Inauguration ceremony – Castle of Preza

The Inauguration ceremony was organized on the 15th of May 2022, to celebrate the finalization of a very challenging and important work, the restoration and structural reinforcement of the two towers and the fortification wall between them, at the Castle of Preza.

The ceremony was attended by the local community of Preza, the CHwB Albania team and their collaborators in the project, the company that implemented the works LEON konstruksion, together with all the workers and craftspeople part of this project, the Minister of Culture, the US Ambassador, the Swedish Counsellor and Head of Development Cooperation and many more other guests.

Back in November 2019, the earthquake severely damaged the Fortification of Prezë, causing the collapse of the upper part of the clock tower including the roof, the four columns, and part of its masonry. A large part of stone masonry of the round tower and the fortification wall that connects the two towers also suffered heavy damages.

Therefore with the financial support of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) and Sweden, and the scientific support of the World Monuments Fund, Cultural Heritage without Borders Albania (CHwB Albania) designed the interventions and coordinated the restoration and reinforcement process for the damaged site.

Some of the main interventions include the repair and reinforcement of the round tower’s foundations, the reconstruction of collapsed masonry in both towers and structural reinforcement to improve the seismic capacity of the structures. This project was implemented between April 2021 – April 2022.

Therefore the 15th of May represented a very crucial moment of reward for all the work, commitment and everyday struggle that went into the complete recovery process of this monument but at the same time a moment of joy, due to the fulfilment of a vow taken with the community of Preza, to give them back an important symbol of their city.

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