Discovering and preserving Albanian's heritage to build the future

Albania has a rich and varied cultural heritage; valuable traces of a millennialong-history that remains relatively undiscovered. Surrounded by a landscape of outstanding natural beauty, exceptional symbols of its people’s tradition, identity and memory stand unknown, very often not properly managed or protected. In recent years, great efforts have been made by international organizations, in close cooperation with Albanian administrations, to remove these precious remnants of the past from oblivion, bringing their historical and architectural qualities to light. A number of initiatives designed to create favourable conditions to transform them into catalysts for cultural and socio-economic development have been implemented, not always without difficulties. Based on a direct experience in the field, the authors of this paper, conscious of the importance of understanding and respecting the past in building the future, take stock of the current situation and analyze the lesson learned from these activities.