The widespread heritage of Modern Tirana

The project is based on exploring architectural routes through mapping and valorization of buildings from the interwar or the Modern Movement period in Sarajevo. The choice of walk-and-talk method was intentional: spatial movement and encounter with visual accents (as opposed to the form of lecture or publication) significantly affect the quality of interpretation and perception of the environment.

The architectural achievements of the interwar Modern Movement in Sarajevo are small in quantitative terms, while they are very valuable in qualitative terms. The architects who created them are the pioneers of avant-garde ideas in the field of culture, education, construction, and modern architectural thought in this region. Achievements in the field of housing deserve a special attention.

With this research project, the ICOMOS National Committee in B&H continues to promote the 20th century architectural heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although very diverse and rich, this heritage is still insufficiently presented and researched.

Achievements from this period are least valued in our society and profession and are not recognized as a common value necessary for upgrading cultural and urban identity. Significant radical shifts in modern architectural thought began in the interwar period in Sarajevo (1918-1940). The architectural heritage of this period presents sincerely the spirit of the time in which European avant-garde movements and schools emerged.

This influence is indisputable when it comes to socio-economic, cultural and artistic trends in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the questions having been raised by their protagonists are still relevant today.

Author: Corrado Castagnaro