| Royal Palace of Durrës | |
|---|---|
Pallati Mbreteror i Durrësit | |
 The main entrance of the palace. | |
| Alternative names | Konaku i Durrësit |
| General information | |
| Type | Palace |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | Durrës, Albania |
| Address | Bulevardi Epidamn, Durrës (in front of the first port of Durrës Harbour, where currently the Veliera square is) |
| Destroyed | 1926 |
| Client | Wilhelm, Prince of Albania Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg Carol Victor, Hereditary Prince of Albania |
The Royal Palace of Durrës, sometimes known as the Konak of Durrës (Albanian: Pallati Mbretëror i Shqipërisë or Konaku i Durrësit), was a royal palace of the Principality of Albania situated in Durrës, Albania. It previously served as the chief official residence of Wilhelm, Prince of Albania, and his wife, Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg. It has been used by different Albanian governments for various purposes.
History
[edit]Royal Residence
[edit]This royal residence had been the seat of the Ottoman prefect (mutasarriflik) of Durrës. The three floors of the building with an interior courtyard contained thirty-five rooms. Its facade was around 50 metres wide. It was constructed using the base of an rampart of the old medieval city walls.
Prince Wilhelm of Wied arrived in Albania at his capital of Durrës on 7 March 1914, along with the Royal Family. Wilhelm, who reigned as 'Vilhelm, Prince of Albania', moved into the building five months later and used it as his palace for his six month reign, when furnishing and a modest bevy of servants were brought from Germany. The palace was raided after the departure of Prince Wilhelm by Muslim rebels and Haxhi Qamili.
1918 Bombardment
[edit]On 2 October 1918, the palace, along with the entire city of Durrës, was bombarded on the orders Admiral Dominique-Marie Gauchet of the French Navy during the Battle of Durrës. The order was executed by Admiral The Marchese di Revel of the Regia Marina aboard the Dante Alighieri. Admiral Gauchet had followed the instructions of General Louis Franchet d'Espèrey, who was serving the Macedonian front on account of the Allies, and according to whom, the Port of Durres, if not destroyed, would have served the evacuation of the Bulgarian and German armies involved in the First World War.[1] The earthquake of 1926 further destroyed the palace and, by 1930, there were no longer any remains.[2]
2010 Excavation and removal
[edit]The foundations of the first royal palace of Albania were excavated in the 2010s, and subsequently demolished in 2019 to make place for a new veil-like square named "Veliera".[3]
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The city of Dürres with the palace on the left -
The royal palace in the 1910s -
Prince Vilhelm speaking from the balcony -
The prince and princess in front of the palace -
The palace on a postcard -
The palace after the bombardment
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See also
[edit]| History of Albania |
|---|
 |
| Timeline |
References
[edit]- ^ Kabashi, Gezim (December 24, 2012). "Fotot e Rralla - Bombardimi i Durresit me 2 Tetor 1918" [Rare Photos - Bombing of Durres on October 2, 1918]. Gazeta e Durresit. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014.
- ^ Brunga, Mark (September 27, 2012). "Urdhri i Shqiponjes se Zeze dekorata e pare e shteti shqiptar". Gazeta e Durresit.
- ^ "Shkatërrohet Pallati i parë Mbretëror shqiptar" (in Albanian). 10 March 2019.
Literature
[edit]- Shehi, Eduard (2018). Konaku i Durrësit (in Albanian). Tirana: Akdemia e Studimeve Albanologjike. p. 301. ISBN 978-9928-141-97-2.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Konak of Durrës at Wikimedia Commons