The Ministry of Culture announces that the launch of the publication on guidelines for the architecture in Pogradec with the purpose of conserving the Region of Lake Ohrid is set to be ready in early 2018. The work on the traditional architecture of the region has been organized by the Ministry of Culture, since last autumn under the supervision of a team of Albanian architects and experts led by conservation architect Kliti Kalamata, and assisted by architect Amanda Cici. 

Image © World Heritage Centre

This publication serving as a manual, will be a valuable reference for all the interested and responsible parties in the Region of Pogradec such as local architects, engineers and artisans; and will promote the following:

- the use of specifications and suitable methods for repairs and restorations

- accepted professional methods for rehabilitation

- integration of new systems of construction in historical buildings

- optimization of the restoration process from the technical, social and economical pov.

In particular, this documentation is set to emphasize the values and merits of local traditional architecture, clarifying and explaining incorrect interventions, and proposes solutions for rehabilitation, maintenance and improvements/adaptation of modern use.

Through the assistance and guidance of international experts of ICOMOS Luisa De Marco and Christophe Graz, the work has been complemented with a series of similar documentations which have served as a basis for the preliminary analysis during 2016. The team has continued in the start of 2017 with site surveys, by photographing and archiving base drawings, as well as measuring and discussing with artisans. 

The group composed by Amanda Cici, Fotion Qirinxhi and Kliti Kalamata was joined by architects from the Institute of Monuments of Culture Olsi Bulku and Lorin Dvorani, with the addition of two volunteer architects Eniu Giu and Piro Karanxha. The survey phase served also as a training period for all the new practitioners, which learned firsthand by the architect in charge on the local typology and construction techniques. 

The publication is now undergoing the process of editing, graphic design and presentation of its physical and digital versions. This is part of the larger project, Protecting Lake Ohrid Region: Towards Strengthened Governance of the Shared Transboundary Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Lake Ohrid region. Two-thirds of the lake is located in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, inscribed on the World Heritage List as the property "Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid Region." By extending the remaining one-third of Lake Ohrid in Albania, the integrity of this World Heritage property would be strengthened. 

The joint EU-UNESCO project, is funded by the European Union, with project partners: The Ministry of Environment and The ministry of Culture in Albania; The ministry of Environment and Physical Planning of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, CHPO (Ministry of Culture - Cultural Heritage Protection Office), ICCROM (International Center of the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property), ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Watch below the video on the project:

All images (except the second one) © Protecting Lake Ohrid

> via Protecting Lake Ohrid & World Heritage Centre