Butrinti National Park

Description

The Butrint National Park, in Albania, was created in November 2005. It protects 85.91 square kilometres of historic landscape, archaeology and environment.

The Butrint National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Albania. It is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country with an archaeological sequence that runs from the Bronze Age to the 19th century. A number of major monuments are still extant, the city walls, late-antique baptistery, Great basilica, theatre and Venetian castles. In addition to the archaeological remains the site is robed in natural woodland with a complex ecosystem that depends on the nearby presence of the freshwater Lake Butrint and Vivari Channel which drains 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 centre 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 programme of events in the theatre, concerts and performances, and outreach programmes for local schools and colleges. Some 57,225 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.