A selection of the most attractive items representing Gjirokastra’s unique cultural heritage will be shown in the new museum, which is to open soon within the fortress of the city. Gjirokastra, a city in southern Albania,  is also known as the ‘stone city’ or the ‘city of 1000 steps.’ Its old town is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

South-East Europe: People and Culture paid a visit to Elenita Roshi, deputy director of the Gjirokastra Conservation and Developments Organisation (GCDO). She explained the origins of the idea to establish a museum inside the Gjirokastra fortress:
 
It has been five years since Gjirokastra was included on the World Heritage List. This city was the first one in Albania to achieve such a credit. Since then, tourist numbers have increased from 4,000 in 2005 to almost 20,000 this year. There is a lot to be said about Gjirokastra in terms of its cultural heritage starting from the custom of its polyphonic music to the traditions of folklore, weddings, funerals and others. All this is presented to the visitors in the new museum in the castle of Gjirokastra. The organisation I represent has been working for three years to improve the castle’s visitors’ experience.

What is particular about this museum?

Two thousand years of history will be represented in this new museum once it opens. Inside the castle, the museum offers a beautiful space which has an interesting story behind it. It used to be an old part of the castle used for military purposes, then it was used as a cheese depot in the service of the army during the communist era. And now it has been restored to house a museum with the aid of many donors, among which the US Embassy to Tirana that donated some $48,000 for the restoration of this museum.

The biggest dilemma when you have to restore one of the largest castles in the Balkans in the centre of a medieval city with 2,200 houses and 600 monuments is how to make it easier for the visitors, for the local youth and the community to grasp and understand what it represents. So far, people know what they see of Gjirokastra: the cobbled streets, the large characteristic houses and the stone roofs. What they don’t know is what lies behind them. The best of this region’s culture will be put in place in this museum.

Gjirokastra will not be only a tourist destination but also a centre of cultural research?

There is a high interest on the part of foreigners and international organisations to work in Gjirokastra. In July 2010, the United Nations and GCDO, with the support of Spanish funding, set up a centre for the training of the handicrafts in Gjirokastra. The “Cultural Heritage Without Borders”, a Swedish organisation with a rich international experience,  is cooperating with GCDO for two years now with the goal to restore two houses which will serve as premises for restoration camps for students from Albania and abroad. Students of cultural heritage come here to learn about the methods of restoring the wood and the roofs of the characteristic houses of Gjirokastra as well as how to prepare the typical wall plaster that the locals use for their own house walls. 

How present will iso-polyphonic music be in this museum?

We are pleased that organisations such as Vodafone Albania Foundation are interested in the cultural heritage of Albania. The support of this foundation will help us to ensure the presence of iso-poliphony in the museum. This type of music in which several different tunes are sung together at the same time is not only a local tradition; it is also of unique value to our nation.

Are young people interested in this musical heritage?

There is no school to learn iso-polyphony in Albania. Yet, it was always sung at weddings and other occasions. Fortunately, the tradition of singing in cafés has been retained by people in Gjirokastra. It often happens that several men gather in a café in the old bazaar of Gjirokastra and begin singing. But the youngsters do not spend much time in the bazaar. So, it was important for us to make an effort in order to find a way how to pass iso-polyphony on to the other generations. GCDO and one of the best local singers of this type of music, Roland Çenko, proposed a project to the English Vodafone Albania Foundation. This organisation is running a programme called The World of Difference. Vodafone Albania found the project attractive and financed it. Competitions are being held in the nine secondary schools of Gjirokastra. At the end, the two best groups will record CDs with their songs. Women also like to sing “iso” showing that this genre is no longer only a male tradition.