Happy Independence Day Albania! On November 28, 2022, Google will doodle on the Albanian flag to commemorate the country’s 110th anniversary of independence. Albania’s independence is also known as Dita e Pavarsis in Albanian. On this day in 1912, the Albanian congress met in Vlora and voted to declare independence from Ottoman rule.
The Albanian delegation to the London Conference of 1913 submitted a memorandum requesting international recognition of independent Albania. It was decided at the start of the conference that the region of Albania would be under Ottoman suzerainty but with an autonomous government. The delegation’s requests for recognition based on Albanian ethnic rights were denied, and the treaty signed on 30 May 1913 partitioned a large portion of the claimed lands between Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro, leaving only a central region as independent territory, which was placed under the protection of the Great Powers. On July 29, 1913, the ambassadors of the six Great Powers met again and decided to establish a new state, the Principality of Albania, as a constitutional monarchy. Finally, with the signing of the Treaty of Bucharest in August 1913, this newly independent state was established, leaving approximately 40% of the ethnic Albanian population outside its borders.
The President and Prime Minister attend a flag-raising ceremony in Tirana, Albania’s capital city. Albania’s national flag, depicted in today’s artwork, has a red background with a black two-headed eagle in the centre. On this day in 1912, the flag flew for the first time. As a symbol of national pride, it covers balconies, windows, and even people on Independence Day.
The city of Vlora is also a popular holiday destination. Albanians pay their respects to those who fought for freedom by visiting the towering Monument of Independence at Flag Square. The monument, designed by renowned national sculptors Muntaz Dhrami and Kristaq Rama, depicts famous Albanian independence movement leaders.
