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When Was Albania Liberated?

Kur është çliruar Shqipëria?

Quando è stata liberata l'Albania?

Photo: A child standing in front of a car, with another person partly visible beside the vehicle.
Original newspaper scan

Original newspaper scan

In the years, the matter has become more complicated, which has caused some ambiguities. One of these is precisely the question of Albania’s liberation. This year, on 28 November, the 81st anniversary of the declaration of Independence is celebrated, and on 29 November the 49th anniversary of the liberation of the country from the Nazi-fascist occupiers is commemorated. The history of the national-liberation war has remained open, because different dates have become fixed in official records and in popular memory. For this reason, in this issue we bring material on the problem of Albania’s liberation, based on documents, memories, and historical analysis. Albania? | When was it liberated In various sources, 28 November 1944 is often mentioned as the day Albania was liberated, but some other historical studies push this date to the end of November. The text in this issue gives arguments for why 29 November remains the officially accepted date. Albania was liberated when German troops withdrew from Shkodra, Tirana, and other major cities; however, in some parts of the country fighting continued even after 29 November 1944. Photo: Maturan Mjafa.