The arrest of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj earlier this year reopened the issue of reconstructing the old Ulcinj Belediye municipality building, between the Clock Tower and the Namazgjah Mosque in Čaršija, and turning it into a maritime museum.
Last year, Erion, in his capacity as mayor, promised that Tirana would finance the project, worth close to one million euros, and that it would be a gift from the Albanian capital to a city with a long and glorious maritime tradition.
The proposal for that decision was first supposed to be decided by the Tirana Assembly, but in the meantime, in February of this year, Veliaj was handcuffed on the orders of the Special Prosecutor's Office (SPAK), which suspects him of money laundering, concealment of assets, and active corruption.
The main initiator of the project, MP and senior Force official, Ilir Čapuni, confirmed that events and changes in leading positions in Tirana have disrupted the planned dynamics and projected deadlines.
"Unfortunately, we have a delay caused by sudden changes in the leadership of Tirana and the elections that are being held in May. However, the new mayor is familiar with the promise and the procedure, and we are receiving assurances from all levels that the promise will be fulfilled," Čapuni told "Vijesti".
He reminded that the Ulcinj budget for this year also includes 200 thousand euros for the reconstruction of the former city hall, which is almost in ruins.
The Beledija building has two floors, with about 255 square meters, the same amount of land as the building.
The preliminary design for the reconstruction was created by the late Ulcinj architect Saim Nimanbegu.
Čapuni previously said that the former municipal building has all the necessary papers and permits for reconstruction.
His initiative on the urgent need for Ulcinj to have a maritime museum received support at the end of 2023 from the then newly appointed Albanian Ambassador to Montenegro, Žaklina Peto, as well as Veliaj.
Čapuni stated that the displays and exhibits would be created by the people of Ulcinj and then announced the formation of an expert group that would deal with collecting old maps, documents, paintings, artifacts...
The area around Beledija is planned for the installation of model ships and their parts, anchors...
"Just the section covering the Battle of Lepanto, in which the people of Ulcinj participated, would take up more than 100 square meters. Ulcinj's maritime tradition is very rich. More than half of the book History of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of Montenegro, by Dinko Franetović, refers to Ulcinj," Čapuni said at the time.
Pasha's house and Jol Zec's house in Pristan were previously considered as possible locations for the maritime museum, but the people of Ulcinj chose the old municipal building.
While he was the president of the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly, Čapuni proposed that a maritime museum be built on the waterfront, next to the Seamen's Mosque, on the site of a former supermarket that was previously owned by the Municipality. He recalled that the Ulcinj shipyard, Škver, was once located on that site, and assessed that the museum would complement the offer of Ulcinj and especially of the waterfront, which, as he said at the time, apart from the Turbe, the Seamen's Mosque and the Monument to the Victims of the 1979 Earthquake, has no other sights that could attract tourists throughout the year.
However, the majority of councilors voted for the sale of that location for about one million euros for the construction of a hotel, leaving Ulcinj without an important facility.
Bonus video:
