Revisiting Durrës, A Critical analysis on the existence of Durrës Historic Centre

Author: Marsela Plyku Demaj, Iden Buka
Affiliation: POLIS University

Abstract
Durrës, a seacoast city with an uninterrupted urban life and a history spanning several millennia, has seen the influence of numerous civilizations, from the Illyrians, Greeks and Romans to the Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans, embodying and displaying a rich inventory of archaeological, cultural and architectural heritage.
Its consistent strategic importance has continuously attracted urban development often negatively impacting layers of history and unfortunately erasing in many cases significant tangible archaeological and architectural testimonies from different periods. It is worth noting that the historic layers of 20th century including neoclassical, premodern and communist architecture is one of the layers that is mostly unstudied and generally underrated. Triggered by the fact that the underground of Durrës was one of the three first Albanian urban ensembles designated as “Museum City” since 1961 and that there was a specific regulation drawn for the protection of the historic centre since 1986, the question remains: what constitutes now the historic centre of Durrës?
In attempting to respond to this question, this paper examines the city’s morphological evolution in both urban and architectural scale, aiming to define what can now be defined as the historic core of the city. The study adopts the Historic Urban Landscape approach, promoting a holistic understanding of the heritage urban layers and their significance.

Keywords: Archaeological Heritage / Durrës Historic Centre / Historic Urban Landscape / Urban Morphology