Kulturarv utan Gränser
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Integrated Conservation, Prizren
Within the framework for the 
Advisory project Cultural Heritage without Borders arranged a two-week long workshop in November 2002 on the theme of Integrated Conservation in Prizren, Kosovo.
A request was received from the concerned authorities to strengthen the administrative capacities of the heritage institutes. The object for study was the historical town centre of Prizren, which had been protected by law since 1956 but of which only about 30% remained. Systematic neglect and the war had been to the detriment of the built historical environment. There were two ideas behind the choice of the theme, partly to raise the issues of conservation to a level beyond the narrow and static constraints if viewed in terms of monuments, and partly to train different authorities to work together. The workshop focussed on giving town planners, architects from the heritage institutes and trainee architects common problems to solve so that the planners had to deal actively with conservation issues and the institutes had to concern themselves with economic and social issues as part of their planning work.
Results from this workshop have been brought to use when Cultural Heritage without Borders assumed responsibility for coordination of the rebuilding the World Heritage candidate Prizren after the ethnic violence in March 2004. Cultural heritage without Borders is working in this project for an active international involvement from UNESCO, European Council and European donor countries. The aim is to achieve cooperation across borders with experts and specialists from the whole of the Balkans so as to save and protect the historical centre of Prizren.
Funding Sida, Ministry of culture, Kosova, Prizren town council
