
152
Mustapha III. It was restored only in 1958 at the Second Church and
Peoples Council in Ohrid, and now bears the name of the Macedonian
Orthodox Church.
in the structure of the old city central area by the construction of bigger
facilities in academic style, i.e. neoclassic style features. These buildings are
dominant among the small apartment block structure and the architecture
which is different from the architecture of the old city. Under the influence
of the European architecture, and after the long period of Ottoman
oppression, this area was also marked by the influences from Europe.
After World War II,
(Ohrid was liberated
on November
7, 1944), the
industrialization of the
cities started, as well
as rapid development
and renovation. This
period marked the
modest conservation
efforts of the most
significant profane
facilities in Ohrid.
The independence of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
(September 8, 1991) renewed the sovereignty of the country and
the international recognition imposed some preconditions for direct
participation in all international associations and organizations in the
field of protection of cultural and natural heritage. It provided efficient
implementation of the international standards in all areas of protection, as
well as all entities competent for maintaining the region as world cultural
heritage. Ohrid has become an important tourist resort, made significant
steps in the development of tourism industry and now has an extensive
network of educational, cultural, medical and other institutions.
156
houses. Entrance from the street, but also by the lake, where storage
fishing equipment and prepare fish for sale.
Feature of this city are and the so-called dark streets, tunnels covered by
the upper floors of the houses. Within the boundaries of the protected
monuments are declared for Cultural Heritage a total of 23 Christian
sacred buildings, 74 profane buildings, 7 structures of Islamic architecture
and 10 archaeological sites.
160
epigraphic
monument
was discovered
representing a
basic display of
the name of the
city Lychnidos,
as well as 280
graves and grave
constructions
and the remains
of two churches
- one in the
southwestern
part, and the
other in the northeastern part of the site.
Since the late 1980s, the theater has again become a highly popular
venue of public performances, such as plays, concerts, operas, ballet
performances as part of the Ohrid Summer Festival.
definitely certified that on the terrain of the Samuel Fortress on the hilly
part of Ohrid, several decades of centuries are being connected in three
periods: Pre-Samuels Period, Samuels Period and Post-Samuels Period of
the history of Ohrid.
163
Roughly one hundred square meters of this large complex of mosaics have
been preserved. The vaulted ceilings of the church were also ornamented
with mosaics, and these were on a gold background. The presence
of such splendor points to this as being the seat of the Bishopric of
Lychnidos. Systematic excavations have shown that the church was of vast
dimensions. Unknown artists decorated it with magnificent mosaics.
164
T with a two-side steep and transversely joined roof. The church originally
had a main cupola, side galleries and a large belltower, above the west
facade, all of which were later destroyed. The two little domes above the
outer narthex as well as the narthex itself and the first - floor gallery were
built at the beginning of the 14th century.
Today the church is a three-naved basilica with a triangular altar apse and
semicircular apses in the diaconicon and the prothesis. It is built with
baked bricks and mortar and stone and mortar. Above the diaconicon
and the prothesis there are two small chapels from the Comnenus period
in the 12th century. Later the upper section of the narthex was built and
at the same time in the middle of the 14th century the Chapel of the St.
John the Forerunner was built. The external narthex with its gallery on the
west facade of the church was built in 1313 at the time of Archbishop
Gregorius, as is stated in an inscription in the bricks running the length of
the facade. It is considered to be a masterpiece of mediaeval architecture.
167
Islamic Monuments
Hadzi Durgut (Cross) Mosque
The well known Cross Mosque (Hadzi Durgut), which is considered to be
located on the place of the former church St. Nedela, is the oldest mosque
in Ohrid, built in 1466. In the
crescent on the top of the minaret
there is a small cross located there
at present as well, and the legend
says that when the Turks were
raising the minaret, after throwing
the cross in the lake, it reappeared
on the top of the minaret. When
they threw the cross again, the
minaret crashed and when they
raised it again, the cross reappeared
on its position. This occurrence
repeated many times until someone
dreamt that the minaret will not fall
down only if they do not remove
the cross from the top. At that time,
the Turks placed the cross in the
crescent and so the minaret persists
until today.
was divided in two parts: left and right. Konstantin Robev lived in the left
part of the house and his brother Atanas Robev in the right part. The main
builder was Todor Petkov who built the house from scratch. The family
lived in the newly built house until
1900 when they moved to Bitola
and used the house as a summer
residence.
From 1913 till 1919 in the time
of the Balkan Wars and the First
World War, the house hosted
Serbian soldiers. Some damages
were found in the house after
they left, part of the carvings was
taken to Serbia (Nish). The house
has been protected as a culturalhistoric museum of the country
since the Second World War
ended. The last reconstruction
of this marvelous building was
made in the 1990s. At present,
the largest part of the museum,
the archeological collection
174
tiles. Stone western facade wall is only 2.62 meters wide and forms the
rhomboid dimensions to the east. The floors are omitted overhang so that
increase useful surfaces of first and second floor. The most characteristic
element is the tympani on western facade which increases the spatial
structure of the house creating harmony of the walls.
The building was originally preserved except interior changes, but time
has done its own and is needed permanent protection. There were static
disorders / cracks / of the walls. Extensive conservation works was done to
be preserved as an object in its original form. In 1968 due to static disorder
of the building by the owners made a set of steel sections such as beams
and columns on the south facade of the building. In 1999 was made a
change to the overall carpentry facility, conservation of the facades, and
horizontal and vertical linings and other interventions in the interior.
175
The House of Patchev is located in the old city core in Ohrid called Varos,
in the Car Samuel street no. 60, surrounded by dense urban structure
of the houses around clinging to each other separated by narrow lanes,
oriented towards the south and the lake. The surrounding complex of
houses is one of the few authentic examples of old architecture in Ohrid.
The visual effect is created by the houses of the street front is often the
inspiration for photography and painting, postcards, various publications,
and even postage stamps as a symbol and something unique, authentic,
recognizable only to Ohrid.
The house was built in the late XIX century (probably built in the same
period as the house Robevci). The ground floor is built of stone with one
part stuck in the ground, has two inputs as a result of the former divide the
house into two parts, which has been revitalized to the craft store isolated
from the rest of the house. The floors are constructed of wood system and
have retained the same function with the same layout of the premises,
with floor plate construction of wooden beams and wooden ladders.
The roof construction is wood and the covering is tile Turkish style. The
faade is performed in the typical old traditional style, painted white, with
a richly profiled cantilever of storey. The general physical condition and
preservation is good, because there was repaired works in 2009.
The House of Bojadjievi is located in the protected core of the city. House
is the southern part of a fraternal house, originally preserved specimen
from the Ohrid old town architecture. Characteristic of this facility is
that it is one of the few who do not follow the street line, but is set free
location, pulled in its intimate yard. According the overall dimensions and
architecture, is a typical example of meeting the program requirements
in context of wealthy man. The way the building is typical of the era,
the ground floor from stone walls
with fugue and construction of the
wooden walls covered with plaster.
Floor plate and roof construction
are wooden, made from boards and
roof cover with old Turkish style
tile. The interior is richly decorated,
particularly the representative guest
rooms (profiled plaster ceilings
decorated with corners and central
rosettes of secondary plastics, richly
molded plastic showcase chicheklac
and fireplaces, decorative wood
paneling on the walls and profiled
angled batten, fitted cupboards with
characteristic richly decorated doors
with profiled horizontal and vertical
linings and rosettes, representative
entrance doors).
Performed in conservation and rehabilitation interventions on the facade
and the interior is preserved all the original property. The interior is in poor
176
condition, is ruined
and damaged.
Essential is its
conservation and
restoration in order
to authentically
preserve. The
building was
declared as a
cultural monument
in 1951.
The Gallery of Icons
in Ohrid is situated
in the museum complex of the Church Noly Mather of God Peribleptos.
The collection consists of some thirty icons from the Ohrid region which
posses the highest artistic qualities thus making this gallery part of the
three most famous such galleries in the world.
Most of the icons in this collection have been created between the XI
and XIX century in the artistic workshops in Ohrid while some of them
were brought here from the Byzantine and Thessalonica workshops. The
unknown painters reached a genuine perfection in the painting of the
icons which are characterized with refined drawing, tender modulation
and harmonic colors. A special place in this collection belongs to the
processional icons (litii), painted on both sides, which impress with their
plastic treatment of their making and the expression of the inner life of the
painted saints.
177
Ohrid Handicrafts
The Ohrid Bazaar and its old crafts started developing long time ago,
as a logical horizontal conclusion along the hill that was the residential,
religious and cultural centre.
The Ohrid territory was rich in
products wanted outside the
borders, and many important
traffic arteries of the Balkans
Peninsula, including the Via
Egnatia road, passed through
it. During that past period,
although without urbanists
and architects, the city erected
and developed into a unique
harmony, without tendency
to usurp the space and views,
developed in characteristic geographic, historical, ethno-social conditions
of living and working. The people of the Ohrid possess a special artistic
spirit, and numerous crafts have been practiced here for centuries. Today
these traditional skills are still performed in much the original manner.
A significant place in the Ohrid pearl design belongs to the Filev family
which is among the candidates for the King of Ohrid pearls with a family
tradition dating from 1923. In the remote 1923 Mihajlo Filev finds out
the secret of pearl production from the skin of plasica - an endemic fish
species in Lake Ohrid. The Filev family begins with pearl design transferring
this craft from generation to generation. More than 80 years the pearl
jewelry of Filev as a leading souvenir in the city of Ohrid updated by each
new generation, becomes a part of the jewelry collections of many people
in country and worldwide.
Filigree
A review of the holy and cultural sites in Ohrid wouldnt be completed
without mentioning Vangel Dereban, whose filigree workshop is a
living museum of this traditional filigree craft in designing jewelry. The
silversmiths craft, that is, the filigree is a centurys long tradition in Ohrid.
In the Dereban family as well as in other families that are involved in
silversmiths craft this craft is transferred from father to son.
Woodcarving
The woodcarving achieves its culmination in the first half of the 19th
century with the design of the iconostasis in the church St. Spas in Skopje
and monastery St. Jovan Bigorski situated in the Valley of Radika River. In
that time, besides Petar Filipovski from the village Gari, the most famous
woodcarving was his brother Marko and Makarie Negriev Frckovski. They
worked together for a period of time.
The period of the 19th century becomes a century of Macedonian
peasants woodcarving and fresko painters (zografi). Gathered in a
number of teams they would leave their villages Galicnik, Lazaropole, Gari,
Osoj and Tresonce in spring time and would work through on the Balkan
in order to earn for living. Late in autumn they would come back on the
slopes of the mountain Bistra and other mountains in the valley of Radika
river.
The woodcarving from Debar vicinity decorated with woodcarved
iconostasis the churches of St. Bogorodica Bolnicka and St. Bogorodica
Kamensko in Ohrid. They are considered among more significant
accomplishments. By working on the iconostasis, the woodcarvers as
unique artists in the Christian east region, pondered in the heart of the
wood searching for its most melodic expression.
In the period before and after the First World War, the craft of
woodcarving began to decline sharply. In 1928 in order to renew this
artistic activity the academic sculptor Branislav Jovancevik founded the
artistic woodcarving school in Debar. In 1930, this school was transferred
to Ohrid. After the Second World War a school for woodcarving
was founded in Ohrid which later on was transferred to Skopje as a
department of the school for applied art.
179
Handmade Paper
The tradition of making a paper in the country begins from the second
half of 16th century in the monastery of St. Naum. It was used for internal
needs in limited quantity. The national Workshop for Handmade paper St.
Climent Ohridski, Ohrid continues this tradition. It has started its work on
23.10.2002. The workshop is placed in the magnificent part of the old city,
next to the National Museum - Robev family house.
183
Management
The Management plan will provide a vision for the future of the cultural
and natural heritage of the Ohrid and region using the status of a world
heritage with universal values as a strategic potential for improving the
local community and the good
of all its citizens. The World
Heritage of Ohrid region, with
the awareness of the value of the
natural and cultural heritage it
possesses, will build its prosperity
based on a contemplated
management policy, in a way that
will satisfy the needs of the present
generations, and with the aim to
pass it on to the future generations
with all its beauty, diversity and
authenticity. The development of
the Ohrid region should be based
on balanced and harmonized
relations between the cultural
and natural heritage and the new
contents on the areas of the land
and lake, and the social needs,
economic activities in the cultural
and natural surroundings.
Thanks to the rich heritage of
these areas, the tradition of
celebrating the religious holiday
marking the days dedicated
to certain saints who receive
184
185
Vision
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1 will promote the world
significance of Ohrid as a protected region by using the status as a
strategic potential for sustainable development and progress of the local
community and its citizens.
The region of the World natural and cultural heritage of the Ohrid Region
which has a completely built awareness about the natural and the cultural
values that it possesses will base its development and prosperity on a
well-thought policy for managing the natural and cultural heritage for the
purpose of satisfying the needs of the today generations which will leave
beautiful, authentic and diverse inheritance to the future generations.
The development of the protected area will be based on the balanced
and harmonic relations between the natural and cultural heritage and its
content, both in the space of the lake shore and the wide belt around it
and in the lake itself, between the social needs, the economic activities
and the natural and cultural environment
1 In the context of the United Nations, the European Union and some other countries,
the State is recognized under the term the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The
government of this country is using the term Republic of Macedonia for itself, which is
also recognized by a number of countries.
186
2 Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region World Heritage Site Management plan.
187
Management Problems
The World heritage site is sensitive to the changes and growth, but these
two are both inescapable and desirable for the development and the
life in that site. However, the uncontrolled and excessive change of the
character and essence of the protected area can endanger the values
due to which the natural and cultural heritage of the Ohrid region is
found on the World heritage list. A particular danger for the area is the
excessive and uncontrolled urbanization that is taking place continuously,
so that, as ascertained by the UNESCO-ICOMOS-IUCN mission back in
1998, the construction of many buildings along the coastal zone of the
Ohrid Lake, from the village of Radozda ranging to St. Naum, leads to
a permanent change in the existing structure of the settlements on the
coast, the landscape itself and, more or less the untouched coast, which
was identified as a risk and which could jeopardize the universal value
of the World Heritage area of the Ohrid region. In addition to this, the
current urbanization and increased construction of individual buildings as
well as accelerated economic development, are negatively affecting the
preservation of old urban architecture as well as the structure of the old
part of Ohrid and the surrounding areas where historical monuments are
found.
The historic city center of Ohrid is a vivid example of how two justified
goals can come into conflict with each other: on the one hand the goal to
preserve the cultural heritage in a form as authentic as possible, and on
the other hand to improve
the living conditions of the
people who inhabit the
town. When Ohrid became
a World Heritage in 1979,
mostly of the houses were
the original buildings an
ideal situation from the
point of view of authenticity
and integrity. However,
these houses were more
than 100 years old, and
many of them were close
to collapsing. Furthermore,
they did not have some of the basic facilities which would make them
inhabitable according to modern standards, and over the years most of the
owners demolished their houses and built new ones in their place.
While UNESCO protested against these activities, the government tried to
ensure in most cases successfully - that the new houses would be built
in the same historic style as the old houses had been, even though the
materials used for the new houses were not those of the historic buildings.
While most of the scientific experts complain about the deplorable loss of
authenticity, one could say that at least its integrity has been preserved,
and the old town, different from others such as Dubrovnik, continues to be
a living residential area inhabited by its.original population.
188
189
the system of protection and management of the area can monitor and
control changes to preserve the universal values of World Heritage area.
There are many opportunities offered by the World Heritage status as, for
example: improving the management and condition of the area, improving
its accessibility and utilization, as well as contribution to the cultural and
economic life of the local community and the visitors.
Bibliography
Archaeological map of Macedonia, Volume 2 - Skopje, 1996.
W. Blazhic: Cleaning and conservation of the frescoes in the church in Ohrid Sv. Kliment, 1951
E. elebi: Travelogue, 1657
B. Chipan: Macedonian cities in the nineteenth century and their urban perspective, MANU,
Skopje, 1978
B. Chipan: Old town architecture in Ohrid, Macedonian book - Skopje, 1982
B. Chipan: Cathedral of the Archbishopric of Ohrid - St. Sofia, 1995
V. Dereban: Macedonian jewelry, Bitola, 2001.
H. Gelyer: The Patriarchate of Ohrid, 1902.
A. Grabar: The bed of Solomon 1963
A. Graber: The Byzantium, Byzantine art of the Middle Ages, Paris, 1963
A. Graber: The Art of the Middle Ages in Eastern Europe, Paris 1968
D. Grabrijan: Macedonian house, Ljubljana, 1955
F. Grivec: Ohridska slika , Slovo, Zagreb, 1960
C. Grozdanov: Ohrid Notes, 1969.
C. Grozdanov: Portrait of Clement of Ohrid in medieval art, 1966.
Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments and Museum - Ohrid, Museums in Ohrid, 2001.
Institute of National History: Ohrid and Ohrid region through history. Book 1 and 2, Skopje 1985
D. Kornjakov: After conservation works in the church Virgin Perivleptos, 1961.
Pasko Kuzman, Macedonian Cultural Heritage, OHRID world heritage site, Skopje 2009
R. Kuzmanovski: D. Shaljikj, Ohrid - Belgrade, 1966
R. Ljubinkovic: Masters of old Serbian painting, 1957
Lychnidos V - Proceedings, Ohrid, 1983. :
J. Mano Zisi: Small contributions of paintings of the 14th century church of the Ohrid, 1931.
N. Mavrodinov: Old Bulgarian paintings, 1946.
F. Mesesnel: Ohrid - Skopje, 1934
France Mesesnel: Ohrid, the town and the lake, Skopje, 1934
Q. N. Miljukov: Christian antiquity in Western Macedonia, 1899
P. Milkovic Pepek: The work of Michael and Eutihij, 1967
P. Mitreski: Student colony in Ohrid 1938, 1940
P. Mitreski: Crafts in the Ohrid - Struga region (1918-1970), NIO Student Word, Skopje, 1983.
Q. Mitreski: The development of handicrafts in the Ohrid - Struga region (1919-1929)
B. Nusic: On the shores of Lake Ohrid - Travelogue - Belgrade, 1894
Vlagimjezh Pjanka: Toponyms of Ohrid - Prespa basin, Skopje, 1970
V. Plevnes: Saddlemaker craft in Ohrid, Lychnidos-annual collection of the National Museum in
Ohrid, book 2-3, 1959.
V. Plevnes: Ohrid-developed craft center in the past, (1962-1987)
V. R. Petkovic: Frescos with show of Wisdom, 1929
D. Talbot Rice: Byzantine Art, London, 1953
D. Talbot Rice: The Beginnings of Christian Art, London, 1957
D. Talbot Rice: Art of the Byzantine Era, London, 1963
D. Talbot Rice: Byzantine Painting: the Last Phase, New York, 1968
A. Salih: Boilermaker craft in Ohrid
I. Snegarov: History of the Archbishopric of Ohrid, 1924.
D. Stefania: To trade names and surnames of Ohrid Bazaar of the nineteenth century
I. Stojanoski: Speak not to forget. Radio Ohrid, 1996 and 2003.
Jovan F. Trifunovski: Ohrid and Struga area-Belgrade, 1992
A. Urosevic: Ohrid - geographical monograph, Skopje, 1957
Sources from the Internet:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/99/documents
http://www.ohrid.com.mk/index.asp
191
The Authors
Vassilis Birbos
Vassilis Birbos, born in Ioannina in 1979, is an engineer graduated in Spatial
Planning, Urban Planning & Regional Development from the School of Engineering
of the University of Thessaly. He is currently operating a Technical Office in
Ioannina where he elaborates studies in various fields such as spatial planning and
urban planning, environmental protection and environmental after-effects, local and
regional development. He was previously working as a technical consultant for the
Department of Environment and Spatial Planning of the Region of Epirus and for the
Regional Development Agency EPIRUS SA for 5 years.
vmpirmpos@yahoo.gr
Stephan Doempke
Stephan Doempke, born 1955 in Muenster, Germany, studied psychology, cultural
anthropology and science of religions in Muenster, Wichita/Kansas and Berlin.
Throughout his life he has committed himself to the preservation of natural and
cultural heritage, first for the indigenous peoples of North America and the Pacific.
In 1989 he joined the founding team at the House of World Cultures in Berlin,
and from 1993-1998 coordinated the Russia and Central Asia Programme of the
German Nature Conservation Union (NABU). He supported the revitalization of feltmaking in Kyrgyzstan and was a free-lance consultant for rural income-generation
in Mongolia, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Montenegro. In 2008 he became
UN Programme Coordinator for Culture and Heritage in Albania, and since then has
been an expert for UNESCO World Heritage in Gjirokastra, Albania.
Contact: PANDoempke@t-online.de
Maximilian Hartmuth
Maximilian Hartmuth (Ph.D.) is a historian and art historian focusing on the Balkan
region. Currently a research fellow of the Turkish Cultural Foundation, he has
edited three volumes dedicated to the study of that regions Ottoman-period
heritage (Centres and peripheries in Ottoman architecture, 2011; Images of imperial
legacy, 2011; Monuments, patrons, contexts: papers on Ottoman Europe presented
to Machiel Kiel, 2010) and has authored a number of independent studies on the
same topic, most recently The history of centre-periphery relations as a history of
style in Ottoman provincial architecture (2011), Turkish coffee and bton brut: an
architectural portrait of Skopje (2010, co-authored by I. Toli), and Insufficiently
oriental? An early episode in the study and preservation of the Ottoman
architectural heritage in the Balkans (2010).
Contact: kielarchive@nit-istanbul.org
192
Varvara N. Papadopoulou
Varvara N. Papadopoulou is serving as director of the 8th Euphorate of Byzantine
Antiquities (Regional Service of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture) with jurisdiction in
the Prefectures of Ioannina and Thesprotia and of the Byzantine Museum of Ioannina.
She completed her graduate studies in Archaeology and History of Art at the Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki. She received her postgraduate degree in Middle Age
Studies from the University of Ioannina and is currently a Ph. D. candidate at the
aforementioned university. Recently she has also taken up the management of the
18th Euphorate of Byzantine Antiquities whose jurisdiction includes the Byzantine and
Post Byzantine monuments of the Prefectures of Arta and Preveza.
Contact: vpapadopoulou@culture.gr
Goran Patchev
Goran Patchev, born 1967 in Ohrid, fYROM, graduate architect engineer in Ss. Cyril
and Methodius University - Faculty of Architecture in Skopje. His experience since
1996 gained in a variety of companies that deal with architectural design through
urban planning and environmental protection in his hometown. The last 7 years to
date find its place as employed in National Institute for Protection of Monuments
of Culture and Museum - Ohrid, as an authorized conservator for protection of
immovable cultural heritage. From 2006 he is a member of ICOMOS MK as a
president of subcommittee for digitalization of monuments of culture. From 2009
member of the Chamber of certified architects and engineers of the Republic of
Macedonia and a member of the Association of Architects of Macedonia (AAM).
Contact: patcevg@yahoo.com
Bariu Zenelaj
Bariu Zenelaj, born in 1964 in Suharek, Kosovo, studied English-American
Language and Literature at Prishtina University. For over 10 years, he has worked
as a cartoonist and illustrator for all Kosovo newspapers. Bariu gained valuable
professional experience working for international relief agencies and other civil
society organizations for over 14 years.
He is currently managing the Academy for Training and Technical Assistance, a
non-for profit organization working in the fields of culture and European Integration.
Bariu Zenelaj is married to Leonora, and they have two children, Zell (17) and Alp
(7). They live and work in Prizren.
Contact: bari@atta-ks.org
193
N. Gkioulis: 91c
BBC: 115a
Google Earth: 25
Chris Hassler: 26b, 32b, 43a, 51b, 66b, 67d,
68b, 72b
194
195
Partners
Gjirokastra Conservation and
Development Organization
Mr. Sadi Petrela
Obelisku, Qafa e Pazarit
Gjirokastra
Albania
Tel: +355 842 67-077
info@gjirokastra.org
Academy for Training
and Technical Assistance
Mr. Bariu Zenelaj
Qazim Berisha No:43
20000 Prizren
Kosovo
Tel +377 44 155-323
info@atta-ks.org
EGNATIA EPIRUS Foundation
Anthrakitou 5 & Tsechouli Street
45221 Ioannina
Greece
Tel +30 26510 72-315
eef@forthnet.gr
Macedonian Artisan
Trade Association
Mr. Zoran Todorovski
Cedomir Kantardziev, 3
1000 Skopje
the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia
+389 2 273-4170
zoran.t@matacraft.org.mk
196
Associate Partners
City of Regensburg
Matthias Ripp, World Heritage
Management
93047 Regensburg
Dr.-Martin-Luther-Str. 1
Germany
+49 941. 507-4611
ripp.matthias@regensburg.de
City of Ioannina
Town Hall, 5 A. Papandreou
Square
45221 Ioannina, Epirus
Greece
+30 26510 79921-5, 26272
press@ioannina.gr
A Soul for Europe
Ms. Stephanie Maiwald
c/o European House for Culture
Place Flagey 18
1050 Brussels
Belgium
+49 30 2639 22947
maiwald@asoulforeurope.eu
Mozaik Community
Development Foundation
Soukbunar 42
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
+387 33 266-480
info@mozaik.ba
197
Useful Addresses
Municipality of Gjirokastra
erciz Topulli Square
Gjirokastra
Albania
Tel +355 842 63 500
City of Ioannina
Town Hall, 5 A. Papandreou Square
45221 Ioannina
Greece
Tel +30 26510 79921-5, 26272
press@ioannina.gr
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