Journal on built & natural environment Published by GO2 Albania
No. 38, August 2025 Distributed for free
2025. Albanian Alps Summer School II: During field survey, detailed data were collected for about 122 buildings of various functions in Nikç. Photo: GO2
In this issue: Summer School of Albanian Alps II carries out the first detailed mapping of a upland settlement in Albania FAQE 1-2 “To Remember, One Must First Record” — Community Day in Nikç, Kelmend, Albanian Alps FAQE 5
“Hut to Hut” Family Tour in Kelmend
FAQE 3
Nature Before Man, and Man Before Nature – and Himself. Reflections and Notes from an Inspiring tour through the High Pastures of Kelmend FAQE 4-6
A Journey Through the History, Soul, and Pride of the Kelmend High Pastures FAQE 4
Once among the most remote and least urbanised villages in the region, Nikç is now emerging as the most comprehensively documented settlement in Kelmend—a progression driven by nearly two years of dedicated fieldwork led by GO2Albania. The initiative began with a series of exploratory visits aimed at familiarizing the team with the terrain. During these visits, GO2Albania invited professionals from a range of disciplines—including architects, archaeologists, conservators, architectural historians, journalists, anthropologists, GIS experts, biologists, and forest engineers, representing universities and research centres across Albania, Kosovo, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Peru, and the United States. Through this multidisciplinary team, in addition to technical reports in their respective fields, the visits produced detailed archaeological observations, documentation of vernacular architecture and settlement patterns, as well as extensive audio-visual interviews with local residents for ethnographic and anthropological studies. Aerial drone photography conducted at altitudes of 50–200 meters has resulted in a high-resolution orthophoto of the village, captured in the spring of 2024. This orthophoto now serves as a foundational layer for ongoing data collection and analysis, which GO2Albania experts are continuously updating within a Geographic Information System (GIS) database. This foundational data has also been presented and discussed with international experts during GO2Albania’s working visits to universities and research centres in the United States, Belgium, Italy, Kosovo, Portugal, and other countries. The purpose of these exchanges was to draw on global experience with similar approaches in upland settlements across various continents—including the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia—in order to design a transdisciplinary methodology for mapping the cultural landscape of Nikç. This methodology is intended as a pilot that could later be extended to other villages throughout the Albanian Alps. The drafting and development of this methodology required several months of collaboration and refinement, incorporating the various layers of information necessary to construct a comprehensive database structure for the area. As a result, the methodology integrates intensive architectural survey, including primary data collection through measurement and photographic documentation of buildings, structures and cultural landscape elements. It also includes interviews with local residents, GPS-based mapping through field walks, and the 2024 orthophotos as a spatial reference. This being said, over a year of preparatory work was required to organize the Second Edition of the Summer School of the Albanian Alps, held under the theme “Mapping the Cultural Landscape.” The school took place in Nikç, in the Cem Valley of Kelmend, from July 11th to 21st, 2025. In addition to applying the methodology and collecting data, the school aimed to provide non-formal education to a new generation of young professionals through handson fieldwork and laboratory-based activities. The goal was to help participants understand the evolution and formation of a settlement—specifically, a mountainous one in the continued on page 2 Albanian Alps.