Yet another piece of national archeological heritage is put at risk by construction work. In the National Park of Butrint, recognized as UNESCO World Heritage site, work has started for the construction of a building next to an ancient wall.
TV station OraNews showed several images from inside the national park, where the construction is clearly visible.
According to OraNews, the building that is being constructed is a bar and director of the Butrint National Park Gjergji Mano has declared that the building permit for within the park has been issued by the Ministry of Culture.
The area fenced off as a construction site is known as the Acropolis of the city of Butrint, near the Venetian Tower. There is so far no information about either the company working on the heritage site, or the permits and deadline pertaining to the work. It is illegal to start public construction work without an information sign.
The Butrint National Park was declared a cultural monument by the Albanian state in 1948. In 1992, it was recognized as a World Heritage site by UNESCO and included on the list of Monuments at Risk in 1997.
It is not the first time that UNESCO World Heritage is threatened in southern Albania. In Gjirokastra, a corrupt tender of the government for a bypass would destroy several Ottoman houses and pose a risk to the archeological heritage of the city.
