Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al brings the unknown history of the old intellectual family of Shkodra, Saraçi, where its suckers, like the sons of Zef and Roza Loro Gurakuqi who graduated from the universities of Vienna, after 1944 ended up in the prisons of the communist regime of Enver Hoxha by passed a real ordeal until the 1990s. The story of Fatbardha Mulleti Saraçi, wife of Kolindo Saraçi, about the sufferings and vicissitudes of that family…
One of those well-known intellectual families from Shkodra, which was severely hit by the communist regime of Enver Hoxha since their coming to power in December 1944, was the Saraçi family, who lived on the street of the same name, opposite hotel “Sokrati”, next to the Prefecture, which before the ’90s is known as: Street “Jorgji Karamitri”. But what was the origin of the Saraçi family, since when were its ancestors known in the city of Shkodra and who were the suckers that came out of its trunk and kept alive the family tradition? Where were Zef Saraçi’s sons educated, what jobs did they do during the years of the Zog Monarchy and during the fascist occupation of the country, and why was that family hit by the communist regime of Enver Hoxha immediately after the end of the war? Who was Professor Angjelin Saraçi, one of the most famous people of that family, why he was arrested by the State Security and how he was robbed of his whole house together with his very rich library, which he continued to search for written from time to time to the communist authorities who were commanding in the city of Shkodra at that time? Regarding the history of this family, we know the testimony of Mrs. Fatbardha Saraçi (Mulleti), the wife of Kolindo Saraçi, Angjelin’s brother, the most famous of that family, who now have only two very young sons, who for their own age does not know well the past of that family.
follows from the previous number
Angjelin Saraçi has a doctorate in Vienna
But who was Professor Angjelin Saraçi, where was he educated and where did he serve after returning from the university studies he finished in Vienna, Austria? What political stance did Angjelin Saraçi take during the years of the fascist occupation of the country and why was he arrested by the communists since their coming to power at the end of 1944? How Angelin was robbed of his entire house by the communists along with the large library he owned and his vicissitudes in search of that library. How did Angjelin’s life go after his release from the investigation and under what circumstances did, he die in Tirana where he lived until 1986 alone? Regarding this, Mrs. Fatbardha Saraçi (Mulleti), the bride of Angjelin’s nephew, Kolindo Saraçi, testifies: “Angjelin Saraçi was born in 1906 in the city of Shkodra and when he reached school age, his two parents, Zefi and Roza (Gurakuqi) was sent to attend classes at the college of frets in the city of Shkodra, one of the most famous of that time. After graduating from that school, Angjelin Saraçi was sent to Austria where he studied at the classical gymnasium in Krems an der Donau, which he graduated in 1926. He then attended higher studies at the Faculty of History-Geography at the University of Vienna., which he completed with very high results in 1930. A year later in 1931, Angjelini defended his diploma and doctoral dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Science, in which he presented the topic entitled: “Geschichte Nordalbanies bis Stephan Nemanja” (History of Northern Albania to Stefan Nemanja). His scientific work consisted of 98 pages with 8 pages of bibliography. After defending his scientific degree, Angjelini returned to Albania and the Ministry of Education of that time appointed him a lecturer at the classical gymnasium of the city of Shkodra, where he served with great dedication until 1943. Throughout that ten-year period, except for the subjects of His teaching that he gave near that gymnasium, was also engaged in scientific work going through all the regions of Northern Albania, where he collected various materials with which he compiled a very rich history of those provinces. Among them it is worth mentioning those of the Dukagjini area, whose manuscripts consist of 527 pages and those of Zadrima of 141 pages. Also, around 1943 when Kosovo was under the administration of Albania, he collected materials for that province, which consist of about 30 pages in manuscript. Having deeply anti-communist political convictions, during the years of fascist occupation of the country, Professor Saraçi joined the Balli Kombëtar organization and in June 1944 he joined two ballistic youth battalions that went to fight against the Chetnik forces in Kosovo. But after the end of the war and the coming of the communists to power, this cost Angjelin a lot, as the communists considered him an enemy of the people and arrested him in the beginning of 1945 ″, Fatbardha Saraçi (Mulleti) remembers about the past of the professor Angjelin Saraçi, a well-known Shkodra intellectual who graduated in Vienna, Austria.
What did the Security rob Professor Saraçi?
After being released from the investigation in early October 1945, where Professor Saraçi stayed for more than six months in extremely serious physical and mental conditions, he could not return to his home, as it had been raided and seized by the Security of State since his arrest. Given the situation in which it happened, Professor Saraçi became angry and his close family members have testified that more than anything, he only felt sorry for his very rich library which was almost completely looted. After that, Angjelini immediately started the long odyssey to search the competent bodies of the city of Shkodra, all that we had taken from him and seized unjustly. Thus, initially, he sent a long letter to the District Command in Shkodra, in which he wrote:
“The undersigned professor Angjelin Saraçi submits the petition as follows: In the last month of this year I was arrested by the forces of the People’s Defense Brigade and I was imprisoned for more than half a year and then I was released without appearing in court as innocent… At that time, as they were fleeing politically, the property that I had from the forces of the former Corps III, the People’s Defense Section, etc. was seized from the entities whose property is listed in the attached list. Since I have been acquitted as innocent, I demand that my estate be returned or paid to me. I add that I have valued all the seized items as after the market price that are sold today and it has not been priced higher so that we can come down and get to the real price. I am in a very bad economic situation and I ask that Command with an intermediary where it is necessary for the return of the belongings or their payment as after the value that is listed in the attached list. I add that if the good material will be returned to me, I will be assigned a reward dam. Tue is waiting for an answer,
Signed
Professor Angjelin Saraçi
Theft and destruction of the library
While in the list attached to that request where it is about the library robbery, Angjelin Saraçi, among others, wrote:
“Library 1.
Several thousand Napoleon paper at least… Fr, gold 70000. a. Tedeshk and Shqyp books, magazines, atlases and various newspaper collections are missing. Books are torn. With the loss and destruction of books and newspapers, collections have been destroyed, which must be replaced to make valuable those that have been left over, which are unlikely to be old. They can be found by chance (opportunity) if they are sold. Of those that are left, many are dirty, some have dropped the covers (cartridges) which require a lot of money for improvement. To get the library back on track, the only option would be to go to Austria on my own, where I can shoot the case which causes great expense and downtime.
- I have lost two Pelikan (Stylish) stylographic pens with a few spare gold pen tips each. Three to four large bottles of first quality Pelican writing ink (pages) for Pelican Stylus Feather.
- Some forty white (writing) white paper balls of the Austrian brand leyka, Italy, (most) of the unbranded French bought from a friend who brought them from France.
- A large number of letters etc of autarkic writing.
- A very large amount of other material such as: very new cartridges with oil polish, good papers to wrap books, etc.
- “A kilo of Naftaline grain to salt the books so as not to leave you alone.” Below this letter where Professor Saraçi presents the list of items stolen from his library, he has presented another list, which he calls: “The mirror of Brother Lori’s clothes taken from the military forces, which were in his house” eme “. At the end of that list of stolen clothes and items, Saraçi has put their amount in money which consists of 246677 Albanian Francs.
Captain Sabri Sevrani: We do not return the property
Following Professor Saraçi’s request for the return of the looted property, the Shkodra District Command returned a reply stating:
“Professor Angjelin Saraçi. Shkodra. We inform you that your request to this Command on the return of the confiscated property and qi as after the lists submitted by you have the amount fr. Wit. 246677? Based on the order no. 05-1917 / Dated 1.XII.1945 of the Directorate of People’s Defense is not taken into account, after the measures that have been taken against illegals, interns and others, such as burning houses, seizures of other property in the previous time, they do not return. Shkodër, on 14 / I / 1945.
District Commissioner Captain and District Commander
Milo Qirko Captain Sabri Sevrani.
After this answer, Professor Saraçi was forced and wrote to the General Command of the Army in Tirana and after that letter, the General Command of the Albanian National Army based in Tirana, sent a letter to the District Command in Shkodra, in which It reads:
“Tirana on 6 / XII / 1945. Explanation of the letter no. 01196 dated 12.11. 1945. attached are the lists sent with the above letter for which that Command had to act through the People’s Defense Section there to clarify the issue and find out where they are and from where the materials obtained by Professor Angjelin Saraçi were used. to conduct relevant investigations through the People’s Protection Section as well as from this Command where the items listed are located. For this, in case of need, address the persons who carried out the requisition at that time. How to prove the above and if that Command will not be able to complete this issue, send us the acts for review. Commander of the Mrapavija Major General (Dali Ndreu) But even after this letter, Professor Saraçi did not get back anything from the property that had been robbed by the partisan forces after his arrest.
The mystery of death in solitude in Tirana
Regarding the life of Professor Angjelin Saraçi in the years following his release from the investigation in the autumn of 1945, Fatbardha Saraçi Mulleti testifies: u occurs in a rather bad economic situation. Seeing no other option, he fled Shkodra and initially settled in the city of Berat where he worked for some time as a teacher. In 1949 he moved to Tirana, where for a short time he managed to work as a specialist at the National Library, but from there he was fired very soon for biographical reasons. After that he also worked as a foreign translator at the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography and later he was arranged as a translator for a group of East German geologists who had come to Albania at that time for research. After retiring, Angjelini remained in a very miserable economic situation, as he had not managed to start a family and lived completely alone in a small apartment somewhere in the “Ali Demi” neighborhood. To make a living, he started selling the books of his very rich library, which few could have at that time in Tirana and in whose fund was also the entire fund of the library of the former Austrian consul in Shkodra, Theodor Ippen , which Saraçi had bought in Austria by spending large sums of money. Professor Angjelin Saraçi was lucky enough to live long and he passed away in February 1986, closing his eyes forever without anyone around. At that time one of his neighbors sent a telegram to Willie Kames, our family friend and after that my husband. Kolindo Saraçi went to Tirana to perform his funeral. If Kolindo had not gone to Tirana that day, Angjelin’s body would have gone to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for student practice. Only after the ’90s, a part left from the library of Angjelin Saraçi, on dt. 26. 4. 2003, was handed over to the University “Luigj Gurakuqi” of the city of Shkodra for the chair of History-Geography “concludes her testimony Mrs. Fatbardha Mulleti regarding the persecution of Angjelin Saraçi and his family, where even today the descendants nothing has been returned to her from the property seized by the communist regime of Enver Hoxha since 1945./Memorie.al
