The new Archaeological Museum of the Institute of Archaeology will be underground. Following a Council of Ministers (CVM) that commits the Albanian Development Fund to follow the process, Minister of Culture Blendi Gonxhja told reporters that the museum will house the artifacts.
"It is good news that the Albanian government, through the Albanian Development Fund, which is building an underground parking lot, will create an underground museum for the artifacts of the Institute of Archaeology. This is also important for a city that welcomes more tourists," the minister said.
It is currently unclear what space it will occupy, as the initiative is apparently in its initial phase and the design has not yet been done.
"As a museum, it will pass all levels of approval from the National Heritage Council and the Museums Council, and this is where our involvement in the ministry's work comes in, as far as this part of the approval of museumization and certification is concerned. Today there is a small, improvised museum there, which has an environment for which the Academy of Sciences has long requested its return to a museum," Gonxha added.
While with the issuance of the VKM, concerns were raised regarding the land areas of the Albanological Institutes, their future fate, namely the rectorate area and the areas of the former Albanological Academy, Gonxha explained:
"There is no danger or threat to the premises that are currently in use by the institutions. There is no situation whatsoever for the premises above ground. As for the warehouses that are being used to hold these inventories, they may be part of a review, but this will be done with care for the facility itself, which is a cultural monument in itself," the minister said.
At the media conference, Gonxha spoke about increasing budgets and revenues in cultural institutions.
