Newsletter

Issue nr. 5
This special issue is dedicated to the new publication of the Centre for Cultural Heritage
Trakult Centre.
Trakult Centre, new future
Between Glory and Fall is written by Ilir Parangoni
with
contributions by Oliver Gilkes and
by Karen
Knigt
Emily Glass. Foreword by Brian Ayers and liner notes by Patrick Martin (President of TICCIH
- The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage). The book was
funded by the Trakult Centre and Albania Holidays DMC

Centre for Albanian Cultural Heritage - Trakult Centre

Rr. Sulejman Delvina 40, Shkalla 2, 7/4, Tiran
trakultinfo@gmail.com
mob. +355 (0) 69 21 75579
www.trakult.wordpress.com

Liner notes
Ilir Paragoni and his colleagues have given us an excellent introduction to a littleknown region and period of industrial heritage. By describing and explaining
the development and subsequent decay of Albanias industrial infrastructure, they
illustrate the path of industrialization of a nation poorly known to much of the
world.
Following a unique and fascinating trajectory, profoundly influenced by inputs from
neighboring nations and ultimately shaped by Communist regimes in Yugoslavia,
then Russia, and finally China, Albanias industrial history is a key component of
her modern heritage and identity.
Richly illustrated and clearly written, this book will fill an important gap in world
appreciation of this nations history.
Patrick Martin
President, The International Committee on the Conservation of the Industrial
Heritage
Professor and Department Chair
Department of Social Sciences
Michigan Technological University

Preface
The moody ruins of a failed industrial dream are one of the most visual legacies of
communism in Europe. The decayed and ivy clad remains of Albanias experiment
with industrialisation still litter the country and are one of the things noted by
visitors. However, they are fast disappearing being recycled into the modern
European nation that Albania has become, dismantled and converted. This book
aims to give an historical overview of Albanias recent past through industrial
development. It is addressed to those who are interested in Albanian history and
past society.
We begin by examining the earliest traces of industrialisation in Albania, passing
through the interwar years and ending with the fall of communism in the early
1990s. There is a strong emphasis on the communist period, a time when the
country saw a massive industrialisation effort. We focus on the history of Albanias
modernisation achievements through industrial development rather than from
a primarily political viewpoint. An examination of one of the major products of
this vanished industrial dream, the bunkers, and their fate, provides a sense of
the geopolitical xenophobia behind this drive to autarchy. The relics of socialism
have created new monuments, which stand alongside those ancient sites for which
Albania is famous, and we conclude by looking at the romance of ruins in the 21st
century.
If you would like to purchase a copy of the publication, please send an email to
trakultinfo@gmail.com

Plant 12, Elbasan

3

Centre for Albanian Cultural Heritage

(Trakult Centre)

Support Us
The Trakult Centre mission is to protect and promote Albanian
Culutral Heritage.
The support of our donors is critical to sustaining our work. We
are grateful to all the donors and volunteers who support our
work.
If you wish to support Trakult Centre, please contact us at:
trakultinfo@gmail.com
Website
www.trakult.wordpress.com