The restoration of the Durrës theater overshadows the monument at its foundations

The “Aleksandër Moisiu” Theater in the city of Durrës has coexisted for decades with the Ancient Baths – one of the city’s most important archaeological monuments. Dozens of columns up to 10 meters high, which are installed on the surface of the Baths, support almost half of the 60-year-old theater building.

But while the theater is undergoing restoration through funding from the Municipality and the Ministry of Culture, the archaeological monument continues to remain in its shadow.

According to Bjord Xhafa, a tour guide, the termini are not part of most tour group programs, as visiting them is inappropriate.

"The stairs are difficult to descend, while the bushes are quite present. Not to mention that although it is located in the basement of the building, the monument remains completely unlit," said Xhafa.

The ancient terms were discovered in the early 1960s by Professor Vangjel Toçi, delaying and changing the project of the Durrës Cultural Center.

"It was a time of important discoveries in the center of Durrës, from the mosaic named "The Beauty of Durrës" to the city's ancient Amphitheater," recalls archaeologist Brikena Shkodra.

The Municipality of Durrës has announced that the investment for the restoration of the building will cost around 5 million euros, most of which will be financed by the local government institution. The investment includes the entire upper part of the building, but the part of the columns that ensure coexistence with the ancient baths will remain intact.

Shkodra says they have not yet been introduced to the restoration project and it is unclear whether the intervention will also affect the thermal baths.

"We are not familiar with the project, but on the other hand we know that there have been no checks on the condition of the columns on Terma," she added.

Researcher and archaeologist Eduard Shehi told BIRN that a book on the excavations at the Roman Baths is now ready for publication, which also provides details about the elements of the building designed by architect Valentina Pistoli, which was inaugurated on February 8, 1965.

According to him, 43 of the 7-10 meter high columns were erected in an irregular manner so as not to damage the ancient monument, while 16 others were erected within the walls of the building.

"The columns where the side part is held are shorter," said Shehi, referring to the areas where the elements of the thermae (baths) such as the Tepidarium, Caldarium and Frigidarium (lukewarm, hot and cold water) are located.

The theater is now surrounded by scaffolding with photographic banners of the project, as well as the railings of the ancient Baths.

Aishe Stari and Haxhi Rama, two veteran artists of the "Aleksandër Moisiu" theater stage, also remember the time when the monument was discovered.

“I started working a few months after the theater was transferred from the Cinema Theater, which later became known as “November 14,” said the Grand Master, Haxhi Rama, who continues to contribute as a director.

The main concern of the artists continues to be the designation of the building as a Theater, finding another solution for the palace of culture, with which the two institutions coexist.

"I remember the excavations of the foundations, which also led to the discovery of the terms," ​​said Aishe Stari.

Archaeologists appeal for more care and attention for the 1900-year-old monument at the foundations of the "Aleksandër Moisiu" theater.

"In a second restoration phase of the "Aleksandër Moisiu" Theater, intervention in the columns could also be considered as a priority, increasing security in the 60-year-old building," concluded Shehi. Reporter.al