On the 105th anniversary of the proclamation of Korça as Republic, a bronze statue realized by the sculptor Vasilijev Nini, and conceived by the architect Ilir Voci was erected in the house where the creator of this major event for the country, Themistokli Gërmenji, lived. Many citizens of Korça participated in the inauguration of this work.

“Korca was proclaimed a Republic exactly on December 10, 1916, thanks to the relentless lobbying of Themistokli Gërmenji, a great patriot and Albanian, who lived in this house where we are today and under the support of the French. The autonomous province of Korça and the figure of Themistokli Gërmenji, the architect of the creation of this special state-forming entity, constitute an admirable political and social history, the effects of which felt a few years later to be decisive for the political fate of Albania and the continuity of cultural relations of Albania with the West “, said Ilir Voci.

According to him, Korça is the cradle of Albanian nationalism and the city where the great ideas of creating the future state of Albanians were formed. Located at the entrance of the house, where he once lived, now Themistokli Gërmenji, a character still unknown well from history, comes as a form of reflection on the need we have to know more about the past.

“This work tries to bring back Themistokli in all its wide dimensions, as a character with a troubled life, with a political and cultural heritage, which have been decisive for the fate of the country. “But I want to see this work as a moment of reflection on the need we have to know better the figures that are strongly related to our national and linguistic identity, as many other human dimensions of Themistoklis are still unknown”, said Voci.

With the creation of the “Autonomous Province of Korça”, also called the “Republic of Korça”, an Albanian administration was set up, headed by the prominent patriot Themistokli Gërmenji. On this important day for the city, the realization of this work and the raising of the flag in the house of Themistokli Gërmenji, are an important sign of meeting with the memory.

/Klara Ruci/