The background
In the early 1990s, the late journalist Horst Wesseler founded the organisation Europeans for Albania. The goal was
to help this country during a very stormy transition phase from communism to democracy. In the beginning, medical supplies,
clothes and food were brought to Albania. Later, contacts were brokered, for example between the community of Weilerswist
and the Albanian city of Kruja.
I knew Mr. Wesseler and his family because like them I belonged to the liberal Free
Democratic Party (F.D.P.) in Weilerswist, and so I became one of the club's founding members. And I was one of the members
acompanying the first convoy to Albania.
The trip
The German armed forces had left us three old vehicles from the stocks of the army of East Germany, which we sent to Trieste
by train. There, we took a ferry via Bari to Durres. To many West Europeans, Albania was so exotic back then that many of
my colleagues confused the country with Asian CIS republics like Kazakstan. My explanations that the country was instead
located vis-a-vis from Italy on the Mediterranean were often met by amazement.
However, the stalinist leadership of
Albania had indeed forced the country into decades of isolation. And the rest of Europe was hardly prepared for the sudden
opening of the country - it was most evident in the port of Bari. On one of the buildings, there was a welcome written in
big letters - in Italian, English, French, and Croatian. Apparently, a welcome was not designe for Albania.
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Impressions
Back then Albania was considered the poorest country of Europe. In Summer, thousands of Albanians had occupied ships in the
port of Durres, to leave the country via the Adriatic Sea. Some might remember the dramatic images from the port of Bari,
where those ships finally landed. Some embassies had been occupied as well, and the embassy quarter was still sealed off by
police when we were there.
The few hotels were extremely expensive, without even coming close to Western standards, and in
all of Tirana there was just one private restaurant. Still there was private initiative everywhere, and after all those years
of isolation, the people were very interested in meeting foreigners.
Albania was and still is a very scenic country, with
nice sandy beaches on the coast, and impressive mountain ranges in the midland. However, 40 years of communist misgovernment
had left many scars, like those numerous little bunkers, which were spread all over the country.
The communists had
caused particular damage to places of worship. Enver Hoxha had declared Albania the world's first atheist state, and for
years religious activities were severely punished. I will never forget our visit to an orthodox church in Elbasan. The
communists had taken all icons, and sold them abroads for hard currency. The profit from such sales benefitted almost
exclusively the ruling families Hoxha, Shehu, Alia etc.
Because of its neighbourhood to Ex Yugoslavia (Kosovo conflict),
primarly however because of inner frictions between left and right, Northern and Southern tribes the country still has not
found to general stability. And that is such a shame, because apart of its scenic landscape, Albania also has wonderful,
hospitable people.
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