OSCE Mission helps preserve Kosovo's historic cultural heritage

The Roman and early Byzantine ruins at the archaeological site of Ulpiana, just ten kilometres from Pristina, are an eloquent testimony to Kosovo's rich historic past. However, this cultural jewel, built between the first and sixth centuries, is a rather sad site these days. Its most notable features are dumped garbage bags and damaged artefacts.

The most recent rampage by vandals at Ulpiana, in May this year, resulted in one of the third-century sarcophagus covers being damaged. This moved the OSCE Mission in Kosovo to call emergency meetings with all relevant stakeholders to stop further damage to this archaeological treasure.

The OSCE Mission is charged with human rights promotion in Kosovo and one of its tasks in this area is also to monitor the protection of cultural heritage and to inform the Kosovo authorities whenever cultural heritage - be it cultural objects or freedom to exercise customs - are being threatened.

Protecting culture

"Our aim is to encourage co-operation between different institutions, governmental and cultural, so that they find practical solutions for the rehabilitation and protection of cultural heritage," says Mentor Zeka, a member of the OSCE municipal team covering Pristina.

Such was the case with the Ulpiana site. Once the Mission became aware of the recent damage at the site, it held consultations with the Museum of Kosovo, the Kosovo Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments, the Ministries of Culture, Youth and Sports and of Education, Science and Technology, as well as with Pristina municipality.

"The immediate outcome of the meetings was the posting of guards at the Ulpiana site by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports," says Zeka. A private security company is now watching over the site 24/7.

Attitudes must change

But according to Kemajl Luci, an archaeologist from the Museum of Kosovo, this is not enough. "Attitudes among local officials must change. The fact that the sarcophagus was damaged in the first place is evidence of the lack of care," he says.

He also notes that Kosovo has a rich and diverse cultural heritage, from churches and bridges to old customs such as arts and crafts, representing many communities and traditions in Kosovo which deserves protection and preservation. "This needs to be done for the benefit of all the people of Kosovo," he adds.

Zeka largely agrees with Luci. They both think that a more positive attitude by the authorities towards cultural heritage would help reconcile the ethnically-divided population of Kosovo. "Cultural heritage protection would also foster tourism, which could bring in the money we need to preserve cultural monuments," points out Luci.

A more proactive approach

But the situation at the Ulpiana site suggests that the authorities need to adopt a more proactive approach to cultural heritage protection.

"Kosovo's cultural heritage is constantly exposed to the risk of destruction. If nothing else, many of the open sites are threatened by climate conditions," says Luci.

To help counter this trend, the OSCE Mission is organizing a four-day workshop on cultural heritage on 17-20 June. Each day will be hosted in a different regional town and will include different municipal stakeholders. "We will use the workshop to come up with concrete recommendations on who should do what for the preservation and protection of Kosovo's cultural heritage," says Zeka.

In 2007, the OSCE Mission - drawing on work done by UNESCO, Council of Europe and relevant public bodies - created a list of cultural heritage sites in Kosovo, which includes some 25 cultural heritage sites identified as priorities that require immediate attention.

"We will also use the upcoming workshop to try and develop action plans for the protection of these sites, which will become effective immediately," adds Zeka.

Hopes for the future

The OSCE Mission has also supported excavation activities at the Ulpiana site organized by the Museum of Kosovo. These "Ulpiana Archaeological Youth Camps" brought together young people of different ethnicities for four consecutive summers from 2004-07.

Luci hopes that the OSCE will continue to support the youth camps, but he also fears for the future of the excavated artefacts. Only two per cent of the 88 hectare site has been excavated since it was first discovered in 1949.

"We expect that the June workshops will have some concrete results. We have to ensure that the protection and guarding of the sites is no longer done on an ad-hoc basis," he concludes.