TIRANA, Feb 5 /ATA/ In the second part of his weekly podcast, which touches on issues that cause heated debate in public, but also informs the citizens with facts, the mayor Erion Veliaj talked about the historical identity of Tirana, how this identity has been preserved by restoring the best values of the city, but also how new investments are shaping Tirana of the future.
He says that the approach of the municipality of Tirana has been threefold.
“We want to preserve the Historical Identity, conserving landmark buildings and spaces; to restore historical buildings and spaces, and the third, to invest in creating a Tirana for the future, by building spaces, but also contemporary buildings for the second 100 years of Tirana the Capital,” he says in the video message.
Veliaj clarifies that in the last eight years in Tirana, no construction permit has been issues in the spaces designated cultural monuments, refuting all allegations of the opposition on this issue.
“Anyone who says otherwise is not telling the truth, even lying. What is of value to the city will remain valuable to the city and no building has been constructed in a space designated a cultural monument. What carries value has been preserved, revamped, restored to the public and citizens to serve both tourism development and the local economy,” he says.
On the other hand, according to him, the identity of a city cannot be a static or nostalgic image, it cannot sit still in time, viewed from the outside as if it were a showcase or a museum.
“We cannot choose to keep intact the Tirana of the 1920s, when it was declared the Capital and when only 20,000 inhabitants lived here, or even the one after the war, or the one in the ‘70s, or the Tirana of the ‘90ies, when 190 thousand people lived, and even today, with 1 million inhabitants, we cannot keep it intact”, he explains.
As a concrete example of the preservation of the values and historical identity of Tirana, Veliaj cited the building of the Toptani mansions, the care for the Clock Tower, the New Bazaar, the Castle of Tirana, etc.
“Our approach to conservation is embodied in the ‘Sarajet’ building, which we saved from those who wanted to burn it to make way for high- rise buildings while we are turning it into a museum space, for which work is in full swing to open it for the public, as the Ethnographic Museum of the city. We also did the same with Maks Velo’s apartment building, the homes of our two great writers, Ismail Kadare and Dritëro Agolli, which today have turned into a tourist pole, as a city museum. The Clock Tower is another landmark gem of Tirana. Within a few hours of taking office in 2015, we rolled up the sleeves to fix the clock, which had stopped working for 4 years, under the govt. of those who today cry foul at the destruction of the city’s identity, but fixing the clock tower was not worth the bother back then,” he said.
Veliaj responded to those who criticize the construction of high-rise buildings in Tirana.
“Some say that the backdrop of the Clock Tower is being spoilt by the skyscrapers that are being built behind. My answer is simple: for 30 years the backdrop of the Clock Tower was “Torre Drini,” a tower without any aesthetic and architectural value, a Bari-style construction. I am ready to bet that the new backdrop a 5-star hotel will make for, while preserving the typical design, will be much more dignified than “Torre Drini.” Et’hem Beu Mosque was restored and returned to the heart of Tirana with a super dignified image. I have vivid memories of the hysteria and panic that was created by the know them all experts, who said that the minaret was at risk of collapsing, and confused the silicone of the temporary roof with the minaret itself and its damage never turned out,” the mayor underlined.
He went on saying that the “House of Leaves” and “Bunk’Art” are today the two most visited museums in Tirana.
“There has been a lot of speculation about the Puppet Theater as well. Therefore, I want to clarify that half of the space in the former Guard of the Republic, which is now administered by the Municipality, will be made available to the new Puppet Theater, so that the children do not go to an obsolete building with blankets and towels any more, but to a modern theater. The rest will be used by the new National Library. You all know that the existing library is overflowing with books and has had problems over the years, such as fire outbreaks and inundation. Meanwhile, the rest of the Guard, after the Library and the Puppet Theater, will be added to the Lake Park as another green space, part of the great transformation that has taken place in the Lake Park,” said Veliaj.
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