Abandoned Buildings and Memory . The Importance of The Buildings of The Past in The Identity of The City

Author: Keti Hoxha
Affiliation:  Polis University

Abstract
It is evident that public buildings are crucial and inseparable elements for a society. While people perform in these spaces their everyday life activities, they get connected to each other as a community. Through these activities an emotional bond is created with these objects, becoming a meaningful presence for the city. All of these public spaces not only have a vital importance for people, but are closely associated with the society’s identity. In cities where fast urban growth and development has happened; several public buildings, once considered as monumental, have been left non-functional, partially unused or even converted their functional activity due to historical, political, social and economic changes. This phenomenon has negatively affected the overall condition of the city and its image. Such types of structures are evident in the central areas of Prishtina, which are considered as important identifying areas for the cultural and historical background of Kosova . The research takes in consideration the functional conversion of public buildings of the past in relation to the image of a city; also their importance to the society, represented by one of the most monumental structures located in Prishtina, “The Sport and Recreation Centre ‘Boro and Ramiz’”. Through analyzing the relation of this specific public building with the society, culture and memory, the importance of such building typology for maintaining the identity of a culture, and the necessity of these buildings to remain public and to maintain their function is expounded.