Kosovo Promises to Probe Alleged Theft From Restored Castle

Kosovo's Ministry of Culture has pledged to investigate claims made in a scientific paper published in Serbia at the end of 2021 that archaeological items were stolen from the medieval castle of Novoberde/Novo Brdo in Kosovo during its restoration in 2015 and 2016 by a company from Belgrade.

The article in the Journal of Archaeological  Science: Reports, titled "Mummified animal skin with tar content from the castle of the late medieval town of Novo Brdo - (Central Balkans)", was written by authors from several Serbian institutions - the Institute of Archeology, the National Museum from Belgrade, Serbia and the Faculty of Technology, University from Novi Sad.

It is based on findings made during the 2015-2016 restoration of Novoberde/Novo Brdo Castle, listed as a Special Protective Zone under Kosovo law.

Belgrade-based company that carried the restoration, Koto, told BIRN that they "performed absolutely all conservation and restoration works with the valid permission of the competent institutions in accordance with positive legal regulations, professional rules, methodology and technology, and fully in accordance with the project and with appropriate supervision of the competent authorities".

"All research of this important medieval site, as well as the above-mentioned conservation and restoration works were carried out in accordance with applicable legal regulations, valid permits and the highest scientific standards", they told BIRN.*

Authors of the paper did not respond to BIRN inquiries about the claims of theft by the time of the publication.

The paper recalled that archeological excavations in Novoberde/Novo Brdo were carried out in two main phases, firstly from 1952 to 1969, with short breaks, focusing mainly on...