From Adem Kormaku
Memorie.al / A life filled with events. A life full of energy, with hard work, all in the name of an ideal, the construction of the country. From Stebleva to Tirana. From Tirana to all the districts of Albania. These were the years when Albania had turned into a great construction site. A life filled with events, to some extent unbelievable for today’s time. But that was the system, and that was the time. It was the period when idealism preceded personal economic interests.
How did we build the secret wartime facilities?
In the State Reserve, Division 101/K, we continued the construction of warehouses in Baldushk, in Petrelë near Tirana, where the brigade of Baki Rada worked, with technician Rasim Ajazi. We also continued work on the “Lumi” facility in Kërrabë (the state treasury facility), etc.! Day by day, the work in this enterprise increased, and the workload was very high. Meanwhile, when we were at the peak of our work, we received an order and started working on the “X-79” treasury facility in Linxë near Tirana, a project under the administration of the Ministry of Finance.
After this, or rather in parallel at that time, we were assigned the task of constructing living facilities for the Ministry of Defense, for aviators, the construction of facility 7310, within the territory of the Military Hospital, the construction of the Institute for Defense, a building that later became the National Commercial Bank (BKT), etc. This enterprise constructed two buildings for the institute and the Geological Research Enterprise, under the direction of engineer Marketin Topollari.
We were also tasked with the construction of two facilities designed by the Defense Design Institute, which would shelter the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in wartime situations. These were important facilities regarding the functions they would perform but also technically challenging, as they required a high level of security, or more precisely, construction works that had not been undertaken up to that time. One of these facilities is near the Prime Ministry, which was attached to the existing building, and the other near the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or more precisely, in the square between the two ministries, between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Construction.
The facility was directed by engineer Edmond Demiri. The construction of this facility encountered significant challenges, starting with the foundation work, the construction of concrete walls with double iron reinforcement, where the slab covering the facility was 2.2 meters thick, while the iron reinforcement, in the first 50 centimeters, consisted of seven layers of iron and continued with others, all made with concrete grade 350. The calculations were such that even if a bomb fell on it, it would remain completely stable.
Meanwhile, at the Prime Ministry, a slab of 1.8 meters thick was being constructed, also with iron reinforcement similar to the previous one, using concrete grade 350. The engineering-technical staff of the enterprise consisted of selected, dedicated, and sacrificial individuals who, along with construction specialists, miners, drivers, and maneuverers, bore the brunt of the most difficult jobs at Construction Enterprise No. 10. Due to the extremely large volume of work, the work fronts were distributed across many districts of Albania, and workers had to spend weeks and months away from their homes.
At the same time, they had to face other difficulties, as the conditions were less than ideal; the mess halls and dormitories in remote locations were improvised, and food was transported with supply vehicles. I say this with complete conviction: they were wonderful, self-sacrificing, hardworking, and optimistic people, committed to fulfilling all the tasks assigned to them on time, regardless of the significant sacrifices required. This is precisely where the successful realization of such important facilities lies.
Simultaneously, these sacrifices were also faced by the cadres. It is hard to forget their contributions, among which I can mention: Engineers Kosta Bozdo, Arjan Kokolari, Ndriçim Kote, Edmond Demiri; technicians Mahmut Tola, Rasim Ajazi; construction masters Adem Durma, Gjergj Panoti, Ferit Rustemi; brigadiers Feta Koçi, Alush Muça, Baki Rada, Izet Ajazi, Shyqyri Shehu, Shaziman Kamberi, Ismet Murati, Sytki Picoku, Mitro Marku, Ismail Kuburi, Bashkim Hasmuça, Tefik Curri, etc.!
I cannot forget the skilled miner masters Hysni Uka, Tahir Gjoni, Rizman Lami, Dali Uklala, Allaman Bici, Sul Elezi, Sali Shehu, Zyber Billa, Sali Caskoni, etc.! I will also add the self-sacrificing drivers, true heroes: Taqo Mara, Aristidh Qendro, Bim Subashi, Astrit Kullaku, Edmond Pashai, (Puqo), Lirim Xhelili, and the two talented Belarussian drilling maneuverers, Elez Dallaku and Ferat Shatku—talented people and workers, who you could be sure would accomplish any task they were given with quality and within the given time frame. A special contribution was also made by the workshop of this enterprise, to the tireless manager Thanas and the production sector manager, Hamit Driza.
In the “Block” of the Leadership in Tirana.
We had a serious work ethic in the “Block,” as we called it then, where we were engaged in the maintenance of housing for the leadership of the time and important government facilities located in this territory. Here, every assigned task was completed on time and with high work quality. The two construction technicians, the sector leader, Mitro Dhandaniti, and the master technician, Koço, were committed to their work until delivery. The masters who worked in this sector have been mentioned above, along with other distinguished individuals from this enterprise.
During the seven years that I directed this enterprise, in all successes and ratings without exception, I had by my side wonderful people and skilled specialists, like chief engineer Enver Doda, a young engineer but skilled and persistent in his profession, for whom I hold the best memories and the greatest respect; as well as many engineers, administrative staff, brigadiers, and ordinary workers, who were always at the forefront of work—noble, tireless, and cooperative people.
This enterprise had specific characteristics that needed to be managed successfully, as a failure, even if accidental, had consequences. We managed to succeed thanks to the work and commitment of the wonderful people who left their mark in the construction of this important sector, whom I thank without exception.
In the Direction of the Maintenance of Social Facilities (N.M.O.S.)
By decision of the Executive Committee of the People’s Council of the Tirana District, to improve work in services for schools, kindergartens, nurseries, health centers, and other facilities for education, culture, and health, the Enterprise for the Maintenance of Social Facilities was established. At the beginning of 1984, a time when I had a long period in the direction and management of various other important enterprises and sectors in the field of construction, I was appointed director of this enterprise.
Thus, a new enterprise was created, with the administration of essential sectors. Understandably, the difficulties were immense, starting from the organization of the enterprise itself, its administration, respective sectors, and up to the organization and management of work in specific facilities. I had good experience in these aspects, but still, a lot of effort, endeavor, and sacrifice was required to succeed. There was no more time for waiting; we set to work on organizing this enterprise. Among other things, we created the main sectors of this enterprise, which were: The painting sector; the construction sector; the specialist sector (plumbers, electricians, carpenters); the production sector…!
In this aspect, one of the primary concerns was the fact that the existing old facilities were extremely dilapidated, requiring additional work and material resources to bring them into full operation. However, thanks to the professionalism of the team with which I started working in this enterprise, the support from the state structures of the time, and the commitment of all employees, management personnel, specialists, and ordinary workers, we managed to create a good environment for the normal progression of works, which I want to emphasize were of a broad and diverse range.
A contradiction or another problem that required resolution was the mismatch between budget funds and the concrete needs of the facilities, where new investments and the expansion of services required additional funding. However, with the difficulties that arose, we were able to mitigate this obstacle, marking a new level in the quality and timing of services. In this aspect, in a short period, the sectors took shape and started working normally, thus reflecting a change in the concrete state of services.
During the four years that I directed this enterprise, despite the heavy workload, thanks to cooperation with all the factors both within and outside the enterprise, I was able to timely accomplish all the planned tasks as well as those that arose from the circumstances or were mandated by the state supervisory structures. I cherish the best memories of this time with my colleagues, collaborators, and even the simple specialists.
In 1988, the Executive Committee of the People’s Council of the Tirana District passed another study for the reorganization of municipal enterprises, transferring the activities of this existing enterprise to the Municipal Housing Enterprise, according to the sectors established based on neighborhoods. During this period, I became the head of the personnel department at the Tirana Greening Enterprise, where I worked until 1994.
Tirana-Mat’hauzen-Tirana (Fragments from the Diary)
We do not know why we were called to the Ministry of Construction. It was August 15, 1968. We were summoned by the minister himself, Rrahman Hanku. Also present was Robert Kote, the designer of the memorial who was tasked with communicating with us. It was I, Taqo Miho, and Llazar Mazniku. All three of us worked at the “21 Dhjetori” Enterprise in Tirana in different sectors.
None of us knew the reason for this urgent call. After we exchanged greetings, the minister, Thoma Deliana, told us: “By order of the leadership and personally of comrade Enver Hoxha, the Minister of Education and Culture, we have been tasked with organizing the work for the construction of the Memorial dedicated to the fallen Albanians in the infamous camp of Mat’hauzen in Austria.
There, many countries have built memorials. You are tasked to carry out the work on this facility of special importance because this facility will represent the Albanian state…! Robert is the engineer who designed the project, while the sculpture will be realized by Odise Paskali. By the festivities of November this year, this memorial must be completed. For this, you, along with the designers, need to detail the project, provide the necessary material base, and even the smallest items, as you will take them from here, since you will not find them there.
“You must think about things with responsibility and precision, from the tools to the smallest material. An order was given to the ‘Josif Pashko’ Construction Combine and the ‘21 Dhjetori’ Construction Enterprise to provide any necessary material for the construction of this facility, all with proper documentation. All funds for the construction of this facility are provided by the Ministry of Education and Culture.”
We immediately gathered as a working group, and after making the preliminary assessment of the work, as well as breaking down the necessary material base into every item, we sent orders for their production according to sectors, while we focused on controlling the quality of the products, such as decorative stones, marble slabs, surface and layer coverings, bronze letters for the inscriptions on the column pages, etc.! After a month of preparation, we had the entire material base ready and went, as we were, to report to Minister Rrahman Hanku. We told him that we were ready to depart.
On this day, we were also summoned by the Minister of Culture, Thoma Deliana. He explained to us in detail the importance of building this memorial, the political and state significance as a facility representing the Albanian state. We had a warm conversation with him, touching on the details of the difficulties that might arise during the work. The minister had complete and good information about us and confidently wished us success in this important task.
A few days later, we were called to an office at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where we received our travel passports for abroad, as well as some other instructions from them. The three of us were emotional, happy, but also anxious about this important task and the responsibility entrusted to us. We eagerly awaited the departure date.
September 20, 1968
It was a tense situation in the country, as a result of the worsening relations between Albania and the Soviet Union, due to the military aggression of the Soviets who invaded Czechoslovakia. We were summoned to the Military Department of Tirana (a call-up with a red line) to be mobilized as reserve forces. We told them about the task we had received and that we were ready to depart for abroad. After waiting for a response for nearly half an hour, the contact officer told us to leave and continue with the task assigned to us. But we were tense…! Radios roared with the speech of Mehmet Shehu denouncing the Warsaw Pact. In Tirana, drills were being conducted with alarm sirens, and the lights were turned off. The army had received orders for combat readiness. Everything was in motion and under control.
September 23, 1968
It’s the day of departure. It is 16:30, and we are at the ‘21 Dhjetori’ enterprise where three trucks with trailers are parked, loaded and ready on time. Our families had also come out to see us off. My mother, along with my wife, Sanije, and our young son, Përparim, had come to bid me farewell. We parted with sadness and tears. We set off to sleep in Elbasan, as tomorrow we had a closer distance to the border crossing point of Qafë Thanë. We spent that night in tourism in Elbasan. We were emotional. Memorie.al
