HERITAGE AT RISK REGISTER AS A TOOL FOR MANAGING CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES IN KOSOVO

Yıl 2016, Cilt: 1 Sayı: 1, 4 - 14, 01.09.2016

Öz

Kosovo is a country with an ancient history and wealthy cultural heritage. The Ministry of Culture is responsible to manage a list of over 1500 protected assets. However, cultural heritage sites in Kosovo are in a degraded state, mainly because of lack of maintenance, awareness, and improper management. Significant numbers of heritage sites are at risk of being completely ruined. The fragile institutions are heavily suffering due to the lack of human capacities. They failed to create a monitoring mechanism that would provide data of current condition of heritage sites. The local communities are almost ignored in relation to decision-making process. This situation resulted with investments in the field of cultural heritage not being based on the actual needs. Cultural Heritage without Borders, a local NGO working for the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage since 2001, has recently launched a project aiming to map cultural heritage sites in Kosovo. For nearly one year of work, more than 800 architectural and archaeological monuments were identified and documented. The data was collected by field and desktop study, which included information regarding location, protection status, ownership, category and type, statement of significance, physical access, communication of owners with institutions, potential for development and physical condition of assets surveyed on visual basis. The collected data was put in a digital platform, which can generate various reports based on the field of concern and this whole process represents the interaction of heritage to technology. As a result of data collected and analyzed through mapping, was developed the Heritage at Risk, an online digital platform, which consists of the list of assets on a poor physical condition. This platform is a new opportunity to inform the public, relevant institutions and stakeholders about the condition of cultural heritage sites, and also intends to include them in its assessment and preservation. Apart from this, the platform also offers the possibility for everyone to report online the heritage at risk. This paper will give an overview of the condition of cultural heritage sites in Kosovo, its management and legal protection. In addition, it will describe the need and process of mapping of assets, as well as the results of Heritage at Risk register. It is essential for every country to have such a platform, to ease the identification and data collection of heritage assets. In addition, the level of damage of cultural heritage assets should be one of the main criteria of every investment and project related to the cultural heritage field. Furthermore, the results of research analysis will give direct recommendations to owners as well as relevant institutions of cultural heritage. Both these parties are given recommendations on the possible ways of preservation and promotion of cultural heritage

Anahtar Kelimeler

Cultural Heritage, Assets, Heritage at Risk, Mapping, Digital Platform

Kaynakça

• CHWB- SWEDISH FOUNDATION CULTURAL HERITAGE WITHOUT BORDERS (2013) Strategic plan 2013 – 2016.
• Available at: http://chwb.org/kosovo/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2014/07/Publication_2013_2.pdf
• COE- COUNCIL OF EUROPE (2004) Integrated Rehabilitation Program Plan for Architectural and Archeological
• Heritage in South-Eastern Europe. Preliminary Technical Assessment, PIL, Kosovo/UNMIK, 2004. Strasburg: CoE.
• ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA (2017) Kosovo Self-Declared Independent Country. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Kosovo
• HALITI, S., THAÇI, K. & EPPICH, R. (2016) Interpretation and Management of Fortified Sites in the Mediterranean: The Case of the Prizren Castle, Kosovo. Defensive Architecture of the Mediterranean XV to XVII centuries/ Vol IV GIORGIO VERDIANI (Ed.) Proceedings of the International conference on Modern Age
• Fortifications of the Mediterranean Coast FOTRMED, Firenze, November 2016, http://www.fortmed.eu/OV/4
• DEFENSIVE%20ARCHITECTURE%20OF%20THE%20MEDITERRANEAN_2016.pdf
• HERSCHER, A. & REIDELMAYER, A. (2000) Architectural Heritage in Kosovo: A Post-War Report. Archnet. Kosovo
• Cultural Heritage. Available at: https://archnet.org/collections/22/publications/4736
• HERSCHER, A. (2010) Violence taking Place. The architecture of the Kosovo Conflict. California: Stanford University Press.
• HISTORIC ENGLAND (2017) How to Assess Condition. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/caring- for-heritage/help-historic-buildings/assess-condition-grade-2-listed-buildings/how-to-assess-condition/
• HOXHA, Gj. & THAÇI, K. (2012) The protection of Cultural Heritage Properties in the Republic of Kosovo, First
• International Conference on Architecture and Urban Design, Epoka University, Tirana, Albania, April 19-21, , available at: http://www.icaud.epoka.edu.al/index.php?p=1_ICAUD_proceed_book_1 MKRS (2016) National Strategy for Cultural Heritage 2017-2027. Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Kosova, available at: strategjija- http://mkrs-ks.org/repository/docs/eng_strategy_for_heritage.pdf
• RIEDLMAYER, A. (2000) Museums in Kosovo: A first Postwar Assessment. Bosnia Report, ns 15/16. [WWW]
• Sabri BAJGORA; ed. by Robert Elsie and Petrit Selimi. Prishtina: Interfaith Kosovo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo. RIZA, E. (2005) Ekspertiza mbi Gjendjen e Trashegimise Ndertimore ne Kosove. Kosova: MCYS.
• TRASHEGIMIA NE RREZIK (2017) Lista e Trashegimise ne Rrezik. Available at: http://www.trashegimianerrezik.com/