Upon successful completion of the “Preservation and Protection of Vushtri Castle” project, CHwB, in collaboration with the Archaeological Institute of Kosovo, and funded by the U.S. Embassy in Prishtina, will roll their sleeves up for conservation works of – this time in the southern city of the country – Prizren Fortress.

On September 25^th, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed for the conservation of Prizren Fortress, whereas the United States Embassy in Prishtina shall allocate 700,000 USD from the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Heritage Preservation for this cultural heritage site. The project will be carried out by CHwB Kosovo in cooperation with the Archaeological Institute of Kosovo.

The respective Memorandum was signed at the fortress, by the director of CHwB Kosovo, Sali Shoshi, Minister Memli Krasniqi, U.S. Deputy Ambassador, Jennifer Bachus, and director of the Archaeological Institute of Kosovo, Enver Rexha.

The Director of CHwB, Sali Shoshi, told what will specifically be worked in the fortress. “There are three components on which we have foreseen to focus on during the three-year period: conservation, interpretation and management. As first part of the project are envisaged works in conservation; works that will be carried by the Archaeological Institute. Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB) will also focus on interpretation; namely, the story of the fortress will be told through sketches drawn and other adequate information for visitors, by using information technology. Important part of the project is also the management plan. It shall identify all the stakeholders engaged in the fortress whether from Prizren or central level and the management structure will be established in order for this project to become self-sustainable for the fortress not be a burden to institutions and the Embassy, but to also start to generate means, thus becoming a factor of Prizren’s local development”, Shoshi concluded.

Minister Krasniqi, while estimating that Prizren fortress will become one of the main touristic points in Kosovo, said in the following, “American Embassy, by the Ambassadors Fund on Cultural Heritage Preservation, helped our heritage for many years. We have had astonishing experience in the past, with the restoration of the Vushtrri Hamam, the fortress of Vushtrri while now we are starting with a new project. This shall be a project which shall facilitate the other part of project commenced by MCYS, the restoration of the fortress of Prizren. That being said, when we look upon another joint project with the European Union, the one for the restoration of the fortress of Novoberda, we are circling conservation and restoration projects of the three greatest fortresses of Kosovo, the one of Prizren, Vushtrri and Novoberda.”

In her turn, American Deputy-Ambassador, Ms. Bachus, said that she feels exceptionally happy that the Embassy is joining MCYS’s project on the restoration of the fortress of Prizren, stating that this monument is hereby being enabled a long-term permanency.

Project on the conservation of the fortress will end up in late 2016.