Sotir Kolea, a patriot who contributed significantly to Albanian education and culture, passed away on July 3, 1945. He was a prominent figure in the Albanian Renaissance, a diplomat, publisher, and often regarded as the “father” of Albanian library science.

Born in Berat on September 4, 1872, after working as a merchant, he began his patriotic activities in the Albanian Renaissance, initially in 1896 as a teacher of Albanian language for Albanians in Kavala (Greece), and later as secretary of the society “Bashkimi” in Egypt.

He participated in the official delegation that defended Albanian demands at the London Conference and co-organized the Congress of Trieste. In exile, he directed several Albanian newspapers. Kolea would later stand out as one of the longest-serving directors of the National Library, from 1928 to 1937. During his tenure, he expanded the library’s collection from 4,000 to 18,000 titles, publishing numerous annual periodicals about the library’s activities with bibliographic descriptions of many works of interest for study.

Kolea made significant contributions to collecting valuable historical documents, including the first presentation of Kostë Berati’s manuscript, the history of the origin of the national flag raised in Vlorë on November 28, 1912, and gathered documents related to Skanderbeg, bibliographic data on Shtjefën Gjeçovi, Jani Vruho, Jani Vreto, Fan Noli, Shiroka, and others, collections that are now national treasures thanks to his efforts.

After retiring, he settled in Elbasan, where he continued his studies on national cultural values until his passing at the age of 72.

Today, his name is carried by the former main library of the capital city, following an investment by the Albanian Government and European support through the “EU4Culture” program.

/k.s/