-
By:
Shaban Maxharraj
- April 22, 2025 07:47 am
- Share to:
A notice from the Municipality of Pristina regarding “rehabilitation” works on “Agim Ramadani” street has alarmed cultural heritage institutions. The Municipality has been asked not to carry out any works until the permits stipulated by the laws in force are obtained, as this is in the Historic Center of Pristina, where several cultural heritage assets are located. Despite this, works were carried out over the weekend, causing erosion of the asphalt. This has led to the opening of a new “conflict” between central and local institutions.
The Municipality of Pristina and cultural heritage institutions are not finding a common language. An announcement by the Municipality of Pristina about “rehabilitation” works on “Agim Ramadani” street has alarmed cultural heritage institutions. The Municipality has been asked not to carry out any works until the permits stipulated by the laws in force are obtained, as this is the Historic Center of Pristina where several cultural heritage assets are located. Despite this, works were carried out over the weekend, causing erosion of the asphalt. This has led to the opening of a new “conflict” between central and local institutions.
The Municipality of Pristina on Thursday of last week issued a notice for "Temporary traffic restriction on 'Agim Ramadani' street".
"We inform you that from Saturday, April 19, until Monday, April 27, one side of the "Agim Ramadani" street - from the Komuna district to behind the National Theater - will be closed to traffic, due to rehabilitation works that are necessary after damage caused by heavy vehicles," the announcement reads. It was also announced that there will be works during the weekend, while during the weekdays there will be works from 19:00 to 07:00.
Following this announcement, the Regional Cultural Heritage Center was activated. On Friday, the Regional Cultural Heritage Center addressed the Municipality of Pristina with a request for compliance with the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage regarding developments in the perimeter area and protective zones of cultural heritage assets. Through this letter, it also informed the Cultural Heritage Inspectorate.
“Referring to the announcement by the media about the start of rehabilitation construction works on 'Agim Ramadani' Street, as you are also informed through official documents, 'Agim Ramadani' Street is located within the boundaries of the Historic Center of Pristina, defined in 2020, an asset under legal protection, category: architectural heritage, subcategory: field of architectural conservation”, it is written at the very beginning of the document. In this document, the Municipality is informed that these rehabilitation works are planned to be carried out in the protection areas of architectural cultural heritage assets, including the Bazaar Mosque, the National Museum of Kosovo, the National Theater of Kosovo, the Municipal Court, the former Cadastre, the First Albanian School and a residential house also under protection.
“Consequently, the implementation of these works and all other interventions in the perimeter area and protective zones of cultural heritage assets, without the approval of cultural heritage institutions, constitutes a violation of the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage,” the document states. The municipality is hereby informed that before undertaking any construction or planning action, the competent authorities are obliged to obtain consent from the Kosovo Institute for the Protection of Monuments through the Pristina Regional Cultural Heritage Commission.
"In this context, we request that you do not begin the implementation of these works until all necessary permits have been obtained, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage," the letter sent to the Municipality of Pristina states.
Despite this, during the weekend, interventions were carried out in this part of the capital, causing erosion of the asphalt.
On Sunday evening, KOHA tried to get a response from the Mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, but he did not respond.
In January of this year, the Kosovo Institute for the Protection of Monuments rejected the Municipality’s request for approval of the project for the construction of the underpass on “Agim Ramadani” street. It was assessed as a project that “affects the change in the urban condition of the core of the Historical Center and has negative impacts on cultural heritage assets and contributes to the disappearance of traces of cultural heritage”. Despite this, the Municipality has issued a notice for the selection of the consortium that is expected to implement the project for 5.8 million euros. But the contract has not yet been published.
The Cultural Heritage Institutions and the Municipality of Pristina are in constant conflict. Last week, the Municipality did not approve the project for the “George Bush” Square. Recommendations have been given, requesting additional clarifications such as an analysis of the urban and historical context. The IKMM letter requests the interpretation of the new buildings envisaged in the project.
The finding that the project violates the integrity of the monuments is also included in the letter that the IKMM sent to the Municipality of Pristina on Wednesday of last week. All this was done after the Municipality signed a contract with the contractor worth 18.4 million euros, the works were stopped twice by the Inspectorate of Cultural Heritage and the case was sent by both parties to the justice institutions.
The works have begun without regard to the Law on Cultural Heritage, which requires consent from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments when interfering in the protected areas of monuments or within their perimeter. Political clashes are a separate episode.
The IKMM has informed the Municipality of Pristina that this project will address seven squares, such as the Cathedral Square, the “Faik Konica” School Square, the commercial square of “Garibaldi” Street, the “George Bush” Street Square, the Concert Square, the Recreation Square and the Student Square. Five of these squares, according to the IKMM commission, are located within the boundaries of the protected area of the Historic Center of Pristina as well as within the perimeter of the protective zones of monuments such as the National Library of Kosovo, the Rectorate of the University of Pristina, Radio Kosovo, the “Grand” Hotel and the Central Bank of Kosovo. According to the letter, the project has been supplemented with six recommendations.
"The architectural interventions (new buildings) designed in the Cathedral Square, which includes 'Justiniani' Street, and the 'Faik Konica' Primary School Square should be proposed with contextual design interpretations," the recommendations state, among other things.
Procedurally, after the Municipality implements the recommendations of the Commission, it will resubmit the project to the IKMM and then it will be reviewed again.
The municipality has already signed contractual relationships worth over 25 million euros for these projects.
Between the two work stoppages, the Municipality filed a criminal complaint with the Cultural Heritage Inspectorate. On the other hand, the Ministry of Culture has requested the Kosovo Police to investigate the Municipality of Pristina.
In its request to the Kosovo Police to investigate the Municipality, the Ministry of Culture mentioned all the cases. It had explained that the Law on Cultural Heritage stipulates that in situations where works are carried out near monuments, written permission is required.
“Any intervention that affects the integrity or values of cultural heritage requires written permission from the competent institution,” states Article 4 of the Law on Cultural Heritage. It also states that the competent institution orders the immediate cessation for an indefinite period of time of any unauthorized work on cultural heritage.
“The application for a permit for the construction of buildings or other creations within the protected area of an architectural monument, or within an architectural conservation area, or affecting the environment of an assembly, is submitted for consideration to the competent institution. The competent institution has a veto on the granting of such a permit. If the competent institution does not respond within 15 days regarding the application for the construction of buildings or other developments, the permit may be determined by the relevant planning and construction authority,” is stipulated in Article 9.
The request for investigation explains that according to the Law on Construction in Protected Areas, municipalities do not issue construction permits, but the Ministry of Environment. According to the MCYS, the Municipality of Pristina has not even complied with this law, committing successive violations. The representatives of the MCYS justified the non-stopping of works on the “Rexhep Luci” road with the decision of the Commercial Court through which the execution of the decision of the Mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, to close this road was postponed.
