 |
| The moment of the demolition of the National Theater in Tirana |
 |
| By drone: The Broken National Theater and the protesters |
The letter was distributed on social networks by the Alliance for the Protection of Theater:
Full letter:
 |
| Copy of Europa Nostra letter sent to Nina Obuljen |
Dear Madam Minister, Dear Madam Chair of the EU Council of Ministers,
On the eve of tomorrow's meeting (via video conference) of the EU Council of Ministers at which EU Ministers of Culture are expected to adopt the Council conclusions on "Fostering European cooperation with regard to cultural heritage at risk", we urge you to transmit to all members of the EU Council our strongest condemnation of the brutal demolition of the National Theater in Tirana which took place yesterday.
As you might know, a large alliance composed of artists, intellectuals, heritage experts and civil society activists have been fighting - for several years now -for the preservation (with necessary renovation) of the National Theater in Tirana. Europa Nostra has expressed its support to these endeavours as early as in 2018, during the European Year of Cultural Heritage and has conveyed our concerns about the planned demolition of this Theater to the highest authorities of Albania. More recently, the National Theater in Tirana has been included on the 2020 List of 7 Most Endangered Sites in Europe. This was made public on 24 March 2020 jointly by Europa Nostra and by our invaluable partner the European Investment Bank Institute. The European Commission -through EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, has also expressed its support to the safeguard of all sites included on our List, including the National Theater in Tirana.
Following last week's dangerous escalation of the situation caused by the transfer of the responsibility for the Theater to the Municipality of Tirana and a decision to demolish the Theater - taken behind closed doors - by the Municipal Council of Tirana, Europa Nostra made a public statement opposing any attempts to demolish an emblematic building located in the protected historic ensemble in the centre of Tirana, and supported by experts and civil society activists. EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel the next day urged the Albanian authorities to engage in a constructive dialogue with civil society and experts of cultural heritage before taking any irreversible decisions. Moreover, the President of the Republic had submitted a request to the Constitutional Court of Albania to examine the legality of the decision by the Municipal Council to demolish the Theater.