"House of Independence" with few visitors, Rugova Residence under lock and key

There are two monuments with which the initiative for the preservation and disclosure of the not only political legacy of former president Ibrahim Rugova was concretized. Museum "House of Independence of Kosovo - dr. Ibrahim Rugova" is open, but there are few visitors. "The residence of the president dr. Ibrahim Rugova" in "Velani" is also closed on the day that marks the 15th anniversary of the death of the former president of Kosovo

On the day when the 15th anniversary of the death of former president Ibrahim Rugova was marked, his legacy was faintly commemorated. There were enough tributes to the grave from different political groups that were more like electoral pre-campaigns than honoring the former president who led Kosovo during the occupation, war and freedom.

However, the peripheral commemoration does not end unless it belongs to a ceremony that, for this last year, can also be justified by the circumstances created by the pandemic.

There are two monuments with which the initiative for the preservation and disclosure of the not only political legacy of former president Ibrahim Rugova was concretized. But, while the museum "House of Independence of Kosovo - dr. Ibrahim Rugova" is open, the residence in "Velani" has its doors closed to visitors.

The building, which since January 2008 has been the "House of Independence" had initially served as a painter's studio and then as the headquarters of "KosovaFilm". But, in 1987, it would be given to the Writers' Association of Kosovo. At that time, the chairman of the Association, Ibrahim Rugova, would meet the architect Sali Spahiu to discuss the adaptation of the building. In 1989, when the LDK was founded, Rugova was elected chairman. The building became the headquarters of the party.

The architect Sali Spahiu would meet with the former president and, following his request, he would employ in detail an adaptation project.

also Culture December 18, 2023 "House of Independence" through the historical curves of state building

"He called me for a meeting. He said: 'We have to adapt the object, rather because we will have different meetings and so on'. I worked on the project and Habit Krasniqi with his company did the arrangement without any payment. So dr. Rugova started holding meetings with foreign delegations, Friday meetings, for press and television here," Spahiu recalled on Thursday, who visited the not so well-known museum together with the TIME team.

On the day when it has been 15 years since the death of Rugova, who was a literature researcher, he said that after the war, in August 2000, the former president had invited him again.

Rugova would meet the architect of the former Entity for Urbanism and Design to talk about the future of the building located on the north side of the stadium in Pristina, which was named after the football player Fadil Vokrri. The former president, according to Spahi, had proposed that the ground floor be a museum and through additional constructions, spaces for youth and cultural activities would be created.

"I said that the facility is too small for these purposes, dr. Rugova listened to me carefully and agreed with my opinion. I told him that this building should remain as 'House of Independence' or I don't know what it was called. However, with the signs of violence on the facade and authentic on the inside", he recalled, as he explained the meetings in an authorial text published in the Culture Supplement of "Koha Ditore" on Sunday of last week on the eve of the anniversary of the death of the former president.

But Spahiu says that the building has lost its authenticity, which should not have happened. That is why he is disappointed.

The last exhibition, which is now located there, was inaugurated on December 24 of last year, on the anniversary of the establishment of the LDK. "Peaceful resistance and state building 1989-1999", is its title. The "house..." had other artifacts. They were some of the personal belongings of the former president Rugova, and since February 2018 they were brought to the Museum of Kosovo, when for the first time the highest museum institution in the country became a permanent exhibition.

In the exhibition "Resistance..." with curator Shkumbin Brestovc, historical photographs, explanations of the political and social context of the 90s, as well as the main events that outlined the history of the most defining period of Albanians in the former Yugoslavia.

also Culture 17 January 2021 Meetings with President Ibrahim Rugova

Everything starts in Rugova's former office of 11 square meters. Within a glass frame, the tragic period of poisoning of students in high schools all over Kosovo has been captured.

"In the period March 19 - December 6, 1990, about 7.000 people were poisoned with the military poison sarin. This poisoning began 3 days after the end of the school segregation process...", is written inside the text accompanied by a map of Kosovo showing the places where the mass poisoning of students is located.

"The part of the former office of Rugova is a story that starts from antiquity, from Albanian myths, the Middle Ages, the rule of the Ottoman Empire and a chronology of the events of that time, coming up to the year 1989", explained the director of the "House of Independence" ", Bekim Gashi.

Everything ends with photos of Rugova with many personalities of the world and his quotes regarding the solution of the Kosovo issue during the 90s. He attributed the lack of interest of visitors to the pandemic.

"During the summer months, we have an increased number of visitors. There are also many foreigners. But, during 2020 and at the beginning of this year, the pandemic has taken its toll," said Gashi.

Unlike the "House of Independence of Kosovo", the residence of the former president is closed. It does not seem to arouse much interest for visitors, but not even the competent institutions promote it and make it functional as a museum.

The residence has received the status of a monument since April 2016. Since then, the Ministry of Culture pays 12 employees to take care of that space. KOHA also reported in the past that "The residence of the president dr. Ibrahim Rugova" is not accessible to visitors.

also EVENING NEWS 21 January 2025 Ibrahim Rugova is remembered as the architect of independence

On Thursday, very briefly, one of the employees was seen in front of the Residence, who explained the closure to the pandemic circumstances. According to the case in which the granting of the monument status is justified, it is clarified that during the review of the documentation, five spaces were found to be under protection: on the ground floor, there is the Reception Hall, the Main Hall, with accompanying spaces, the Cabinet of the former president, The Crystal Room and the Solemn Hall.

"Inside the residence of the president dr. Ibrahim Rugova' has paintings, numerous photographs of President Rugova's meetings with local and foreign dignitaries. The stone in the fireplace of the president's work cabinet was made by the president's grandfather Rugova. This stone was made in 1910, as part of the tower built in the early 1900s", the explanation reads. It explains that during the years 1996 to 1999 in this residence, Rugova held intensive meetings with the American ambassadors, Richard Holbrooke, Christopher Hill, the American senator Bob Dole, the British ambassador, Brian Donnelly, the German ambassador, Wolfgang Ischinger, the Austrian ambassadors Wolfgang Petritsch and Albert Rohan. , who carried out the organization of the Rambouillet Conference, which resulted in the start of the NATO bombing of Serbia, on March 24, 1999. However, the visitor cannot see all of this. Not even on the day that marks the 15th anniversary of the death of former president Rugova.