The recent upheaval of stones from the ramparts above the southern entrance to Ulcinj's Old Town has once again lit a red light among the locals who are looking out for their own safety as well as for the safety of tourists or passers-by.
In half a year, this is the second spill of porous rock and miraculously there were no injuries and no material damage, since the stones flew onto the street leading to the Great Scaffold.
The incident was witnessed yesterday by stones whose trajectory was stopped by a retaining wall built a few years ago.
President of the Society of Friends of the Old Town Karamanag excrement he said that this is a very dangerous part of the ancient walls, but that no one takes care of it.
"The same thing happened before the season. Here it is again, and no one does anything, even though we wrote to the competent institutions. We are very angry with the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property, because they are doing something everywhere except here, where it is urgent. Should someone get killed so that they remember us," said Karamanaga.
He reminded that fifteen years ago, when there was no wall, the stones fell on the cars parked on the street and damaged them.
"Earlier, when there was an Institute, there was a project to strengthen this dilapidated rampart. It seemed like a solid solution to me, but no one from the Administration pulled it out of the drawer and rolled up their sleeves. In fact, we don't even know who works there since the Institute was split."
The collapsed walls in the sea, in the immediate vicinity of the disputed unfinished building, also on the southern side of the ancient fortification, testify to the carelessness of the competent government departments. That part of the walls slipped into the sea at the beginning of January 2021, due to heavy rains and continuous, unplanned disposal of rubble and waste from a nearby building.
"Although we had promises from all sides, no one took any action. And the Kosovo embassy alone donated ten thousand euros for the rehabilitation of those walls. Now everyone is silent, even though our walls are collapsing and endangering the safety of not only our homes, but also the lives of everyone else who passes and walks there," said Karamanaga, emphasizing that urgent action must be taken in both places.
The former local administration announced in March of last year that all the conditions had been met for the rehabilitation of the collapsed ramparts to begin soon. Former Secretary for Utilities Adnan Alibegu he confirmed this to the News, stating that the necessary funds have already been provided and that the necessary written consent has been obtained from the company "SJ Property" for the use of part of their plot within the old city walls for the purpose of carrying out works.
"All prerequisites for the repair of the wall have been created and the work should start as soon as possible in order to avoid major damage," he said to Alibegu at the time.
In the meantime, there were local elections and a change of government, but also turbulent events at the state level surrounding the formation of a minority government.
Also, immediately after the demolition of the walls two years ago, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports announced that they would provide money for the rehabilitation of the walls, and that, in cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism, they would work on the permanent protection of the cultural property Stari City of Ulcinj.
Despite everything, the restoration of the walls has never started, the rocks are collapsing now and in other places, even though the Old Town, which has existed for two and a half millennia and is one of the oldest on the Adriatic, has long been declared a Category I Monument.
Bonus video:
