In the beginning of April, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, gave the permission to start the conservation and partial revitalization works in the Castle of the City of Kaçanik.

In the second half of 2014, CHwB Kosovo office has conducted research, recording, documentation and the conservation and revitalization plan of this castle. This plan has defined the emergency priority tasks and those that can be addressed in further stages.

The plan of conservation and partial revitalization of this castle, which will be implemented during 2015 will address the priority works that need immediate treatment such as cleaning of biological colonization, conservation of the walls structure, repointing walls with lime mortar, treatment of pedestrian paths, installation of protective fences and the main door, design and installation of interpretive signs, signage and treatment of lighting inside and outside the archaeological site.

The castle of Kaçanik dates from c. XVI and is located in the city center of Kaçanik, on the western bank of the river Lepenci. According to written documents, the castle was built in 1582 by the order of Sultan Murad II, by Koxha Sinan Pasha. The construction of the castle started in 1586 and ended in 1590. Today, only two walls, one in the west and one in the north, along with the entrance gate and cylindrical tower located in the right side of the gate, are left from the castle. The southern wall crossing the Lepenci River and the eastern wall were demolished over time. Today, there is none of 40-50 homes for soldiers that once existed in the courtyard of the castle. The walls of the castle are 1.60 meters wide. The craftsmen of the time, used stone as a building material, while for binding they used lime mortar. Besides these two main materials, bricks were also used, but mainly for decoration. We encounter them only in the entrance gate of the castle. The arched gate is separated from the wall with a freezer as from the outside, as well as from the inside. On both sides, the first row has 22 bricks, while the second one has 23 bricks. The bricks have a hewn stone between them. Also, the freezer ends with bricks placed one after the other for circumscribing the wall above. There is a decoration at the entry door of the cylindrical tower. Even in that part, we encounter bricks that form the arch with two lines, but this time placed one after the other, and definitely a separation with the above wall create another row of bricks that are placed horizontally on two lines above. At the entrance gate and at the door of the cylindrical tower, the decoration was made throughout the depth of the wall, so it is not just a side decoration. During the '60s -'70s of the 20^th century, a hotel was built inside the castle, which has affected the authenticity of the site. This castle represents a site of great cultural, historical, scientific and social significance. In order to preserve these values, the Castle of Kaçanik needs to be conserved and restored. (Source: Database of Cultural Heritage of Kosovo - http://dtk.rks-gov.net)

Photo credits: Database of Cultural Heritage of Kosovo: http://dtk.rks-gov.net

The project of conservation and partial revitalization of the City Castle is first priority of the Local Cultural Heritage Plan of Kaçanik. The plan was drafted by CHwB, the Municipality of Kaçanik and other central level institutions within the Program of Local Cultural Heritage Plans 2012-2015.