Conservation Policies in Socialist Albania: A Brief Overview through the case study of Gjirokastër historic centre

Cultural monuments conservation issues arose in Socialist Albania nearly in the middle of the 20th century. Regarding the protection of historic centres, the country made great efforts to preserve wide historic urban and rural areas. Anticipating what would be defined as “historic and architectural areas” in the UNESCO 1976 Recommendation concerning the safeguarding and contemporary role of historic areas, the notion of “Qytet-Muze” had the meaning of an ensemble of architectural edifices having outstanding historic and artistic values. Such notion implied an evolved perception and conception of the monument term significance, intended in a broader sense as a built landscape. The historic centre of Gjirokastër was among the firsts Albanian citadels to be declared Museum-City in 1961. Nowadays, being part of WHL since 2005, it should be considered a Historic Urban Landscape more than a simple historic area. This paper deals with the analysis of the Albanian protection regulations issued for the safeguarding of Gjirokastër historic centre through the socialist and post-socialist years shedding light on its conservation policies and the need of a landscape-based conservation approach.