Durres Amphitheatre, one of the most important cultural heritage sites in Albania, sustained damages due to the devastating earthquake that hit the country on November 26, 2019. Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Minister of Culture Elva Margariti visited the Amphitheatre’s perimeter, where work on its reconstruction and revitalization is underway. Culture Minister highlighted an important fact of the project designed to enrich least known parts of the Roman Amphitheatre.

“The rehabilitation work has been delayed after the archaeological findings unearthed most recently, other spaces we were unaware about,” the Culture Minister said.

A series of projects on restoration of other historical and culture heritage sites are scheduled to start next week. “This whole area is included on a plan under another concrete design already prepared. Since it is a historical site, it has not been treated like all other development areas with mandatory plans, entailing rehabilitation of facilities, but also for the fact that it is an archaeological site, a special design has been prepared. The design, in addition to the rehabilitation of these historical objects, there is a system of this entire historical area. All these alleys will be transformed, just like it was the case with the projects we have implemented in Vlora, to turn this into a real historical center,” Margariti explained.

The ancient Roman Amphitheatre located at the city’s centre and just 350 metres from the sea is recording a growing number of local and international visitors each year, and as such it offers an opportunity for the city’s development. “The project is designed to revitalize the entire area. A majority of the functions around the Amphitheatre should adapt themselves to the fact that this is an open air museum. This will create the entire surrounding habitat a good opportunity for interaction. The project should continue and further extend to include the site’s upper part in order to provide more spaces for visitors to see. This will help tourism and local economy to develop further. This is one of the most visited areas by foreign tourists,” Minister of Culture Margariti said, underling that “the goal is that this project becomes part of the major Engatia road project.”