State - Protected Monuments Threatened in Reality

There are a total of nine archaeological sites. Of them, 8 are listed as assets in which immediate intervention is needed, as their risk rate is high. And in architectural monuments, one of them results in immediate intervention.

KKTK officials, in presentation of the report on Thursday, in hotel spaces “Grand” where this agency recently moved, have said a general methodology has been used to finalise the document. According to them, in addition to visits to the field it has been communicated with responsible officials of the monuments for what they have and with Regional Cultural Heritage Centres in Kosovo.

Ulpiana's archaeological location, Corisha Fortress, Harilaqi Fortress, Dresnic Archaeological Garden, ancient Church of Keckekolla, the Fountain of Veles and Hidroelekelana-Muenomau in Prizren are listed as high-needed assets of intervention.

Prizren's fortress is listed as the star-priced asset for intervention. The report has also made room for the fact that localities for a short period of time were left unguarded.

KOHA has reported that for five months, by March of this year, the state had left archaeological sites unguarded and maintained. The temporary staff contracts had not continued, causing the monuments to be endangered further. But even with the employee's commitment, the situation has not changed much.

There is no investment in archaeology since 2019. Past tasks have highlighted important structures that are being destroyed by the cause of lack of maintenance. The typical example of destruction is the Harilaki Fortress. In the photos of the Report, it is clearly seen how structures of one of the most important monuments in Kosovo have degraded.

The report also provides information on the Great Field and Tuma in the year, the Hadum Aga Mosque in Gjakova, Hamam and Gazi Mehmed Pasha, Sinan Pasha Mosque in Prizren, Church and the Initiated School in Albanian in Stubble, the Haxhi Zeka Tower in Leshan, the former Academy of Sciences and Arts, the IKM building of the residential complex “Gjiku 11x1> in Pristina. The King's Mosque also enters Pristina. For all of this, the priority of intervention is classified as low.

KKTK Executive Leader Kreshnik Bajraktari has said they could not access the assets such as the Decani Monastery, the Gracanica one, Pec's Patrickana and the Church of St. Friday.

We have received no answers from “, he said. And the head of the KKTK, Zana Halimi, has said they have declined to make assessments as tourists or visitors, but as an institution.

We've already notified O The SB as our partner who we have”, she said. Decani Monastery registered on U's World Heritage List NESTO in 2004. In 2006 this status was extended to three other monuments in Kosovo. The Gracanica Monastery, Peja's Patrickana and the Church of St. Premte in Prizren, have also entered the World Heritage List at risk, such as Kosovo's “Medieval Mneuments” and which, in this world organisation, are under Serbia's name. In 2021, the organisation “Europepa Nostra” had placed the Decani Monastery on the list of seven European monuments that were “at the risk of”. The Serb state lobby had accomplished this.

As for the RKKTK Report, among the criticisms is the fact that except Prizren Castle, no asset has a management plan. Ironically, according to decisions of permanent protection, the Ministry of Culture is obliged to approve management plans after six months of decisions.

But even in the only case of management plans, it has not been implemented. The Prizren Castle Management Plan, adopted in December 2020, defines 16 employees in Prizren's Kale. In July last year, the management unit for this cultural heritage asset was also appointed, among the most important in the country. But these two documents have not produced any effect. The degradation in the fortress above the southern city has already taken off.

The KKTK has also listed a series of recommendations in Report. Enhancing management plans, conservation and restoration, regular budget sharing, depleting assets by law, improving infrastructure, publishing results, promotion, respecting subsidy legislation, release of property tax, marking and review of the perimeter and protective zone are general recommendations. Each monument has special recommendations.

KKTK head Zatita Halimi has indicated that the report will be sent to the Ministry of Culture, the Parliamentary Commission for Education, Science, Technology, Culture and Innovation, as well as other institutions. Asked whether it is most important to intervene in assets under permanent protection or those under temporary protection that the MKRS considers to be endangered, she has said they will talk to the MKRS about it.

We'll look for their list of what the monuments are at stake, see how it is compiled and we'll give our recommendations”, Halimi said. According to her, maintenance should be done in all assets.

The state protects only 18 monuments forever. A year after the files were reviewed, the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage, together with the Ministry of Culture in January of this year, had come to the conclusion that five monuments should enjoy the status of permanent protection. Therefore, 23 years after the last war, Kosovo permanently protects 28 cultural heritage assets.

The Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage from December last year had 54 monument files under consideration. And now it's continuing with the review of 49 of them. The Great Hamami in Pristina, the Hebrew cemetery in Pristina, the School of Music (former-Saraaj of Mustaf Pasha) in Gjilan, Athik Jamaica in Gjilan and former Serbian “Jadran” in Mitrovica have won permanent protection status.

The state continues to temporaryly protect most cultural heritage assets. There are 1633 assets on the list of cultural heritage under temporary protection. The interim list deadline is one year and it is renewed year after 2012. /Koha.net