Austria will conduct three archaeological projects in Albania

Austrian and Albanian archaeologists gathered at a round table to commemorate the 100 years of the Austro-Hungarian contribution to Albanian archeology and to discuss three new projects that will be conducted by Austrian archaeologists.

The three projects in Albania

The first project will focus on the restoration, maintenance and archaeological excavations of the Kanina castle.

The second project will be conducted in an ancient archaeological site near Apollonia.

The third project - the largest and the most time-consuming - will take place along the river Vjosa, with an estimated duration from 5 to 10 years.

The main purpose of these projects is the promotion of Albania and its archaeological treasures.

"I think that the Albanian will be presented worthily in Europe in this way."- said Sabine Ladstatter, director of the Austrian archeology institute.

The director of the Albanian archeology institute, Luan Perzhita, said that the Albanian government will contribute financially to these projects undertaken by the Austrian Institute. According to Perzhita, the projects will be implemented over different periods of time.

The history of Albanian archeology

The history of Albanian archeology includes three stages of development: the first, from the beginning of the 14th century to the 1939, dominated by foreign archaeologists; the second that corresponds to the communist era of archeology, from the 1945 to the 1990, and the third that begins in the 1991 to date and that represents a new phase of national archeology intertwined with foreign projects.

The Austro-Hungarian presence in Albanian archeology, however, is evident in the writings of Theodor Ippen from 1900 to 1908. In the writings, in fact, we find the interest shown by the monarchy in northern Albania, with descriptions of monuments, churches and residences.

Ippen was also named consulate general for the monarchy in Albania and was a connoisseur of our country, its areas, its language and its traditions.

The second example of the Austro-Hungarian impact in Albania is that of Paul Traeger Karl Patsch, who in the 1922 collaborated in the creation of the first national museum in Albania. In the 1904 he also published "Berat's sandzak ", a vast collection of photographs and detailed descriptions of ancient monuments of Berat, Myzeqe and Vlora.