| Background
Albania, long closed to outsiders, is now one of the world’s most affordable undiscovered destinations. Travel with Heritage Conservation Network to the Museum-City of Gjirokastra in southern Albania to explore and work in one of the best-preserved Ottoman cities in the world. The city was built around a 13th century citadel, one of the most pristine in all of Europe.  The town’s name means “Silver Fortress”, referring to the citadel. Walk the steep cobblestone streets to the site of the workshop, a 17th century Ottoman stone house. Free time might be spent exploring the Drinos river valley that lies below the town, filled with archaeological remains. Lord Byron wrote "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" about his equestrian journey through this wild region of Albania in 1809.
HCN is partnering with Auron Tare, head of the Albanian National Trust as well as advisor to the Gjirokastra World Heritage Site. Mr. Tare works tirelessly to promote the protection of Albania’s cultural and environmental heritage by inspiring the involvement of the local and international  community. His Summer Camp for Youth of the Balkans brings youth from previously warring countries to work together restoring a historic site and its environs while discovering what they have in common. Mr. Tare was personally responsible for creating Butrint National Park, also a World Heritage Site, to save this amazing collection of architecture, archaeology and natural features.
Project
Gjirokastra’s architecture is characterized by the construction of a type of tower house, the Turkish ‘kulle’, which features a tall basement, a first floor for the cold season, and a second floor for the warm season. Interiors are often richly decorated with painted floral patterns. This architectural form developed in the 17th century and was utilized for several hundred years. Participants will be working to help preserve one of these historic houses while learning stone masonry skills. Work will be led by two Albanian conservators, Architect Artan Shkreli, former head of the Institute of Monuments, and Engineer Artan Lame, former Director of Cultural Heritage. Also working with them will be Luan Sejdini, Regional Director of Monuments and the new director of the UNESCO office in Gjirokastra. Participants will also be treated to a lecture on local art given by the Vice Director of the National Gallery. Instruction will be in English and Albanian, with a variety of other languages spoken by Mr. Tare.
Logistics
The City of Gjirokastra is located in southern Albania near the border with Greece. If flying to Albania, take a flight to Tirana International Airport in Rinas, 25 km from the  capital city. From here private taxi and bus service is available to Gjirokastra. You may also arrive by sea from Italy or Corfu, or drive from bordering countries. Residents of most countries will not need a visa to enter Albania and need only a valid passport. Be sure to check requirements for your country of origin. If a visa is needed, be sure to leave sufficient time for processing, approximately 2-4 months. Note that some people who may enter the country without a visa must pay an entry tax of 10 Euros. An exit tax is required at the airport.
The workshop will be two weeks in length and participants may register for either one or two weeks. The cost is US$950 for one week and US$1,800 for two weeks, which covers lodging, breakfast and lunch (dinners not included), insurance, workshop materials, instruction and fieldtrips. Transportation to the workshop is not included and is the responsibility of the participant. The fee for local residents not requiring lodging is US$50 per week. A few scholarships have been made available for participants from Albania and surrounding countries based on need. There is a discount for early registration received by June 15, 2008; see the Registration Form.
 Workshop participants will be housed in a small hotel or B&B and may check in on Sunday of the week they are attending. (Saturday night, October 4, 2008, is not included unless the participant is attending for both weeks.) Work hours at the site are generally Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. Lunches will be provided at the site. Evenings and the weekend are free for exploring the area’s many beautiful sites.
Several fieldtrips are planned for the group during the two week period, including Butrint National Park, which boasts some of the greatest classical ruins in the Mediterranean. A trip will also be taken to two nearby monasteries, one of the Bektashi Sect and the other the Byzantin Monastery of Mesopotam. There will be time to explore the Kardhiq-Zhulat region of southern Albania, the site of a major road used by Roman armies to travel from the coast to the interior of Albania and Macedonia. A final trip will take participants to the Tekke of Melan near Gjirokastra. The building on this large ancient hilltop sits upon earlier buildings not yet explored by archaeologists. It is believed to be the site of Hadrianopolis, the city built by Emperor Hadrian.
Albania has a Mediterranean climate. The average daytime high in late September, early October is 25 degrees C (77 degrees F), with cooler temperatures in the evenings. Please bring clothing that is suitable for the weather that will also be protective while working. Please be conscious that safety is an important issue at any work site.
If you need additional information, please contact us at workshops@heritageconservation.net or call +1 303-444-0128.
If you find this project intriguing, but are unable to attend, you can still participate by supporting conservation work in Gjirokastra and at other project sites with a gift to HCN. Donations are tax deductible and will be used for a variety of needs – to provide participant scholarships, to purchase materials needed for conservation work, or to provide teaching materials for participants, just to name a few. We have partnered with Groundspring.org to make it easy and
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If you would prefer to mail in a gift, please use our donation form.
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