On 17 July 2012, Expeditio organized a presentation entitled ”A new approach to learning the traditional building techniques" – Restoration of the architectural heritage through examples of Regional restoration camps organized in Gjirokastra, Albania”.

The presentation was held by Lejla Hadžić and Kreshnik Merxhani from the Swedish organization Cultural Heritage without Borders - CHwB.

The use of traditional crafts and building techniques, as well as traditional materials is very important in the process of protection of architectural heritage and necessary for its good-quality conservation, restoration and maintenance. The continuity of use of traditional techniques and crafts is very important in order to maintain the values and authentic character of cultural monuments. Considering that traditional skills and knowledge make part of intangible heritage, they need to be protected and handed down to new generations of craftsmen.

Restoration work camps are a particularly successful method of cultural heritage protection. During the restoration camps, while working on some concrete examples, the participants are trained how to restore traditional buildings by using traditional materials and techniques. The camps are led by experienced craftsmen and professionals, while their participants can be all people interested in heritage protection.

One of the organizations very active in the field of heritage protection in the Western Balkans is the Swedish foundation Cultural Heritage without Borders – CHwB [www.chwb.org/regional].

For the fifth year now, the Cultural Heritage without Borders has been organizing regional restoration camps in Albania and Kosovo, and in the coming period they plan to develop similar models in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Traditional techniques of wood working, masonry and mortar application are the main components of training process conducted during the camps, which are organized twice a year in the historical core of UNESCO listed town of Gjirokastra in Albania.

Colleagues Lejla Hadžić and Kreshnik Merxhani presented their positive experineces of the conducted restoration camps.

The presentation was organized within two projects currently implemented by EXPEDITIO:

• CSEinHeritage - Civil Society Engagement in the preservation of the built cultural heritage of the Western Balkans, implemented within the IPA programme “Support to Partnership Actions between Cultural Organisations” launched by the European Commission

• Valorization of the Built Heritage in Montenegro, funded by the Headley Trust from Great Britain

Gjirokastra, Albania

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