Gjirokaster, 280 illegal constructions in the “protected” area

River banks, roads and agricultural lands in Drinos and Vjoca valleys are “occupied” by constructions.

According to Ministry of Turism, Culture, Youth and Sports sources and the Institute of Culture Monuments, there are almost 280 constructions that have been built without the approval of the National Council for historical protected areas of the town.

Sources from ALUIZNI office in Gjirokaster District, involved in the legalization process, report for “Shqip” that in total there are 170 illegal constructions around Gjirokaster’s historical area which have filed for the legalization process.

The problem became very concerning for monument experts, because in the last two or three months has increased a lot the level of illegal constructions out of the urban criteria and those assigned by UNESCO and law of cultural heritage. The concrete trucks have been seen moving in the inside areas of the protected zone neighborhoods.

One of most abused criteria is the usage of concrete layers instead of stone walls and ceilings, the usage of metal structures in windows, doors and arches, and the replacement of the stone slabs in the roofs with grey or dark tiles, which now has almost been legalized and accepted as a criteria.

The official report of the Gjirokaster Municipality has an extremely dangerous request for the future of the museum town. This request demands the new buildings’ roofs to be covered with grey tiles, considering that this would be similar to the architecture of the ancient buildings. The regional office of ALUIZNI for Gjirokaster has created a file for 170 new constructions in the historical area of the city, mainly at “Palorto”, “Hazmurat”, “Meçite” and other areas around the characteristic bazaar.

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