"Negative" Cultural Heritage: destruction or conservation?

Abstract

In the 21 century cultural heritage has been piling up. We have now more buildings worth preserving than ever. What was considered last century as modern architecture is today considered as cultural heritage. A growing awareness towards heritage followed by a growing number of national and international organizations is emerging everywhere. Unfortunately not every historic building can be preserved or restored. They often become an obstacle to urban planning on account of their maintenance costs and inadaptability to the dynamic of modern development. Which type of cultural heritage needs to be preserved then? As a strong element in the building of national identity, heritage is often charged with meanings that can change as result of political shifts. Much sharper is the question of what to do with heritage that reminds us of a painful or distressing period. Although our study analyzes examples of heritage conservation experiences, in different countries, its core questions concerns Albanian preservation policies. It attempts to open a debate between architects and conservation experts on which kind of heritage represents the best Albania nowadays and what needs to be protected. The study is organized in three parts. In the first part the study will consider the concept of heritage and its links with national identity in the Balkans. In the second part we will analyze elements that contributed to building of Albanian identity. Lastly we will study how national identity reflects in the Albanian cultural heritage conservation policies in three periods, the period from independence to the Second World War, during the communist regime and lastly nowadays conservation. We will focus on a current issue: the history of the construction of Tirana's city center, its importance in the urban organization and political significance and whether we need to keep or destroy buildings inherited from communist and fascist periods.