Butrint National Park
Encyclopedia
Butrint National Park (Albanian
: Parku Kombëtar i Butrintit) is a national park
created in November 2005 and located in the southwestern extreme of Albania
. It protects 85.91 square kilometres of historic landscape, archaeology
and environment
. The park's boundary includes the seaside municipality of Ksamil
..
The park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country containing different artifacts and structures which date from the Bronze Age up until the 19th century. A number of major monuments are still extant including the city walls, late-antique baptistery, great basilica, theatre and Venetian castles. In addition to archaeological remains the site is robed by natural woodland
with a complex ecosystem which depends on the nearby freshwater Lake Butrint
and Vivari Channel
which drain the lake into the Ionian Sea
. It is this combination of historic monuments and natural environment that makes Butrint
such a unique place, a 'landscape with monuments' as beloved of the Grand Tourists of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Park was created by the Albanian Ministry of Culture in partnership with UNESCO, ICCROM and ICOMOS. The underlying intention was to create a sustainable cultural heritage resource involving local communities and national institutions to serve as a model for other parks around Albania. The park is now a major center for archaeology and conservation training schools organised by the Butrint Foundation in partnership with the Albanian Institutes of Archaeology and Monuments, foreign universities and international specialists and consultants. There is an active program of events in the theatre, concerts and performances, and outreach programmes for local schools and colleges. Some 38,225 foreign tourists visited the archaeological site in 2005. By 2008, this figure had risen to 58,547 (source: Butrint National Park published figures).
The site is part of the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance.
In 2010, national authorities demolished over 200 illegal structures in Ksamil
that violated the town's master plan and the integrity of Butrint National Park. On the other side, locals pretend that a selective campaign was conducted instead. The remainings of the demolished buildings have yet to be removed by authorities.
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
: Parku Kombëtar i Butrintit) is a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
created in November 2005 and located in the southwestern extreme of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. It protects 85.91 square kilometres of historic landscape, archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
. The park's boundary includes the seaside municipality of Ksamil
Ksamil
Ksamil is a municipality in the riviera of Southern Albania, built in 1966 and part of the Butrint National Park.It is located south of the city of Sarandë off the road to Butrint and is part of District of Sarandë...
..
The park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country containing different artifacts and structures which date from the Bronze Age up until the 19th century. A number of major monuments are still extant including the city walls, late-antique baptistery, great basilica, theatre and Venetian castles. In addition to archaeological remains the site is robed by natural woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
with a complex ecosystem which depends on the nearby freshwater Lake Butrint
Lake Butrint
Lake Butrinti , formerly known as Lake Vivari or Lake Vatzindro , lies in the south of Albania in Saranda. It is in fact a lagoon. It overlooks the Ionian Sea and it is quite large in size. Beside it is the Butrinti site which is full of ancient history and is one of Albania's most popular tourist...
and Vivari Channel
Vivari Channel
The Vivari Channel links Lake Butrint in Albania with the Straits of Corfu, and forms a border of the peninsula of Butrint....
which drain the lake into the Ionian Sea
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
. It is this combination of historic monuments and natural environment that makes Butrint
Butrint
Butrint was an ancient Greek and later Roman city in Epirus. In modern times it is an archeological site in Sarandë District, Albania, some 14 kilometres south of Sarandë and close to the Greek border. It was known in antiquity as Βουθρωτόν Bouthroton or Βουθρώτιος Bouthrotios in Ancient Greek...
such a unique place, a 'landscape with monuments' as beloved of the Grand Tourists of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Park was created by the Albanian Ministry of Culture in partnership with UNESCO, ICCROM and ICOMOS. The underlying intention was to create a sustainable cultural heritage resource involving local communities and national institutions to serve as a model for other parks around Albania. The park is now a major center for archaeology and conservation training schools organised by the Butrint Foundation in partnership with the Albanian Institutes of Archaeology and Monuments, foreign universities and international specialists and consultants. There is an active program of events in the theatre, concerts and performances, and outreach programmes for local schools and colleges. Some 38,225 foreign tourists visited the archaeological site in 2005. By 2008, this figure had risen to 58,547 (source: Butrint National Park published figures).
The site is part of the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance.
In 2010, national authorities demolished over 200 illegal structures in Ksamil
Ksamil
Ksamil is a municipality in the riviera of Southern Albania, built in 1966 and part of the Butrint National Park.It is located south of the city of Sarandë off the road to Butrint and is part of District of Sarandë...
that violated the town's master plan and the integrity of Butrint National Park. On the other side, locals pretend that a selective campaign was conducted instead. The remainings of the demolished buildings have yet to be removed by authorities.