Today, on the International Museum Day, we remember the international exhibition of contemporary art at the Archaeological Museum of the Prizren Region.

Autostrada Biennale in its second edition has selected the Archaeological Museum as an exhibition space for contemporary art.

During the two-month program, numerous educational and cultural activities were carried out with different age groups.

Autostrada Biennale thanks the Regional Center for Cultural Heritage and the Ministry of Culture for their close cooperation.

The second edition of Autostrada Biennale was curated by Giacinto Di Pietrantonio.

The Archaeological Museum is part of the hammam, built in 1498. The founder is assumed to be Shemsudin Ahmed Bey. Lacking written sources, it’s unknown until when it was used as a public bath, however by the mid-19th century a clock tower was built by Eshref Pasha Rrotulli over the hammam’s hot area, meaning that the hammam must’ve stopped functioning as a bath since then. The archaeological research in 2003 found remains of the cold area of the hammam where a residential building was built, so the hammam was partly ruined since the 19th century. The building was neglected and used by the surrounding residents as a storehouse until 1972, when restorative and conservation works began. In 1975, the facility was solemnly inaugurated turning the hammam into a Museum, featuring archaeological materials from sites of the Prizren region. The Museum presents a unique building with 2 typologies as well as many exhibits of high historical and scientific value.