The monument of architectural heritage ‘Hamam in Vushtrri/Vučitrn’, is located in the centre of the city and consist of construction structures from different historical periods. This Hamam, perhaps of a time with the Mosque of Gazi Ali Beg in Vushtrri/Vučitrn (XV century), is one of the earliest built Hamams in Balkans. According to historical resources, Hamam of Vushtrri/Vučitrn was built in two phases. It is said that the part of the entrance environment with tuff stones, was built in the XVII century, whereas other environments with three domes were built in the XV century. This Hamam served as a public bath for men and women that used it in a row on different days of the week. According to the citizens of Vushtrri/ Vučitrn, except the cleansing, Hamam was used by the citizens as a place to relax, with music and tea service.

The history of Vushtrri/Vučitrn is marked by a lot of leaders and different cultural influences. Nevertheless the influences that the city had, Hamam resisted the time and it is standing up until nowadays. Except historical values, this building has multiple values. Elements such as the dome, arches, archways, lighting through the circular openings in the dome, proportions and materials of chambers contribute to the artistic -aesthetic values by telling us the construction and craftsmanship of the time.

Different elements have affected the Hamam to be degraded each day. Besides the age aspect, different damages have been caused also as the consequence of weather conditions, constructive problems, wrong treatments and vandalisms. However, the main reason of the degradation of Hamam is its negligence and lack of maintenance. This is also a consequence of the building not being used since ’70-‘80.

By prioritizing the damages and allocated budget, the interventions in Hamam are partial. The interventions are focused in consolidation of structure, reconstruction of collapsed walls, removal of applied cement mortar and its replacement with mortar with the same content as the original one, consolidation of domes inside and outside and covering the entire Hamam with tiles.

Period of implementation:

11/2012- 06/2014

Budget:

132,435.00 $

Implementer:

Cultural Heritage without Borders in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Municipality of Vushtrri/Vučitrn

Funded by:

“This project was funded through a U.S. Embassy, Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of State.”